The notion of a constructivist classroom derives from the strongest instructional implication of what has been called the cognitive revolution (Gardner, 1985). That is, for effective learning to occur, students must construct their own knowledge and teachers must orient their instructional practices toward teaching for understanding. Instead of transmitting knowledge to students, the teacher becomes their guide and helper. assisting students to make their own connections.

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Originally published:

McKeown, M. &  Beck, I. (November 1999). “Getting the discussion started.” Educational Leadership.  Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.