1. Classroom Content
The content area that will be addressed in this paper is ELA, or English Language Arts. The developmental level of the learners is the fourth grade level, students of both gifted talented designation as well as standard fourth grade level students. Students are anticipated to all be at a fourth grade level mentally, educationally, and developmentally. As mentioned, students will be comprised of gifted talented classified students as well as those who are constituted as average learners.
2. Classroom Environment and Learning Opportunities
The classroom environment is designed around the different learning opportunities presented to each of the students, which each area flowing into the next, working to incorporate that which the students are learning with that which they already know (What is constructivism?, 2013). The classroom setup starts with the teacher’s desk angled at the far back corner of the room. To the left of the desk is a reading area, comprised of books that are at a third grade level, fourth grade level, and fifth grade level, along with an AR (Accelerated Reader) Chart (Syracuse Elementary, 2013). To the left of this is the computer area where students may take AR tests and work to complete tasks. It is setup in the same way that the third grade computers are in order to further the learning process. The next wall to the left of the computers is comprised of the whiteboard, where the learning activities for each day are listed. On the third wall there are baskets for supplies and baskets for turning in assignments, along with the calendar area. The door is next, followed by the filing cabinets to the right of the teacher’s desk.
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"Constructivist Classroom Design".
3. Differentiate Instruction
Instruction is differentiated in several different ways; first, the curriculum works to emphasize the larger concepts, starting out with the whole idea, such as the writing of a short story, and then working to expand to different types of writing (What is constructivism?, 2013). Students are encouraged to engage in participation at all times during the lesson, working to address all questions in order to ensure maximum knowledge is acquired, and students are encouraged to actively participate in the lesson, as opposed to simply listening to instruction and then completing tasks (How does this theory differ from traditional ideas about teaching and learning?, 2013).
4. Responsibilities and Roles of Students
Students are expected to actively participate in the learning process, identifying any questions that they may have about the material and asking questions whenever they occur (How does this theory differ from traditional ideas about teaching and learning?, 2013). Students are expected to primarily work in a group based setting (How does this theory differ from traditional ideas about teaching and learning?, 2013).
5. Responsibilities and Roles of the Teacher
In the constructivist classroom, the teacher is expected to interact with the students, primarily concerned with negotiation between students, the teacher, and the material being covered; in addition, the teacher is expected to fully interact with students, engage them in dialogue, and build off of their preexisting knowledge base (How does this theory differ from traditional ideas about teaching and learning?, 2013).
6. Promoting Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is prompted through activities within the classroom in a variety of different ways. In working on a short story lesson, students may be asked to pare down a novel length book into a short story format, working to think critically about that which must be included. In a poetry unit, students may be asked to write a free verse poem and then transform that poem into a rhyming poem. Finally, when looking at a grammatical lesson, students may be asked to review text written in Lolcat and translate it into a grammatically correct sentence, phrase, or paragraph as a means of utilizing their critical thinking skills.
7. Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners
Diverse learners will be addressed through the use of culturally relevant texts, and academically diverse learners will have assignments that may be more challenging, depending on whether or not the student has been labeled gifted/talented. A lesson that may work to address both diversity and culture would consist of reading a story about a different culture and requiring a presentation on the culture, with gifted/talented students being required to write a report as well as give a presentation.
8. Curriculum to Support a Constructivist Classroom
Curriculum that would support constructivist theory would focus more around group centric work, and would require additional dialogue allowing for the student’s perspective and discussion within the classroom, posing problems that are relevant to the students within the classroom while still structuring learning around the essential concepts required by the state curriculum (What is constructivism?, 2013). It will allow for adaptation of the curriculum to the students’ dispositions, and assess the student’s learning during the teaching process (How does this theory differ from traditional ideas about teaching and learning?, 2013).
1) Opportunities for Open-ended Discovery: poetry 2) Plan for Using “Learning Centers”: center focused around the use of magnetic poetry 3) Plan for Learning, Introducing the Topic: The student will understand basic poetry terms and types at the completion of the lesson; review of the different types will occur in a group setting 4) Assessment and Reflection. Students will be required to write their own poem and write a reflection on the creation process, with each constituting a separate grade.
9. Conclusion
The constructivist theory is designed to assist learners in being better learners than they already are, making them active participants within the learning process. I will be able to utilize this information in my future classroom by working to apply the principles of constructivist theory to the creation of lesson plans, the setup of the classroom, and the instructional process used. In doing so, I will be able to work to create individuals who are true learners, those who are determined to question the world around them, obtaining knowledge for the sake of knowledge and working to learn how to learn as opposed to learn how to memorize. The constructivist classroom is designed to make sure that students play an active part in their own learning capabilities as opposed to simply being able to recite the information that is presented to them until a test is over, upon which time the information is summarily dismissed.
I will work to motivate my students to learn by utilizing the information contained in the constructivist classroom theories and, in doing so, I will work to assist in the creation of the next generation of our country’s leaders. By working to ensure that all of my lesson plans are designed with group activities and active engagement for all students I will be able to generate interest in the subject matter at hand. By having students work to participate actively in the classroom discussion, causing them to question anything they have a concern about, I will ensure that these students will be able to understand that learning is a dynamic process; one which works to make them active, as opposed to passive, participants in their education. These students will then be able to take the information that they have received, and the learning processes that they have created as a means of furthering their education well beyond my classroom, throughout the remainder of their school careers and into the real world.
- Syracuse Elementary (2013). AR (Accelerated Reader) / Overview. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.davis.k12.ut.us
- Thirteen.org (2013). How do I apply constructivism in my classroom?. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.thirteen.org
- Thirteen.org (2013). How does this theory differ from traditional ideas about teaching and learning?. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.thirteen.org/
- Thirteen.org (2013). What is constructivism?. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.thirteen.org/
