Constructivism focuses on the knowledge, beliefs, and skills students bring to learning. Teachers organize problems and observe student investigations, encouraging new patterns of thinking. This supports students developing their own intellectual identity. Constructivism helps students become better problem solvers by forming and answering their own questions. Students can apply this learning style to understand their changing world. However, it may take away from fundamentals needed for secondary education if not implemented correctly.

1. Reviewing ConstructivismReviewing Constructivism
Lindsay Schessler
March 20, 2012
Group 11
EDU 150: Intro to Electronic Portfolios

2. Summary
Constructivism focuses its attention on the importance of the knowledge, beliefs,
and skills a student brings to the learning experience.
In the classroom teachers are to organize problems and observe students’
investigations while encourage new patterns of thinking.
Supporting thinking helps students achieve their own intellectual identity

3. PROS
This method of teaching helps students form questions and
then work to analyze and answer them thus becoming better
problem solvers
Students can apply this learning style to any area and
continue to build their understanding on the changing world
they live in
This learning style can be a fun, more involved environment
for students and help better their school experience

4. CONS
Since this technique focuses on the students teaching themselves things about
the world around them, this may take away from the fundamentals students
need to learn in order to have basic knowledge for secondary education
If the teachers do not implement this teaching style correctly it could not be
effective to students and they may not get what they’re supposed to out of it
Since it is not easy to let go of ideas or beliefs, it may be difficult for teachers to
switch to constructivism from another learning style and they may not
incorporate all of the required steps

5. Three Activities
The children can be prompted with the question “what happens when a seed is planted?” and then plant
seeds and observe and collect data on what they observe happening and the different stages of it.
The students can create an “ecosystem” made of pop bottles where plants grow on top and guppies and
snails live on the bottom. They can then observe how both sections work and what they see occurring in
both sides.
Children can observe how water expands when it becomes solid by filling something with water and
marking a waterline and then seeing where the line is once the water is frozen.

6. Three Activities
The children can be prompted with the question “what happens when a seed is planted?” and then plant
seeds and observe and collect data on what they observe happening and the different stages of it.
The students can create an “ecosystem” made of pop bottles where plants grow on top and guppies and
snails live on the bottom. They can then observe how both sections work and what they see occurring in
both sides.
Children can observe how water expands when it becomes solid by filling something with water and
marking a waterline and then seeing where the line is once the water is frozen.