Constructivism

When taking the Look Before you Leap checklist I noticed that I used some constructivist strategies in my classroom but I have a long way to go. I know giving up a little control and letting the kids take on their own learning is hard for me especially since I teach a lot of social skills to my students. I know I need to take baby steps. This week I have been trying to let kids take the lead a little more. In book club I tried to sit back a little more and let the students mostly speak. I didn't worry about making sure everyone knew all the details of the book, I just let the kids take on the discussion on their own. My math class works well with groups and partners so I have tried to incorporate more activities where they are learning from each other. If I notice some kids are getting it, I have them help others instead of me always trying to control and teach everything. Another change I'm trying is to ask more questions. Instead of being direct and just jump right into the content, I have been opening with questions and encouraging more dialog about the topic to get them thinking. We even did an activity about how to have a good discussion where I shared ideas like using the words "I wonder..." or "I think that". I know these little changes will help my students take learning into their own hands and experience learning by discovering and sharing.