Fifth graders told they would be graded on how well they learned a social studies lesson had more trouble understanding the main point of the text than did those who were told that no grades would be involved.
Golnick and Ryan (1987)

Dan Sutch

Water Balloons Make Math Fun: A Constructivist Algebra Lesson

In the math class of veteran teacher Steve Norton, students cut pizza into precise triangles, calculate the volume of ice cream cones (filling them with real ice cream), and throw water balloons at their teacher. Norton wants to show his grade 8 students that algebra can be fun and engage them in ‘learning through doing’. It’s a constructionist approach that engages students in the learning experience, in part, by allowing them to actually construct or do something ‘real’.

Getting Kids Out of the Classroom

With a constructivist viewpoint of learning and a commitment to experiential education and authentic outcomes, Sharon MacKenzie takes her middle school classes out of the school and into the world. From spending 2 months of the year in a seniors’ residence to raising thousands of dollars through developing and running a small business, the results are amazing – for the community as well as for the students.
Read the article by Nick Smith in The Tyee online: [[http://thetyee.ca/News/2008/09/05/Constructivism|Get Kids Out of the Classroom|]]

The Primal Teen: What the New Discoveries about the Teenage Brain Tell Us about Our Kids

Thu, 03/06/2008 - 17:49 -- admin

While many members of the scientific community have long held that the growing pains of adolescence are primarily psychological, Barbara Strauch highlights the physical nature of the transformation, offering parents and educators a new perspective on erratic teenage behavior.

cognitive apprenticeship

We have all seen youth who can spend hours perfecting complicated skateboarding feats, learning new computer games or mastering animation techniques – it is impossible to stop them from learning. Yet these same teens may struggle with learning in a classroom setting. Part of the problem is that classroom learning is often abstract, disconnected from any real-life application or the natural context for using new information.

Making Life Part of the Curriculum

How does a 19th Century Maori war chant figure into the college aspirations of a bunch of student athletes in El Segundo? Just another means of preparing students — not just for college, but for life, suggests Dan Golden, who was recently hired for the new position of director of life planning and experiential learning at the private Vistamar School in El Segundo.

The Unprocessed Child: Living Without School

Thu, 01/31/2008 - 18:51 -- admin

Laurie Chancey spent her childhood immersing herself in topics of her own choosing. She was never forced to learn something simply because tradition and/or society said it was necessary. No one was looking over her shoulder to make sure she was learning the “proper” subjects.

She enrolled in college when she was eighteen, and graduated summa cum laude three and a half years later. Laurie is a bright adult, but her IQ is not why she did so well. She spent her life learning to learn and it’s something that now comes easily to her.

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