Growth Mindset: “The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset (Popova).”
Tinkering: “The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset (invent to learn).” Hard Play These three concepts share a common idea that we are capable of learning through relevant and meaningful approaches. When we play, make, experiment, fail, and try again, our learning becomes more purposeful. In the text, Invent to Learn, they quote another study that shows, “people who make things value their creations, even flawed creations, more than the same things created perfectly by experts (--).” These three concepts also contrast the idea that teachers should follow and deliver a textbook guided, one-size fits all, curriculum. Invent to learn summarized this idea by noting that this method benefits the teachers and administration rather than the individual student. Embracing play- tinkering and hard play- to promote a growth mindset creates learners and explorers. “The message is clear in many classrooms that there is only one way to approach learning. It’s taken on face value that learning is analytical, math is logical, art is creative, and so on. Contemplation is time wasted and there is only one way to solve a problem (invent to learn).” The importance of these three goes beyond just a new educational mindset. It is a societal shift in what success looks like, how to work hard, knowing how to push your limits, and embracing the can’t and failures. When we put this on our students, we begin to see the teachers teaching less, and the students learning more (Shwarts, 2013). Shwarts, K. 2013. Why Kids Need to Tinker to Learn. Retrieved from https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/07/11/gary-stager-tinkering-project-based-learning-sylvias-mini-maker-show/
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If I am understanding this question correctly, this week we are looking at if the constructionism philosophy improves the theory of education or not?
In my personal experience, constructionism as a philosophy of education opens many doors for learners. When an educator embraces constructivism, “The learner constructs knowledge inside their head based on experience.” If that definition holds true in the classroom, then there should always be new ideas introduced. In the text, Invent to Learn he states that, “Piaget reminds teachers not to present students with pre-organized vocabulary/concepts, but rather provide students with a learning environment grounded in action.” As educators we can change and shift the curriculum to meet the needs of each individual student yet, “each student still constructs his or her own unique meaning through his or her own cognitive processes. In other words, as educators we have great control over what we teach, but far less control over what students learn (Brooks, 1999).” The end of the chapter summarizes the idea of constructionism today perfectly. Present day allows us to fully embrace constructionism fully unlike the philosophers Piaget or Montessori. Their great idea to promote creation and building weren’t always doable with the lack of technology. Today, we are capable of teaching math, science, and the arts with quality technological tools. We should be changing our education system to meet these new tools with all the potential they contain. Brooks, M. and Brooks J.G. 1999. The Courage to be Constructivist. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/nov99/vol57/num03/The-Courage-to-Be-Constructivist.aspx |