When does constructivism not work?

A special education teacher came to me today excited about a lesson his students had just been through in English class -- diagraming sentences.  He brought samples of their work, showing the original draft in their writer's notebooks filled with run-ons and fragments and then their current drafts, with corrections and improvements to their grammar.  It got me thinking -- is there worth to lessons like this?  A true constructivist would have to say no, and the constructivist in me agrees:  the sentences might have been correct, but it made for a terrrible reading of short, choppy chunks of writing that make me stumble through the piece as a reader.  On the other hand, is it worse if they have a page full of run-ons? 

Maybe a bit of both is needed.  There are times when students need to learn grammar rules, but not to be simply memorized and rotely spit back into neat little subjects and predicates.  When one reads essays in magazines or slice-of-life writing in the Sunday newspaper or paperback novels, run-ons and fragments are everywhere!  Students need to understand why authors punctuate.  They need to understand that intimacy between a writer and her readers that is formed because of those punctuation marks.  Those short, choppy sentences that add sarcasm to Craig Wilson's slice of life pieces.  The repeated sentences that stab your heart when you read Sandra Cisneros.  The long, flowing descriptions that seem to go on for a page when you read JK Rowling. 

It's not the rules students need to study, it's the punctuation marks and their uses.  It's when to use a fragment and a run-on.  When to create a compound sentence using a comma and conjunction.  Those punctuation marks are like the tiny stitches that hold the words in the writing together and give them meaning. 

Sounds like the constructivist in me wins again!

Template for Incorporating Independent Time

Minilesson (10 minutes)

Reading/Writing Principle:  What skill will be assessed?  What will students know/be able to do after the lesson?

Illustrative Example:  Model, model, model.  Show the skill in action whether through teacher's own work or through another authentic model.

"Have-a-go":  Students practice the skill with support of the class or small group.

Application (30-60 minutes)

Students practice the skill independently using their own reading/writing.  Teacher uses this time to:

• Conference with individual students.  Based on data collected, which students need individual attention in order to move forward with the skill?
• Work with a small group.  Small groups of students needing support in similar ways can be pulled together.

Share

Reflection helps to solidify the skill.  Discuss as a class what was learned, individual processes, things noticed in the learning, etc.  Bring out the authenticity of the skill and how it is learned.

Data -- the new four-letter-word?

Data-driven instruction: How are we doing so far?

Thinking about how to truly begin looking at data to begin driving instruction . . .

• How does a teacher truly assess each and every student's understanding in order to guide instruction individually? Assessments need to be intentional and focused on specific skills students need to master.  Teachers need to know where each student's understanding is all the time, and then what each student needs in order to move forward.
• How does a teacher plan instruction to allow time for each level of learner to be met "where he/she is" in his/her understanding? This means students whose understanding is advanced can move ahead while staying engaged and challenged.  Students whose understanding is appropriate can receive the support to move their thinking forward.  Students who don't understand will have the opportunity to build the skills necessary to understand.  All students move toward greater independence in their own learning.  Time to work independently needs to be the largest chunk of class.
• How well do teachers really know how to assess the data they collect?  In order to assess data, a teacher needs to understand the skills being assessed and not only what it looks like when those skills are mastered, but what skills are lacking if a student does not show mastery, in order to fill in those gaps through instruction.