This chapter begins by introducing the new view of learning known as constructivism. This view of learning says that individuals always use the knowledge they already have to base new knowledge off of. Therefore, constructivism is very different from the traditional view of learning that says learners acquire new knowledge by listening to others or by manipulating objects. I feel that the constructivist view of learning is like the traditional view, accept it takes into consideration what learners already know. The chapter says that prior knowledge and experiences are the things we bring with us to learning situations, which affect what and how we learn.
I like how this chapter clearly explains the difference between knowledge and understanding. Knowing something means that one can access and use that information, idea, or skill when they need it. From what the books says, Understanding seems to encompass knowledge, but also allows an individual who understands something to do something with what they know such as relate it to the real world, express it in their own words, and/or apply it to different contexts and environments. I feel that teachers can facilitate understanding by developing activities and lessons that encourage these things.
The first way to enhance science understanding described in this chapter is through providing for access to prior knowledge. One thing the chapter mentions in doing this is by asking students to recall what they already know. This is similar to the lead-in/warm-up I have seen in most lesson plans and even is a strategy used by some of my college professors when introducing a new topic or building off of a previous one. In this same section, rehearsal and practice are described. Both strategies are definitely essential in the classroom. I think I would use practice before using rehearsal. It would make sense to practice something until it is mastered, then rehearse it, “while adding something new.”
Rehearsal seems like it would be a good strategy not only in accessing prior knowledge, but for transfer as well. For some students with special needs, generalizing information and skills in different environments and situations is something to work towards. Therefore, rehearsing the same skill or knowledge in slightly different ways or in different environments would be a good way to help students generalize or transfer knowledge or skills they acquire into new contexts.
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You do a nice job of reflecting upon several main points in the chapter. I would like to address one.
ReplyDeleteYou stated that constructivism is like the traditional view of learning except that it also takes into consideration what students already know. On one level, that is true. But taking into consideration what students already know is huge! It requires, I think, a shift in how we assess, plan, and deliver instruction. So as we start looking at teacher practices, we discover that traditional approaches to teaching are quite different from those being promoted today. The inquiry based science classroom, you must admit, is quite different from the traditional science classroom. Why is that? Consider that our job truly is to teach children how to think (and not simply to give students information for which they have to recall for a test). And teaching children how to think is a phenomenal task. Your thoughts are "rehearsal" address this.