(1) Describe the Resource / Experience:
During my resource search this week, I discovered an article from the Journal of Special Education entitled “Constructivism: Principles, Paradigms, and Integration”. This article is about using a constructivist approach with children with learning disabilities. It also discusses the benefits of using the constructivist approach with children who are at risk for school failure.
(2) Lessons Learned / Applications for the Classroom / Recommendations for Yourself or Others:
Through reading this article I learned that constructivist-oriented strategies are very valuable classroom tools that can be used efficiently and effectively in classrooms with learning impaired students. I learned that using this approach with students with learning disabilities just requires more structure, guidance, planning, and preparation on the part of the teacher. I think this is an important lesson for me to learn because I have had several students in the past mainstreamed into my classroom from special education self-contained classrooms for science and math instruction. At my school, we use FOSS and STC science kits and Math Out of the Box math kits, so science and math instruction are the primary areas in which constructivist approaches are used. When these students were first mainstreamed into my classroom, I was a little intimidated and hesitant about using the kits with them. I often wondered if I should use an alternate approach to teach them science and math. However, after reading this article and its research findings, I feel more confident about using this approach with the students who are mainstreamed into my classroom.
(3) Links to Readings, Resources, or Discussions:
These ideas directly link to the following resource from my Resource Log:
Harris, K., & Graham, S. (1994, January 1). Constructivism: Principles, paradigms, and integration. Journal of Special Education, 28(3), 233-47. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ493005) Retrieved February 6, 2009, from ERIC database.
The ideas expressed in this article are closely aligned with the research I conducted for my Wiki chapter about the controversies associated with constructivism (see Sandbox 1.4 and WikiText chapter section 1.4 – “Today’s Controversies in Constructivism”). During my research I discovered that one of the major controversies associated with constructivism is that some experts do not believe that constructivist-oriented classrooms are effective for learning-impaired students. However, the information presented in this article suggests otherwise. This would have been a great source to use to further support the ideas expressed in our first WikiText chapter.
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