Traditional vs. Constructivist Classrooms

Dewey or Skinner? Constructivism or Behaviorism? No one type of learning environment is perfect for all students, all content areas, and all grade levels. However, educators are generally recommending emphasizing a constructivist classroom over a traditional (behaviorist) one. Understanding the difference between traditional and constructivist classrooms is important. The two types of classrooms will be juxtaposed below. Following this chart are the five principles upon which constructivist classrooms are based and 12 suggestions on how to become a constructivist teacher. For more details on this information, readers are encouraged to read Brooks and Brooks, In Search of Understanding: The Case for Constructivist Classrooms.

School Environments

(p. 17)

Traditional Classrooms	Constructivist Classrooms
Curriculum is presented part to whole, with emphasis on basic skills.	Curriculum is presented whole to part with emphasis on big concepts.
Strict adherence to fixed curriculum is highly valued.	Pursuit of student questions is highly valued.
Curricular activities rely heavily on textbooks and workbooks.	Curricular activities rely heavily on primary sources of data and manipulative materials.
Students are viewed as "blank slates" onto which information is etched by the teacher.	Students are viewed as thinkers with emerging theories about the world.
Teachers generally behave in a didactic manner, disseminating information to students.	Teachers generally behave in an interactive manner, mediating the environment for students.
Teachers seek the correct answer to validate student learning.	Teachers seek the students' points of view in order to understand students' present conceptions for use in subsequent lessons.
Assessment of student learning is viewed as separate from teaching and occurs almost entirely through testing.	Assessment of student learning is interwoven with teaching and occurs through teacher observations of students at work and through student exhibitions and portfolios.
Students primarily work alone.	Students primarily work in groups.

Principles of Constructivist Classrooms

(p. ix-x and chapters 4-8)

1. Teachers seek and value their students' points of view.
2. Classroom activities challenge students' suppositions.
3. Teachers pose problems of emerging relevance.
4. Teachers build lessons around primary concepts and "big" ideas.
5. Teachers assess student learning in the context of daily teaching.

Becoming a Constructivist Teacher

Chapter 9

1. Constructivist teachers encourage and accept student autonomy and initiative.
2. Constructivist teachers use raw data and primary sources, along with manipulative, interactive, and physical materials.
3. When framing tasks, constructivist teachers use cognitive terminology such as "classify," "analyze," predict," and "create."
4. Constructivist teachers allow student responses to drive lessons, shift instructional strategies, and alter content.
5. Constructivist teachers inquire about students' understandings of concepts before sharing their own understandings of those concepts.
6. Constructivist teachers encourage students to engage in dialogue, both with the teacher and with one another.
7. Constructivist teachers encourage student inquiry by asking thoughtful, open-ended questions and encouraging students to ask questions of each other.
8. Constructivist teachers seek elaboration of students' initial responses.
9. Constructivist teachers engage students in experiences that might engender contradictions to their initial hypotheses and then encourage discussion.
10. Constructivist teachers allow wait time after posing questions.
11. Constructivist teachers provide time for students to construct relationships and create metaphors.
12. Constructivist teachers nurture students' natural curiosity through frequent use of the learning cycle model.

Brooks, J.G. & Brooks, M.G. (1999). In search of understanding: The Case for constructivist classrooms. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.