Constructivism

The relationship between the constructionist learning theory, instructional strategies, and technology tools is a close one. Constructionism is a theory of learning that says students should be actively engaged learners and construct most of their knowledge (Orey, 2001). "When students generate and test hypotheses, they are engaging in complex mental processes, applying content knowledge like facts and vocabulary, and enhancing their overall understanding of the content" (Pitler, Hubbell, & Kuhn, 2012, p. 204). Yoders (2014) says there is not just one Constructivism theory of learning.

Numerous technology tools can be used as artifacts. Some of these tools are blogs, wikis, power points, videos, podcasts, web pages, and digital games. Dr, Orey (as cited in Laureate Education, 2015) states that power points are an excellent tool to use in the classroom. Digital games are a form of constructivism and "Constructivism stresses the importance of social interactions (Marone, 2016). Marone (2016) states “digital games for learning and creativity assumes that not only does knowledge exist in individual and socially negotiating minds, but it also exists in the discourse among individuals, the social relationships that bind them, the physical artifacts that they use and produce, and the theories, models, and methods they use to produce them.”

I currently have my students create artifacts in my classes. My students have been assigned project based learning activities. They have created pictures using lines and then found the equations of the lines. They have created power point presentations and presented them to the class. The students ISTE standard for constructionism is “Knowledge Constructor - Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2016). The teacher ISTE standard for constructionism is “Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity- engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources” (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008).

Some classroom applications for constructivism can include: hands-on equations, collaboration, having a student be an expert, work in pairs and then do a presentation (Classroom Applications of Constructivism, n.d.). Lorhe (as cited in Laureate Education, 2016) had her students become experts to share resources with elementary school buddies. During Genius Hour my students will be experts and present what they have learned to their classmates using a power point presentation that they have created, Doing the Genius Hour activity will incorporate many constructivism applications.

References

Classroom Applications of Constructivism. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.teach-nology.com/currenttrends/constructivism/classroom_applications/

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2016). Standards for students. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-students-2016

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2008). Standards for teachers. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/standards-for-teachers

Laureate Education (Producer). (2015). Constructionist and constructivist learning theories [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2016). Constructivism in practice [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Marone, V. (2016). Playful Constructivism: Making Sense of Digital Games for Learning and Creativity Through Play, Design, and Participation. Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, 9(3), 1-18.

Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Main_Page

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Generating and testing hypotheses. In Using technology with classroom instruction that works (2nd ed., pp. 204-219). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Yoders, S. (2014). Constructivism Theory and Use from 21st Century Perspective. Journal Of Applied Learning Technology, 4(3), 12-20.