On Research

bonnstetter / yager -- science scope -- sep 1991 note:

yager was bonnstetter's teacher as a doctoral student at U. of Iowa. Hang around smart people

with the teacher as a facilitator,students have more power to learn, and they learn more.
Confident people know that the accomplishment of any worthwhile endeavor requires commitment.

They know that it is only to that in which they truly value and believe are they willing to be committed. (1) Have you ever wondered why some teachers always seem to be on the cutting edge of innovation ? Why some always seem ready to incorporate the latest research-supported strategies ? Maybe these teachers are operating under a different paradigm than your ordinary teacher and have a different understanding of why we teach and what outcomes we seek. The old teaching value system needs reevaluation to develop a model that binds research-supported strategies and learning theories.

For many educators, the constructivist approach to teaching is this binding philosophy. The constructivist model incorporates a multitude of research-based learning theories that give students and teachers the active role in the learning process. (2, 3,4)

Finding new strategies

Because of students' differing understandings, backgrounds, and experiences, each student construct for new knowledge will be somewhat unique. Therefore, the constructivist model breaks from traditional educational views and may leave teachers feeling as though the new learning theory violates all of their current notions about teaching. They question, "How can we test outcomes ?" "How can students decide what information means ?" and "Who is in charge ?"

This resistance, resulting from adherence to existing paradigms, serves as the primary obstacle to educational reform. Henry Giroux suggests that without philosophical change, new teaching strategies become little more than a sequence of teaching rituals, rituals that are soon abandoned when teachers confront the inconsistency between their values and teaching innovations. (5) Therefore, a teacher committed to the constructivist view is more likely to incorporate and maintain current reform strategies. Having this new operational paradigm is analogous to constructing a giant jigsaw puzzle after internalizing a clear image of the final product an different subdivisions. The puzzle pieces represent different research-supported teacher and student behaviors all held together by this model or image. A teacher committed to the constructivist view is prepared to find the necessary strategies to complete the picture of learning.

Bybee et al. have proposed a teaching model with four stages:

invitation,
exploration,
construction of explanations and solutions, and
conclusion with action plans. (6)

Remember that the role of the teacher throughout constructivism is to facilitate learning. The entire class, working in harmony, strives to foster an environment that will encourage students to progress through each of the phases. The teacher no linger does the "learning work" --identifying situations, designing a model, constructing explanations, and applying knowledge and new skills. The following strategies support this role:

seeking out and using student questions and ideas to guide lessons and
entire instructional units.
accepting and encouraging student initiation of ideas.
promoting student leadership as well as collaboration.
using student thinking, experience, and interest to drive lessons. This entails flexibility in teaching plans as the direction of interest changes.
encouraging students to use sources of information other than the teacher, such as written materials and live "experts."
using open-ended questions and encouraging students to elaborate on their questions and their responses.
encouraging students to predict scientific consequences.
encouraging students to test out ideas.
encouraging students to challenge one anotherÕs conceptions and ideas.
providing adequate time for reflection and analysis.
encouraging self-analysis.
encouraging actions as a result of the learning process. (The action conclusion is essential for long-term impact.) The action can be as simple as allowing students to apply the concept in a setting or as a laboratory activity.
An example of a more complex action might involve taking a stand on a science- related issue and carrying out a plan of action, such as writing letters or making presentations.
assisting students in making the intellectual connections between existing and newly acquired knowledge. This includes not only connecting science concepts, but also drawing from all subjects and experiences to help students mentally construct a more holistic understanding of their newly acquired knowledge.

The constructivist philosophy

Summarizing, constructivism is based on the following tenets of learning: (2,4,8)
1. The student must play an active role in constructing meaning from new information.
2. The students prior conceptions form a basis for determining the meaning of new knowledge.
3. Learning is an ongoing process that requires discussion, debate and opportunities to reconstruct ideas.

It is important to note that the same tenets hold true for effective inservice and preservice teacher reform. Expecting teachers to practice strategies that are inconsistent with their teaching paradigm is no more effective than expecting students to learn information that can not be applied or integrated with previously held conceptions. The traditional top-down approaches used in both inservice and preservice teaching has proven to be ineffective for long-term learning or reform.#

Leyden note:
tables don't translate on the Net - dr. leyden will give you a print out of the table in question -- if you ask.

This table is a self-check instrument for determining the degree to which a teacher allows students to construct their own meaning. scales for evaluating degree of constructivist learning

teacher identifies the issue / topic student

does the teacher or student decide

issue is relevant
asks the questions
identifies written and human resources
locates written resources
contacts needed human resources
plans investigation and activities

yes or no ?

varied evaluation techniques used
student practices self-evaluation
concepts & skills applied to new situations
students take actions
science concepts emerge because

they's needed
they are part of the curriculum extensions of learning outside the school is evident

References : see dr. leyden --- 6/18s/95 -- 4/15m/96