This week, we studied constructionism in our class. The general idea is that people can grasp knowledge better if they can use it to create something meaningful to themselves. This is the core of generating and testing hypotheses. Personally, I learned much of my science and math through generating and testing hypotheses. Even if our teacher gave us the information, I would have to prove it to myself if I could. Often, if the subject interested me, I would then continue with the next question that my tests brought up until eventually I would no longer remember what had set me off on the path to start with.
Constructionism can be divided into three sections according to Constructionism, Learning by Design, and Project Based Learning. These three sections are planning, creating, and processing. Planning is determining what the question is and information about the topic. This is the same as generating a hypothesis to test. In creating, the student documents their experiences, prepares them for presentation, and develop an artifact that can be shared with others. This combines the second and part of the third step of hypothesis testing. In hypothesis testing, the second step is to gather data and record results. The third step of hypothesis testing is to compare the results with what was expected, determine the reason why the finding matched or didn't match the predictions, present your findings, and develop the next hypothesis. In constructionism, processing involves reflecting on your artifact, and determining where to go from there. Over all, the two techniques are the same, just separated slightly differently.
Ben,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Thank you for pointing out that some students need that proof. Allowing the student to take the lead in questioning the information and then providing them an opportunity to investigate and report findings makes the material more relevant to the student. The skills associated with generating hypotheses and then testing them can aid students all through their adult life. Often times when I think of these terms Sceince comes to mind, however this type of approach can be used across the curriculum.
Benjamin,
ReplyDeleteI was wondering how many teachers spend time reflecting on the outcome of their artifacts to determine where to go next? I know as an elementary teacher, I am guilty of not reflecting on the “Where to go next.” Often I will ask my student to only reflect on the results of their hypothesis. Since you brought up that statement, I can see how this next step is important to the overall process of constructivism.
Jonah