I really found a lot of useful information in this article. I have always been interested in creating a constructivist classroom, but really did not know how to go about it. However, after reading this it seems like I have been doing fairly well so far. For example, I always try to link my instruction to my student’s experiences. This makes the lesson much more interesting and fun for them. I have even gone so far that if they have not had an experience linked to the assignment, I will try to provide that for them. For example, we recently read a story called "Salmon Summer" that was about a boy who went to Alaska to fish with his dad. Unfortunately, many of my students have not fished yet. So, I brought my own fishing pole and tackle box to class and let them take turns casting the line and examining the many lures that I also brought with me. They really got a kick out of it and some of the other teachers even borrowed my fishing pole and tackle box to use in their classroom. I was thrilled to have been able to do this with my students.
2 comments:
Wow, you gave students the background knowledge they needed to understand the concept. Apart from motivating student learning, you gave them vocabulary and visuals that made their understanding more concrete.
Teachers should pre-assess students more often to gauge their understanding. Congratulations for using such a good strategy.
I love it that you brought in that realistic experience for your students. That's what makes those memorable learning moments for those students. I'm always looking for ideas too for linking students' learning experiences to the real world. I like to teach thematically, so I'm always looking for ways to link literature, science, social studies and math as much as possible. For one of my 5th grade units, we read "The Westing Game," tie in chemistry with the "Crime Scene" investigation and math just has a natural tie with the science. :O) The kids love it and always let the kids coming up know that they will love it too. It's nice when kids share learning experiences with the ones coming up!
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