The first guiding principle for this web page is “Constructivist Theory” – the active construction of knowledge by doing. A second principle is that of integrating all science disciplines with other curricula to include the social, economic and political implications of scientific inquiry.

Think back to when you were a child. Now remember a lesson you learned at home. How did you learn? Did you learn by having your parents present you with the facts and a number of disconnected concepts? Probably not, you probably learned by watching and doing. You may have watched your mother or your dad or a sibling doing a thing and you just began doing it yourself. After a while, you became better and better at doing it and finally you became expert at doing it.

Constructivist Learning

“ The key tenet of constructivist theory is that people learn by actively constructing knowledge, weighing new information against their previous understanding, thinking about and working through discrepancies (own their own and with others) and coming to a new understanding.” (Clifford E. Knapp. Just Beyond The Classroom. Appalachia Educational searches for students’ understandings of Laboratory, Inc. 1996. p.p 7,8)

“In a constructivist classroom, the teacher structures opportunities for students to refine or revise these understandings by posing contradictions, presenting new information, asking questions, encouraging research, and/or engaging students in inquiries designed to challenge current concepts.” (Jacqueline G., and Martin G. Brooks. The Case For Constructivist Classrooms. Association for Supervisionand Curriculum Development. Alexandria, VA. 1999. p.p. ix)
 
Just Beyond the Classroom by Clifford E. Knapp

This is a great resource for science teachers in planning curriculum that goes beyond the classroom and into the real world where students live.  You can read a synopsis of the book at http://utminers.utep.edu/mlicona/sied3330/licona.html.

The Case For Constructivist Classrooms by Jacqueline G., and Martin G. Brooks is another great resource for exploring sonctructivist theroy.

Another good resource is a table of links at http://www.vquad.com/cgi-bin/page_gen.cgi?userid=mlicona&UsState=TX&Prof=1&cat=links&home=1.

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