Constructivist in the classroom! (Cluster 10-15 Fieldwork Assignment)

Currently I am observing a second grade classroom. The teacher uses the constructivist approach to learning not entirely but for particular portions of the day. Her room is set up in three groups of eight students. The students desks are formed into a rectangle and throughout the day she has them engage in group activities. "Social interactions are important in this knowledge construction process" (Woolfolk, 2014, p. 397). This teacher involves the students in group activities during lessons that involve content she wants the students to completely understand.

I observed this technique being used during a math lesson involving subtracting. The students were subtracting double digit numbers and were learning the process regrouping. She presented the lesson to the students and then broke them into groups to work on the remaining questions. The teacher then walked around the classroom listening to their conversations about the questions. The students were allowed to use their place value charts or they could work out the lesson by drawing their representation. This technique allowed the students to be actively involved in their learning, which is an important part of the constructivist approach (Woolfolk, 2014, p. 397).

Although this teacher did use social interaction and active learning to help the students construct their knowledge, she could have used more of the constructivist approach throughout her day. I only really saw this approach used in the math lesson. I feel that this approach can be used for science and domain lesson as well. Allowing the children to explore their environment and become actively involved in their learning with give them a deeper understanding of the content. There are so many tests involved in education that giving the students a break to engage in the learning on their own or socially makes it less stressful. Learning will then become a fun activity instead of a chore.

References 

Math & Learning Videos 4 Kids. (2013, June 5). Subtraction with Regrouping - Math Video for    

            Second Grade. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Buyaqe_L5-Y

Woolfolk, A. (12th Ed) Educational Psychology: Active Learning Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson        

            Learning Inc.