Social constructivism in practice: case study of an elementary school's mathematics program

Abstract

This research investigated implications for the implementation of social constructivist epistemology upon teaching/learning of mathematics in a K-4 public seminary with particular focus on African American fourth grade learners In addition, the study examined the impact of social constructivist theory upon the structure and culture of the seminary Constructivist inquiry was used to make faculty of perception of the data. In this paper, there is a discussion of exercise s learned from this study with particular emphasis upon structural changes, cultural changes, politics of reforming mathematics education, and the impact of social constructivist teaching upon African American students' achievement.

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There is a great quantity [i]or[/i] amount of research about how students learn mathematics and by what mode mathematics ought to be not absented to young children (Burns, 1992; Campbell, 1996; Cobb forest & Yackel, 1991; Cobb & Yackel, 1996; Fennema, Franke, Carpenter, & Carey, 1993; Romberg, Shafer, & Webb, 2000; Simon, 1995; Wheatley & Reynolds, 1999; Yackel, 1995) In addition, research documents indicate that mathematics instruction does not provide pupils with opportunities to acquire of great depth mathematical understanding (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM] 2000a).

A National Science Foundation (NSF 1996) report indicates fourth grade pupils in the United States performed better upon mathematics proficiency tests of basic skills compared to previous ordeal results. However, the report make bares students' lack of conceptual understanding of those basic skills. Furthermore, rife research shows that minority pupils (i.e., Native Americans, Hispanics, and African Americans) perform well below the national average (Ladson-Billings, 2001; NCTM 2000b 2000c; 2001a, 2001b 2001c)

This investigation communicates the complexity of reforming mathematics education with particular focus upon instruction for underachieving African American learners Moses & Cobb (2001) posit that if all learners can learn mathematics, then they ought to be provided with opportunities to learn mathematics. Therefore, mathematics literacy is a right rather than a privilege for a scarcely any This study may offer a certain quantity of ideas about how to raise mathematics achievement among African American scholars who have scored low compared to the average national scores upon mathematics achievement tests.

This throw investigated the following questions: (1) Can social constructivist epistemology be implemented to raise achievement horizontals of African American students? (2) What impact does social constructivist theory have upon the structure and culture of school? And (3) What are the social and political implications for reforming mathematics education in a K-4 elementary school? The research computes the story of a K-4 elementary academy that struggled to reform mathematics education (1990-2003) by the agency of implementing social constructivist theory and pedagogy in classrooms. After eight years (1990-1998) of focusing upon restructuring and recapturing mathematics classrooms, fourth grade students' scores upon state mathematics tests dramatically improved for a five year period: 1999-2003 The proof results attracted local and statewide attention because African American and white pupils achieved at about the same high horizontal In what follows, we describe a certain quantity of history of the reforms in this K-4 academy Then, we discuss our theoretical framework, the design of the investigation and lessons learned.

A Bit of History

The gymnasium enrolls 525 students: 60% African American, 34% white, and 6% other racial/ethnic assemblages This school is one of five K-4 elementary institutes in a Midwest school district that is racially and economically diverse. Eighty-five percent of the teaching staff grasps a Master's Degree. The principal, former assistant principal, and sum of two units teachers have doctorates in education. The building studied lists more students than the other four K-4 buildings in the district and also enlists the highest percentage of African American pupils All the other elementary place of educations have an African American pupil population less than 50 percent About one-half (approximately 150 students) of the African American learners in this school come from middle class families. The other half (150 students) of the African American learners are from lower middle class or economically disadvantaged families. Ninety percent of the potentially at-risk pupils are lower middle class or economically disadvantaged African American students

In 1990 place of education principals (principal and assistant principal, who is now principal in another K-4 elementary institute in the same school district) and a certain quantity of teachers led an effort to introduce social constructivist theory in greatest in quantity classrooms. State testing began in 1995 greatest in quantity of the questions on the fourth grade mathematics proof were multiple choice (35 without of 40). Only five questions asked scholars for written explanations for solving vexed questions Nearly all test questions asked scholars to apply skills in the connection of relevant mathematics situations.