Oct 03 2008
Constructivist success? (A response)
I refer to another bloggers discussion on the lack of research on the success of constructivist techniques. Personally I felt I need to examine this area to see if I could find specific success in my KLA of mathematics, as I too had found some of the claims made to be unsubstantiated.
On some further digging through the archives of ERIC, I discovered several papers one of which I will mention here. Pugalee (2001, see reference below) examined the impact of using technology is a constructivist environment when students learn algebra and functions with the use of graphics calculators.
Original Photography: ‘Graphing’
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Whislt the results don’t give specific details of percents gained in terms of marks, it discusses other aspects of learning that had improved. It allowed the students to make their own connections (connectedness, an element of the QTM) and refine and extend their own understanding.
So while there does appear to be instances of successful implementation of constructivist approaches, I tend to believe his concluding question and see the need for a balance between constructivist and direct approaches mainly due to the time constraints evident in the teaching of mathematics in secondary schools.
Pugalee, D. (2001). Algebra for All: The Role of Technology and Constructivism in an Algebra Course for At-Risk Students. Preventing School Failure, 45(4), 171-176, retrieved August 31, 2008 from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.uts.edu.au
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