If Dewey could see me now!!!

Seriously….I think I could be the 21st Century poster child for Constructivist Theory! I think I am living proof of the notion that learners construct knowledge for themselves: that each learner constructs meaning while he or she is learning. I’m so overwhelmed with my own thoughts on this and how it impacts my reflection of our web quest process that I’m having a hard time putting it into perspective, and words. I guess that’s because….I’m still under construction!
Simple to complex, concrete to abstract, learning inspires further learning; think beyond what is found, un-measurable yet worthwhile, analyze, synthesize, non-preordinate objectives….with intentionality!
At this point in the process I am still trying to absorb all the concepts, principles, ideas, suggestions, guidelines, etc., that have been put before us in TIE 542. I’ve been feeling like I’m experiencing some sort of lag time, and even though the class is done meeting and we are wrapping things up, I’m still trying to take it all in. I’ve really been struggling with that actually, but I’m getting more comfortable with it. I think it means that while Craig is done presenting the course material …I am still constructing meaning from it; and that’s a good thing.
When I think about it…it is really cool to know that the process of constructivism is taking place inside my own head. I never really thought about it in terms of myself before. It was just one of many theories that I’ve heard of or learned about in relation to education in general. Now, “ah ha” moments are so much more meaningful knowing that what has just happened is that I was able to construct meaning from a perplexing array of facts that previously had no structure for me yet!!!
About three fourths of the way through the class (possibly more), I had one of those “as ha” moments. Even though we talked about inquiry in class, and wrote our own definitions of the concept, I had not synthesized it into my initial web quest assignments. I was so busy trying to keep up with the technology piece of the class that I couldn’t see clear to bringing the pedagogical piece into it. Finally, after finishing my Hot List and Teaching Guide, I went back and tried to look at all the resources in more depth. In doing so, I revisited the series of articles on the Youth Learn website. In one of the articles, specifically, “ Intro to Inquiry” is the statement “Inquiry-based learning projects are driven by students”. That is when I “got it”, or rather, was able to construct meaning out of everything Craig was having us do. Prior to this I was focused on trying to make sure that I was building my web quest based on open ended questions that would require students to look AND think in order to respond. The “Intro to Inquiry” article helped me realize that what I really needed to do was to set forth a series of paths for students to choose from. These paths were to be designed in such a way as to allow students to set their own course for reaching understanding of the Web Quest concepts.
Once I came to this understanding, the storyboard practically wrote itself. Rather than creating new individual activities, I was pulling together much of what I have used in instruction before, but in a way that was more meaningful and cohesive. I think the WebQuest will truly allow me to improve upon and enhance much of the material I use to teach about nutrition. One of the most exciting pieces of it all is the assessment activities. I think my students will actually enjoy them rather than dreading them like they do when I use tradition means of assessment. While I won’t be able to use the WebQuest with my students prior to the end of TIE 542, I know it is going to result in a more meaningful experience for my students when I do get to use it.