Concrete Experience

Through the aides of concrete experience, this means that students learn through their own personal experiences using their five-senses. Children must discover and construct knowledge on their own by exploring the world, rather than passively be given information through direct instruction. Concrete experiences allow students to make sense of the world and allow children to come to their own individual understandings. Concrete experiences also create memories, which students are able to reflect on and remember. For example, if students are learning about the life-cycle of a butterfly they should observe a real-life caterpillar as it transforms into a butterfly, rather than being directly told what the life cycle of a butterfly is like. The student will be able to experience the cycle for themselves and make sense of it, all while creating a memorable experience the student can reflect on.

Understanding that learners need concrete experiences,

Authoritative teaching requires that teachers are responsive to their students. This means that the teacher is responsible for discovering her student’s interests, backgrounds, and abilities, and then teaching in a way that nurtures these characteristics in their students. Being an authoritative teacher, the teacher should hold high expectation of her students, but also knows their limits and try not too over challenge them. This supports developmental learning in constructivism. Authoritative teachers also guide students learning rather than control it. The teacher does not tell the students what to learn, and instead uses strategies that encourage the students to use their own learning process. This supports constructivists view of self-regulated learning. Authoritative teachers also create a warm and welcoming environment which furthermore can create a caring community of learners, where students feel safe to learn and