The constructivist approach focuses on the advantages of student group projects, encouraging teachers to place students in small work or study groups to complete a task together. Small groups encourage students to develop social skills, while they have the opportunity to teach each other the lessons. Assign students group art projects, sit together as a class to talk about a book you read together or place students in small groups, instructing them to work together and create a story, to incorporate this idea in your kindergarten classroom.
Teaching, in a constructivist classroom, involves listening to your student’s questions and altering lesson plans to address these questions. Make notes when students ask questions or show an interest in a subject area you intended to omit from your lessons, and find a way to include that information. As an example, if a student shows an interest in tornadoes, but you had not intended to teach this information, alter your lesson plans to include a section on tornadoes. In a kindergarten classroom, where you have to select subjects to focus on during the year, this allows you to pattern your class to the questions and needs of students.
Teachers, in a constructivist classroom, grade based on an informed perspective, judging each student’s academic growth and watching for signs of understanding during the year. This differs from the traditional classroom, which relies on graded homework and exams. A constructivist grading system is subjective, based on the teacher’s understanding of each student’s aptitude. In a kindergarten classroom, this approach is beneficial as it allows teachers to evaluate students without having to rely on formal exams, which can be confusing indicators for kindergarten age students.
The constructivist approach to teaching involves a top down approach to the curriculum, which involves presenting larger ideas first and then working down to specifics, using student questions as a guide. As an example, begin by showing your students full words, and then breaking each word down into letters, to teach students how each letter sounds in the word.