The instructional strategy on generating and testing hypothesis is perfect for Constructionism because students are involved in project-based, problem-based, or inquiry-based learning. At its core, Constructionism is the learning process where students are involved in creating something (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). If students are creating something, such as a hypothesis, they are engaged in their learning (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). Testing a hypothesis forces students to ask questions and reflect, which are both powerful learning tools. They may even need to make adjustments or recreate a hypothesis. Also in the resources this week, the technology programs Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Word were discussed. These programs again allow students to create an external artifact based on what topic they are exploring (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). Providing students with problems instead of feeding them information allows students to try to make connections to content in different ways. Each student brings different experiences to the table so it is important to have them collaborate among one another to share ideas or suggestions. Students solving problems requires them to use more of the different types of knowledge they possess and put them together in an effort to find a solution. Students are likely to have more meaningful learning take place that will remain with them in the future. Asking students questions or posing problems to students causes disequilibration in their brains (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). In an effort to get their brains back into equilibration, students must work hard to assimilate or accommodate new information while using their schema (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). Giving students real-world problems or activities lets students see the value in what they are doing and it also makes assimilation and accommodation more meaningful.
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Program seven: Constructionist and constructivist
learning theories [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology.
Retrieved from
Your note that student use of different types of knowledge to solve problems is critical to understanding how beneficial this strategy can be. That one part opens the door to creative interpretations of the task, and it is what makes each artifact unique to the group that produced it.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!