Fifth Entry

I really connected with the Sprague and Dede article. I have always found the Constructivist theory to be interesting and effective. I once completed a practicum at a Constructivist school in Waterloo, Iowa. I was in a Kindergarten classroom. The entire curriculum was based on Constructivist ideas. I liked the fact that the children's interests were taken into consideration and worked into the curriculum. This allows the children to be engaged in their own learning, and motivated to do their very best work. I also liked the fact that teaching the students involved asking them critical thinking questions and having them build their own knowledge by questioning the world around them. The students would take their prior knowledge and apply new information in order to construct meaning.

In my own Pre-K classroom, I have tried to incorporate some aspects of Constructivism. I encourage my children to work thought their problems, and try to guide them instead of direct them. I also let them explore and ask questions, and try not to give them all the answers, as I do believe that children learn through experience.


Some of my fellow students found the constructivist classrooms to be "chaotic" and "disorganized", due to the fact the curriculum is so student centered. I can see how they could interpret the classrooms this way, but I feel that they were not looking at the whole picture. It may not be a 'traditional' classroom, but it gets the students more involved in their learning.