Constructivism in Science Education

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Constructivism in Science Education

• Focus on learning and what we know about how
  people learn.

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There is a biological basis for learning that can
inform our teaching practices. Dr. Larry Lowery
UC Berkeley
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Focus Question
When discussing the building of pathways in the
brain, Dr. Lowery makes the comment, This is
where the word constructivism comes from. What
does the word constructivism mean to you?
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Pendulum Activity

• Investigative Question How does the mass of the
  object on the end of the pendulum affect the
  number of swings in 15 seconds?
• Prediction (must include a prediction and an
  explanation)
• Test your prediction
• Collect data in a data table
• Write a conclusion

Set up investigation and record information in
science notebook
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Constructivism

• The theory that people build their own knowledge
  and their own representations of knowledge from
  their own experience and thought.

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What people learn is not simply a duplication of
what they observe in their surroundings, but the
result of their own thinking and processing
(building their own pathways).
Constructivists understand
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How People Learn

• Students come to the classroom with
  preconceptions about how the world works. If
  their initial understanding is not engaged, they
  may fail to grasp the new concepts and
  information that are taught, or they may learn
  them for purposes of a test but revert to their
  preconceptions outside the classroom. (p. 10,
  How People Learn)

Think about your own teaching, what does this
statement mean?
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Learning activities must begin by considering

• students current knowledge
• how that knowledge is constructed

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Prior Beliefs

• Learners begin their formal study of science with
  ideas already in place about the natural world.
• Some parts of these ideas are correct, but some
  are not.

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Basis for Conceptual Change

• Learners become aware of conflict between what
  they thought was true and what they observe.
• Existing conceptions must fail to explain some
  new observation.
• For conceptual change to occur, their existing
  conceptions must be unsatisfactory.

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Process of Conceptual Change

• Learners make predictions about the situation
  based on prior understandings.
• When these predictions do not work, learners
  question their prior beliefs.
• This brings existing beliefs to the surface,
  giving the teachers access to what is in the
  learners minds.

• Teachers can help learners reconstruct their
  beliefs in ways that include the new information.

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To aid learners in their reconstruction

• Learners should investigate on their own and
  interact with their peers .
• The teacher may introduce minimal understanding
  of the concept.
• Vocabulary
• Journal Writing
• (Concept Cartoons) http//www.conceptcartoons.com/
  index_static.html

• The learner is compelled to relate new phenomena,
  ideas, and observations to existing knowledge in
  ways that are most appropriate to the learner.

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Teachers combine content knowledge with critical
components

• pre and post assessments
• WASL-style prompts
• rehearsal in systems
• inquiry
• design(checklist will be inserted)

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• How do we come to know what we know?
• How do we learn?
• How do our students learn?

• This is the essence of Constructivism.
• P.E.T. and P.B.I are excellent examples of the
  constructivist approach.

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Primary Role of the Teacher

• Ask questions to explore learners previously
  constructed information looking for
  preconceptions.
• Lead learners through exploratory activities that
  enable them to investigate on their own and come
  to their own conclusions.
• Interact with each to see how he or she is
  constructing the new information and help to
  formulate accurate scientific conclusions.

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Bibliography
Larry Lowery video???
Martin, David Jerner. Elementary Science
Methods, A Constructivist Approach. Wadsworth, a
division of Thomas Learning, Inc. 2003.
Naylor, Stuart and Keogh, Brenda. Concept
Cartoons in Science Education. Millgate House
Publishers. 2000.
National Research Council. How People Learn
Bridging Research and Practice. National Academy
Press. 1999.