Reflection #3

What is a Constructivist Lesson Plan?

As an educational philosophy, Constructivism allows learners to ultimately construct their own knowledge, unique to their own experience and take it with them to apply to future learning. Learning is viewed as life-long problem solving. As such the constructivist classroom is set up to prepare the learner for a life time of curiosity, investigation, analysis and reflection. Emphasizing the processes by which children develop and create their ideas makes it the teacher’s challenge to provide the appropriate
curriculum to match, but yet challenge the student’s understanding, while stimulating further growth and development of the mind.

The Constructivist Lesson Plan uses recent scientific research about the human brain and how learning occurs and consciously incorporates the principles into the classroom. The lesson plan format is rather straight forward, emphasizing six important elements. The elements are designed to make the teacher responsible for planning and reflecting about the process of student learning. The process is the emphasis.

The lesson plan elements are as follows:
1. Situation. The teacher presents a situation for the students to undertake and finds a title.
2. Groupings. The groupings of students and materials are dependent on the situation and materials at hand.
3. Bridge. This activity is designed to ascertain the individual’s prior knowledge and construct a connection to the lesson.
4. Questions. Keeping the questions going is an integral part of the formula and used throughout the elements.
5. Exhibit. This involves a presentation by the student reflecting the knowledge gained.
6. Reflections. These reflections would encompass every facet of the experience including their feelings even images in their imagination. KWL. What did they know before; what did they want to know; and what did they learn?

The Constructivist Lesson Plan allows for learning to be constructed along the way. The student is active and experiments and questions. The process and reflection makes them own their lessons. Collaboration is used so that the students can learn strategies and methods from each other. The lessons are based on problem solving and are inquiry-based. The brain, the student and the lesson are always evolving.

Since I am a very visual learner, I am constantly trying to draw pictures for myself. To help me visualize the Constructivist theory I can imagine a giant, multi-faceted puzzle. Where does this piece fit? Does it lead you to another piece and yet another? This example is rather finite, but does help at a very basic level. However, ultimately, I envision something that grows and expands indefinitely, reaching further and morphing along the way teaching the student HOW TO LEARN.