Creating Constructivism 1. beginning to transform their methods of teaching to better acclimate to students different learning

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1 Creating Constructivism 1 Sarajean Achilles Education today is undergoing a silent reformation. Quietly but effectively, educators are beginning to transform their methods of teaching to better acclimate to students different learning styles. With the stresses of standardized test requirements in addition to sociological changes in our current society, educators are beginning to recognize the importance of individualized education for our students. One of the most popular revivals of this type of education is Cognitive Constructivism, a method inspired by Jean Piaget s work on the Cognitive Development theory. Through constructivism students are able to obtain the important elements of individualized education through a hands-on approach. Piaget s theory on Cognitive Constructivism describes more closely this hands-on approach to learning. Through a closer understanding of Piaget s ideas I can formulate an outline to include constructivist ideas in my own future classroom. Jean Piaget, born a Swiss citizen and trained in the field of biology, did not plan on becoming one of the greatest and most influential developmental psychologists of his time, yet was able to effectively create a theory which brilliantly outlines the cognitive development of people. His most influential work came about from observing his own children and their growth and cognitive development over time. Through these observations Piaget was able to develop the central ideas for his cognitive theory, how people think changes with time and experience and thought processes always affect behavior (Berger, 2008). He further explained that this development occurs in different stages, thus outlining his four major stages of development. Quite possibly the most developmentally-rich stage being, the Concrete operational stage, ranging from children ages six to eleven. Children move from having no conceptual thought, to egocentric perspective, and then into this important stage where they are able to think with appropriate logic and rationality. During this age children are beginning to pride themselves on their abilities, which often shows up in students school work where children will start using higher levels of thinking or abstract ideas to solve problems (Powell, Kalina 2009). As Piaget has

2 Creating Constructivism 2 outlined, in the Concrete operational stage children have grown out of the egocentric and magical way of thinking and have transgressed to a point of beginning to understand reality. Due to these significant changes, during the Concrete stage, Piaget discovered that thinking and understanding is limited to real world and sensory inductive stimuli (Gordon 2009), thus students respond well to hands-on learning experiences where they are able to grasp the information more effectively. One of the most influential and effective ways to provide these methods in a classroom would be through using the Cognitive Constructivist theory. As learners attempting to make sense of new information, Piaget theorized that we use assimilation, accommodation and adaptation to restore a mental equilibrium. When new information has been presented to us, our once balanced state of understanding is turned upside down, what Piaget referred to as disequilibrium. In order to rectify the unbalance in our minds we use two important processes known as; assimilation, the process of interpreting new experiences to fit with older ideas, or accommodation, where we restructure our old ideas to include our new experiences. Through this process we are able to include new, and most often confusing, ideas into our existing schemas allowing for true development to take place (Berger 2008). While all of the stages of development as outlined by Jean Piaget require these processes to occur, it is during the Concrete operational stage where they will be used most frequently and effectively. These students are at the brink of understanding complex ideas such as emotions, feelings and desires of others, mathematics and reversibility as well as personal success and abilities. During middle childhood (ages 6-11) children are more excited and more capable of learning complex information that challenges their abilities to think critically, and perform exceptionally. Non-coincidentally, this is also the age where students begin to attend school and progress in their higher-ordered thinking. Through understanding Piaget s outline of cognitive equilibrium, we are aware that students undergo development after learning new information, processing that information and then adapting it to fit our schemas. Unfortunately when we are first

3 Creating Constructivism 3 given information we are not able to immediately decipher it. Instead we must formulate our own construct of knowledge (Powell, Kalina 2009). In order to grasp these new and complex ideas students in this stage need to be in situations where they will be working with real, tangible and visible things, in order to help them grasp and memorize such complex ideas. Branching from Piaget s original theory on development, Constructivism is a method of teaching which parallels the needs of the students. Constructivist theory relies on the idea that learning and teaching should include experiences such as problem-based learning, inquiry, activities, dialogues with peers and teachers, (Gordon, 39) wherein these elements require the educator to provide encouragement, information access and opportunity to express their understanding in different ways. Through the constructivist approach students in this concrete stage are able to learn new information and the processes of assimilation and/or accommodation work much more quickly and effectively. Cognitive Constructivism, developed out of Piaget s work with his Cognitive Development theory, would most effectively be used in providing classroom situations and activities that promote individual learning, (Powell, Kalina 2009) and stresses the importance of each individual accessing knowledge and learning at their own individual rate. As a future third grade teacher, my responsibility is to take into account the importance of Piaget s Cognitive Constructivist theory and the developmental experiences my students will be working through. One of the foundational goals that I have as an educator is to never impede on my students learning. It will be my job to act as a catalyst between my students minds and the information I am teaching them. As Gordon suggests, the goal of constructivist lessons is not to give students the necessary facts or formula, but instead to help them come up with a more developed understanding of information that is most interesting to them (Gordon 2009). It is my goal to outline my classroom based on the Piagetian theory on development, and enhance my lessons with constructivist motives. When considering the areas of content that I will be working in, many studies as well as my own personal ideas claim that math and science are some of the best subjects to include constructivist lesson plans. Due to

4 Creating Constructivism 4 the nature of the information, concepts in these subject areas can be difficult for many students to grasp. Through a constructivist, hands-on approach there is many ways that I can enhance these subjects to help along the development and understanding and learning of my students. Science is a very complicated subject that usually discourages students, and gives even the brightest kid trouble at some point. While I have never been an expert in the subject, it is one of the fastest growing fields in education and thus one of the most stressed subjects in school. Standards are set high for educators as well as students. In such a complicated field I find it crucial to develop a classroom setting where my students feel comfortable exploring and learning concepts they do not know. At the ages of about eight or nine, about the age for third grade, kids love to have collections. These collections allow them to show off their success, classification and identification skills. This could potentially be a wonderful element to bring into the classroom. As a hands-on approach to learning about different rocks, their layers and where they came from, students can explore the campus, or a refined area in which the discovery of rocks becomes their challenge. Through a scavenger hunt, checklist or collection, students would be able to observe the rocks, think about their differences, recall the determiners of the rocks location (layers, color, rock type), as well as figure out on their own how to classify them using information they already know, or that which is provided to them. There can also be pre-activities where students have to create image replications of the rocks before they set out to look for them or perhaps a class discussion, allowing students to recollect what information they need to know. My goal again, is to not be intrusive on my students learning but rather be there to provide an environment where students feel free to create unique concepts and structures (Powell, Kalina 2009) as well as be a mediator for their learning processes. While the Constructivist theory seems to be lax and almost unorganized, there are many factors which contribute heavily to the success of running a constructivist classroom, one most importantly being the relationship between teacher and student. I hope to establish a very firm relationship with my students, creating a platform of honesty and trust

5 Creating Constructivism 5 where upon my students can feel comfortable to discuss their ideas or concepts without inhibitions or fear (Powell, Kalina 2009). The construction of a constructivist classroom is vital to its success. With a solid foundation and respectful relationship with my students the implementation of Piaget s theory of Cognitive Development as well as his Cognitive Constructivism will turn out seamless. Beginning his career in biology, Jean Piaget found himself in quite a strange situation when he his fascination with the intelligence of people began. Piaget dedicated the rest of his life to understanding more closely the development stages we go through as we age as well as many other influential works. School-aged child children fall in the realm of the Concrete operational stage meaning they are finally beginning to understand logical thinking and they are mastering their personal abilities and skills. For these groups of learners a constructivist classroom could possibly the most beneficial element of their education. After reading more about Piaget and his accomplishments I have been able to create a theoretical lesson plan which incorporates some of the most vital elements of constructivist learning. As Piaget dedicated most of his career to learning these ways, I look forward to putting in the same effort in order to create the best classroom setting that will be developmentally and cognitively the most appropriate for my students.

6 Creating Constructivism 6 References Berger, K. S. (2008). The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence (8th ed., p. 47). New York, NY: Worth. Gordon, M. (2009, January). Toward a pragmatic discourse of Constructivism: reflections on lessons from practice. Journal of the American Educational Studies Association, 45, (39, 51). Retrieved from Powell, K. C., & Kalina, K. J. (2010). Cognitive and Social Constructivism: developing tools for an effective classroom. Educational Horizons, 130(2), (242,248). Retrieved from Zane, T. W. (2009, January). Performance assessment design principles gleaned from constructivist learning theory (part 1). Tech Trends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning, 53(Pt. 1), Retrieved from