Constructivist Learning Theorists

Where do the theorists fit in with this connection between community and learning?

Dewey

"The relationship between knowledge and reality is a result of individual and social experiences (Ultanir, 199)

"learner centered and less teacher dominated learning environment" (Ultanir, 201)

"the child own experience must be acknowledged" (Ultanir, 206)


The idea of social experience and its impact on learning is closely related to Bruner's ideas of engagement. Social discussion provides students with authentic motivation and a reason to apply and develop their problem solving skills.

Piaget

"continuous and gradual change of schema" (Jones)

"the most frequent cause of accommodation is the interaction, and especially linguistic interaction, with others" (Glaserfeid, 66)

"motivation to master new problems is most likely to spring from having enjoyed the satisfaction of finding solutions to problems in the past" (Glaserfeid, 181)

This gradual change supports the instructional practice of connecting prior knowledge with new learning, using each lesson and activity to build on a big idea rather than focus on specific content points.

Vygotsky

"social interaction leads to gradual, incremental changes in thought and behavior (adapted from the cultural and societal norms)" (Jones)

A direct connection to the importance of a classroom community.This raises the question of what are these cultural and societal norms? Are they different in and out of the classroom? In school, are we teaching students to norms of our society, or teaching them to seek out norms in order to understand social arrangement and communication?

Bruner

"effective instruction is engaging and stimulating to student minds" (Jones)
"set purpose for learning- motivate further exploration" (Jones)


How do the verbs we use in student objectives define their learning experience?

What are our expectations of education and how does these expectations impact the learning models used in classrooms?

What is the difference between memory and understanding? How do we assess this difference? 

The Having of Wonderful Ideas, Eleanor Duckworth

"Having confidence in one's ideas does not mean "I know my ideas are right"; it means "I am willing to try out my ideas" (Duckworth, 5)

What is a wonderful idea?

How do ideas grow from ideas?

How do educators encourage students to arrive at wonderful ideas?

http://www.azquotes.com/author/57783-Eleanor_Duckworth

Why are students ideas significant?

When students come to the realization that their ideas, values, thoughts, and skills are significant, they become confident in their ability to learn and share. Student's develop self respect for their own thoughts and are more willing to share and converse with classmates about their ideas. An inclusive environment harvests this growth in self-confidence, helping students solidify their ideas. When students see their ideas as significant, they begin to ask meaningful questions to  help grow their ideas even further.

"One can familiarize children with a few phenomena in such a way as to catch their interest, to let them raise and answer their own questions, to let them realize that their ideas are significant- so that they have the interest, the ability, and the self-confidence to go on by themselves" (Duckworth, 8)

Learning models that are so focused on getting to the final answer are preventing students from learning the important skills locked inside the struggle of problem solving: (Duckworth, 67) 

surprise

puzzlement

struggle

excitement

anticipation

dawning certainty

This lack of divergent exploration connects to the ideas recorded by students in the novel "Doing School" by Pope. Student's who have mastered the art of doing school correctly, meaning getting college-ready grades and preparing strong community service-based resumes, express their frustrations and missed opportunities to learn.

When, where, and why did we change from learning through play to learning for preparation?

The Inclusive Classroom

What happens to inquiry learning if the teacher does not meet these role requirements?

http://quotesgram.com/inquiry-quotes/

If the educator does not complete their role in the learning process, how does student's inquiry suffer?

Inquiry based learning occurs with the establishment and development of an inclusive classroom environment. Inclusion create a safe place to learn.

• recognize, respect, and incorporate student's prior knowledge and experiences
• comfort to take risks
• consider academic/social strengths and weaknesses of individual learners
• focus on the process skills
• reflection and development of the community- what works? what doesn't?

But what happens when this inclusive community is not established? 

The focus of learning shifts from the process to the answer.

Inquiry without a supported community is superficial. Students who are not comfortable to ask questions and take risks cannot achieve higher order process skills and are forced back into the habit of simply problem solving to find one correct answer.

I think that this idea of an inclusive classroom reaches past just teaching with a culturally relevant perspective. Or, perhaps the idea of inclusion is locked within this theory. When I think of a culturally relevant classroom, I think of a place where all students are recognized and respected as learners. This does not necessary mean in a diverse setting where students have various backgrounds. Any classroom, regardless of the student demographics, must be inclusive of all learners with varied strengths, weaknesses, and experiences. This is true culturally relevant teaching, and the heart of the environment necessary for inquiry based learning of successfully occur.

Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice and Education and Racism: A Primer on Issued and Dilemmas

How does culturally responsive teaching foster inquiry learning?

Inquiry learning is rooted in students ability to think.

Students ability to think is influenced by their prior knowledge.

Prior knowledge is developed based on experience.

Culture experiences, and expectations impact their home-school connection.

Learning with the inquiry model just does not seem to work without creating an inclusive, supportive, and safe classroom community. In order for students to take risks in their work, asking questions, creating solutions, and analyzing their work, their learning space must be supportive.

As it is now, students who arrive at school with a home culture that matches that of the institution are tracked more easily towards academic success. 

Students, however, should not just assimilate into their school community, but build it. Within this creation, students look for recognition and respect for the knowledge and experience they each bring from home.

Can culture be used as a tool to create authentic problems and activities, especially in math? I am still thinking about this one. It seems like incorporating culture into math problems is too superficial and would not actually make the problems more 'real'. I think the value of incorporating the classroom into students diverse cultures is within community building. Students bring different sets of problem solving skills based on personal experiences. Application of their problem solving strengths highlights students individuality. Encouraging development of their weaknesses helps build the learning community.

Educators can "reconsider their culture as a source of knowledge, strength, and having something to offer schools" (Leonardo, 61). Perhaps culture and respect plays more of a role in the way the classroom teacher works with her students. Knowledge of different norms and expectations that each student brings to the classroom impacts their learning style. Here, culture becomes a tool for the teacher- they can quickly adapt how to provide each student with individualized support.

"The class was never an individual effort!" 

(Gay, 163)- and nor should it be. Inquiry is community learning.