Session 4: Learners Constructing Meaning

At the heart of the curriculum cycle is the learner constructing meaning.

Summative Assessment Task and Criteria
You will be working in groups. Show understanding of and connections between the 5 Essential Elements.

What does an environment for constructivist learning look like?
During this session you will be thinking about an effective/not effective learning experience that you had. What contributed to the success/failure of the experience. On post-its list these and display on Promotes Learning/Hinders Learning posters.

Feedback from the group:

Promotes Learning:

• Encouragement
• Collaborative Learning
• Fun, activity based
• Child centric
• Praise and flattery
• Feeling successful
• Being shown the clear results and progress due to hard work
• Exploration
• Good questions
• Doing it
• Choice
• Relevance - relating and connecting the content to the students' lives
• Fun
• Breaking the process down into steps and giving feedback
• Active classroom
• Opportunities to present
• Positive and reinforcing comments
• Warmth and acceptance
• Safe environment
• Interesting topic
• Variety of instructional methods/learning activities
• Being able to take a risk
• Interest
• Strong instructor/teacher
• Open-mindedness, enthusiasm and curiosity towards learning
• Innovative teaching methods like games, quizzes, debates
• Appreciation
• Experimentation
• Teacher giving extra time
• Clear instructions
• Willingness to change
• Hands-on tasks
• Passionate teacher
• Constructive feedback
• Sense of humour

Hinders Learning:

• Condescension
• Feeling like I was the worse one in the group
• Closed minded
• Too much structure
• One instructional method/no variety in style
• Rigid questioning or structure or curriculum
• Lack of dedication
• Only lecture - no engagement
• No interactions with the teacher - lack of connection with the teacher
• Fear of failing
• Boring - didn't care
• Lack of clarity/unclear instructions
• Lack of relevance
• Too much information/ too much theory
• Sarcasm
• Putting people on the spot
• Being yelled at - demotivation
• Judgemental
• Sitting in seats all lessons
• Labelling a child
• Reprimands
• Unfriendly or overly strict teacher
• Limited resources
• Forced learning
• Laziness
• Minimal scope for experimentation and discovery
• Unwillingness to change
• Unsafe environment
• Ridicule
• Lack of interest
• Partiality
• No differentiation
• Criticism
• No student choice

Connect/Extend/Challenge
This is a Visible Thinking routine for connecting new ideas to prior knowledge.

Use this Visible Thinking routine as you read Kathy Short's Inquiry, Curriculum and Standards.

Children's Literature that promotes International Mindedness