CONSTRUCTIVISM

I HEAR AND I FORGET

I SEE AND I REMEMBER

I DO AND I UNDERSTAND
Synthesis of
Cognitive learning process by Piaget
Discovery learning through hands-on and
minds-on activities by Bruner
Formation of meaningful mental structures
by Ausubel
Emphasis on the five learning domains by
Gagne
WHAT IS CONSTRUCTIVISM
Constructivism
Encourages
Construction of Knowledge
by the Pupils
By comparing
Prior
learning
New
learning
In
Social Context
Implication
Learning of Science
Manipulative
resources
Discovery
activities
Cooperative
Processes
Curriculum
Integration
Choosing
Needhams
Model
Five-phase
Learning
Orientation
Eliciting
Ideas
Restructuring
of Ideas
Application
of Ideas
Reflection
United by
Hands-on Minds-on
WHAT IS CONSTRUCTIVISM
About how people learn
Emphasizes the importance of building
knowledge actively as a result of
interaction between prior learning and
new learning
Constructivist learners are actively
involved in their own process of learning
Constructivist learners needs to learn to
plan, evaluate and reflect on their learning

Three principles in theory of constructivism
A person never really knows the world as it is.
Each person constructs beliefs about what is
real
What a person already believes, what a
person brings to new situations, filters out or
changes the information that the persons
senses deliver
People create a reality based on their previous
beliefs, their own abilities to reason, and their
desire to reconcile what they believe and
what they actually observe

CONSTRUCTIVISM
Models
Needhams 5 Phase
Osborne Generative Model
Interactive Model
Cooperative Learning
Technique Approach
STS
Learning Cycle
Strategies
(Inquiry)
Experiment
Simulation
Project
Field Work
Concept Mapping
Roles of the Teacher
Presenter
Not a lecturer but a person who
demonstrates, provides examples, and
presents activities or alternatives to pupils so
that they will experiences the process of
learning
Observer
A person who identifies the pupils ideas,
interacts with the pupils and provides
learning alternatives formally or informally
Question Master and Problem Initiator
One who stimulates the formation of ideas,
testing of ideas, and building of concepts by
asking questions and posing problems that are
related to the observation made
Organiser of Environment
A person who organises carefully and clearly
what needs to be done by the pupils, by giving
enough freedom to the pupils to carry out
realistics investigation; a person who organises
the teaching-learning process from the
perspective of the children
Roles of the Teacher
Public Relations Coordinators
A person who encourages co-operation,
development of public relations, and patience so
that multiculturalism prevails in the class; and a
person who defends the practice of these values
and teaches the children the advantages of
practising these values outside the classroom
Learning Assessor
A person who assess the progress of each childs
constructivist development in terms of
knowledge construction and development of
scientific skills

Roles of the Teacher
Theory Builder
A person who helps pupils to make
associations between ideas and building
meaningful patterns to represent the
knowledge constructed

Roles of the Teacher
TRADITIONAL CLASS CONSTRUCTIVIST CLASS
Teachers disseminate information
to students and students are
recipients of knowledge
Teachers have discuss with their
students and help them construct
their own knowledge
Teachers role is directive, rooted
in authority
Teachers role is interactive, rooted
in negotiation
Knowledge is seen as inert Knowledge is seen as dynamic
ever changing with our
experiences
Students work primarily alone Students work primarily in groups
Assessment is through testing
correct answers
Assessment includes students
works, observations, and points of
view, as well as tests. Process is
an important as product
PHASE PURPOSE METHODS
Orientation To attract students attention and
interest
Experiment, video and
film show,
demonstration,
problem solving
Generation of ideas To be aware of the students
prior knowledge
Experiment, small
group discussion,
concept mapping and
presentation
Restructuring of ideas




(i) Explanation and
exchanging ideas
(ii) Exposure to conflict
Ideas
(iii) Development of new
ideas
(iv) Evaluation
To realize the existence of
alternative ideas, ideas needs to
be improved, to be developed or
to be replaced with scientific
ideas
To determine the alternative
ideas and critically assess the
present ideas
To test the validity of present
ideas
To improvise, develop or to
replace with new ideas
To test the validity of the new
ideas





Small group discussion
and presentation
Discussion, reading,
and teachers input
Experiment, project
and demonstration
NEEDHAMS FIVE PHASE CONSTRUCTIVIST MODEL
Cont. NEEDHAMS FIVE PHASE CONSTRUCTIVIST MODEL
PHASE PURPOSE METHODS
Application of ideas To apply the new ideas
to a different situation
Writing of individuals
report on the project
work
Reflection To accommodate ones
idea to scientific ideas

To be aware of the
change in the thinking of
the pupils

Pupils can make their
own reflection on how
far their original ideas
have changed
Writing of individuals
report on the project
work, group discussion,
personal notes
Example of Lesson Plan
Science Concept : Investigating Living Things

Year : 6

Brief Description of the Science Concept :
Bread mould gets its food from grains, fruit and vegetables . The mould begins as a
tiny spore that lands on a food source like bread. Spores can be found in the air, on
the ground the air and you

Prevalent Misconceptions
Pupils think that fungus reproduce out of nowhere when bread turns stale.

Lesson Objectives
(i) To identify ways to take care (protect) our food
(ii) To state that bacteria and fungus can spoil food

Materials needed
Fresh bread, Stale Bread, 5 post- boxes, Mahjong paper, Water, Microscope, Glass
dish
No Step Teaching and Learning
Activities
Scientific
Skills
Criteria
1 Orientation Teachers shows mouldy
bread and a piece of fresh
bread.

Teacher ask :
a) What can you observe
from these two pieces of
bread?
Student answer the
question from
observation

b) Why are they different ?
Teacher gives them
exercises
(refer to Appendix )





Observation





Inferences
Observation
by using
senses








Observation
Explaining
No Step Teaching and Learning
Activities
Scientific
Skills
Criteria
2 Generation
of ideas
a) The pupils are divided
into a few groups
b) They discuss in groups
how pieces of bread can
become mouldy
c) Children are asked to
tick their inferences
from the boxes provided
d) After choosing, their
inferences, they carry
out Post-box activity
e) Pupils will analyse
inferences from Post-box
activity
f) After Post-box activity,
teacher asks each group
to do a concept map to
generate ideas



Communication
Questioning
technique

Inferences









Communication
Cooperative
Learning
(team-work)
No Step Teaching and Learning
Activities
Scientific
Skills
Criteria
3 Restructuring
of Ideas
Experiment
a) Each group will be given a
piece of bread, some water
and two glass dish
b) Students are required to
carry out the experiment to
make fungus grow on the
bread
c) Each day student will
observe and record the
observation for a week
d) Pupils are required to draw
daily what they saw from
their observation for a week
e) A few days later, teacher
asks the pupils to take a
sample of fungus and
observe it under a
microscope
f) Ask children to draw the
fungus










Investigating
Observation


Observation



Acitivities are
carried out by
following
procedure






To record
information
from the
experiment
No Step Teaching and Learning
Activities
Scientific
Skills
Criteria
3 Restructuring
of Ideas
Using Internet
a) Teacher asks the
students to find more
information through the
internet about
production of fungus eg.
http://www.sci.mus.mn.us/
sin/tf/b/bread/bread.html

b) Search the cause that
encourage the growth of
fungus
Library, paper cutting and
magazine
Pupils can use these
materials for restructuring
of ideas




Communication






No Step Teaching and Learning
Activities
Scientific
Skills
Criteria
4 Application of
Ideas
From the information and
ideas they received through
the internet and the exp.
they had carry out.

a) Pupils record observation on
mahjong paper
b) The pupils can state the
causes of fungus growing
on the bread
c) The pupils can relate the
importance of bacteria or
fungus in the decaying of
rubbish
d) The pupils will know how
fungus is used in our food
such as fermented rice,
bread and others
Communication
Hypothesis
Reporting
the
observation





No Step Teaching and Learning
Activities
Scientific
Skills
Criteria
5 Reflection Students are required to
conclude on how fungus
can spoil the bread

Students can give
suggestions on how to
protect the bread from
fungus
Post-Box Activity
Observe the two pieces of bread given to you. One of the bread has black spot on it.
Why ? Each group is given two choices .


A The bread was spoil because it was not
in an air tight container
B The bread was spoil because of fungus
C The bread was spoil because it has
been left unattended
D It spoils by water in air
E Sunrays have spoiled the bread
F Bacteria have spoiled the bread
G The bread is stale
Discussion
Learning Objectives
The names of different parts of plants
Some thing float and some things sink
Make a complete circuit
Pushing and pulling can change the shape of
the shape of objects