Constructivism in Practice

Constructivism is when a student actively constructs his/her own meaning about a concept or idea. Constructionism is when students learn best by building or constructing something. Constructionism is what teachers call "hands-on" projects or activities. In Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, they talk about three main practices of generating and testing hypotheses. One way is by using a spreadsheet software. A teacher can create an interactive spreadsheet for the students to use when completing the project. This spreadsheet will allow the students to insert numbers and not have to worry about entering the formulas for the information. This allows the students to focus more on the connection between the numbers and answers instead of thinking of a formula. This way is constructivism because the students are constructing their own meaning about the concept by analyzing the connection between the data. The second way is data collection tools. These tools could be digital probes or microscopes and the Internet. This way is constructionism because the students are using tools to create new artifacts or to help build on to what they already had constructed. Once they have gathered data, the students can use the Internet to analyze and synthesize their data. The third way is web resources and gaming software. This way is constructionism because the students build or create an artifact in the game that helps them learn more about the concept. It could also be constructivism because the students are playing a game that may have different scenarios, which means the students are constructing their own meaning of the concept. Next week, my students will be playing an online game about the gold rush. They get to create their own path to success in gold mining. First, they have to pick a character and build up their wealth, mining skills, and health. Once they have a certain amount of points in each category, they can choose to mine for gold, buy restaurants, or own hotels. If they do not succeed in gaining points in their categories, then their character dies. This game helps the students understand the struggles and successes that came with the westward movement and gold rush.