Presentation
- 1. Ch. 10:Pursuing Meaningful Victories Stephanie Gunter November 5, 2009
- 2. Pursuing Meaningful Victories Constructivist Classrooms Meaningful??? Meaningful Victories How do we obtain meaningful victories?
- 4. Constructivist Classrooms Based on the developmental works of Piaget Student centered- students learn from each other through discussions Students develop (or construct) their own understanding of the truth through an active, mental process. Learning is based on student’s background (Frame of reference)
- 6. Meaningful Significant, serious, important or useful quality or purpose- Webster Dictionary
- 8. Reflection #1 In the context of your classroom, how would you know you achieved a meaningful victory?
- 9. Meaningful Victories “ Everyday that we as educators, stimulate and challenge our students to focus their minds on meaningful tasks, to think about important issues, and to construct new understandings of their worlds, we- and they- achieve a meaningful victory”. - Pg. 120
- 10. Librarian: Ava, you seem far away. Is anything wrong? Ava : Why do we have to spend so much time talking about this? Librarian: We’re talking about it so that you’ll understand better. I want you to learn about it Ava : We don’t have time to learn it. We have to get the assignment done. Mr. Smith is going to collect it. Meaningful Victories
- 11. Turn and Talk 1. What strategies can be used to alter Ava’s motivation? 2. How do you feel about Ava’s comments, do you think that this situation exemplifies the mindset of {some, majority, none} of your students? 3. Have your definition of a meaningful victory in the classroom changed? 3. Have your definition of a meaningful victory in the classroom changed?
- 12. “ Schools throughout america are filled with students like Ava, students who have been acculturated to devaluate thinking, to feel uneasy about in-depth analysis and to view anything other than the rapid coverage of the curriculum as a waste of time”- Pg. 120 Meaningful Victories
- 13. \ How do we obtain meaningful victories?
- 14. 1. School Reform “ Meaningful school reform must address the central unit of the entire enterprise, the classroom, and must seek to alter the ways teaching and learning have traditionally been thought to interact in that unit” - Pg. 120
- 15. 2. Bold Change A. Structure preservice and inservice teacher education around contructivist principles and teacher B. Jettison most standardized testing and make assessment meaningful for students. C.Focus resources on teachers’ professional development than on textbooks on workbooks. D. Eliminate letter and number grades E. Form school-based study groups focused on human development principles F. Require annual seminars on teaching and learning for administrators and school board members
- 16. A. Structure preservice and inservice teacher education around contructivist principles and practices Teachers need information regarding developmental principles and strategies for enabling students to construct their own understanding of concepts Expose teachers to specific programs and approaches with constructivist frameworks Classroom support for altering practices, such as peer coaching, script- taping of lessons, and team teaching.
- 17. B. Jettison most standardized testing and make assessments meaningful for students. Non-Constructivist classrooms No longer a means to the end, but rather the end (Teaching to the test) Not part of the instructional program Teaching cease in preparation of tests Not reliable indicator of students knowledge Over emphasize test results Classify students Constructivist Classrooms Assessments done naturally in context of instruction Used as benchmarks for further instruction Allows students to demonstrate their knowledge in a way most effective for them
- 18. C. Focus resources on more on teachers’ professional development than on textbooks and workbooks “ Well educated and supported, teachers are mediators between students and the environment as students come to understand complex concepts... structure the environment and set the intellectual and social tone for the classroom. Ill-educated and unsupported , teachers merely disseminate information and distribute supplies in a fixed curriculum” “ Fitting the curriculum to the child”
- 19. D.Eliminate letter and number grades Grading drives testing Grades create classification systems with in a school Seen as rewards and punishments “ Students come to view the struggle to construct understanding as an impediment to the achievement of good grades”
- 20. E. Form school-based study groups focused on human development principles “ To create schools that recognize, value, and respond to the cognitive, social and emotional needs of students, educators need to carefully study those factors in the context of their own settings on an ongoing basis”
- 21. F. Require annual seminars on teaching and learning for administrators and school board members Administrators as the observer
- 22. 3. New Image New norms need to be established “ A new set of images, reflective of new practices, is needed- images that portray the student as a thinker, a creator , and a constructor.”