Program Goal 2

Graduate students will use constructivist theory in designing

curriculum and instruction
Constructivist theory stresses that individuals actively construct
knowledge, and learning occurs when new knowledge is integrated
with existing knowledge when the learner is actively engaged in the
learning process (Tracey & Morrow, 2006). Gaining knowledge is not
passive. The learner must be active in the knowledge building
(Kintsch, 2009). I used Constructivist theory when designing my
curriculum and instruction because I focused on building upon what my
learner already knew. Any new knowledge I gained about my learner
went into the planning for further instruction. I continued working
under the constructivist theory with all the learners I worked with
throughout this program whether that be my Carnegie Center learner
or my Adult ESL Learner, I was always working to help the learner build
upon their previous knowledge.
My Case Report for my learner in EDC 619 demonstrates my
ability to use constructivist theory to design instruction. Throughout
each session reflection, it is clear I am aiming to build on his prior
knowledge whether that is knowledge of a subject he likes, or simply
knowledge he gained from the previous session. I was always building
on what was done before and creating new lessons, assessments, and
ideas based on that information. In this beginning, I only knew a little
about him, but I used what I knew he knew or would be familiar with to

create lessons that would be engage and help him be active in his
knowledge building. Hypothesis testing is a central idea in
constructivist theory, which I believe can be seen in both my learner
and myself throughout the process of working with him. I was testing
out different assessments and lessons and building on my prior
knowledge, while my learner was testing out his knowledge with the
new lessons and assessments. My learner had trouble early on
organizing his thoughts. I started with an interest inventory to pull
books that would be familiar to him. From there, I used subjects that
were already interesting to him and that he knew about (Legos, ninjas,
animals, etc.) and we read book with those subjects. Next we worked
on organizing our thoughts and the new information from the story. We
used the SOMEBODY WANTED BUT SO model to being. Somebody is
the character and WANTED is the goal. In session 6, we worked on
identifying characters and their goals. BUT refers to a problem in the
story, and SO represents the tries and outcomes. In session 7, we
practiced learning how to identify tries and outcomes in a story. In
session 9, we came back to SOMEBODY WANTED BUT SO. He put
everything he had learned together in order to form a retelling of a
story. In session 11, we practiced using these retellings to help up
remember and understand the stories better. He was actively learning
and constructing new knowledge. I intentionally designed lessons
where my learner was active in the learning. He was not just learning

about outcomes, he was holding up cards when he identified them in a

story. I wanted him to continuously be active in the learning. When he
wrote his own retellings, he remembered and could understand the
story much better than before.
References
Tracey, D. H., & Morrow, L. M. (2006). Lenses on reading: An
introduction to theories and models. New York: Guilford Press.
Kintsch, W. (2009). Learning and constructivism. In S. Tobias & T. M.
Duffy (Eds.), Constructivist instruction: Success of failure? (pp.
223-241). Routledge, NY.