Reflection Post 5

Description
This week's reading focused on student centered lessons and the constructivist theory.

Analysis
The constructivist theories of learning basically state that students must build their own knowledge (Slavin, 2012). This approach means that students will be responsible for their own learning and teachers will take on more of a guiding role than an actual teaching role.  Student centered classroom can take on many forms. One main form is cooperative learning in which students discuss and work together to solve a problem (Slavin, 2012). Cooperative learning can take the form of many widely used classroom  strategies such as jigsawing, group work, and partner work. These are all methods that allow students to work and learn together on a certain concept or skill.  For cooperative learning to be successful, groups that work well together must be rewarded in some way and there must be individual accountability (Slavin, 2012).

Reflection 
This chapter reinforced my use of several teaching strategies while reminding me of methods to make them more successful. I use group work frequently but mainly in the form all students working together on one assignment. I have used the jigsaw method before but not recently. This chapter has inspired me to try and incorporate it more often during the next school year because it helps to maintain that individual accountability that Slavin discussed. I have always tried my best to set clear expectations for cooperative learning groups, but after reading this chapter, I have decided to include students on developing the expectations. I will of course have non-negotiables, but I think groups will be more successful over all when the students feel some responsibility for them.

Reference:
Slavin, R. E. (2012). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (10th ed.).  Boston, MA: Pearson Education.