The constructionist approach is all about the student’s process of learning is through building artifacts. Just as one of the types of constructionism, Learning by Design, says that the "emphasis is [on] the value of learning through creating, programming, or participating in other forms of designing" (Orey, M., 2001). I agree that students learn better from manipulations than from cut-and-dry class lectures. Some of the best memories I have personally as a student in school are the projects that I created and built, not worksheets that I completed. There are many activities in my classroom and other colleagues’ classrooms that exemplify the constructionist learning theory. For instance, in Social Studies during our World War I unit, students created models of a battlefield, including the trenches, “no man’s land”, and barbwire. In using technology to prepare for the building of the model, students had to research what the World War I battlefields looked like. From ETV streamline video clips to websites (www.firstworldwar.com) that we had viewed in class, students were able to picture in their minds the various elements on a battlefield. The students had so much fun with this project! In this project, and in others, the students became the learner and teacher became the facilitator or guide. This week's resources talked about generating and testing a hypothesis. When the constructivist theory is practiced, roles in the classroom change and a hypothesis can be tested. When activities and lessons are student-centered, students will have a better chance on learning and remembering—and of course that is the whole goal.
References:
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology.
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