Resources for unit 3

3.5. What teachers do in constructivist classrooms

In constructivist classrooms, teachers:

• Seek and value their learners’ points of view;
• Pose problems and structure classroom experiences that foster the creation of personal meaning;
• Don’t provide everything, they incite learners to build knowledge;
• Assess continually learning
• Continually adjust the level of facilitation in response to the learners’ level of performance (Scaffolding).

Activity: Mr. Muneza, a geography teacher, presents a real-life problem with farmers facing soil erosion. He takes learners outside to observe the school environment and nearby land for signs of erosion, such as gullies or rills. In groups, students identify causes and suggest solutions. Returning to class, they use resources like atlases and tablets to compare their findings with global practices. Each group then prepares and presents a report. Throughout the process, Muneza promotes critical thinking by asking guiding questions and encouraging discussion.

Question: To what extent did the teacher apply constructivism?