Content is embedded in culture and it is difficult to separate the two. When presented with information in the classroom that contradicts existing ideas, a student may try to accommodate both interpretations, rather than change deeply held beliefs. Unless the teacher realizes what views the students hold, classroom teaching can actually help students construct faulty ideas. If the classroom can provide a neutral zone where students exchange their personal views and test them against the ideas of others, each student can continue to build understanding based on empirical evidence. Hands-on activities and observations of the natural world provide shared experiences for those constructions.
Small groups discuss the various observations and speculate about their meanings.
If models, text references, or illustrations are available as resources, students should know that these are the results of others' observations and speculations. Such references are actually the constructions by others of the current understanding of the world around us. Easing Into Constructivism Just as students do not easily let go of their ideas, neither do school boards, principals, parents, or, for that matter, teachers. Ideas like student autonomy and learner-driven inquiry are not easily accepted. Required course content and externally applied assessments are realities that teachers must accommodate.