ETL401: Blog Task 2

Constructivist Learning and the Australian Curriculum

Constructivism is a learning theory based on the works of educational theorists and developmental psychologists such as Jerome Bruner (1915- ), Jean Piaget(1896-1980), and Lev Vygostsky (1896-1934). Constructivism places the student at the centre of learning, they become active contributors and teaching focuses on what the student can bring to the learning situation. Students construct their own meaning through conducting their own research, discussing and reflecting on ideas with others. Key to constructivist learning is the idea that students are interested and actively involved in the learning process and subjects studied are authentic and have real world meaning (Rowe, 2006). This approach to learning is not supported by all and some researchers argue that it should not be used exclusively by teachers, believing directed-instruction has been proven more effective at improving student achievement (Rowe, 2006). Like it or not it has found a place in the recently implemented Australian Curriculum.

Constructivist approaches to learning have been implemented into schools through the use of models such as the Information Search Process (ISP), developed by Kuhlthau (1991), to direct guided inquiry learning.  Guided inquiry learning is a constructivist teaching method which has as its starting point students’ questions. Teachers are not explicit instructors but rather co-learners and co-constructors (Lupton, 2012).  ISP is founded on the belief that learning is a process which is both personal and social in nature (Todd, 2011). The ISP model can be implemented by teacher-librarians and collaboratively facilitated with classroom teachers.

The Australian Curriculum aims to equip students with the skills, knowledge and understanding to be successful lifelong learners. Students will then be able to ‘engage effectively with, and prosper in, society, to compete in a globalised world and to thrive in the information-rich workplaces of the future’ (Manning, 2011, p. 24). The Australian Curriculum has constructivist learning approaches in the Learning Areas and as a General Capability. The science learning domain had long had science inquiries, a process of experimentation to learn, however these were generally teacher directed (Lupton, 2012). Within the Science Learning Area the ‘Science Inquiry Skills’ strand requires students to question and predict, plan and conduct, process and analyse data, evaluate and finally communicate scientific ideas and information (ACARA, n.d.b). A further example within the Learning Areas is in History, it has key inquiry questions and students are expected to analyse primary and secondary sources in guided inquiry activities to inform learning (ACARA, n.d.c). The Australian Curriculum has as a General Capability ‘Critical and Creative Thinking’; the ability to interpret, evaluate, question, hypothesis, refine, construct and communicate (ACARA, n.d.a). The Australian Curriculum has been written to facilitate constructivist learning applications within the curriculum.

The role of the teacher librarian in bringing constructivist learning approaches to the school is to ensure the library is appropriately equipped with the resources it needs for guided inquiry activities based on the Australian Curriculum (Mitchell, 2005). As a cross-subject specialist the teacher librarian needs to collaborate with teachers to link in cross-curriculum perspectives and general capabilities, to facilitate guided inquiry and to teach ISP skills.

References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) (n.d. a). Retrieved 18^th April 2013 from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/Critical-and-creative-thinking/Introduction/Introduction

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) (n.d. b). Retrieved 18th April 2013 from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Science/Curriculum/F-10

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) (n.d. c). Retrieved 18th April 2013 from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/History/Curriculum/F-10

Lupton, M. (2012). Inquiry skills in the Australian Curriculum, ACCESS, June (pp. 12-18)

Manning, M. (2011). The shape of the Australian Curriculum, FYI, Autumn (pp. 22-27)

Mitchell, P. (2011). Resourcing 21^st century online Australian Curriculum:  The role of school libraries. FYI, Autumn (pp. 10-15)

Rowe, K. (2006). Effective teaching practices for students with and without learning difficulties: constructivism as a legitimate theory of learning AND of teaching? Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) Retrieved April 2013 from http://research .acer.edu.au/learning_processes/10

Todd, R. (2011). Charting student learning through inquiry. School Library Monthly. 28 (3) 5-8

Kuhlthau, C. (2004). Learning as a process. In Seeking meaning:  a process approach to library and information services (2^nd ed.) (pp. 13-27). Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited