Instructional Strategies

Relevant Links (Please add your own links or correct inactive links)

• The Five E's of Constructivism
• Constructivism Resources from Univ. of Colorado at Denver; great links
• Edutopia's Project-Based Learning Site
• Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom

Some Questions to Consider (Are there more questions out there?...)

• Which comes first--transformed instruction or the technology to transform it?
• How does the notion of standards-based instruction change the nature of teaching and learning?

In "traditional" classrooms, the process of teaching and learning tends to be top-down and teacher-centered. The time to learn is fixed (e.g., nine months for Algebra II, two weeks for the Civil War unit, etc.) and we are willing to let the results of teaching and learning vary by evaluating the learner on a sliding scale from A to F. Mastery of a topic by every student is not the typical goal--getting through the unit is. We tend to have a presumption of leaning based on attendance. If a student has been through fourth grade, then (s)he must know how to simplify fractions, because that's where it's taught. (So, if a student receives a "C" in math in fourth grade, how do you know if (s)he can simplify fractions?)

In a "transformed" classroom, the situation is often reversed. Mastery is the goal; time is the variable. Mastery occurs at different times for different students, so the classroom environment must change to provide engaging and meaningful instruction for students who have already mastered a topic as well as for those that are still working on it. Furthermore, the level of mastery will vary among individual students. Some students will master a concept at a basic level; others will naturally seek a much deeper lever of understanding. (This is not only true of students--it applies to teachers as well. Susan Loucks-Horsley's Concerns-Based Adoption Model provides some good information on this.)

Technology, used wisely, provides educators with the opportunity to transform a classroom from a teacher-centered environment to one in which all students have the opportunity to engage in meaningful instruction at a level that is appropriate to each one.