Social constructivism asserts that students construct meaning primarily through their interactions with others and their environments. Coupled with social constructivism is cooperative learning which provides experiences for students in which they are working together in ways that will enhance and strengthen their learning. Cooperative learning and social constructivism work hand in hand when allowing group collaboration, communication, and problem solving.
One of the many ways that social constructivism can be utilized in the classroom is by using multimedia and web resources. By nature social constructivism requires students to work together to create and construct meaning with material being discussed. When students are able to work collaboratively to create multimedia presentations, like mp3 files and movies, it requires student planning, problem-solving and creativity. These are all skills which require a deeper understanding of content and provide social interactions for students.
Web resources also promote social constructivism. Today, students can log onto the Internet and instantly be connected with students all over the world. This type of interaction allows for students to problem-solve and discuss topics with students hundreds of miles away. The Internet also provides students with a wealth of knowledgeable experts to pull information from. While studying the International Space Station students can email questions directly to experts to receive information via email about questions that the class or students may have.
Social constructivism does not have to be solely used in conjunction with educational technology, however. There are many approaches that can be taken to utilize cooperative learning within the classroom that does not require a computer. Students can be placed into groups to discuss and react to a book that is being read in class or cooperative groups can work together to solve a community problem such as pollution in a local pond. Cooperative grouping gets its strength in the knowledge that is discovered and constructed by the students working together.
When students have the opportunity of working together it allows for each student to share his or her unique talents with the rest of the class. Cooperative learning groups provide a safe and non-threatening way for students to communicate while applying knowledge to create or solve a problem. Social constructivism is one of many learning theories that should be utilized within the classroom.
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2 comments:
I'm glad you mentioned that technology is not necessary to use conctructivism learning theory. A lot of classrooms do not have the resources to allow students to use the computer, i pods, and such. I know this class is about integrating technology into the classroom, but sometimes it is not possible. Cooperative learning is a wonderful way for students to work together and gain deeper understanding by correcting misconceptions. Students can still produce artifacts without computers to show they have gained understanding.
I totally agree with your statement that when students work collaboratively to create media presentations, skills like planning and problem-solving are developed in the students and that they gain a better understanding of what is being taught. For the coming year I am planning for my chemistry students to create videos while they perform a lab activity so they have to explain what is happening during the experiment to an audience. This will probably increase their understanding of what they are trying to observe during the experiment, it also will create a lasting memory of what they have been inquiring in class and that can be shown to their parents too.
Michel Barrios Hernandez
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