http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6pFMPSWBdsI am currently taking classes at University of La Verne and one of my assingments for my EDUC 390 Science for Elementary Teachers course required a discussion question and answer. After starting the assignment I realized that the outcome of my observation would also aide myself and other students in my EDUC 407 Computers in Education course. My hope is that my peers will gain some positive insight from what I learned while in the classroom.
The discussion question was as follows; Constructivist review: List and elaborate upon the qualities of a constructivist learning environment and how these characteristics promote learning for a variety of students. Describe some potential limitations of a constructivist classroom. What type of student might not benefit from these methods?When answering this question I decided that it would be important to go visit a school and see first hand the difference. I was able to find information online however, seeing it first hand was a wonderful experience. The teacher who implemented a constructivist learning environment had a room full of eager learners. They came in asking what she had planned on the Elmo. When I heard how excited they were about Elmo my first thought was Elmo from Sesame Street. However, Elmo in this case was a projector and it can also be used as a document camera. She was able to place the dictionary under the camera and project the image on the white board. So, all of her students could see the word as she was teaching the class about Guide Words and how to navigate through the Dictionary with ease. No more shuffling through books, not paying attention because they can’t find the word themselves, and she is able to have students click and point and help engage all of the students with less effort.
During the recess I had a chance to talk one on one with the teacher. She said, that when she first started teaching it was stressful. She said, that she would stand in front on the class and lecture and she never had the full attention of her class and that the children were falling behind quickly. She then stated, that is when the light clicked on and she realized that she had to change! It wasn’t the children; it was her teaching style. She said, that she had to consider and acknowledge that each student does not learn the same way. This means that if the teacher chooses just one style of teaching (direct instruction, collaborative learning, inquiry learning, etc.) the students will not be maximizing their full potential. She retorted, that is when she took the time to step back and look at the big picture and see that times have changed and these children are under stimulated in the classroom; kids have IPods, cell phones with text messaging bundles, video games and they need more hands on educational tools to breakthrough to their inner ability.It is obvious that a teacher can not reach every student on the same level during one lesson, however, by implementing a variety of learning styles throughout the year will allow all students to have the chance to learn in at least one way that matches their learning style.
If education remains largely text and lecture based it is going to continue to create significant limitations for the children’s educational growth. While reading is a very significant learning tool, not all students learn effectively from reading alone. I noticed that most of the students in both classrooms responded more openly with visual and audio stimuli of lecture. However, even then I realized that they lost interest rapidly.It was then that I started looking around each classroom; focusing on the hands on activities that were available.
About 10 minutes into my search I heard the children get excited again. This time it was even more exciting than when Elmo came out to play. They sat at attention everyone got real quite as the teacher handed the child in the middle row; who had not said a word the whole time I was in the classroom the Interwrite tablet. The magic wand!!! On the board was the Food Pyramid for all of the students to see. It was so eye catching and I wished that this would have been my fourth grade classroom when I was a child. To my surprise the shy little girl with great confidence became a teacher who was unstoppable. She was pointing and clicking and discussing healthy portions of food, calories, trans fat, good fat/ bad fat; she knew all about it and what she didn’t know her peers knew and I watched a classroom full of fourth graders learn more in 30 minutes then most adults my age learned in a school year. It was then that I realized that with the right tools and understanding; that teachers are here to help guide the children because together learning will take on a whole new meaning. These children are going to be able to come out of their shells and show the world that they can do it. It is all about proper exposure.
Posts
