Creating and Sustaining the Constructivist Classroom

By Bruce A. Marlowe and Marilyn L. Page

Book Overview

"Lots of fresh ideas, along with some very helpful suggestions." Pamela Galvani, Teacher, Central Kitsap High School, Silverdale, Washington "Should be immensely useful for any educator who wants to move past the tried-and-false traditional methods of classroom instruction." Alfie Kohn, Author of Punished by Rewards Taking students from passive spoon-fed knowledge to creation and acquisition of real learning: It sounds terrific. But how do you do it? This book shows you how to make constructivism work for you and your students. Marlowe and Page bring together constructivist theory with step-by-step guidance to make it work in your classroom. They offer you * Active learning examples to customize for any grade or classroom * Checklists to help you evaluate your starting point, progress, and goals * Practical assistance with issues surrounding inclusion and G.A.T.E. program students * Ideas for involving parents and community members * Ways to implement technology into the mix Stimulate your students′ creativity, autonomy, and independent thinking. Help raise their self-esteem and confidence. Get their minds working on proactive ways to bring real-world learning into their schoolwork. Encourage your students to discover new ways to search for information, process what they find out, and translate it into meaningful knowledge for themselves. This book includes the firsthand experiences of practicing teachers to help you understand the challenges and rewards you can expect from constructivism. The teachers′ stories along with guidance from the authors give you a solid foundation on which to build your own student-created learning classroom.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803965885
• ISBN13: 9780803965881
• Release Date: December 1997
• Publisher: Corwin
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.5" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

fabulous - finally a book that explains how to begin

If you want to make a difference in your classroom, you need to read this book. Get it fast by getting into the corwinpress.com web page.

basic, introductory reading on general constructivism topics

Well described case studies that support construtivist principles...the checklists are helpful...focuses on the humanities (language development, reading and social studies) rather than math and science...extensive references...recommended for entry level professional development as well as college courses in constructivism.

Excellent. We need more resources like this for teachers!

Can't say enough about how good this book is. Wish I had it my first years of teaching. It should be required for all educators.

the best book I have found on constructivism

I have spent a lot of time looking for a book that I can actually use in my classroom. This is it. It contains checklists that helped me immensely in my attempt to make my classroom more democratic and more focused on active learning. With state standards being implemented in most states, this book is a must read. It clearly shows how constructivism is the foundation for the standards in all of the disciplines.

The best book I've ever seen on the subject for teachers.

This is the only book on constructivism that I have ever seen that is designed for teachers as opposed to academics. While it is clearly scholarly, it is highly practical and contains a wealth of useful, creative, and exciting ideas for teachers to put into practice tomorrow in their own classrooms. Their is a glowing endorsement on the back cover from Alfie Kohn, one with which I wholly agree, who notes that the book presents highly effective and engaging strategies to help students find meaning in their educational experience. The book is filled with self-assessment checklists, strategies for helping parents and administrators understand what constructivist teaching is about, and useful questions at the end of each chapter for helping teachers design their next steps. There are wonderful chapters on technology, dealing with issues surrounding classroom diversity, and helping students make the transition from chalk and talk, drill and kill classrooms to the kinds of learning experiences which will truly be lifelong and meaningful.