BANDOQUILLO, JOHN P.

EDS 111 (Principles of

Teaching)
Final e-Journal 1 (Final Requirement) 3rd Trimester AY 2017-2018
Group F Teacher Daisy Jane
Calado
CONSTRUCTIVISM: A Holistic Approach of Teaching-Learning Process

Most of us are still enduring in traditional way of teaching. We are

overwhelm to our teachers by their great intervention: seeing them in
front of the class, sharing and giving all their knowledge to the
students; conducting assessments like recitations, board works and
quizzes; and following their directions so that students may be able to answers all the summative
tests. We might be rich in informational knowledge but how about the needful skills to carry
things and solutions in addressing problems that are existing in reality.

Our educational system in the Philippines is now heading to the new era of aiming to
produce visionary and dynamic learners. ​We are foreseeing the great chance for constructivist
learning approach to be part of the daily teaching and learning process in every classroom. There
is a strong phenomenal call to put students as the center of every learning sessions. This will be
the promising and possible horizon for the improvement of education curriculum and
pedagogical practices. It is truly amazing how learning can be transformed and be evolved by
this kind of approach. We can’t deny the fact that our educational system is so much sticking to
the traditional way of teaching and learning. In my elementary days, I was thinking that my
teachers are the drivers of our class vehicle. We were just riding with them wherever they
wanted us to bring. They fed us all the necessary information that can be utilized in our learning
journey. However, we were so much depending on them about our mental development. It
seemed that they are the responsible for everything regarding student’s learning.

Constructivist learning approach believes that humans can construct all the knowledge in
their minds by participating in certain experiences rather than learning from a teacher (Brown,
2015). Knowledge is built through the observation, inquiry and scientific study as empowered by
learning experience. When we encounter something new, we have to reconcile it with our
previous ideas and experience, may be changing what we believe, or may be discarding the new
information as irrelevant (WNET Education, 2004). In any cases, we are active creators of our
BANDOQUILLO, JOHN P. EDS 111 (Principles of
Teaching)
Final e-Journal 1 (Final Requirement) 3rd Trimester AY 2017-2018
Group F Teacher Daisy Jane
Calado
own schema. Learning as an active construction of knowledge is referring to dynamic searching
of understanding in creating meaningful learning. Active learners are not easily persuade to
believe for any information for they have their own judgment. Construction of knowledge is not
by being passive receiver but by being self-regulated, disciplined and self-actuated learners. It
empowers students to take responsibility for, and manage their own learning. It increases
responsibility for student’s own learning as a result of more opportunities for self-reflection. It
enables students to learn, to assess and to develop life-long assessment skills – the metacognitive
skills. Therefore, it is expected for constructivist class to…
● Demonstrate high-level thinking skills more than just knowing a lot. Learning is not
shallow.
● Utilize the three levels of learning: surface, deep and strategic to produce complex
learning processes.
● Exemplifying critical thinking in any learning cases and state of mind.
● Amplify the use of metacognition to be self-regulated, reflective and self-actuated
learners.
● Use motivations in attaining goals, targets and objectives.
Teacher-centered may be altered by letting the students to think
deeper on the lesson by assessing the ability of the student to
relate all the important points into real-life application or the
challenges and problems that the student are encountering
every day. Students become better learners by diagnosing the
relation of the lesson to their everyday experiences. Thus, they
will be spontaneous and integrated on their learning spheres.
Happiest thing to say is, students can be able to face challenges
and to fix problems by the help of constructing learning –
definitely commendable! In this way, both teachers and
students will get benefit of learning and discovering new ideas,
bringing out the lessons beyond the classrooms, and integrating
the learning ability of all.
BANDOQUILLO, JOHN P. EDS 111 (Principles of
Teaching)
Final e-Journal 1 (Final Requirement) 3rd Trimester AY 2017-2018
Group F Teacher Daisy Jane
Calado
Back to my high school days, my chemistry teacher asked me to enumerate the important
points of knowing the pH level. I answered her by providing colors as proper indicators of pH
level and how to compute the pH by using the provided formula. She asked me again the
importance and relation of our lesson to my day-to-day observation in my household activities. I
wasn’t able to answer her question on that time. She smiled at me and told to the class to take it
as our homework. The assignment will be done by group and peer interaction, and will be
discussed on the class. She also assigned a particular area of observation on each group like one
will do observation in their kitchen, one will do observation in bathroom and toilet, and others
would be in other area of the house. The learning became integrated and no competition on the
class, but healthy discussion and knowledge inquiry was developed instead. This is a simple way
of guidance and perhaps brings high-impact learning evolvement. I also felt that my
involvement, my participation and my views are important to add additional knowledge on the
class. Later on, I found myself learning in a way that I know how to assess and to understand all
the guide questions so that I can answer it properly.

Environment is playing important role in nurturing the construction of knowledge.

Building a schema is a complex task that entails the participation of social and cognitive aspects.
Social participation provides all the information whether it is
useful or just a trivial one. Assimilated thoughts can be through
to the accommodation when it is verified by the support of the
interaction to environment. This is how the learning experiences
are manifesting to the students are created by constructivist
teacher. On this way, the cognitive disequilibrium will be
addressed. Nowadays, we can have access and view any
information in the world through internet. Social issues can also
be viewed here. Proper and responsible use of it is beneficial for
cognitive construction and development. We can also find
assistance from knowledgeable persons and/or with deep understanding and experiences to
derive the cohesive realization in creating our learning scaffolds.
BANDOQUILLO, JOHN P. EDS 111 (Principles of
Teaching)
Final e-Journal 1 (Final Requirement) 3rd Trimester AY 2017-2018
Group F Teacher Daisy Jane
Calado
Our Preschool teachers used to help us to write all the letters in alphabet through connect-the
dots or connect-the-dashes guide sheets (we observed this in our writing textbooks and to the
board exercises given by them). We traced all the dots properly, but not all the time. Their
formative coaching gave us understanding for proper control and maneuvering of our pencil like
“pivot your pencil gradually to make letter C”. They loved to give feedback and advices to us
and to our parents so that we can improve more. Time comes that we no longer need the dots or
dashes because we already acquired the mastery in writing in our own strokes (good handwriting
or scribbled one). From my personal experience, the first job that I had after I secured my
professional license gave me opportunity to scaffold my learning. Using the standard operating
procedures, laboratory test guidelines and mentoring/coaching of my superiors, I was able not
only to perform the test properly but also to acquire deep understanding about the application of
certain test, and many more.

In constructivist learning approach, collaboration work and assistance of others are also
essential in stratifying the substance of acquired learning. Indeed, it is a powerful tool in
attaining progressive construction of higher level of learning
towards mastery. The very goal of this aspect is to develop
autonomous learners through encouragement and maturity in
dealing low-level into high-level learning experiences. This
would make a person to be an effective professional.
Scaffolding, as a learning framework, can be built or removed
according to the individual needs of the learners; it can be built
up when the learner is struggling and removed when they have
achieved their goals. Lessons are easy to carry and to understand
if you are in the circle of your peers. Group work is what I
experienced with my classmates in order for us to complete our
research thesis in college. It enhances our learning by knowledge
diffusion and exchange of ideas in constructing our research
proposal and methodology. It has positive effects for my classmates who are facing struggles to
BANDOQUILLO, JOHN P. EDS 111 (Principles of
Teaching)
Final e-Journal 1 (Final Requirement) 3rd Trimester AY 2017-2018
Group F Teacher Daisy Jane
Calado
understand our lessons for we are serving each other by the aid of group expositions of having
constructive ideas that developed our awareness to become dynamic.

Teaching-learning process can be improved through the inclusion of assessment and

feedback along the way of learning construction. It can enhance the teaching strategies by
augmenting and nurturing the teaching proficiency of teachers in giving proper guidance and
support through guide questions. For the students, it can encourage in gaining higher
achievement of learning from using metacognition skills into mastery of learning and knowledge
acquired. Learning disabilities and deficiencies can be detected and attended at the earliest stage.

Being a student in UPOU PTC program, it personally changes my views and my

strategies in studying my lessons. I am becoming a self-regulated and reflective learner that is
now able to stratify the learning by weaving the principles of every topics; to dissect the
importance of each principles, and to scrutinize the ideas by relating my understanding and
observations into possible actual applications and from my learning experiences before. I used to
collect all my learning points and made a tabulation of all of those – it seems that I am doing my
own learning mapping. This is the summation and summary of my understood principles in able
for me to demonstrate my acquired learning in all requirements. Indeed, distance learning makes
me more matured and responsible learner by its constructivism approach.

Challenges and struggles are on the way of implementing constructivist approach. Some
educators are refusing in this kind of strategy due of the perception that this will require long
time of attention and development. Complex questions and continuous inquires by the students
might prolong the class discussion. Hence, it mandates for the teachers to prepare a lot of
teaching materials, changes in lesson plans, adjustment of class interaction and more time of
researching to address the inquires of students. Shifting in this new pedagogical idea might result
failure of execution due of unfamiliarity. In addition, the government is giving big importance on
the regional or nationwide summative assessment that forcing every schools to align their
pedagogies for proper conformance.
BANDOQUILLO, JOHN P. EDS 111 (Principles of
Teaching)
Final e-Journal 1 (Final Requirement) 3rd Trimester AY 2017-2018
Group F Teacher Daisy Jane
Calado
We are much more interested about the possible ways on how we can address all the
challenges along the way. It is a good opportunity to orient the teachers on this kind approach by
the series of seminars and professional upgrading like
Continuing Professional Development talks and
discussions. This is the right venue to integrate their
understanding on the benefits and possible ways of
bringing it in the classroom. A gradual transition of practice
by small execution, one step at a time, is a good kick
for proper observation of effects to the students. The
strong support of learning institution and administrative
management is also giving motivation for the educators to
continue the practice of constructivism. Most of all, a
solid proposal to the law makers for amending the attention to the summative assessment is a
good way to deprive the traditional pedagogical ways of teaching.

I may be an educator someday, and may be one of those who are educating children in
the classrooms. It will be my commitment and devotion to guide children in their paths that they
should take. To do that, being a constructivist teacher is what I believe is more effective and
what I wanted to be. The principles of constructivist can be used as paradigm of non-traditional
assessment. The approach used is formative rather than summative. The principle of it doesn’t
dismiss the active role of the teachers or the value of the expert knowledge. It modifies the role
so that teachers would act to construct knowledge rather than to reproduce a series of facts.
Constructivist teachers encourage students to constantly assess how the activity is helping them
gaining understanding. When the students continuously reflect on their ideas, they find their
ideas gaining in complexity and power, and they develop increasingly strong abilities to integrate
new information. It is definitely worth to say that in constructivism, both teachers and students
gain benefits and learning. It transforms the usual classroom environment into conducive one.
Both teachers and students are prompted to formulate their own questions and inquiries. On that,
multiple interpretations and expressions of learning are developed. Also, teachers and students
BANDOQUILLO, JOHN P. EDS 111 (Principles of
Teaching)
Final e-Journal 1 (Final Requirement) 3rd Trimester AY 2017-2018
Group F Teacher Daisy Jane
Calado
become collaborative participants in hauling the learning due of their active interaction to each
other and to their peers as well. Through of these, learning becomes constructed, active,
reflective, collaborative, inquiry-based and evolving. Teachers and students would find many
avenues of learning that enables them to discover new ideas, facts and information.

For whatever I will be, it is my will and dedication to be an educator who is endeavoring
of construction of learning and proficiency to have a meaningful teaching and learning process.
Put the center of learning to the students, and let them be one of the shining starts on their chosen
crop. All of these will be possible by the guidance of empathic and reflective yet knowledgeable
constructivist educator who is like a navigating Polaris.
BANDOQUILLO, JOHN P. EDS 111 (Principles of
Teaching)
Final e-Journal 1 (Final Requirement) 3rd Trimester AY 2017-2018
Group F Teacher Daisy Jane
Calado

References:

Brown, J. (2015, March). ​Constructivist Method of Teaching.​ Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-80HyiimDE

Peters, J. & Le Cornu, R. & Collins, J. (2003, November). ​Towards Constructivist Teaching and
Learning.​ Retrieved from
https://www.education.sa.gov.au/sites/g/files/net691/f/towards_constructivist_teaching_and_lear
ning.pdf

WNET Education (2004). Concept to Classroom: What is constructivism? Retrieved from

https://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism​/

Pinterest (n.d.). Constructivist Quotes. Retrieved from

https://www.pinterest.com/liljazzbird13/constructivist-quotes/