Lauren the teacher
Lauren's experiences are typical of many elementary school teachers. True or False?
Research studies indicate that many early childhood and elementary education teachers lack experiences with constructivist approaches TO DESIGN PROJECTS where students can take the lead.
Which 2 subjects become the default subjects taught when budgets are tight?
Many public preschool and kindergarten programs in low-income areas focus on remedial services and basic instruction in LITARACY and MATH for children who are perceived as struggling and lacking.
There is a troubling disparity in children's access to quality educational opportunities in STEM learning based on race/ethnicity and income. True or False?
True (US)
What type of trouble did the students give Lauren originally (especially during teacher-directed instruction)?
A professional development goal for Lauren was dealing with some classroom management issues, such as inattentiveness, and lack of motivation that she observed among students during the teacher-directed instruction.
Does inquiry-based learning fall under the category of Social constructivist learning?
YES! Social constructivist learning is where teachers and learners engage in discussion, argumentation, SHARED collective discourse, guided practice and apprenticeship.
What is something that children do naturally that is a great foundation for STEM?
Young children's innate curiosity, their eagerness for a hands-on exploration of objects, and their excitement for observing natural phenomena such as changes on earth and living things provide a great foundation for future STEM learning.
This case study documents Lauren's pedagogical changes from __________ to ___________?
TRADITIONAL teacher-centred instruction to an INQUIRY-based integrated literacy/science instruction
What does inquiry-based learning foster in our students?
Classroom studies document that young children from affluent backgrounds often benefit from inquiry-based teaching approaches that provide cognitive challenge while fostering collaboration, problem solving, autonomy, creativity, and critical thinking.
Student-led learning is natural for the students but not always for the teacher. Name one reason why a teacher might struggle?
Quoting Lauren "It's hard for me because I have to let it go. I think it's a management thing and a control thing … it's like, it only started with 1 kid playing around and then you have twenty-five kids … but even though they are off-task for a little while, the amount of what they are learning is still more than what I would be able to teach them in direct instructions"