Constuctivisit Lesson Plan

Constructivism is an approach to teaching and learning based on the premise that learning is the result of "mental construction." In other words, students learn by fitting new information together with what they already know. Constructivists believe that learning is affected by the context in which an idea is taught as well as by students' beliefs and attitudes.

I once introduced a science lesson to my first grade class in which they had to take the information they had already researched on the eight planets of the Solar System and utilized it to place the planets in order away from the sun.

The students took the information that they had to "construct" their responses. The planets that they knew were the hottest were located closest to the sun ( their heat source) and the cooler planets were located further away from the sun. The students used models of the planets to construct a small-scale model of the Solar System.

Learning Styles

I do not believe that teachers should teach to perceived learning styles. When educators teach to perceived learning styles, they automatically set limitations on what their students are capable of learning. Teacher expectations of their students are lowered as well as students productivity.

When teachers teach to perceived learning styles, they do not allow their students to strive to attain greater goals for themselves. The students simply perform at the level perceived to be appropriate by the teacher the style that the teacher deems appropriate for them. Students are not encouraged to exceed expectations set for them and may settle for working to their perceived style.

In my opinion, the most effective educators are those that teach to all learning styles. In addition, I believe that students' learning styles may change over time. As students are exposed to more content and are given the opportunity to expand their learning, their learning styles may be subject to change.

I have observed this within my own fist grade classroom. Students tend to begin the year as timid, non-risk takers. Of course this is not always the case, but it depends on the educational background of the student. As the more timid learners begin to make new discoveries, their learning styles begin to develop and change. They may initially appear to be more visual learners initially, and then emerge more as oral learners by the end of the year.

If an educator simply teaches to one perceived learning style, student growth and understanding may be stunted. Teachers must be open to teaching to all styles so as to not limit their students.

Developing Instructional Supplements

I would utilize the following tools that I have learned this semester to develop instructional supplements:

- I will create Podcasts on my class website to allow parents and students to view lessons and activities within the classroom. This would be a great way to allow parents to interact with their children an to play a greater role in their child's education.

-The "Scratch" program would be a great way to incorporate instructional video within the classroom. Creating social stories for Autistic students using the program would be very appropriate and useful.

- Marratech is a great way to have students communicate with other classrooms around the world. This would be a wonderful supplement to a Social Studies unit on diversity.

Concept Maps

I would utilize concept maps in a number of ways within my first grade classroom. The program "Kidspiration" would be used to create the following concept maps:

Language Arts:
- Create a Venn diagram comparing various topics or book titles
- Create a flow chart of reading strategies to provide visual support during reading

Science:
- Create a life cycle chart
- Create an animal characteristics web
- Create and animal habitats chart

Mathematics:
- Create fact family charts
- Create problem solving strategy charts

Social Studies:
- Create Good/Services Chart
- Create map skills webs

Workshop: Embracing Our Differences: Photography, Technology (Conversations 1 and 2)

This workshop was held at the Hecksher Museum of Art. Participants were required to bring their own cameras to view and shoot an exhibit on tolerance created by local students. The workshop instructed students on how to utilize the CleVr program by stitching numerous photos together to create one panoramic view. The workshop also introduced students to various programs that incorporate photography and interactive discussion. The sharing of ideas among teachers was very informative and beneficial.

Workshop: Understanding Databases Conceptually

This workshop focused on what databases truly are and how they are created. How databases are decoded was also a major focus of the workshop. The workshop explored various uses for databases within the classroom environment. I found this portion of the workshop the most informative, as I would like to incorporate some of the information I received from the workshop into my teaching.