Role
of the Teacher in a Constructivist classroom
Prepared by
SABARISH-P
M.Sc., M.Ed., JRF & NET
Lecturer in Physical Science, Arafa Institute for Teacher Education
Attur, Thrissur.
The
first principle of true teaching is that nothing can be taught. The teacher is not an instructor or
taskmaster, he is a helper and a guide. (Aurobindo, 1910). Teacher’s main focus should be on guiding
students that will lead them to develop and consolidate their own inferences on
the subject. Constructivist
teachers pose questions and problems, then guide students to help them find
their own answers. They use many techniques in the teaching process. For
example, they may:
- prompt
students to formulate their own questions (inquiry)
- allow
multiple interpretations and expressions of learning (multiple
intelligences)
- encourage
group work and the use of peers as resources (collaborative learning)
In
a traditional setting, the teacher takes charge of a lot of the intellectual
work in that classroom. The teacher plans the scope and sequence,
pre-synthesizes and prepackages a lot of the learning. In the constructivist
classroom, the student is in charge of that packaging. The student gets
amorphous information, the student gets ill-defined problems, and it's the
student who has to put together his or her own personal question and figure out
how to go about answering it with the teacher being the mediator of that
meaning-making process. The core of the
process of teaching is the arrangement of environment with which the student can
interact. (Dewey, 1918)
In
such a process,
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Teacher is a mediator.
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Teacher is a facilitator.
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Teacher organizes learning experiences
to promote the zone of proximal development.
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Teacher is a co-learner.
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Teacher is a democratic leader.
In
constructivist teaching, the process of gaining knowledge is viewed as being
just as important as the product. Thus
assessment should not only be based on tests but also on observation of the
student, the student’s work and the student’s point of view.
Differences between
Traditional Classroom and Constructivist Classroom
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Strict adherence to fixed curriculum is
highly valued.
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Pursuit of student questions and
interests is valued.
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Materials are primarily textbooks and
workbooks.
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Materials include primary sources of material
and manipulative materials.
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Learning is based on repetition.
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Learning is interactive, building on what
the student already knows.
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Teachers disseminate information to
students; students are recipients of knowledge.
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Teachers have a dialogue with students,
helping students construct their own knowledge.
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Teacher's role is directive, rooted in
authority.
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Teacher's role is interactive, rooted in
negotiation.
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Assessment is through testing, correct
answers.
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Assessment includes student works,
observations, and points of view, as well as tests. Process is as important
as product.
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More teacher centered
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More pupil centered
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Content oriented
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Process oriented
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Based on behaviourist theories of learning
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Based on cognitive and humanist theories of learning
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Learner is a receiver of knowledge
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Learner constructs knowledge
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It
is a fact that a “traditional classroom” strictly following pure behaviourist
pattern do not exist and similarly a “constructivist classroom with pure
constructivist methodology do not exist. Every classroom behaviour is a mix of
different methods and different approaches.
Anyway, a shift towards the constructivist pattern is appreciated.
