Social+Constructivism

=A social contructvist perspective=

All classrooms in which instructional strategies compatible with Vygotsky's social constructivist approach are used don't necessarily look alike. The activities and the format can vary considerably. However, [|four principles] are applied in any Vygotskian classroom.
 * 1) Learning and development is a social, collaborative activity.
 * 2) The Zone of Proximal Development can serve as a guide for curricular and lesson planning.
 * 3) School learning should occur in a meaningful context and not be separated from learning and knowledge children develop in the "real world.".
 * 4) Out-of-school experiences should be related to the child's school experience.


 * Types of Instruction ** ** of Social Constructivism **

Technology provides essential tools with which to accomplish the goals of a social constructivist classroom. Below are a few examples of the way information technology can support social constructivist teaching and learning:
 * Telecommunications tools such as e-mail and the Internet provide a means for dialogue, discussion, and debate -- interactivity that leads to the social construction of meaning. Students can talk with other students, teachers, and professionals in communities far from their classroom. Telecommunications tools can also provide students access to many different types of information resources that help them understand both their culture and the culture of others.
 * Networked writing programs provides a unique platform for collaborative writing. Students can write for real audiences who respond instantly and who participate in a collective writing activity.
 * Simulations can make learning meaningful by situating something to be learned in the context of a "real world" activity such as running a nuclear power plant, writing up "breaking" stories for a newspaper, or dealing with the pollution problems of local waterways

Examples of Social Constructivist Classroom Activities
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 * [[image:http://viking.coe.uh.edu/%7Eichen/ebook/et-it/penclred.gif width="135" height="101" link="http://viking.coe.uh.edu/%7Eichen/ebook/et-it/workshop.htm"]]
 * [|Reading/ Writing Workshop] || [|Whole Language] || [|Situated Learning] ||
 * [[image:http://viking.coe.uh.edu/%7Eichen/ebook/et-it/family2.gif width="135" height="82" link="http://viking.coe.uh.edu/%7Eichen/ebook/et-it/collab.htm"]]
 * [|Collaborative Learning] || [|Anchored Instruction] || [|Games, Simulations,]

[| Case-Based Instruction,]

[| Problem-Solving] ||