In my Computer Tools class, we have been focusing in on Constructivism. What exactly is Constructivism? Well Google tells me that it is:

"an educational philosophy which holds that learners ultimately construct their own knowledge that then resides within them, so that each person's knowledge is as unique as they are".

Okay, so we have a formal definition but what does it mean to me? I see students working on their own and/or together, answer their own questions and discovering new ideas. This can also involve a lot of scaffolding, where the teacher supports the student in learning, less and less over time, until eventually the student is on their own. 

I mean a classroom that contains 100% Constructivism is almost impossible in reality, especially when now-a-days we have tons of testing ultimately leaving us "teaching to the test", as they say. I have had many classes where I was required to venture off on my own and discover new things, question them and develop new ideas. I'm not exactly sure if this is the case with everyone, but maybe it was because my school was big on unique experiences and I was in honors classes all through school.

Considering my experience with Constructivism, there are pros and cons. I believe all students should discover and learn on their own, developing schema to categorize their knowledge. That's how people learn and retrieve best, their own developed schema. I also think that in the beginning we should not leave students on their own in the very beginning. Students always need guidance and monitoring during their span of learning. I definitely think I will apply the idea of Constructivism to my class in some aspects.