About constructivist pedagogy assignment #2

About Constructivist Pedagogy

Name: Lee Jeong A ( 2008E003: Jeong a Lee: Morning class )
Date : 2008.3.20


1. The four issues of Constructivist Pedagogy
in research and practice

(1) It focuses on student learning.
(2) It tries to understand and describe of more and less effective constructive teaching.
(3) It requires deep subject matter knowledge for teachers, especially elementary school teachers.
(4) It tries to check the possibility that the vision of constructivist Pedagogy is ideological and may impose a dominant view of Pedagogy.
(quoted by pg1:3-14)


2. Constructivist Theory

Note : Constructivism is a theory of learning, meaning-making that individuals make their understanding between the acquired knowledge and the ideas and knowledge to come into contact. ( quoted by pg1:30_ 2:2)


* Two forms of constructivism by Philips

1) Social constructivism
(1) Such things as politics, ideologies, values, power, status, religious beliefs and economic self- interest can determine body of knowledge or disciplines.
(2) These bodies of knowledge are not considered to be objective representations of the external world.
(quoted by pg 2)
2) Psychological constructivism

(1) Individual learners actively construct the meaning around the phenomena.
(2) These constructions are very idiosyncratic depending on the learner's background knowledge. (quoted by pg 3: 2-4)



3) The big difference between two theories, is one of focus

1) Social constructivism are interested in how the development of that formal knowledge has been determined within power, economics, social and political forces.
2) Psychological constructivism depends on the ways in which meaning is created within the individual mind. (quoted by pg3: 2nd paragraph)

Note : But most of the work on constructivist Pedagogy takes place within the second approach. (quoted by pg3: 4th paragraph)

* Comment : I think Pedagogy is a synthesis of all areas. Of course social backgrounds of students are very important. It is also important for students to make meaning around them. But the most important I think is to have control-power of teachers in classroom. Under the great teachers are good students.



3. Current interest in the constructivist pedagogy

Many authors compared constructivism with transmission model teachers to explicate differences in the two teaching approaches.

1) Five characteristics of constructivist Pedagogy

(1) This pays attention to the individual and respect for the student background.
(student- centered)
(2) With facilitation of group dialogue, it can lead to the creation and understanding

(3) Through many various means such as direct instruction, reference to text and web site, it can introduce of formal domain knowledge.
(4) It can provide opportunities for students to determine, challenge, change or add to existing beliefs and understandings.


(5) It can develop the students' meta-awareness of their own understandings and learning processes. (quoted by pg 4)

Note : We can understand constructivist pedagogy is the creation of classroom environments, activities, and methods grounded in a constructivist theory of learning. (quoted by pg 5:1st paragraph)


4. Unsolved issues

1) Student Learning
As constructivism as a learning development or meaning-making theory suggests that students also make meaning from activities, we have to try students to develop the ability to think mathematically, historically, literally, scientifically, musically and so on. (quoted by pg 6 middle part)

2) Effective constructive teaching
(1) As the lack of effective constructive teaching is due to the lack of constructivist teaching theory, we should know the basis of theory.
(quoted by pg 7 : down part)
(2) As a teacher we don't need to know whole knowledge. we can allow the students to figure the things out for themselves. (quoted by pg 8 middle part)
(3) It must be based on acquisition or participation. (quoted by pg8: down part)
(4) It is developed within subject matter areas.

3) Teachers' Subject -Matter Knowledge

(1) It is necessary for teachers to get the depth of subject matter knowledge for students.

* for the interpretation of how students are understanding the material,
* for developing activities that support students,
* for exploring concepts, hypotheses and beliefs,
* for guiding a discussion (quoted by pg9 :middle part)

(2) it is impossible for elementary school teachers to get all depth of knowledge of subject matter.
(3) Teachers help students reconceptualize their knowledge in broader social, cultural, and ideological worlds. (quoted by pg 10: middle part)

** Comment : Of course it is very hard to get all depth of knowledge of subject matters. But I think researching is teachers' responsibility and holy duty. So we have to try to know it thoroughly every day even though elementary teachers. Teachers are researchers.

4) Cultural differences
Note : Psychological constructivist Approach may be possible within a dominant culture
There are two schools.
One is Afrocentric school and the other is University area school.
(1) The features of Afrocentric school
* teacher-centered instruction
* the norms of the school focused on the development of the community
* students have to help form and improve that community
(quoted by pg11 : down part)

(2) The features of university area school
* student centered classroom
* teachers think of students' creativity and honesty
* community exists to help the individual students
(qouted by pg 12 : top part)
Note : Therefore we can follow the constructivist instructional approach through a dominant culture.

** Comment : I think cultural and social backgrounds are the most important thing. Even though we have strong emotion to get something from outworld, we are restricted because of family wealth, ideology and politic power. And before we adapt this kind of theory to the classroom we should notice the backgrounds of the students.

5. Conclusion
The most critical area of work in constructivist pedagogy is determining ways of relating teacher actions in a constructivist classroom to student learning.
Constructivism is not perfect. And it is not norms. We have to accept this as one of various theories. (quoted by pg 13: down )
Teaching theory can be developed under the allowing many various circumstances of strategies. (quoted by pg 15: top )