Eureka !!!

EUREKA!!!

I do believe... I've found it.
Actually Chris threw me into this particular bath in which I discovered my true displacement value. (Thanks Chris I'll buy you a doughnut)
I'd been investigating "constructivism" as a model to frame my teaching style, delivery and classroom activities around when... "WHAM" Chris sent me a paper he'd come across that opened the door. (must have been a breeze blowing 'cause the door nearly came off its' hinges)

Contructivist Teaching and Learning
By: Audrey Gray
http://saskschoolboards.ca/research/instruction/97-07.htm

This reading may very well change my life. It encompasses 'ALL' that I've come to believe over several years of teaching and helped identify for me the one particular area that I'll personally need to focus on developing within my 'self'.
I've been teetering around the edge of this development for some time but...a sample of this paper, that switched me on:

(A.Gray,1997) A constructivist teacher and a constructivist classroom exhibit a number of discernable qualities markedly different from a traditional or direct instruction classroom. A constructivist teacher is able to flexibly and creatively incorporate ongoing experiences in the classroom into the negotiation and construction of lessons with small groups and individuals. The environment is democratic, the activites are interactive and student centered, and the students are empowered by a teacher who operates as a facilitator/consultant.
and:

Constructivist classrooms are structured so that learners are immersed in experiences within which they may engage in meaning-making inquiry, action, imagination, invention, interaction, hypothesizing and personal reflection. Teachers need to recognize how people use their own experiences, prior knowledge and perceptions, as well as their physical and interpersonal environments to construct knowledge and meaning. The goal is to produce a democratic classroom environment that provides meaningful learning experiences for autonomous learners.


The difference in tone with Audrey Gray's writing and the reality of the subject matter transported me into the settings and discussion perfectly, shockingly.
I'm very much a pragmatist, as it turns out, and until I could envisage the 'HOW' I couldn't take the next step. Well... "clear the stoop, I'm comin' through".
I'll need to spend quite a bit of time developing methods to "Let go". But I'm starting to see 'HOW' I can facilitate this 'absolute' in my teaching.

(A.Gray,1997)A constructivist student-centered approach places more focus on students learning than on teachers teaching. A traditional perspective focuses more on teaching. From a constructivist view, knowing occurs by a process of construction by the knower. Lindfors (1984) advises that how we teach should originate from how students learn.

and:

What is essentially involved in constructivist strategies and activities is a process approach to learning. Applebee (1993) remarks that "rather than emphasizing characteristics of the final products, process-oriented instruction focuses on the language and problem-solving strategies that students need to learn in order to generate those products" (p. 5). And as students interact with their teacher and with each other as part of either whole class activities, small group activities, or individual activities, they practise using language in a variety of contexts developing and honing many different skills as they do so.


All these statements fit perfectly well with, my personality (with some work) my beliefs and the settings of the discipline in which I teach. I don't pretend that I'll get it running on rails any-time soon. In fact off the rails is part of the ideal, rails being confining in nature. I do think however that a constructivist approach to my teaching and my students' learning has, with this paper, been given a push to help propel my leap of faith.

Below is the one area where the ability to prepare to Let Go of teacher control is perhaps the most difficult part of the whole constructivist approach. It is essential, there are still parameters around which there is little if any room for negotiation, but there is still a large area where freedom to mould assessments, timing of content coverage, alignment between practical hands-on sessions and theory content absorption/recognition. Inventive and versatile activities and resources are a must and time developing these may be interactive with students to some extent. Preparation of resources for days when things get a bit "pear shaped" may also need to be available as a pull back position without loosing too much momentum.


(A.Gray,1997)Negotiation is an important aspect of a constructivist classroom. It unites teachers and students in a common purpose. Smith (1993) confirms that negotiating curriculum means "custom-building classes every day to fit the individuals who attend" (p. 1). Boomer (1992) explains that it is important when negotiating for teachers to talk openly about how new information may be learned and about constraints such as obligatory curriculum. He comments on the meaning of negotiating the curriculum:
Negotiating the curriculum means deliberately planning to invite students to contribute, and to modify, the educational program, so that they will have a real investment both in the learning journey and the outcomes. Negotiation also means making explicit, and then confronting, the constraints of the learning context and the non-negotiable requirements that apply. (p. 14)

and:

Students actively involved in their own learning is a vital reality in a constructivist classroom. Students may participate in the construction of the curriculum by negotiating the themes that will be the focus of their work along with the selection of literature from a predetermined range of literature. Students may also participate in the design of their assignments, although the parameters for these may be established by their teacher. Finally, students may have some involvement in the way their assignments are evaluated.






Work Cited:
Audrey, Gray. "Constructivist Teaching and Learning." Saskatchewan School Boards Association ». 1997. 07 Oct. 2010 <http://saskschoolboards.ca/research/instruction/97-07.htm>.