CONSTRUCTIVISIM: PRESENTING AN ORGANISED WORLD

The week of April 9, we discussed how we create a constructivist learning environment for science teaching. Actually, we should emphasize twelve principles which organize physical and social environments. I think that these principles are highly valued and present children an organised world in which they construct their own knowledge. If we provide that kind of social and physical environment to young children, we get healthy children in aspects of all developmental areas. Now, let's look at these principles one by one.


Allow for good traffic flow: This means all children should have freedom to move from one area to another without experiencing any disruption. Moreover, good traffic flow enhances incorporating ideas from one area to another and this situation also helps special children.

Flexible Spaces: That is, environment should be responsive to children's needs of activities and what children are doing. When creating environment, a movable divider is useful in order to separate some areas.

Flexible Furniture: Constructivist learning environment should consist small size, movable furniture. Tables usually allowing to sit four children are best. Also modular units provide more flexibility.

Materials that encourages self direction: It means that accessibility of materials should be increased and free&constant access to the materials should be provided. In addition, low shelving and proper organization makes accessibility easier. That is so important that accessibility encourages children to use materials.

Reciprocity between learning areas: Constructive perspective sees that reciprocity encourages critical problem solving. It should be controlled in some cases in order to prevent harm to some materials like books, tapes etc.

Multiple uses of objects: Such as a cube block can be used for different purposes. On the other hand, a puzzle, only one solution most of the time. Constructive learning environment includes some cheap material can be used for different purposes. For instance; tubes, small sheets, cardboard, containers, play dough etc.

Practical solutions can improve the quality of constructivist experiences: That is, self directed student can be enriched with some practical solutions.

These principles that indicated above describe the features of constructivist physical environment and now I want to talk about the characteristics of social environment.

Expect some noise and movement in a constructivist learning environment: Actually, noise which is created by children to discover objects and relationship among them, because group work and collaboration will also increase student movement in the environment. For this reason, teachers should understand that reasonable noise and should be patient.

Teacher can control the amount of social interaction: Actually the amount of materials or the number of toys and equipment for interaction.

Arrangement of the furniture determines the type of social interaction: In fact, a low narrow, long table in the middle and cushions along it on the both side suggest some social interaction.

Self-direction can be encouraged by the organization of physical and social environment: Teacher's role and student's access to the materials can easily determine student's self direction.

Engaging in social problem- solving: Constructivist teacher establishes reasonable classroom rules, provide guidance rather than discipline, focus on the problems with children and modeling by adult.

All of these principles form the effective constructivist learning environment. I see that constructivist learning environment gives importance to child himself rather than other factors. I mean all rules, principles and activities are shaped according to demands of young children. In my opinion, this situation supports child development efficiently.

Consequently, at that week, I achieved valued knowledge how a constructivist learning environment can be created and I added something new to my future curriculum model.

MAKE YOUR OWN RAINBOW:)

First of all, please look at this picture which is standing above, could you make your own rainbow with another way except painting?
Until this week, I have met this question with hesitant but now I know that I can get a beautiful rainbow by a simply way.
For this week I prefer to start my blog with lab activities which were done by Nihal, Esin and Fatma. I think all activities were amusing and while watching them, I got fun and some clues about how can weather concept can be teach to children. Unfortunately, my friends encounter some mischances such as a cloudy and rainy day, however in my opinion all activities worked properly. This week we learned weather concepts. Even though we do not have sunny day, my friends created an effective sun with the lamp. This experiment showed us power of warm of sun. Then we tried to form a static electric and pull up the small pieces of rope and paper. We achieved static electric with rubbing the plastic combs to our hair (especially my hair was so popular for this activity:)) and pullover, but I think the most funny activity is making rainbow. By using mirror, light and water we gained seven different, beautiful colors. I believe that, in future is beneficial for teaching to children how a rainbow occurring in the sky and also we may teach some main colors by this way and we can contribute cognitive attributions to children's development. That is, we integrate cognitive development into science teaching. I congratulate my friends for their performances.

In theoretical lesson, we continue to talk about constructivist perspective. We mentioned about teacher's roles on constructivist teaching and curriculum. For this perspective, our curriculum should based on the questions that about child's activities which he/she is engaging in. Actually, these questions give us idea about child's thoughts and understandings. For example if a child ask a question such as "How can I make it move?", he/she is interested in physics or if "How can I make it change?" question may be about chemistry experiments and "How does it fit or how do I fit?" can give us idea about biologically changes or the harmony of the nature.

In brief, this week provided me profitable knowledge about the constructivist curriculum and experiments related with weather concepts.

LOOKING FROM CHILD'S EYE

For this week, we did our lesson with our assistant due to the fact that our instructor was being in USA.

This week, we discussed both behaviorist and constructivist perspective and their significant role on science teaching curriculum during early childhood period. Constructive perspective is a view which sees children as a theory builders. According to it, children have the ability to construct their dynamic world. It means, children are mentally and physically active and have the chance of direct language, reading, mathematics, art, music and also science knowledge.

As Piaget (1970) indicated that there are three types of knowledge; namely, physical, logico-mathematical and social. While physical knowledge is defined understanding of the physical world, Logico-mathematical knowledge is about comparison and seriation. Moreover, social knowledge is not about social world or social interaction. Actually, it is a knowledge transmitting socially , like customs,particular names etc. However, due to the fact that social knowledge is culturally determined, children cannot construct it.

Then we focused the benefits of constructivist learning to children. The major advantages are;

• increasing autonomy
• promoting social beings

While discussing which one is more important either behaviourist or constructivist perspective, I reached that both of them include effective teaching strategies for young children, but I probably will prefer constructivist approach for my future curriculum, because I believe that important is the child. That is, being something is true,wrong or nonsense is not important!! The important is child's ideas, opinions and expressions. For this reason, as a future early childhood major, my main responsibility is to prepare appropriate environment in which materials and stimulus will direct children curiosity, asking own questions, fluent communication and reaching result with own experiences.

In lab session, my friends Kader, Yasemin and Songül tried to explain what is water, its dimension, its weight, its volume etc. by doing different interesting and amusing activities. Actually, I find all of these activities interesting, beneficial that has done so far, because few days later after the experiments most of them were in my mind. I analyzed them again and again and I plan how I can integrate them into my future class. So I thanked to my friends for these serial successful presentations.