Introduction

According to Boethel and Dimmock (1999) the learning theory of constructivism along with the aid of technology as an instructional practice can be applied in tandem to assist students in constructing their own knowledge. However, Boethel and Dimmock (1999) warn that many classrooms do not actually reflect constructivist theory. Rather, more traditional beliefs about instruction and learning still dominate public education. I argue that the combination of constructivist and traditional pedagogy can be very effective when used in tandem, particularly with at-risk, typically low achieving students.

In my own practice I have struggled to utilize constructivist methodology while still addressing such mandated practices as preparation for high-stakes tests. In the following discussion I will illustrate technology assisted strategies that I have employed using constructivist methodology to increase student learning in my Language Arts classroom.

In EDU 553 I collaborated with a team of classmates to develop a Culture Quest on Ancient Greece (see Appendix G.) The Culture Quest model is an inquiry-based research strategy that exposes students to aspects of another culture through use of the internet. As an English teacher with a primarily African/Caribbean-American, I recognize that there is an urgent need for me to initiate “classroom discussions that promote cross-cultural understanding” (Dong, 2005, p. 370). Since creating the Greek Culture Quest I have used the Culture Quest model to enhance understandings of, and complement discussions of multi-cultural literature. One example is a Mexican-American Culture Quest that I located on the internet to help maximize student understandings of Esperanza’s, point of view in The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.

The House on Mango Street is a series of vignettes often written in poetic form. Because poetry is a universal language I have used it as a means of increasing my students’ knowledge and awareness of elements of good literature and poetry. What follows is another example of how I incorporated technology and constructivist methodology into a poetry/literature unit of instruction to maximize student learning.

While reading Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes, my students created their own original poetry based on the themes presented in the novel (see Appendix H). Through utilizing electronic shared folders my students were able to submit their drafts to me for quick feedback. The culminating product of this unit was a published class anthology of poems. Each student selected one or two poems of the six they were required to create for submission to the anthology. Both of these units on poetry used strategies including technology to enhance students’ experiences through exploration and discovery based learning of aspects of multi-cultural literature. Further, my students went beyond application of concepts into synthesis, analysis and evaluation by responding to their peers’ poetry through a “poetry slam,” where students read their original poetry to their classmates. Many students needed audio to accompany their poetry reading. This was provided through an MP3 player connected to a classroom computer and speakers. What I learned from this unit of instruction was that many of my students originally expressed dislike for poetry. Yet as they worked at creating their own unique poetry they found that poetry is an excellent means of self-expression. I was impressed with the levels of emotion, empathy and thought that they poured into their poetry (see Appendix H). It was also impressive to watch them critique their peers in a non-threatening, objective, and academic manner.

In the following paragraphs I will describe an introductory unit on poetry that illustrates how I incorporated aspects of cognitive theory that I learned in EDU 511, including scaffolding and rote memorization, to assist students in moving from application to synthesis, analysis, and evaluation of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven.  

Although rote memorization has received a bad reputation in many teaching circles; I was able to incorporate the strategy in order to move students from application to evaluation with regard to Poe’s The Raven. Because I work with an “at-risk,” primarily black student population I subscribe to Beran’s (2004) argument that:

Kids need both […] poetry and […] memorization. As educators have known for centuries, these exercises deliver unique cognitive benefits, benefits that are of special importance for kids who come from homes where books are scarce and the level of literacy low. In addition, such exercises etch the ideals of their civilization on children’s minds and hearts. Without knowing it, a child who has learned a scrap of verse has been drawn into the civilizing interplay of music and language, rhythm and sound, melody and words. (p. 1)

Rote memorization enabled my students to establish the prior knowledge needed to successfully develop a sophisticated analysis and evaluation of the poem. I had to push, cajole and demand much of my students throughout this difficult unit. My expectations from my students were, and are, always high, clear, and unvarying. Corbett and Wilson (2002) posit that “good teachers push students” (p.19). Interestingly, Corbett and Wilson (2004) learned that “urban students admitted that their default response to most assignments was to ignore them, which understandably gave the impression that they cared little about learning.  Nevertheless, students like [sic] teachers who successfully combat [sic] this habit” (p.19). I have found the same to be true in my own practice. The methodology used in this unit of instruction incorporated Richardson’s (2003) psychological constructivism; a “developmental or learning theory that suggests that individual learners actively construct the meaning around phenomena, and that these constructions are idiosyncratic, depending in part on the learner’s background knowledge” (p. 1625).

In my experience, students who do not have prior knowledge on a subject can feel overwhelmed by content knowledge presented them. In turn they will act out in an effort to avoid tasks with which they feel they cannot succeed. By presenting the content to them in manageable chunks that grew continually more complex, I was able to serve as a guide to my students as they developed their own interpretations of The Raven. Rote memorization was the foundation of the scaffolding that moved them from general understandings to critical analysis. Further, my students truly made the poem their own by providing a beat and rhythm that incorporated their own culture and experience into a text that is part of the canon of “dead white men” (see Appendix I). This empowered my modern black students to actively pursue deeper understandings of Poe and his work, rather than being intimidated by the antiquated language. Technology was incorporated throughout these units through microphones in tandem with computers to produce audio files, and a web quest on Edgar Allen Poe’s life and times. 

 The same group of students also successfully completed units on Poe’s: The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Pit and the Pendulum. My students’ perseverance and my “pushing” made the units successful. I have never been prouder and many of them have returned to show me that they can still recite “that poem” from memory, so I imagine they take pride in their accomplishment as well. The combination of constructivist and traditional pedagogy can be very effective when used in tandem, particularly with at-risk, typically low achieving students.

Conclusion

All of the discussed units of instruction demonstrate the pedagogical model that Richardson (2003) posits as psychological constructivism. In particular the units on poetry explored and addressed “attention to the individual and respect for students’ background and developing understandings of and beliefs about elements of the domain” (Richardson, 2003, p. 1626). I attempt at all times to apply constructivist theory into the “fundamental aspects of [my pedagogical] praxis” (Richardson, 2003, p. 1626).

Technology naturally lends itself to constructivist pedagogy. Exploration, discovery, and creating meaning are facilitated through strategies that incorporate technology. More importantly, technology provides a means for teachers to differentiate instruction so that all students have the opportunities to succeed and to excel. However, as a classroom teacher I realize that a fine balance is needed when orchestrating units that incorporate constructivist pedagogy and technology. I often must provide the foundations of knowledge needed to activate schemata and promote higher level thinking.