Reflection 3: What is a Constructive Lesson Plan?

When defining a constructive lesson plan we must first define constructivism which is basing or “constructing” your knowledge upon your own personal experiences. There are six elements within the constructive lesson plan and they are situation, groupings, bridge, questions, exhibit, and reflections. Learning theorists for constructivist approach includes J. Dewey, L. Vygotsky, J. Piaget, and J. S. Bruner.
The six elements of the constructive lesson planning are designed to help teachers focus on the development of students learning. To better explain each element; Situation is for teachers to come up with a situation putting the students in a position where they must explain. When forming a situation the teachers can use processes such as creating metaphors, solving problems, drawing conclusions and much more. The second element is known as grouping. This involves two categories of groupings which are students and materials. You ask how you are going to group the students. Individually, whole class, in teams for collaborative learning? Next is grouping your materials. How are you going to group the materials needed for the students to explain the situation whether it be by physical models, graphics, reflective writing and more. To bridge would be the third element, this is building a bridge between what the students already know and what they will learn through the lesson plan. The bridge activity would include such things as playing a game, having a class discussion. It recommended that you do these activities either before or after the students have been put into groups. Questions is the fourth element of constructive lesson planning involves all six elements, introducing the situation, arranging groups, setting up the bridge, prompting exhibits, and encouraging reflections. The teacher must influence questions to encourage their thinking. To exhibit is the fifth element, this includes students showing what they had learned amongst their classmates and by doing so they will explain the situation, they can use visual representation such as graphs or charts. Physical representation can also be used by doing role play, using models, photographs, or videos. The last element would be reflection. This is for students to look back on their thoughts throughout the lesson, their thought process as far as how they felt, images they used from their imagination, their language. Reflection also has the student’s think of what attitudes or skills they have learned that they can use. You would link three questions, similar to the bridge, which are what did the student previously know? What do they want to know? And what did they learn?
In conclusion the constructive lesson plan is students will have a different way on thinking or solving problems due to what is being presented and what it forces them to do at the end of the lesson.