Module 4

Response to 3 questions

1) Piaget's cognitive construction theory provided a framework to guide educators on how students will learn at various stages in their lives. Benefits from his theory provided educators with effective instructional strategies to actively engage and motivate students to learn. His theory explained what students were capable of knowing throughout their cognitive development and also included what children were lacking at each stage.This will help teachers plan to create activities for students to interact with their environment to establish building blocks with the content covered by grade/cognitive level.

2) The children in the video are categorizing/assimulating prior knowledge about length and width. In the beginning children see a longer line which is bigger and translates to more. James would say that they older children in the video have adapted and builded up more useful associations to distinguish the difference in the logic behind the actual amount vs. size.

3) This episode was a great example for how constuctivism will not work in a classroom setting. While Bart attended the school for genius he tried to construct knowledge of his new experience based on his prior experiences. For example when the class had to give an example of a paradox the only item Bart could think of that closely related to others responses was "Damn if you do and Damn if you don't." He tried to incorporate prior knowledge to respond in his new environment, but he quickly realized he did not have the experience of others in the classroom nor was he interested in obtaining it. The teacher assumes everyone has had the experiences and skills necessary to be successful in the class based upon an IQ test.  I believe the constructivism theory is informative on how a student learns and creates knowledge based on their prior environmental experiences. Teachers should faciliate the development of multiple associations and expose other students to experiences that will allow them to construct knowledge if the prior experience does not exist (i.e. field trips).