Constructivist Teaching In Action Essay

Improved Essays
Constructivist Teaching in Action: A High School Classroom Debate Sarabinh Levy-Brightman teaches a lesson on Jeffersonian democracy. The students were assigned the task to debate about the topic showing their knowledge and understanding of the topic. The goal of the lesson was to see what the students have grasped and mastered about the lesson. The students were provided the question for the debate. They then had to huddle together to discuss the response for the debate. Student picked the main points and researched the topic. They had to think about the counter attacks from the other side and what their responses would be. The students’ engagement in the lesson really stood out to me. During this lesson, the teacher stood back and assessed the students understanding while they were debating. She put the students on a timer during their responses. She allowed the students to show what they knew but if there was any misconception about the information that was discussed she quickly stopped the debate and clarified the information. This process doesn’t just help the teacher to assess what the students know but it is a learning opportunity for the students as well. Correcting …show more content…
Bateman ideas of using technology in the classroom assisted the students with seeing what he has been teaching. The students are still discovering and experimenting in this assignment but the use of technology allows students to manipulate DNA to see different character traits in dragons. Technology can be very beneficial in the classroom and can take students outside of the classroom without leaving their desk. It opens up the experiences that the students can be exposed to in a more effective time. Without technology the students could have manipulated plants to see how the character traits change but it would take too long. In one class Mr. Bateman was able to expose the students to DNA manipulation and allow them to simulate what they have learned about character traits on

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    While observing in Beth Johnston’s First Grade classroom at Eugene Field Elementary School, I have noticed some effective and ineffective classroom management practices that she uses while I have been in the classroom. One effective classroom management technique that I have observed is that Mrs. Johnston puts her student’s desks into groups of three or four. This is an effective technique because she puts her strong students with her not as strong students, which can help with the students who might need a little help staying on track with the lesson that they are supposed to get done. Also, Mrs. Johnston has changed the groups a couple of times since I have been observing in the classroom. This I believe is effective because the students…

    • 830 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Assignment 4 In Jean Anyon ’s essay “From Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work,” she focuses on many schools whose curriculum have been carved out by social class. The lower the students families social class is the more repetitive and simple their curriculum will be, while on the other hand, the higher the social class is the more thought goes into the students coursework. Anyons basic point is that the work children are told and expected to do in school is the work that they will continue to do in their future jobs and careers. People, most often, do what they are taught to do.…

    • 796 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Hanford Observation

    • 1471 Words
    • 6 Pages

    To understand how to best reach our students it is important to understand the community they come from, as well as, the qualities of the school itself. It is also helpful as a future teacher to observe other teachers lessons to see how they engage with their students, and apply that when you teach. In this paper I am going to go over statistical information from both Hanford as a town and Hanford High School, as well as, an observation of a history teacher at Hanford High School. INFORMATION ABOUT THE HANFORD/ DESCRIPTION OF THE SCHOOL Hanford is a rural community that is very diverse in its cultural background similar to the rest of California, but has a lower number of educational degrees then on average in California. Hanford has a population…

    • 1471 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Introduction This lesson’s goal is to enhance the understanding of the effects of the Civil War within the U.S. amongst the African and Native communities, which can provide further understanding of events after the war. Standard 7.4.4.19.3 Regional tensions around economic development, slavery, territorial expansion and governance resulted in a Civil War and a period of Reconstruction that led to the abolition of slavery, a more powerful federal government, a renewed push into indigenous nations’ territory and continuing conflict over racial relations. (Civil War and Reconstruction: 1850-1877) Objectives Students will be able to: 1.…

    • 816 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The concept of education is how to learn, understand material, and knowledge that is taken in. Through education certain values and beliefs are developed. These beliefs, habits, and skills shape a student’s character. There are two controlling factors that come into play when discussing the concept of education; one is the teacher and the other is the student. As illustrated in Richard Feynman’s article, “O Americano Outra Vez,” a student’s learning focus is overwhelmingly influenced by the teaching style they are subject too.…

    • 1090 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Action research is about immersion and willing to critique yourself and change what you thought and did. Action research is about feeling exposed and vulnerable but it helps others to share and learn in a similar way to you. Action research is changing and gives values to opinions and experiences of others. Perspective becomes the whole and challenges you to listen learn and act differently. Action research is about immersion and willing to critique yourself and change what you thought and did.…

    • 816 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On Shadowing

    • 861 Words
    • 4 Pages

    My class discussions were most effective, when I listened to the concerns of the students, comprehended the issue, and modified the classroom to strictly address the issue. For example, in one of my discussions I told the students to speak amongst each other to explain, to me, the process of cellular respiration. By listening before speaking, I discovered that most students would mimic the processes in the air with their fingers and arms, because they were visual learners. Therefore, I altered my PLTL class to incorporate structures and visual maps on a board. Immediately, student quiz grades had improved tremendously.…

    • 861 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Socrates believed in the value of questioning one’s ambitions and moral, “To find yourself, think for yourself.” (Goodreads). In a lecture hall, the professor dims the light to prepare the class for a discussion. The professor will neither be leading nor judging the class responses, but he or she would push the discussion to the limit by questioning the reasoning and judgment of the responder in order to, “build truth back up” (Stanford). The objective of engaging in such a practice is to simulate a stimulating and safe environment in which the students are pushed to critique not merely their choices, but the logic behind their thinking process.…

    • 503 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    learning the positions, presenting the positions, discussing the issue, reversing perspectives, reaching a decision, and debriefing. These steps will be used within the presented lesson plan and will help evaluate students’…

    • 1158 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    I will remind students there is no right or wrong response to the questions. The using the Think-Pair-Share strategy, the students will share their responses to the questions with a partner. Then we will have short 3-5 minute class discussions about what the students responses were? 2). On the…

    • 1404 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Not only did AP Art History solidify my passion for the study of history through the lens of art, it has positively influenced my own artwork. History has become my foremost artistic muse. The class discussions were one of my favorite aspects of the class. These classroom exchanges not only energized me and motivated me to further explore the different perspectives discussed through additional outside study, but, with the teacher’s encouragement and support, pushed me to voice my thoughts and opinions with confidence.…

    • 377 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Direct Instruction

    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Introduction Special Education students tend to fall behind academically, behaviorally, and functionally. It is crucial for these students to receive intensive instruction to be successful with their education. Special education students tend to vary on what they need and where they fall academically, but implementing Direct Instruction (DI) programs can benefit those students with its unique, effective, intense instruction. Direct Instruction (DI) is an instructional approach that demonstrates results for all students but has specifically shown positive outcomes for at risk and exceptional education students (Tarver, 1999). DI is a teacher modeled program by Siegfried Engelmann and can usually be identified by the instructional delivery…

    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Expectations of Constructivism Constructivism offers a number of methods to understanding narrative descendancy. First, that ideas, beliefs and meanings are malleable and in conflict and they are able to be fitted to the situation, i.e. actors involved in violent conflict may create conflict-supporting narratives which provide explanation and authorization for their involvement. Likewise constructivism demonstrates that leaders of nations and of groups can manipulate the meaning and value that their followers attributed to their political aims. Devji demonstrated how deliberate strategic manipulation of constructivist social foundations can re-frame issues of ethno-political identity, and of religious understanding and the re-defining of social norms along faith based lines in Islamic countries for instance.…

    • 709 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Action Plan (Start) From January through September, I am very busy with baseball and softball because I am the head coach for both my son and daughter 's team. When you add this to an already busy family schedule and work as a full time student, free time is not something readily available. There have been several instances when I have been working with schedules for both teams and I send conflicting messages to the parents. The initial time spent sending communications is doubled, and often tripled, by responding to confused parents and sending out another group communication.…

    • 1117 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    By looking at the characteristics of constructivism, differentiation in the theory, and how this theory looks in a lesson form, one can see the honest building of a student’s ability through the Constructivist Teaching Style (Brooks & Brooks, 1999). Constructivist Characteristics and Inquiry-Based Learning Vast. Mysterious. Engaging. Three words to describe our Solar System, and three words that…

    • 1541 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays