Posts Tagged ‘PSUGV’

Lessons Learned in Constructivism

October 17th, 2008

On the eve of our final class, I think it’s fitting to highlight what I’ve learned about constructivism these past 7 weeks.  Since it’s 11pm and I have class in the morning, a list is my preferred format:

  1. Less is more.
  2. Trust the process.
  3. Planning a lesson requires more thought and planning than actual writing of instructions and giving direction.
  4. Sprinkle.
  5. Scaffold.
  6. It’s not always what you think the learner should know.
  7. The sooner you “hook” the learner, the better. (hook=elicit an emotional response)
  8. Constructivism requires the facilitator to “think on their feet.”
  9. Constructivism requires a safe environment to be effective.

These are just a few of the themes that have been brought up in class.  If you have any to add, please feel free to comment.  This class has been one of the most enlightening of the program.  I was not so eager to take another Saturday class but this was a truly rewarding experience.  Thanks to Dr. Ackerman for practicing what she was teaching.  I look forward to “sprinkling” some constructivism in my future courses.

The Key To Success

October 14th, 2008

In class, we’ve learned the importance of a skilled facilitator to conduct a Constructivist lesson.  I’m currently designing teaching outlines for a new method of delivering learning at my company.  The idea is that when business is slow and associates can afford time off the phones, a supervisor contacts the training department and requests that they attend a training session to cover a topic of which associates could use some additional instruction.  The sessions are conducted via a webinar format and last approximately one hour.  The session opens on a specific topic but the learners are asked where they’d like to begin.  The challenge in designing the teaching outline is similar to the challenge we faced when designing our Constructivist lesson.  How much is too much?  My first draft consisted of a series of subtopics and questions for each subtopic.  My approach was to provide the facilitator with possible subtopics and various questions and answers related to each subtopic.  It’s been suggested that perhaps we’re providing too much information for the facilitator because the facilitator should know the answers to the questions.  I was once again reminded that a skilled facilitator is a key to success.

Hard Habit to break – Part II

October 8th, 2008

It’s been a few weeks since my last post and I’m still learning what it means to apply constructivism in the classroom.  I’ve learned a lot by working with Julie to present our lesson and by participating as a learner in others’ presentations.  It seems the biggest challenge for most of us has been to let go and trust the process.  In doing so, the learning has seemed to take on a life of it’s own and has exceeded my expectations.  I’ll share what I’ve learned by answering the questions I posed prior to presenting my Constructivist lesson. » Read more: Hard Habit to break – Part II