Constructivism in the Classroom

 

Constructivism in the Classroom

Author: Santosh Kumar Biswa, Sr. Teacher, Damphu CS, Tsirang, Bhutan

 

Introduction

          Students find inspiration in the classroom based on the type of strategies we use. Appropriate teaching methods that involve students in the learning process can make the classroom healthier and richer. Among the many ways, the constructivist approach is one of the best in any type of classroom setting. The constructivist approach takes its origin from the constructivism doctrine promoted by Jean Piaget, and its emphasis on “practical learning,” based entirely on children-centered education. Piaget believes that knowledge should be created through personal experience, not through adult learning where direct teaching is involved (Stamm, 2021). At the heart of constructivism is that learning becomes more successful when students engage in the acquisition of new knowledge based on prior knowledge, away from traditional teaching methods (Vannak, 2012). John Dewey argues that the classroom should be a place where real-life media communication should take place, involving students as active students (Pacho, 2015). This paper will present a lesson plan, analyze the presentation of my current lesson, and discuss how the aspect of constructivism can make a lesson more effective.

Lesson Plan

Subject: English	Class Level: 12
Lesson Objective:	The students will be able ü  Define dramatic irony and allusion, ü  Identify them in the entire acts of the play, ü  Create examples of dramatic irony and allusion
Materials Needed:	Textbook, sample dramatic irony and allusion, and internet.
Introduction	Lesson Development	Closure
§ Explain the objectives for the lesson to the class § Brainstorm to check their previous understanding of the concept. § Display the sample dramatic irony and allusion from other relevant texts. § Engage students in providing alternative examples, and their usage in such context. § Explain to them its effects in each case and the terminology.	Let students explore dramatic irony and allusion using the internet resources for meaning and examples. Guided Activity § Engage students in defining them in their own words after they complete their findings. § Let them create at least three examples for each literary device. § Have them present it to the class for more discussion. § Let all students comment on the presentation based on its correctness. § Ask them to open the text and identify dramatic irony and allusion (Ask them to list it in their notebook in pairs). § Engage students to read their identified literary device respectively to the class and others to validate their reading. § Promote discussion to identify why their identified phrases from the text are dramatic irony or allusion. Independent Activity The teacher asks them to draw a table and list down dramatic irony and allusion with meanings act-wise.	Ask questions to revise the lesson and evaluate their understanding.
Assessment & Evaluation:	Provide some portion of another play by Shakespeare with dramatic irony and allusion and get students to solve the MCQs.

 

Delivery of my current study

           In addition to listening and acquiring information, students in my class are busy building knowledge through integration and accommodation (University of Buffalo, 2022). It is clear from the above lesson that students are fully involved in activities throughout the course instead of being made up of an inactive audience (Vannak, 2012). The lesson usually begins with a description of the learning objectives so that students get a solid idea of ​​what they should be doing and are encouraged to take control of their learning (Royal Society of Chemistry, 2022). This is followed by a brainwashing activity for background information that helps students connect with new creative knowledge (IRIS Center, 2021).

            The course then guides students through the 5E Instructional Model in which they participate by allowing them to discover new information through online browsing so that they can distinguish between the information obtained from the information they already have (Vigeant, 2017)). The following is the targeted work in which a dialogue between teacher and student is formed. It promotes collaboration to encourage dialogue for deeper understanding and exposure to a variety of perspectives. The project also utilizes peer-to-peer work as architects believe it enables them to meet academic conditions using the same intellectual property knowledge. It allows students to discover new information based on their previous knowledge (McLeod, 2019). A good study environment is always considered.  This is followed by an independent activity where students are provided with each activity that allows them to expand their understanding. Finally, students are tested on a specific task.

Transformation and Differences

               A change that could have been made to make the lesson more appealing was to have the same teaching by having in-depth student-student interaction instead of the teacher conducting the whole lesson or the student-teacher interaction. Their active involvement will enable students to use their thinking processes so that they can monitor their speech, knowledge, and comprehension (Reading Rockets, n.d.).

               In addition, the teacher could teach each of them a separate writing tool at different times rather than two at a time. It is observed in the curriculum that homework is not provided. Providing homework provides additional practice and student review.

Conclusion

           The constructivist method is best used when the teacher develops the subject by looking at the students' interests. It should allow learners to explore, visualize, investigate, explain, and learn by building new knowledge. It should help students to become critical thinkers with creative skills to establish their own knowledge, skills, and knowledge throughout their learning journey (WGU, 2020). In addition, the teacher should be a guide in preparing students for their journey.

 

References

Pacho. T. O. (2015). Unpacking John Dewey’s Connection to Service-Learning. The Journal of Education and Social Policy

IRIS Center. (2021). Page 6: Activate Background Knowledge. https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/ell/cresource/q2/p06/

McLeod, S. (2019). Constructivism as a theory for teaching and learning. https://www.simplypsychology.org/constructivism.html

Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Reciprocal Teaching. https://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/reciprocal_teaching

Royal Society of Chemistry. (2022). Sharing objectives and criteria. https://edu.rsc.org/assessment-for-learning/sharing-objectives-principles-of-assessment-for-learning/4012320.article

Stamm, J. (2021). What Is Constructivism? https://study.com/academy/lesson/constructivist-lesson-plan-example.html

University of Buffalo. (2022). What is Constructivism? https://www.buffalo.edu/catt/develop/theory/constructivism.html#title_2059630958

Vannak, H. (2012). The Application of Constructivism Approach in the English Language Classroom, Primary Six. https://www.academia.edu/32375273/The_Application_of_Constructivism_Approach_in_the_English_Language_Classroom_Primary_Six#:~:text=The%20Application%20of%20Constructivism%20Approach%20in%20the%20English%20Language%20Classroom%2C%20Primary%20Six,-Hour%20Vannak&text=Constructivism%20is%20a%20theory%20of,this%20information%20to%20existing%20knowledge.

Vigeant, F. (2017). What is the 5E Instructional Model? https://www.knowatom.com/blog/what-is-the-5e-instructional-model#:~:text=The%205Es%20are%20an%20instructional,to%20move%20through%20in%20phases.&text=From%20there%2C%20students%20elaborate%20on,situations%20to%20deepen%20their%20skills.

WGU. (2020). What is constructivism? https://www.wgu.edu/blog/what-constructivism2005.html