As I was
thinking about a constructivist type of lesson I could teach, I first wanted to
decide on a subject that really challenged students’ minds to open up and reach
far, so I settled on Science. Next, I thought what grade do I want to teach? So
I settled on the fourth grade since I am drawn to upper elementary classes. One
standard for fourth grade Science is to focus on life science and how cells
work. This can be a difficult topic to be introduced to. I really want them to
gain a conceptual understanding of the material, and I believe this can be done
by relating the jobs of each part of the cell to jobs in real life or even to
the functions of a city. (e.g. lysosomes
could be the military or police). As a class we would discuss the parts of a cell
and how they are very important to help them operate maybe relating it to body
parts or car parts and how everything plays a special role. I would allow them
to discuss this and in table groups write down ideas for how they might
remember each part and its function. Because the Endoplasmic Reticulum is the
transporting system one might compare it to a mailman. My main assignment I would incorporate in this
lesson would be a project based lesson where they would have to be creative and
on a poster or 3D model construct a cell with its parts and make a chart of how
its function related to something they could connect with (some ideas could
come from group brainstorming). The final part of the project would be to write
a letter to the cell describing the students’ favorite cell structure and why. I
think authentic activities are a great for classroom use. I am not completely
sure if this would help with a real world experience, but I feel like the
assignment in the least teaches them to think in a more sophisticated manner
they will encounter in the real world. I think a good sequence would be to
ensure students were gaining a conceptualized understanding my focusing on main
points as a whole and connecting them former knowledge and personal links.
Next, would be group work, followed by the project.
Which of these learning activities/skills lend
themselves to student’s individual or group construction? How might you structure learning activities
that lead students to discover these skills/these principles?
The part of
the activity that requires students to collaborate with their table groups is a
form of group construction by means of classroom dialogue, as students lean on
another to for each other’s interpretation. The second part of the lesson requires an
individual constructivism, where students must use what they know and their
personal ideas to connect cell jobs to whatever they choose. I would leave this
open to gain an understanding myself of hoe they construct their own ideas. One
way I think I might use to help discovery of constructivist methods is
scaffolding. I would not want to use it all the time, but use it mildly to
guide students in the right direction. I merely want to be a helpful tool in
their learning process.
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