Reflection #3-Constructivist lesson plan

A constructivist lesson plan is one that focuses mainly on the thinking process. It is a thought based lesson. Constructivism is the thought that we create our learning from the base of our own personal experiences. After many changes to the template of a constructivist lesson plan over the past seven years, it has finally come to a six step process. The six steps are Situation, Groupings, Bridge, Questions, Exhibit, and Reflections. Each of these steps are contributers to the thinking process. The first step; situation, is your goal, or what it is you want your students to explain. You want to explain to the students how exactly you want them to solve the problem you are giving them. Students should know what they are expected to do. The second step is groupings. You will decide how you want the students grouped in order to solve the situation. You can have students working independently, in couples, or in groups of three or four. Whichever grouping situation you choose to use should be done with a certain method. You can have students count off a number, pick a color, or a shape. Now, you must decide how you want to group the materials the students will be using. The materials should be easy to access and available to everyone. Materials are used to help students more easily explain their situation through physical representations. The third step is the bridge. A bridge in a constructivist lesson plan is somewhat similar to a “set” in a behaviorist lesson plan. It is basically the introduction and attention grabber of the lesson plan. The difference in a bridge, however, is that it is a connection of the students prior knowledge of the subject to what is going to be taught in the upcoming lesson. This is an activity that is done before the actual lesson and it can be done before or after students are grouped. The teacher can ask questions, hand out a worksheet, put up a picture, or start a discussion. It is a way of getting the students minds active before the lesson. It also helps teachers determine what level of prior knowledge the students have in the particular subject. The fourth step is questions. Questions should be used all through ought the lesson by the teacher. It is good to ask questions before, during, and after the activity. They encourage students to stay actively thinking through ought the lesson. The fifth step is the exhibit. This is when students record their thinking onto something physical and presentable to their classmates. Students can have a verbal presentation or charts and diagrams. Whichever method works for each group individually is fine. The concept is that each group of students is able to share their thinking and ideas with the other groups. The last step is reflections. This is the students opinions about their learning through ought the activity and what they thought about the exhibits and presentations of the other groups. The students will share information about their experience and what they gained from the lesson.