Resource Log #10/ Reflection

Using a Constructivist Approach to Teaching. ASCD(2001). Retrieved January 28, 2009, fromDiscovery Education: http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/


This is a video that gives an outline, a small example, and some student views on constructivist teaching. While I'm watching the video, I kept asking myself, "How am I teaching my kids?" I think my district is most supportive and advocative of constructivist practices. In our reading units, I am to give a small mini-lesson, then turn the students loose in their partners and have them try to apply and practice the lesson with a similar piece of text that I used for whole group instruction. Last week, I had one lesson where they were all on task. As I walked around the room I heard them talking about the article and try to practice the skills I had just taught them. However, I had two lesson where as I walked around, I corrected more on task behavior than hearning them try to apply skills. But I forgot to stop and ask myself why they were off task, did they not understand? Did they already master or have enough experience with this skill that they did not need the practice? It has given me something to think about.

In the video, the instructor talks about assessing minutely and because of my example above I see her point. I am constantly looking for understanding and misinterpretation. I am also trying to figure out how I can pull something out of a wrong answer. She mentioned this in the video also and one of her students said how they appriciated that she tries to always point out the positive if they miss the point.

Resource Log #9

Kok, A., (Jul 2008). An Online Social Constructivist Tool: A Secondary School Experience in the Developing World. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education--TOJDE, (9)7, 87-98. Retrieved from: http://library3.webster.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,cookie,url,uid&db=eric&AN=ED502082&site=ehost-live. Retrieved on: 1-27-2009.

I thought this might be interesting to see how students and teachers from other countries around the world think of on-line learning.

Resource Log #8

Leigh, F. (Aug 2007). Platonic Dialogue, Maieutic Method and Critical Thinking. [Peer Comentary on Plato's work The Sophist]. Journal of Philosophy of Education, (41), 3, 309-323. Retrieved from: http://library3.webster.edu/loginurl=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,cookie,url,uid&db=eric&AN=EJ783714&site=ehost-live. Retrieved on: 1-25-2009.

This article has some good information about Plato's contribution to constructivism and how progressive his thinking was for his time.

Resource Log #7

Smith, M. K. (1996; 1999) 'Andragogy', the encyclopaedia of informal education, http://www.infed.org/lifelonglearning/b-andra.htm. Last update: October 01, 2008. Retrieved on 1-21-2009.

This is a site that was listed for us to use in our WikiChapter. I think it is interesting because I have never heard of the word andragogy before and had no idea that anyone had thought about that and the difference between adult and child education. I just thought education was education. It has a great compare/contrast chart between pedagogy and andragogy.

Resource Log 6/Reflection Journal

White-Clark, R., DiCarlo, M., and Gilchriest, N.S. (Apr./May 2008). "Guide on the Side": An Instructional Approach to Meet Mathematics Standards. [Peer Commentary on the "guide on the side" constructivist teaching approach]. High School Journal, (91), 4, 40-44. Retrieved from:
http://library3.webster.edu/loginurl=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspxdirect=true&AuthType=ip,cookie,url,uid&db=eric&AN=EJ792427&site=ehost-live. Retrieved on:1-21-2009.


I really like how this article addresses the meaningfulness of teaching. I have often sat in classes and wondered if what I was learning was going to help me in real life. And if I could not figure that out, then I dismissed the lesson. Having students become more accountable and responsible for their learning is becomming increasingly important for me. Especially in today's society, it is important that student's learn things, especially math, that will be relevant to their day to day existance. Society is becomming so that you need to learn certain things in order to become productive, active, and informed. I think school is the place where you have those things scaffolded for you until you learn how to process and analyze outside information. Constructivist seem to want to teach students how to think rather than what to think. Then on the other hand, I was taught using traditional methods and I don't think that my processing and analyzing skills are any less. But to be more responsible for the information I retain and recieve is definately a positive life long skill.

Resource log #6

Just an interesting article on Vygotsky's Zone of Proximinal Development:

Lvykh, M. (2008). The Affective Establishment and Maintenance of Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development. Educational Theory, (58) 1, 83-101. Retrieved from: http://library3.webster.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,cookie,url,uid&db=eric&AN=EJ784721&site=ehost-live. Retrieved on 1-21-2009.

Resource Log 5

This is a great article about a teacher who is using what they termed "learning clubs" to help students who live in the inner city and stuggle with reading. It is an alternative to the pull out.

Casey, H. (Dec 2008). Engaging the Disengaged: Using Learning Clubs to Motivate Struggling Adolescent Readers and Writers. Journal of Adolencent and Adult Literacy, 52 (4), 284-294. Retrieved from: http://web.ebscohost.com.library3.webster.edu/ehost/pdf?vid=19&hid=17&sid=19bb6169-3c93-42c8-b695-65dd848b5f50%40SRCSM2. Retrieved on 1-20-2009.