Participants examine constructivism as an overarching theory that can incorporate a number of teaching practices. Participants examine how constructivism taps into and triggers students' innate curiosity about the world. Participants examine how the teacher functions more as a facilitator who coaches, mediates, prompts, and helps students develop and assess their understanding. Expert interview a. Participants examine a video clip of Jacqueline Grennon Brooks, an educational theorist, constructivism advocate, and this workshop's content expert, answer questions about constructivism. Participants examine how the concept of constructivism has roots in the Socratic dialogue, Piaget and Dewey's theories of childhood development, and Progressive Education.
Participants examine some of the charges that critics level against constructivism.
Participants examine the multiple benefits of constructivism in relation to student learning. In this section of the workshop, participants view some concrete examples of constructivism in the classroom and school and examine programs and activities that illustrate constructivism. Participants read a transcript of a classroom simulation in which student delegates present and debate their political viewpoints, learning how to negotiate a compromise resolution. Participants read multiple transcripts of students conducting science experiments and constructing knowledge about various scientific concepts. In Schools and Projects a. Participants examine Web sites of schools and projects that incorporate aspects of constructivist theory.