Welcome to EL Extra. We have designed questions to help you and your colleagues foster meaningful discussions around the current Educational Leadership.
The study guide may be related to a particular article, a group of articles, or a theme that runs through the entire issue. Our questions will not cover all aspects of the issue, but we are hopeful that they will help you generate a conversation around key ideas. Feel free to adapt the questions to be more relevant to your school or school district—and you may even want to think of some of your own. Although you can consider many of the questions on your own, we encourage you to use them in pairs, small groups, or even large study groups.
Reflecting on Constructivist Teaching and Learning
- What does the term constructivism mean to you? Write your own definition of constructivism, giving afew examples. Share your definitions in pairs or in larger groups.
- Think of a recent lecture that you gave to your class or traditional activity that you implemented. Howmight you transform the lecture or activity by using a constructivist approach?
- Consider the three roles in constructivism: the active learner, the social learner, and the creative learner.
- Do you agree or disagree? How might your district or school balance the need to prepare students for high-stakes tests with constructivist teaching and learning?
- What are the drawbacks of constructivism? Can you give an example?
Howard Gardner’s Understanding Pathway
In “The Understanding Pathway” (pages 12-16), Howard Gardner talks with EL editor Marge Scherer about how students who learn in many different ways can think about deep questions in their lives.
- Come up with three subjects that would resonate well in your school, district, and community.
- How might Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences theory provide points of entry into these subjects?
- Do you agree or disagree?
- How might these ideas be implemented and even assessed in your school?
