ConstructivismThis octagonal structure is a depiction of the ideal constructivist learning environment. This theoretical structure brings a large array of attributes where the educator may plan or evaluate constructivist learning. This website is organized along the model of an eight sided constructivist learning environment. While constructivist learning environments by their very nature have overlapping attributes, each section of this website is devoted to one of the eight attributes, which are explained in brief, to the right.
click here to read the paper"Blending Constructivist Educational Theory with Technology Education."
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source: http://tiger.coe.missouri.edu~jonasses/courses/ CLE/main.html Requires learners to be actively "engaged in the mindful processing of information where they are responsible for the result." Learners "integrate new ideas with prior knowledge and construct their own meaning for different phenomena." "Work in learning and knowledge building communities, exploiting each others skills while providing social supports and modeling." "Everything that is done is intended to fulfill some goal"
"The need to engage students in solving complex and ill-structured programs, engage in higher-order thinking, so as to not develop oversimplified views of the world." "Teaching knowledge and skills in real life and providing new and useful contexts for learners to practice ideas." "Allow learners to seek out opinions and ideas from others" "Articulation of what students are doing; decisions made; strategies used; answers found." (Jonassen, 1993)
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Powerful Ideassee my recollections on powerful ideas from grammer school days! (back in the last century!)
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What is a powerful idea? In math or science it is the understanding of a fundamental concept, such as gravity, the concept of infinity, understanding why the sunset is orange, why no two snowflakes are alike. Simple in their root, understanding a powerful idea requires a great degree of thinking and moving to a higher order of thinking. Seymour Papert at the media lab of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has been developing technological tools, such as computer programming, in aiding students with understanding complex, abstract problems. |
Media Literacy |
The concept of a powerful idea in the social sciences fits nicely with the study of media arts. In collaborative projects as well as with personal introspection, students discover many new and powerful ideas. Through the course of a twenty week semester, we progress through a sequence of eight units. Each of these units contains a powerful idea, an overarching objective, along with mastery skills objectives. the eight units and their powerful ideas the powerful ideas class assignment
Drawing on multiple intelligences, we work through many types of projects--drama skits, creation of murals and artwork, the study of films and television, along with producing some electronic media of our own. |
