EDLD+5364+Week+One+Reflections



EDLD 5364 Week One Reflection by Adele Ford This week from the readings and videos, I learned more about the constructivist theory, connectivist theory, and the cyborg theory. The constructivist theory is one in which students construct their own knowledge, the connectivist theory is one in which the learners create connections between information, and the cyborg theory is described as interactions between humans and machines. Each theory plays a significant role in our world today. With things ever-changing, teachers can't possibly know everything and being able to guide a child to think for themselves is a necessity. "If approached in a constructivist manner, the teacher’s job becomes one of facilitator or architect. Instead of telling students the answer, the teacher asks questions to help them discover the answer themselves" (Sprague, D. & Dede, C. 1999). Therefore, as the constructivist theory indicates, we must guide the students and allow them the freedom to construct their own knowledge. This also brings me to the guiding question for this reading assignment which is why some teachers feel constructivist teaching is “not teaching?” I am pretty sure like myself; there are many teachers who were taught by the tradition or what I like to call “old School “method. That is, the teacher is talking and the students are sitting in rows soaking up the knowledge. It’s hard to teach old dog new tricks or even to change the old dog’s habits and views. The constructivist classroom’s noise level can be loud, the students are in charge, and this is just contrary to the way we learned and the way we were taught to teach. “Students learn by taking information from the world and constructing their own meaning from the experiences as opposed to someone just telling them bits of information” (Sprague, D. & Dede, C. 1999). This quote appealed to me because I was that teacher who thought I could teach/tell the students everything they need to know and they would be successful if they just listened. However, I have been working toward more of a constructivist approach to teaching and learning. Finally, I would use technology with instruction because technology tends to motivate students and thus increases student learning and achievement. Students are to be taught based on their varying levels and technology can help to more easily differentiate instruction for learners. Sprague, D. & Dede, C. (1999). If I teach this way, Am I doing my job: Constructivism in the classroom. Leading and Learning, 27(1). Retrieved February 24, 2011 from the International Society for Technology in Education at http://imet.csus.edu/imet9/280/docs/dede_constructivisim.pdf