There have been several disputes about direct-instruction approach versus constructivist approach ongoing for many years. Nevertheless, it is believed that young children need to be provided with many opportunities to represent, quantify, and generalize in order develop an intuitive understanding of various subject matters, such as Mathematics and Science. Research has shown that materials and activities that foster the development of mathematical and scientific concepts enables children to become concrete, hands on learners. As a result, it is important for children to manipulate materials to build ideas which can be done through spontaneous investigations of discrete free or guided play. Sadly by tradition, classrooms have been structured …show more content…
Why is this so? Young children in the early childhood environment need to be active learners; they should be able to learn through methods of discovery; as well as, the teacher should be a facilitator of children’s learning.
Active learning is generally defined as any instructional method that engages children in the learning process. In short, active learning requires students to do meaningful, learning activities which will allow them to think critically about what they are doing. Research in learning and motivation advises teachers to incorporate more active learning into their classrooms in order to improve understanding and long-term preservation of what is learned (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000: Greeno, Collins & Resnick, 1996). In the traditional approach to teaching, most teachers spend time lecturing while young children watch and listen. While it is true that passively listening to a directed-instructions can be useful in promoting learning at the lower end of a taxonomy of learning such as – to
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As she threw them out, Mary began matching the domino pieces together. This form of discovery can convey the theory that Mary is beginning to understand the concept of numbers. Mary’s mother steps over and encourages her to find the matches by asking “Can you find another domino with the same number of dots?” In 1967, Jerome Bruner was one of the first psychologist and cognitive learning theorist to outline the principles of discovery learning in a book which illustrated how individuals constructed their knowledge based on prior experiences. Related constructivist learning theories were developed by John Dewey, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky, all of whom suggested that discovery learning encourages children to become active participants in the learning process by exploring concepts and answering questions through experience. In summary, in discovery learning, children are active and engaged in hands-on learning opportunities (Dewey, 1997; Piaget, 1973). The focal point of discovery learning is when a child learns how to analyze and interpret information to gain an understanding of what is being taught rather than to be given the correct answer from rote memorization. Percy (1954) believed that discovery learning is a natural part of human beings. People are born with curiosities and needs that drive them to learn. Case in point, an infant may learn to talk through the method of
The behaviorist and constructivist theories pose a significant debate in early childhood education that questions if curriculum should be based on the children’s natural childlike dispositions or should adults determine and decide every aspect of curriculum. The distinction between the two theories determine what and how young children learn. The behaviorist theory believes that people of all ages learn the same and that behavior is controlled by outside influences and rewards. Whereas, the constructivist theory believes young children develop cognitive structure based on interactions with other people and the environment. Most early childhood programs follow the constructivist theory and are child-centered. According to Freeney, Galper, and
Methods and approaches to teaching have been greatly influenced by the research of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. Both have contributed to the field of education by offering explanations for children's cognitive learning styles and abilities. While Piaget and Vygotsky may differ on how they view cognitive development in children, both offer educators good suggestions on how to teach certain material in a developmentally appropriate manner.
Early childhood education is a very important step during a child’s educational career. This is the level where the entire framework is laid. The four major areas of development are further defined ...
Several theories show that children learn best when they are in some way active in their learning. A key theorist is Jean Piaget. He was born in 1896. He developed ‘constructivist’ theories which look at the way in which children seem to be able to make sense of their world as a result of their experiences and how they are active learners. Piaget’s theories have been influential, although they have been challenged over the
As a teacher in early childhood development, I believe that the teacher skills and personality influence how children understand, observe and react to the classroom environment and the world around them. Even though part of teacher responsibilities are academic, daily interactions that encourage social, emotional and physical development are important. One of a quality effective early childhood educators’ characteristic is that they should have patience.
There are five ways in which Piaget’s theory of cognitive development and Vygotsky’s theory of the Zone of Proximal Development. The very first way that teachers can use these theories to teach constructively is by providing scaffolded instruction within the ZPD for their students (292). In other words, a teacher must be able to assist children in achieving a goal that may be slightly too difficult for them to reach alone. An example of this would be if a teacher had decided that her class should do an experiment on how well plants grow based on the amount of water they receive, she could challenge her students to make a hypothesis about what they think will happen. This teacher could allow her students to individually plant their seeds and then guiding her students to predict or hypothesize what they believe will happen if one plant gets more water than another. This example directly correlates with Vygotsky’s idea of ZPD because
Teaching young children is becoming more complex and the demands placed on educators are increasing. By taking part in continuing education, and integrating current research and practices, educators and administrators will be better able to promote innovation and improvement in both managing, and teaching. Since early childcare educators are keenly aware of the needs of children and are able to see trends in early the child care and development system and their impact on children and families, they have a responsibility to engage in informed advocacy for children (Mevawalla & Hadley, 2012). By getting involved in the public policy-making process, they can help educate the public and build support for early childhood issues that will help improve the lives of children and families. Early childhood professionals have many important roles and responsibilities. “Teaching young children is serious work that requires high-quality, dedicated, professional teachers who see the importance of what they do and are eager to increase their effectiveness, knowledge, and skills” (Phajane, 2014, p.
Guillaume, A.M., Yopp, R.H., & Yopp, H.K. (2007). 50 strategies for active teaching: Engaging k-12 learners in the classroom. Upper Saddle Ridge, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall.
The term constructivism has been used to explain everything from school reform to teaching styles, and most importantly related to a learning theory. As you can imagine the term Constructivism has the potential to develop many misconceptions since it lacks a universal definition. “Constructivism is an important theory of learning that is used to guide the development of new teaching methods”(Baviskar, Hartle & Whitney, 2009, p.541). The framework of constructivism is built upon the understanding that “learning is an active process that is student centered in the sense that, with the teachers help, learners select and transform information, construct hypothesis’, and make decisions”(Chrenka, 2001, p.694). It is important to understand that when speaking about constructivism we are referring to a learning theory not teach...
Research has shown that ‘structured’ math lessons in early childhood are premature and can be detrimental to proper brain development for the young child, actually interfering with concept development (Gromicko, 2011). Children’s experiences in mathematics should reflect learning in a fun and natural way. The main focus of this essay is to show the effectiveness of applying learning theories by Piaget, Vygotsky and Bruner and their relation to the active learning of basic concepts in maths. The theories represent Piaget’s Cognitivism, Vygotsky’s Social Cognitive and Bruner’s Constructivism. Based on my research and analysis, comparisons will be made to the theories presented and their overall impact on promoting mathematical capabilities in children. (ECFS 2009: Unit 5)
Constructivism is a somewhat new, but up-and-coming ideology that is progressing through education. In order to properly understand constructivism, one must understand the history. Then, building upon the history one begins to understand its progression through education. Then, building upon that knowledge we can begin to see the applications of constructivism in the modern classroom. In the process of establishing the layout this paper, a method of constructivism, also known as scaffolding, was shown. Scaffolding is the process of establishing what a learner's base knowledge is and then teaching them in a method that relates and builds upon that. This leads into the broader idea of Constructivism, which the view of learning is based upon the learner produces knowledge and form meaning based upon their experience. ("Piaget's Theory of Constructivism", 2006)
Among many teaching styles and learning theories, there is one that is becoming more popular, the constructivist theory. The constructivist theory focuses on the way a person learns, a constructivist believes that the person will learn better when he/she is actively engaged. The person acts or views objects and events in their environment, in the process, this person then understands and learns from the object or events(P. Johnson, 2004). When we encounter a certain experience in our life, we think back to other things that have occurred in our life and use that to tackle this experience. In a lot of cases, we are creators of our own knowledge. In a classroom, the constructivist theory encourages more hands-on assignments or real-world situations, such as, experiments in science and math real-world problem solving. A constructivist teacher constantly checks up on the student, asking them to reflect what they are learning from this activity. The teacher should be keeping track on how they approached similar situations and help them build on that. The students can actually learning how to learn in a well-planned classroom. Many people look at this learning style as a spiral, the student is constantly learning from each new experience and their ideas become more complex and develop stronger abilities to integrate this information(P. Johnson, 2004). An example of a constructivist classroom would be, the student is in science class and everyone is asking questions, although the teacher knows the answer, instead of just giving it to them, she attempts to get the students to think through their knowledge and try to come up with a logical answer. A problem with this method of learning is that people believe that it is excusing the role of...
Early childhood education plays a key role in a child’s academic development because he or she learns soft skills, job skills, and develop positive traits. Preschool is not like kindergarten, but instead a stepping-stone that prepares young students for the years of schooling they will have later in life. As more schools began to open families wanted to be able to verify that programs would benefit and protect their children. In response, the National Association for the Education of Young Children was made to help families find the best care for their children, by providing the early childhood educators with training and ensuring the quality of children’s daily experiences. (“NAEYC”5).
The purpose of early childhood education is to firstly learn about one’s self and agency, how one’s actions can affect and impact others; to develop a sense of identity; who you are and how you fit into this world. Experience a sense of belonging through interactions with peers and teachers whilst celebrating and sharing diverse cultures whilst embracing others. Children need to have opportunities to explore, experiment, to gain insight and knowledge in numeracy, literacy, science and social structure through innovative and richly supported curriculums (DEEWR, 2009). I have very high expectations of all children as I believe that this assists in building self-confidence and
One hundred years ago, Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was a young man developing new insights about learning. He was one of a handful of constructivist-minded writers and educational theorists of the time. Learning theories open educators up to new ideas. They are necessary to expand our knowledge of how learning works. Piaget’s work is a well-tested and educators around the world should be aware of Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive development in particular because it will improve the quality of their teaching. Once a teacher knows this theory, they can plan lessons appropriate to their students’ cognitive ability and build upon students’ earlier knowledge in a constructivist way.