Quote: “Lighting the flame of student motivation against that of filling the bucket of students’ head with facts” (Airasian & Walsh, 1997, p.446).
Question: Is everything that we know as truth in various subjects really a working hypothesis?
Connections: Constructivism is based upon the assumption that “people create knowledge from interactions between their existing knowledge or beliefs and the new ideas or situations they encounter” (p.445). Whenever I read about Piaget’s and his developmental theory I am reminded of how an infant first connect with their environment. I recall working in a childcare center and observing how babies first begin to learn their physical environment. They are fascinated with almost everything presented to them to observe and interact with hands on in order to form what Piaget would state a “working hypothesis” about the encounter (p.445). It is interesting that such an excitement of learning and curiosity can decrease in the classroom setting specifically from elementary to middle school (Jarvela & Volet, 2001). What is a teachers’ role to facilitate assimilations and accommodations in the classroom? I believe theorist James and Piaget would agree that before teachers could incorporate cognitive constructivism in a classroom setting they would have to first know their student in order to develop activities conducive to create personalized meaning. Introducing new topics may being with a survey to inform teachers how much prior experience students have on a particular subject. Next teachers may being to plan differentiated instruction based on the results of where students are to increase engagement for some with no previous experience while not boring others that have had multiple associations. This may seem a bit time consuming in the beginning requiring more time to address different constructs within the classroom.
The process of equilibrium within cognitive constructivism was interesting because it supported the notion of continuous learning and constructing knowledge as mind new information is shared in the classroom and compared to prior experiences or beliefs. Teachers as well as students will have to learn that there is not one right answer. I interpreted an individual constructing knowledge as a process by which different levels of knowledge must be accepted in a classroom setting free from judgment and discuss to reach a consensus of a common working hypothesis. Giving student the opportunity to share and discuss a concept more deeply is thought to enhance “higher level learning” (p.446). According to this theory in order for cognitive growth to occur an individual process new information the information received is then filed with existing information further enhancing what is already (assimilation) there or it will replace what is currently there (accommodation). A classroom free from scrutiny or embarrassment may lead peak more interest of student to become engaged. Hence different ways of learning =different ways of knowing.
References
James, W. (2001). Talks to teachers on psychology and to students on some of life’s ideals. Mineola, NY: Dover.
Jarvela, S. & Volet, S., (2001). Advances in Learning and Instructional Series: Motivation in Learning Context. Kidlington, Oxford: Elsevier Science Ltd.
Wadsworth, B. J., (1996). Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive and Affective Development: White Plains, NY: Longman
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