3rd class (4th week) : BeHaViOuRiSt vs CoNsTrUcTiViSt.

What is the behaviourist (directed instructional ) approach?

Direct Instruction assigns a central role to the teacher in explaining, modeling, and providing opportunities for practice with feedback. The goals are understanding, logic behind skills; automaticity, skills are over learned to the point that they are used with little mental effort; and transfer, something learned at one time is applied later in another setting.
 (for more explanation of this approach, you may visit this site :

http://ematusov.soe.udel.edu/final.paper.pub/_pwfsfp/0000017b.htm

This approach proposes a teacher-centered classroom. I requires teachers to be an efficient planner of the whole lesson. Lesson can be very structured as they have to follow teacher's instructions and steps in order to learn a subject. I think this is a very rigid condition of learning. However, this is also useful when it comes to theoretical based-learning and the lesson taught should achieve intended learning outcomes. Thus, procedures are needed to monitor the progress of the lesson, so that no steps is left behind. 

The same goes to websites for learning science. Some of them are designed to be in this approach, so that students who do not have prior knowledge about the subject matter may not be having problems to construct their knowledge. So, this will play a lot as a helping hand too for students who need more guidance when it comes to 'Science'. 

Some of the sites that adopt the use of this approach are:

 1. http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/  
 

2. http://www.sciencetoymaker.org/

Niava Air Rocket

A rocket model

What is the constructivist approach?

Learners construct their own understanding rather than having it delivered or transmitted to them. Learners use their own experiences to construct understandings that make sense to them. New learning depends on prior understanding and is interpreted in the context of current understanding, not first as isolated information that is later related to existing knowledge. 

So, now let's see the benefits of this approach when it is inculcated in science learning via technology. 

(a) There are opportunities provided for students to view and explore themselves about the information.

(b) They provide more activities that are creative and to make students think about the causes and consequences.

(c)  More discoveries rather than reading concepts and facts.

Some of the websites are:

 1) http://www.kidsastronomy.com/ 

2. http://www.coolscience.org/CoolScience/kidszone.htm

Question may activate prior knowledge

3. http://www.tryscience.org/

 All in all, both approaches should be applied and neither should be rejected. So, see you on the next entry!!!