Reflection #4

REFLECTION #4 Constructivist Lesson Plan

The Constructivist lesson Plan is basically a bridge from the past to the present in order to set a series of plans and guidelines in order to propel them to the future. It is heavily emphasized in assessing the progress of the student. The practice is a hands-on approach where the teacher is an observer and guides the students along thru the steps. The facilitator, which is the teacher prepares the students with situations for them to ponder on. The classroom is divided into groups and assignments are more clearly defined per group. The emphasis here is stressed on the particular students background and prior knowledge. This is what is called a Bridge, which is one from the past to the future. Instead of focusing on mere facts and theories, the students are inspired to participate and take an active role and passion in the given assignment. A series of questions are asked that create a hunger for learning. At this point the teacher questions the students to gain some insight into the student’s background and level of knowledge. The details of what is expected of the student are layed out in the form of an exhibit. The educator asks the different groups for different requirements. For example, the teacher may request a PowerPoint from one group and an oral presentation from the next. Once the presentations have taken place there is a time for reflection to react to the knowledge that has been demonstrated by the groups. The focus is learner-centered as opposed to teacher-centered. Even thought it is very student-driven, the educator will be interjecting ideas and thoughts in the process. There will be a series of questions that will be offered up by the instructor. The students are then expected to explain how they arr going to interpret their interpretation of the lesson learned? The students are encouraged to design a format that’s right for them in the way they will answer the questions and explain what they need to say without having to go about this the traditional way. If the student feels that it could be more compelling to create a song or a series of metaphors or role playing or utilizing photographs or a painting or a graph or a chart to get the message across, then so be it. In this collaborative method of learning, the groups can be separated into groups of 2 or 3 or 4 or more. The first step in this theory is to reel in the attention of all the participants with a situation in a way that’s compelling and interesting. The important questions are: Did the students learn anything new and what they learned, is it something that will stay with them? The attraction for me with Constructivist lesson plan is that it places emphasis on the past and without that there is no present or future for that matter. It is an important resource of information that the students carry with them their entire lives and why not tap into that natural resource in order to get to the next level of knowledge?!.

EME2040-Introduction to Educational Technology

Prof. Joseph D. McNair

Ernie Joya-D51-07-9182