This chapter provides a review of the literature related to after school programs. The literature review is organized into the following categories: History of After School Programs, Need for After School Programs, Effectiveness of After School Programs, Frequency and Duration, and Middle School After School Programs. This section also reviews the theoretical framework for this research. Theoretical Framework Constructivism is a philosophy of learning founded on the premise that, by reflecting on our experiences, we construct our own knowledge of the world we live in (Au & Carrol, 1996). Learning is simply the process of adjusting what we already know to accommodate new experiences. Constructivism can be traced to the eighteenth century and the work of Giambattista (Bhattacharya & Han, 2001). Bhattacharya and Han maintained that humans are able to understand only what they themselves have constructed. Many philosophers and educators have worked with these ideas, but the first to develop a clear idea of what constructivism consists of were Jean Piaget and John Dewey. Von Glaserfield (1990) acknowledged that constructivism means “knowledge is not passively received.” Piaget (1973) stated that students are not just “empty heads” that can be filled with facts from packaged curriculum that is given out my teachers. Constructivism does not depend on a standardized curriculum. Instead, it promotes using curriculum customized to the students’ prior knowledge. Also, it emphasizes real world problem solving, experiments, reasoning and communication (Au & Carrol , 1997). Constructivism gives students the power to make connections, reformulate ideas, and reach conclusions (Brewer & Daane, 2002). After school programs often focus on teac... ... middle of paper ... ...ved in 21st Century Community Learning Centers. The evaluation revealed that programs had difficulty recruiting and retaining young teens, and those that did participate attended inconsistently. The middle school students were less likely to participate in academic classes and more likely to be involved in recreation activities. Beth Miller (2003) stated that after school programs serving middle school children, must keep students engaged in the program by a variety of popular and engaging activities. She further noted that after-school programs are successful when participants have motivation to achieve academically. In summary, middle school learners benefit from frequent participation in quality after school programs that increase engagement in learning, provide a variety of recreational activities, and build key skills necessary for academic success.
Because of its many facets and definitions, constructivism is in a constant state of battlement. All in all, constructivism is a new approach to education that has put education persons on the fence. Either they whole heartedly believe that constructivism is the key to overhauling our education system, or they don’t believe that constructivism has enough merit to change our system. Because there is still a strong representation of opposition against the methodology of constructivism it is my strong opinion that constructivism will not be fully immersed in our education system for years to
After school programs can potentially decide the direction of many elementary age students? futures, as well as the communities in which they live. After school programs serve a great advantage to inner city elementary age kids by allowing them the opportunity to interact in a supervised location with mentors, because these mentors do no not only te...
Young students today that are going through the middle school system are between the ages of 10 to 15 years old. They are going through a crucial stage of life in which many alterations occur such as emotional, physical, and mental changes. All of these changes that they must go through are essential to develop into healthy, fully functional, and self-actualized people. As a future educator, I need to see that middle school students are unique; they are too old to be considered children and too young to be considered adolescents. Middle level professionals have certain roles and responsibilities as it relates to the development of young adolescents. We must present ourselves as role models for the students and have the responsibility to make sure that as they progress through middle school they have enriched, meaningful learning experiences through challenging, exploratory, integrative, and relevant curriculum. As a future educator, I need to understand and recognize these changes, strengths, weaknesses, and diversities and be able to plan accordingly and appropriately for them in the classroom. I have developed my own philosophy for teaching at the middle level, based on this evidence and my understanding about the unique characteristics of middle level adolescents that will help mold me into a great middle school educator!
If you are a parent or plan to be a parent, Do you want your child to sit in a desk all day while the teacher lectures them on information that they need to know for life or would you rather have your child learn constructively? Constructivism has been labeled as the philosophy of learning that proposes learners need to build their own understanding of new ideas (Constructivism and the Five E?s,2001). Learning something new, or attempting to understand something familiar in greater depth, is not a linear process. The purpose of this research paper is to explain the theoretical foundations of the constructivist approach to teaching and learning, and to provide concrete examples to show the effectiveness of the constructivist approach with respect to student learning.
Constructivism represents a paradigm shift form education based on cognitive theories. This concept assumes that learners construct their own knowledge on the basis of interaction with their environment. (Gagnon & Collay, 200?) The role of the teacher as a constructor of the learning experience to ensure authentic curriculum and assessment which is responsive to the skills, needs and experiences of the learner, within established curriculum framework and with the reference to the achievement of literacy, numeracy, retention and attainment of outcomes. Krause, Bochner and Duchesne (p.157) comment that “as learners interact with their environment, they link information learned through experience to previous knowledge, and so construct new understandings and knowledge.” Constructivism then inturn encourages Teachers and Learning Managers to recognise the value of prior knowledge and experiences that each child brings with them into the classroom, and help them (the students) build on their understandings of the world by providing appropriate learning experience plans.
I never went to after school programs there just not for me. I think in my opinion that it is a waste of time going to after school programs because I rather be home eating or playing video games. Growing up thinking about high school I believe it is the same as middle school and elementary just more proper and more skills you have to learn. At the start of the school year I thought school was going to be easy but it really isn't. I believe it is easier to learn when your simply paying attention. I never thought that it was going to be hard like this but now I know that it is hard and there isn't no way of passing it unless you
Constructivism theorists believe that learning is an ongoing collective application of knowledge where past knowledge and hands on experience meet. This theory also believes that students are naturally curious. If students are naturally curious, their curio...
Adolescents age is a very important phase since this is the breaking point for them to learn what is consider bad or good. At this age puberty is involved and many adolescents are individually driven at this age and are peer motivated by social status. During puberty "adolescents are learning how to handle new demands in school and social life while learning to deal with new, intense emotions and to do so without adult guidance" (Yeager 2017:74). At puberty many changes occur mentally and physically. One SEL program that stuck out of the many presented is the Becoming a Man (BAM) program that helped increase graduation rates for adolescents. The BAM program "did not tell young people what they have to do but helped young people find ways to maintain their status" (Yeager 2017:78). Programs like BAM are ideal for schools. Teaching to motivate instead of direct orders is the best method: "SEL programs give them mindsets that will harness their motivations" (Yeager
Mark, a fourth grader at Springfield Elementary came home and explained to his mom about the friend he had made during band class, and the teamwork he was involved in during volleyball practice. Mark failed to mention to his mom anything about his regular school day. “Extracurricular activities serve the same goal and functions as the required and elective courses in the curriculum. However, extracurricular activities provide experiences that are not required in the formal course of study. These after school programs allow students to apply the knowledge that they have learned in other classes and acquire concepts of democratic life” (Lunnenburg 2). Mark like many children usually forget the essentials from the normal school day curriculum like mathematics or sentence structure, but remember everyday lessons learned during after school programs. These programs or extracurricular activities include sports, clubs, dance, music, arts, drama and such, all programs that benefit elementary students. Today, in the United States when elementary schools do not have enough funds for these programs, the extracurricular activities are the first eliminated to save money. Elimination of these programs causes more harm than good to the students because these programs are just as beneficial as the normal school curriculum. Therefore all of these extracurricular programs must remain as an option in school districts.
Some after school programs offer tutoring to help students in the subjects they are struggling with. After school programs could provide a more one on one learning experience that their teacher may not be able to provide for them. Many after school programs encourage more participation in school. When children participate more in school, they become more involved in the learning process and therefore learn and retain more information. Math test scores are the most common scores that improve in children that attend after school programs. These students also have better attendance and skip less class than classmates not enrolled in after school activities. The tutoring provided at the after school program and the better attendance at school will both improve a child’s test score and
Brooks, J. G., Brooks, M. G. (1999). In Search of Understanding: The Case of Constructivist Classrooms, with a new introduction by the authors. Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ashford/Doc?id=10078162&ppg=28
Constructivism is a method that says students learn by building their schema by adding to their prior knowledge by the use of scaffolding (Rhinehart Neas). Because the students are basically teaching themselves new information, the teacher is there mainly for support and guidance for the students.
As a student, besides they need to pay attention on their schoolwork, they also should participate in after-school activities. Being involved in after-school activities like attending tutoring, joining school sports and volunteering in the community are good ways for students to learn and develop. There are so many advantages of being involved in after-school activities; these can help students improving their problem solving abilities, time management, responsibility, and other necessary skills. There are many advantages of after-school activities that could help the society. Above all, after school activities are beneficial to students.
Two-thirds of children who participate in extracurricular activities are expected to attain at least a bachelor’s degree, whereas only half of children that do not participate do (National Center for Education Statistics, 1995). Childhood is a very important time in our lives, a time when we develop many vital skills that follow us into adulthood. Some people laugh or scoff at us parents that keep our children to busy schedules. Those same people would also argue that our children should be allowed to have a childhood, to not be so tightly scheduled in their daily lives. Before jumping on that bandwagon, I would suggest doing a little research. Participating in after-school activities has shown to benefit children in many ways. Children should
Constructivism is a defined, when referring to the learner, as a "receptive act that involves construction of new meaning by learners within the context of their current knowledge, previous experience, and social environment" (Bloom; Perlmutter & Burrell, 1999). Also, real life experiences and previous knowledge are the stepping stones to a constructivism, learning atmosphere. (Spigner-Littles & Anderson, 1999). Constructivism involves the learner being responsible for learning the material and, not necessarily, the teacher (Ely; Foley; Freeman & Scheel, 1995). When learning occurs, the goals, values, and beliefs of the individuals need to be linked to the new data. Also, in constructivism, the person, who is taking in the knowledge, can somehow filter, amend, and reformat the information that he or she feels is important to the schema (Spigner-Littles & Anderson, 1999). A constructivist learner uses the creative approach to apply their own meaning to a topic using the social and cognitive circumstances around themselves (Bloom; Perlmutter & Burrell, 1999). A short and sweet summary of constructivism is "how one attains, develops, and uses cognitive processes" (Airasian & Walsh, 1997).