R#7

Within a school environment, there exist many differing views of how children learn. Typically, teachers of special needs children rely on behaviorist approaches to shape behavior and knowledge acquisition. Classroom teacher views vary from the same behaviorist approaches to instructional strategies based on constructivist theory or some combination of the two. Imagine a school where the administration insisted on the use of direct instruction, the use of charts for students in need of behavior modification and the use of rewards and punishments for both students and staff. Teachers believing in the constructivist theories of learning would be at odds most of the time with their supervisors. Perhaps, this scenario is extreme but the idea of contradictory philosophies of teaching in a school is not farfetched. How do conflicting views of behaviorist and constructivist theories affect school culture and student learning?

Time to teach the required curriculum is a constant battle for classroom teachers. As a believer of the constructivist theories, I often found myself attempting to pour knowledge into the minds of my students instead of taking the time to construct activities that led to meaning making due to a lack of time. My students recalled information correctly but lacked a deep understanding of content and displayed difficulty in applying skills learned to a new situation. Airasian and Walsh state, “It is easy to say that constructivist teachers must create an open, nonjudgmental environment that permits students to construct, disclose and expose their constructions to scrutiny. But listening and responding to student constructions will be difficult and time consuming” (p. 448). The authors make a good point and teachers do need to consider the element of time; however is the time a teacher takes to tell a student about a topic time well spent. One constructivist-like model of teaching is the 5E model of instruction. Students share in a common set of exploratory activities to provide a foundation for understanding. During this phase, the teacher talks to students and observes student constructions, providing thought provoking questions and guidance. Explanations are brief, direct and to the point. The teacher clarifies misconceptions and introduces domain specific vocabulary. Students then apply this new knowledge to a new situation. Formative evaluations made at each phase allow the teacher to make the instructional decisions regarding a student’s readiness to move to the next step. The process is quite time consuming in the beginning for both maintaining student engagement and allowing adequate time for exploration. The time spent allows students to acquire a deep understanding of the intended content and apply the information. How are classroom teachers using their time for student instruction?