GRACE MISSION COLLEGE

Catiningan, Socorro, Oriental Mindoro

e-Mail: [email protected]

LESSON 4 in Principles and Strategies in Teaching Mathematics

CONSTRUCTIVISM AND TEACHING FOR UNDERSTANDING

LESSON OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:
1. Recall experiences from Math teachers on how they employed the theory of
constructivism.
2. Make a powerpoint presentation on the theory of constructivism and the
teaching for understanding mathematics.

CONCEPTUALIZING CONCEPTS
Seminar on the Theory of Constructivism
Teacher Nelson, Jessa and Daisy were sent to a seminar at Hotel Pavillon in Manila for
three days. Along their way to the venue, they were talking about the manners they deliver
Mathematics content with their respective classes. Nelson, who handles Grade 7
Mathematics, gladly related to his companions that he enjoyed one topic when his students
were given the time to list on the board about the steps they do to solve for the zeroes of a
quadratic equation. He did not expect that some of his students have prior knowledge in
finding quadratic roots.

On the other hand, Teacher Jessa, who has the greatest number of teaching
experience, informed them that the content of the seminar they will be attending has
something to do with the teaching approach of Teacher Nelson. Teacher Daisy asked, “What
do you call than approach, Ma’am?”. Teacher Jessa answered, “It is with the use of
constructivism theory.” Teacher Daisy asked Teacher Nelson if he has prior knowledge about
this theory.

Direction: If you were Teacher Nelson, what would be your answer? Do your teachers employ
constructivism in the conduct of their classes? How? Describe it. Write a brief answer on the
space provided.

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 FIRMING UP CONCEPTS
The three Math teachers enjoyed listening to their resource speakers. The following are
the excerpts of seminar that they have attended. From the information of their resource
speakers, some ideas about the concepts were validated.

WHAT IS CONSTRUCTIVISM?

Constructivism is the theory that says learners construct knowledge rather than just
passively take in information. As people experience the world and reflect upon those
experiences, they build their own representations and incorporate new information into their
pre-existing knowledge.

Related to this are the processes of:

1. Assimilation. This refers to the process of taking new information and fitting it into an existing
schema.
2. Accommodation. This refers to using newly acquired information to revise and redevelop
an existing schema.

For example, if you believe that 1 plus 1 is always 2 and your teachers taught you that
way, the idea that 1 plus 1 is assimilated into your schema. However, when you attended
higher mathematics classes and you learned that 1 plus 1 is not always 2 and perhaps can be
equal to 3 or zero because modulo concepts present it that way so you must change your
schema to accommodate this concept.

Consequences of constructivist theory are that:

1. Students learn best when engaged in learning experiences rather passively receiving
information.
2. Learning is inherently a social process because it is embedded within a social context as
students and teachers work together to build knowledge.
3. Because knowledge cannot be directly imparted to students, the goal of teaching is to
provide experiences that facilitate the construction of knowledge.

CONSEQUENCES FOR THE CLASSROOM

There are many consequences for teaching and the classroom if you adhere to
constructivist principles. The following chart compares traditional and constructivist classrooms
across several components:

Traditional Constructivist
Curriculum emphasizes big concepts,
Curriculum begins with the parts of the
beginning with the whole and expanding to
whole. Emphasizes basic skills
include the parts.
Strict adherence to fixed curriculum is Pursuit of student questions and interests is
highly valued. valued.
Materials are primarily textbooks and Materials include primary sources of material
workbooks. and manipulative materials.
Learning is interactive, building on what the
Learning is based on repetition.
student already knows.

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 Teachers disseminate information to Teachers have a dialogue with students,
students. Students are recipients of helping students construct their own
knowledge. knowledge.
Teacher’s role is directive, rooted in Teacher’s role is interactive, rooted in
authority. negotiation.
Assessment includes student works,
Assessment is through testing and correct
observations and points of views, as well as
answers.
tests. Process is as important as product.
Knowledge is seen as dynamic, ever
Knowledge is seen as inert.
changing with our experiences.
Students work primarily alone. Students work primarily in groups.

ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS TO CONSTRUCTIVIST TEACHING

There are several main components to include if you plan an adhering to constructivist
principles in your classroom or when designing your lessons. The following are from Baviskar,
Hartle and Whitney (2009)

1. Elicit Prior Knowledge. New knowledge is created in relation to learner’s pre –

existing knowledge. Lessons, therefore, require eliciting relevant prior knowledge. Activities
include: pre-tests, informal interviews and small group warm – up activities that require recall
of prior knowledge.

2. Create Cognitive Dissonance. Assign problems and activities that will challenge
students. Knowledge is built as learners encounter novel problems and revise existing schemas
as they work through the challenging problem.

3. Apply Knowledge with Feedback. Encourage students to evaluate new

information and modify existing knowledge. Activities should allow for students to compare
pre-existing schema to the novel situation. Activities might include presentations, small group
or class discussion, and quizzes.

4. Reflect on Learning. Provide students with an opportunity to show you what they
have learned. Activities might include: presentation, reflexive papers or creating a step-by-
step tutorial for another student.

EXAMPLES OF CONSTRUCTIVIST CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

1. Reciprocal Teaching/Learning. Allow pairs of students to teach each other.
2. Inquiry-based Learning (IBL). Learners pose their own questions and seek answers to
their questions via research and direct observation. They present their supporting
evidence to answer the questions. They draw connections between their pre-existing
knowledge and the knowledge they have acquired through the activity. Finally, they
draw conclusions, highlight remaining gaps in knowledge and develop plans for future
investigations.
3. Problem – based Learning (PBL). The main idea of PBL is similar to IBL. Learners acquire
knowledge by devising a solution to a problem. PBL differs from IBL in that PBL activities
provide students with real-world problems that require students to work together to
devise a solution. As the group works through the challenging real-world problem,
learners acquire communication and collaboration skills in addition to knowledge.
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 4. Cooperative Learning. Students work together in small groups to maximize their own
and each other’s learning. Cooperative learning differs from typical group in that it
requires interdependence among group members to solve a problem or complete an
assignment.

Thomas (2017) developed the Five Stages of Teaching and Learning Mathematics. These
include:

1. Knowledge. These are facts, vocabulary, and formulas.

2. Understanding. This is the ability to explain why Math works.
3. Proficiency of Skills. This is the mastery level.
4. Application. This is the use of problem solving and find relevance of the situations in
Mathematics.
5. Retention. This is remembering math over time.

These five stages of teaching and learning Math can serve as an excellent guide for
teachers who want a thorough approach to teaching Math. The second stage which is
Understanding represents the answer to the question “Why” associated with the Math students
learn.

When students understand the math they learn, they are more likely to:

1. Recall important facts, formulas, and vocabulary.

2. Develop increased proficiencies with important math skills
3. Successfully apply math in real-world problem solving tasks
4. Retain math longer over time

The Republic of South Africa through its Department of Basic Education (2018) issued its
Mathematics Teaching and Learning Framework for South Africa focused on Teaching
Mathematics for Understanding. Its framework encompasses five parts which expects
teachers to strive to:

1. Teach mathematics for conceptual understanding to enable comprehension of

mathematical concepts, operations, and relations;
2. Teach so that learners develop procedural fluency which involves skill in carrying out
procedures flexibly, accurately, efficiently, and appropriately.
3. Develop learners’ strategic competence which is the ability to formulate, represent, and
decide an appropriate strategies to solve mathematical problems.
4. Provide multiple and varied opportunities for learners to develop their mathematical
reasoning skills which include their capacity for logical thought, reflection, explanation,
and justification.
5. Promote a learning-centered classroom which enables all of the above, supported by
teachers engaging with learners in ways that foreground mathematical learning for all.

DIMENSIONS OF TEACHING FOR UNDERSTANDING

The Dimensions of Teaching for Understanding are characterized in the following:

1. Conceptual Understanding. This enables learners to see mathematics as connected

web concepts. They should be able to explain the relationships between different
concepts and make links between concepts and related procedures. Conceptual
knowledge enables learners to apply ideas and justify their thinking. Conceptual

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 understanding is knowledge of concepts, relations and patterns. It assists and enables
learners to make sense of mathematics.
Learners who have conceptual knowledge are able to compare, relate and infer. They
can make connections between ideas. Higher level thinking is fundamental to
conceptual knowledge. Conceptual knowledge is constructed as problems are solved,
investigation are carried out, and questions are pondered. Meanings and connections
among ideas develop as learners work with concrete, pictorial, and symbolic material,
as they reflect on what they have done, and as they communicate with others. The
more the learners are exposed to such ways of working, the better the chances become
that they will develop into mathematical problem solvers.
2. Procedural Fluency. These are the processes through which mathematics is done.
Learners need to perform mathematical procedures accurately and efficiently. They
also need to know when to use a particular procedure.
Procedural knowledge is seen as the sequence of actions that are performed to solve
a problem. A teacher who is aware of the importance of conceptual understanding
when teaching concepts will not teach the procedural skills before learners have
mastered the concepts involved.
Procedural knowledge is the recognition of symbols and the ability to follow rules to do
mathematics. It can be thought of as having mathematical skills and carrying out
actions in a correct sequence. Mathematical expertise involves both conceptual and
procedural knowledge and also awareness that procedures are based on
mathematical principles. Developing procedural fluencies is essential for further
mathematical learning. Fluency is developed through much repetition and practice.
3. Strategic Competence. Learners should be able to identify and use appropriate
strategies and to devise their own strategies to solve mathematical problems.
Learners should be able to make sensible decisions on what strategies to employ or to
devise their own strategies to solve certain problems. This includes two related skills:
a. Strategic Competence. It is the ability to formulate, represent and solve
mathematical problems. Learners should be able to read and make sense of a
mathematical problem, look for possible patterns and use some strategy to solve
the problem. There may be variety of strategies that are useful in different
contexts. Part of the strategic competence is the ability to select and use an
appropriate strategy in a given context.
b. Learners using their own strategies to approach a problem that cannot be solved
using familiar strategies. We tend to focus on technical, procedural aspects of
mathematics and learners do not get the much needed exposure to problem
solving which is an integral part of mathematics. Learners need this exposure in
order to develop their capacity to generate their own strategies since this is ta
basis for problem solving. Learners need to have and be able to use procedures
which they have at their own disposal.
c. Learners need to develop their ability to think out of the box since this is useful for
effective problem solving in mathematics. When learners think out of the box they
are applying mathematical reasoning..
4. Reasoning. This includes justifying and explaining one’s mathematical ideas, and
communicating them using mathematical language and symbols. Mathematical
reasoning includes deductive and inductive reasoning processes.
Many learners see mathematics as a system of algorithms to be performed to get
the right answer. Along with other components such as creativity and intuition, logic
forms an integral part of mathematical thinking; however, even adults sometimes find it
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 difficult to reason in a formal logical way. To help learners reason mathematically, we
need to teach them skills they do not possess naturally.
Mathematics is not simply a collection of isolated procedures and facts; it consists
of a web of interconnected concepts and relationships. If learners are taught
mathematics as a series of disconnected procedures that need to be learnt off by heart,
they are likely to experience mathematics as meaningless.
Reasoning mathematically involves learners talking about mathematics. Learners
must learn to speak the language of mathematics for themselves. They cannot do this
without being given opportunities to talk mathematics. Teachers should support
learners as they learn to develop their mathematical language.
5. Learning-Centered Classroom. A learning-centered classroom focuses on learning
where teacher designs learning experiences to help learners learn mathematics, using
whatever teaching and learnings strategies he thinks are most suitable for the specific
lesson that will be taught.
A learning-centered classroom creates a platform for meaningful learning and
teaching. Teachers need to create classrooms where the stage is set for learning
mathematics for understanding.
A learning centered classroom focuses on learning where the teacher designs
learning experiences to help learners learn mathematics, using whatever teaching and
learning strategies he thinks are most suitable for the specific lesson that will be taught.
A learning-centered mathematics classroom is characterized by a culture of
interaction between teachers and learners, in the process of doing mathematics. The
teacher plays an important role in establishing and nurturing this culture. They way in
which a teacher conducts a classroom depends on the way in which he views
mathematics. A teacher who sees mathematics as a body of knowledge which he has
to impart to learners will mostly tell learners what to do and how to do it. On the other
hand, a teacher who sees mathematics as a body of knowledge that learners must
actively explore and engage with, will create a learning environment where learners
can make sense of mathematics. They will have opportunity to express their ideas, to
ask questions of the teacher and each other and discuss their ways to think about the
work at hand.

DEEPENING CONCEPTS

The three teachers reported back to their school after their seminar. Teacher Nelson
and Daisy gained much from the discussions of their resource speakers. They promised
themselves to share what they learned to their colleagues. Professor Delos Santos
requested the three teachers to make a comprehensive report of what has transpired
during their seminar. They are allotted a time to share what they learned during their
Weekly LAC session.

ACTIVITY NO. 4
Comprehensive Presentation on Constructivism and Teaching For Understanding

Direction: Be any of the person of Teacher Nelson or Daisy who hypothetically attended the
seminar on the theory of constructivism and teaching for understanding

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 Mathematics. Make a comprehensive powerpoint presentation on the different
principles of constructivism and the features of teaching for understanding
Mathematics.

Submit your powerpoint presentation in the google classroom.

The following scoring rubric will guide you make a good presentation:

Criteria Indicators Points Scores

The presentation is
Content comprehensive and shows 25
evidence of good content.
The presentation is creative
Style and uses genuine background 15
and lay out.
The developer displays
Value truthfulness, honesty and 10
sincerity to learn new things
TOTAL 50