Methods of Teaching

Assessing understanding of social constructivism (10 minutes) 
To start the exchange, discuss the key concepts in Handout 5 ‘Social Constructivist 
Learning Theory’ and ask a few questions. Hopefully, the questions will help Student 
Teachers think about the teaching practices this theory suggests. 
Key concepts of this theory include the mind constructs knowledge from experience– 
the mind does not acquire knowledge; children learn as a result of interactions with 
other people; and other people can enable learning but the final responsibility for 
learning has to be assumed by the person who is learning.
Ask the following questions to prompt class discussion:
• Was Piaget a social constructivist? Explain your answer.
• What is the teacher’s role in a classroom guided by social constructivist
learning theory?
• How are questions used in classrooms that are governed by social constructivist
learning theory? (Though Student Teachers probably haven’t studied this
particular question, prompt them to answer by thinking about the issues rather
than drawing on knowledge.)
Small-group work (15 minutes) 
Repeat the same activity used in the direct instruction group work.
Closing (5 minutes) 
Give Student Teachers three minutes to write a paragraph summarizing today’s class. 
The summary should contain the main idea developed today, but they should not 
be a description of what happened in class. The summary should try to capture the 
intellectual purpose of the lessons.
The summaries should be left on your desk at the end of the session.

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COURSE GUIDE: Methods of Teaching
35
UNIT 1
UNIT 4
UNIT 5
UNIT 3
UNIT 6
UNIT 2
UNIT 7
Read them between now and the next class. If you find a few that capture the intellec-
tual content of the lessons, remove the names, copy, and distribute them to all Student 
Teachers as a model of a good class summary. If you do not find a good one, write 
one yourself and distribute to Student Teachers as a model. Remind them that they 
will make a classroom observation before the next class and to go to the school to 
observe. Review the homework assignments quickly.
Week 2, session 1 homework
Instructions for Student Teachers