How do people learn? What is constructivism? Constructionism? What is making and Innovating? What role does failure play? These are some questions I have been thinking about this week and below is an infographic that I created to show some connections I made. Deepening my understanding of making, innovating, constructivism, and constructionism, I got the chance to reflect on what learning is like in my classroom. I teach grades 4 to 6 English Language Learners (ELL) at a K-12 international school located in South Korea. At our school, students are expected to have a certain level of English proficiency to be successful in the mainstream curriculum, and for those who need extra support to attain this level of proficiency, we require them to enroll in the ELL program. When I started working at our school five years ago, our school did not have any program to support ELL students. My job led me to be a maker. I had to design an ELL program and teach (test). Until now, I continuously get feedback and adjust the program to better assist students in enhancing their English skills. While modifying the program and teaching ELL students for several years, I learned that it is essential to invite students to be active participants of the learning process. According to Resnick (2017), “knowledge isn’t poured into children, like water into a vase” (p. 36), but instead Piaget found that children actively construct knowledge by creating, revising and testing their own theories about the world around them through interactions. Students come to the classroom with their own knowledge. Bransford, Brown, and Cocking (2000) wrote in their book, How People Learn, that “those initial understandings can have a powerful effect on the integration of new concepts and information” (p.16). My students’ existing understanding of how language works in their first language is a valuable resource that I use to help improve their English skills. Also, I have my students “construct new knowledge from their own experience of doing something new” (Rob & Rob, 2018, p.5). For example, my ELL students made their own board games with written instructions as part of a writing project. Students had to create everything from the materials needed to the rules of the game. After creating the games, they visited other classrooms to let others play their game and also to receive feedback. Through this project, my students got the opportunity to construct knowledge and enhance their writing skills from actively engaging in the activity. Other aspects that are valued in my classroom are collaboration and sharing. Rob and Rob (2018) argue in their article, Dilemma between constructivism and constructionism: Leading to the development of a teaching-learning framework for student engagement and learning, that Papert’s constructionism provides a better learning opportunity than Piaget’s constructivism “because of its emphasis on learning through collaboration, building a meaningful artifact, sharing the artifact as well as the use of tools, media, and context” (p.8). My students are given multiple opportunities to collaborate and share their work. Also, I am working towards connecting my lessons to real-world situations so that learning becomes more meaningful to my students. In my classroom, failure is another big part of learning. Failure gives us time to reflect, learn, and grow. In order for my students to be comfortable with failure and making mistakes, I always remind them that these are all part of the learning process and that every expert was once a beginner who made mistakes and failed at something. Building a supportive learning environment where students feel safe to take risks, fail, and try again is crucial. Moreover, I think that how parents view failure has a strong impact on students, and therefore, I try my best to communicate and collaborate with the parents of my students. Resources:
Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L. & Cocking, R. R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. Retrieved from https://www.nap.edu/read/9853/chapter/1 Ferguson, J. (2015, August 30). Constructivism (Piaget and Vygotsky). [Video File]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi8S4YkZI04 Resnick, M. (2017). Lifelong Kindergarten: Cultivating creativity through projects, passion, peers, and play. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. Rob, M., & Rob, F. (2018). Dilemma between constructivism and constructionism: Leading to the development of a teaching-learning framework for student engagement and learning. Journal of International Education in Business, 11(2), 273-290. Udacity (2016, June 6). Constructionism. [Video File]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qsiqetMlCg Unless otherwise noted, images presented on this blog are the property of the blog owner.
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