Can teachers use constructivism ideals for themselves?An article in The Science Teacher would say absolutely! "Professional learning helps teachers translate theory into practice." Teachers all have preexisting knowledge on how they are supposed to teach and what they want to bring to the classroom. Teachers often collaborate as a team to try to figure out how they can improve their teaching strategies. Constructive learning is hard to incorporate in the classroom which is why teachers need to collaborate even more to build strong science departments. It relates to constructivism because teachers all have different viewpoints and experiences. They can collaborate these new ideas with each other to build better classrooms. When teachers collaborate and practice constructivism learning in their staff development teams, they are able to do the following things: -have a set of conversations -learn from each others past experiences or knowledge -have planned assessments to find new ideas -helps streamline administrative tasks and focus of what is important (the students) -produce knowledge that is ever growing from new resources and opportunities -have department chairs be curriculum leaders not administration leaders -practice being taught differently than they were when they were growing up -have equal opportunity to speak about their thoughts and ideas As Bill Nye said, everyone knows things we don't so it is best if we learn off of each other. Teachers need to practice what they preach so they have a smarter science department and understand the experience children will go through. CITATIONCampbell, Todd. "Strengthening Science Departments." NSTA. The Science Teacher, 1 Sept. 2012. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.
4 Comments
Article from North Carolina State University http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Papers/CLChapter.pdf This article dives further into how you can apply cooperative learning in the classroom. It also explains the different types of cooperative learning and what cooperative learning consists of. It is a great reference. What is Cooperative Learning? An instruction strategy where students learn and discover new information within small groups Different Types Laboratories and projects Jigsaw Peer Editing Peer Lead Team Learning It looks something like this! How is it different than group learning?
Real Life Example In this video, the teacher had his students use weights to try and figure out how to balance them evenly. Each student has a specific role. One student was the only one who could touch the weights. Another student was the only one that could use a ruler. One student was the recorder. Another student was allowed to adjust the fulcrum. I would use this type of cooperative learning lesson if I taught a physics classroom. I would make sure each student had a set role and stuck to that role. One role I would add, is the communicator to be the only one who is allowed to ask the teacher questions. I would also assess how they worked together and if they stuck to their roles to make sure the lesson was successful in getting everyone to work and equally contribute. Watch the video to see it in action! (skip the first 25 seconds) Diving into "Drive" by Daniel Pink Can motivation and rewards go hand in hand? For a long time, we believed and some still believe humans respond to rewards. We can use rewards to encourage good behavior and discourage bad behavior. Pink describes this as "Motivation 2.0". In the classroom, this might be why some teachers offer extra credit. Some teachers offer free time or ending class early if the students behaved well. There can be many reasons why a teacher rewards his or her students but are they always beneficial? Experiments have shown us really interesting and quite shocking information! One study tested the extrinsic motivators to see the effect rewards have on performance. They started by having 87 participants and split them into 3 groups. One group was offered a small insignificant bonus. The second group was offered a significant bonus. The third group was offered a bonus that was super significant. They found that the small bonus group and significant bonus group had the same performance. The super significant bonus group had the worst performance. But why? The participants in the highest bonus group no longer had an internal motivation to complete the task. "Rewards, by their very nature, narrow our focus."(Drive) Sometimes it is best to have intrinsic rewards. Humans find joy in completing a challenge. That joy is a reward in itself. Humans want to be successful and want to do good things. As a teacher, I want my students to always have a goal. With personal goals, they will be motivated to fulfill that goal and will be rewarded by feeling good once they complete that goal. It sounds cheesy and cliché but I think if students see a purpose in what they are doing then that will motivate them to work harder. Watch this video (0:00-4:46) or the whole thing! |
When students are left to wonder, they get to work through problems on their own and because of that they can take ownership. The teacher and the students get to ask authentic questions that get both the teacher and the students' minds propelling. As a teacher, you can't ask questions that have an immediate right answer. If you ask them a question that needs a specific answer right away students can lose their involvement in the classroom. They won't want to raise their hand if they know there is a chance they might be wrong and told they are wrong in front of everyone. |
Teaching in the Margins vs. Teachable Moments
I know what you're thinking..... it is very similar to teachable moments EXCEPT teachable moments are when you move away from the lesson plan and talk about something you think the students could really benefit from. Teaching in the margins is planned so students can come up with the answer and not be preached upon during a lecture.
"Becoming an exemplary teacher is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of the choices we make; it is not something that simply comes with years of experience, it is something that must be purposefully achieved."
Robert John Meehan
Exemplary Teaching IS
Exemplary Teaching IS NOT
Exemplary teachers break the four walls of the classroom. They expand the students experiences to the outside world and make connections so the students can retain the information better. This concept stuck out to me most because the world has so much to offer and doing these types of exercises are more more memorable than your typical lectures or activities inside the classroom. You are also preparing your students for their everyday life because they won't be in a classroom their entire life.
Especially in science, exemplary teachers let their students guide their own learning. When teachers ask open ended questions, students can use their creativity and talents to solve and answer those questions. Like what Dr. Ann Mackenzie said, you can perform a test at the end of the unit and good test takers will do great. It would be better to do a project where students can use their talents to complete a project to show they understand the unit. They will retain the information better and they get to showcase their talents.
Robert John Meehan
Exemplary Teaching IS
- An ongoing thoughtful process
- Adjusting to the students needs
- Planning material to expand the students mindset
- "Matter of the choices we make" as a teacher
- Illuminates the student's very human beingness
Exemplary Teaching IS NOT
- A set rules of instruction
- Limiting
- "Matter of Chance"
- Something that takes little thought
Exemplary teachers break the four walls of the classroom. They expand the students experiences to the outside world and make connections so the students can retain the information better. This concept stuck out to me most because the world has so much to offer and doing these types of exercises are more more memorable than your typical lectures or activities inside the classroom. You are also preparing your students for their everyday life because they won't be in a classroom their entire life.
Especially in science, exemplary teachers let their students guide their own learning. When teachers ask open ended questions, students can use their creativity and talents to solve and answer those questions. Like what Dr. Ann Mackenzie said, you can perform a test at the end of the unit and good test takers will do great. It would be better to do a project where students can use their talents to complete a project to show they understand the unit. They will retain the information better and they get to showcase their talents.
I encourage you to think about how you can be an exemplary teacher. Once you start to purposefully apply the ideas of exemplary teaching, the growth of your classroom is limitless.
Author
Anna Kirkpatrick
Certified Science Educator and
Curriculum Developer
www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/kirkpatrickscience
Archives
January 2019
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015