Journal Number Nine

“Adventures in Electronic Constructivism”
Maureen Brown Yoder

Maureen Brown Yoder discusses how good lessons can be changed slightly to have an even greater learning opportunity for students. My modifying lessons, teachers can make content more relatable and meaningful to students. This lesson modification, from the constructivist approach, can be used in any subject matter and allows students to take greater responsibility for their own learning by actually doing research rather than having the information spoon-fed to them by their teacher. The examples of lessons used in this article make students really dive into the topic or person they are learning about, so as to form a more personal relationship with the material. Students must ask themselves, and answer, more critical thinking questions than other activities might require. Some of the assignments presented require students to take on the characteristics of an important figure in history in order to participate in a discussion as that person while others allow students to see and address how issues of the past are ever-present in today’s society.


1. What is my opinion of the constructivist approach to teaching?
I believe that this approach to learning is extremely valuable in the classroom. I want my students to be able to think critically about information they are given and break it down into knowledge they can personally use. I believe that this form of teaching also allows students to become better problem solvers in today’s world.

2. How can I effectively apply some of the strategies presented in my own classroom?
One way I can effectively apply some of these strategies in my classroom is to allow my students to collaborate with fellow students in our class, and even with students in other classes. When students are working critically and collaboratively they learn two important skills: problem-solving skills and the ability to work with others in a group. In order for me to really utilize constructivism in the classroom I must train my students to look at all situations from a different point of view—this way it becomes natural and students will be able to use it in many aspects of their own lives, not just academically.