Curriculum: A
Constructivist Approach
Project Based Learning
Thinking back on my experience as
a student, as well as our assessment assignments, it is evident that students
value a constructivist approach to learning in the classroom. Personally, I
loved doing independent studies and final projects in my high school classes.
Those assignments were the ones I enjoyed the most, I had the chance to be
creative and pick a research topic that I enjoyed or connected with. I found
that I learned the most through those projects; I was able to discover
knowledge at my own pace and it wasn’t simply memorizing and regurgitating
information on a test. I was interested
and passionate about what I was learning so the information and knowledge I
gained stayed with me. This kind of project-led, self guided, and hands-on
approach to learning is a constructivist approach to teaching.
Project based learning is a comprehensive approach to education where
students learn while doing (Drake et al., 2014). Students use a “driving
question” that sparks their interest to create the jumping point for a year
long project that incorporates 21st century skills such as research,
critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, organization and
communication (Drake et al., 2014).
Project based learning can be an individual or group activity that results in a
product, presentation, or performance/demonstration. This kind of learning
constructs meaning and stimulates engagement in students. These projects help
students demonstrate their intellectual capacities, their creativity, their
energy and willpower, as well as, certain social and moral qualities (such as
cooperation, team spirit, and honesty, etc.), which they will need in their
future education and/or careers.
Project based learning was just being introduced in my high school
during my post-secondary education. In my experience teachers combined
project-based learning with traditional learning (oral, written and practical tests) to give all students opportunities and
prepare them for their futures in post-secondary education or in the workforce.
I found this way of learning to be quite
effective as a student and I think it would be the best way to assess my
students as a teacher. I will have the choice of how I present the mandatory curriculum to my
students. Therefore, creating a balance between the two learning theories would
offer students possibilities to prove what they know (ie. a set of knowledge), as
well as what they can do (ie. a set of talents, skills, and abilities).
As a student
working toward becoming a teacher I know how important it is to get my students
engaged in what they are learning. When students are given an opportunity to
choose how or what they are learning, or when they have the chance to be
creative and experience hands on learning they are much more likely to be
engaged in the classroom and experience deep learning. By not only following
the traditional model of teaching, and by using a constructivist approach to
curriculum in my classroom, I hope to become a teacher that can share my
passion for languages and cultures with my students through project-based
learning. Hopefully my passion for my teachable subjects and my approach to
teaching will help my future students grow as learners and get them engaged and
interested in what they are learning.
References
Buck Institute for Education. (December 9, 2010). Project Based Learning: Explained. Video retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMCZvGesRz8
Catapano,
S., & Gray, J. (2015). Saturday School: Implementing Project-Based Learning
in an Urban School. Penn GSE Perspectives On Urban Education, 12(1),
Drake, S.M., Reid, J.L., Kolohon, W. (2014).
Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the
21st-century learner. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.
Patton,
A. (February 2012). Work that Matters:
The teacher’s guide to project-based learning. Retrieved
from: http://www.innovationunit.org/sites/default/files/Teacher's%20Guide%20to%20Project-based%20Learning.pdf
