Creating and Sustaining the Constructivist Classroom

"Lots of fresh ideas, along with some very helpful suggestions." Pamela Galvani, Teacher, Central Kitsap High School, Silverdale, Washington "Should be immensely useful for any educator who wants to move past the tried-and-false traditional methods of classroom instruction." Alfie Kohn, Author of Punished by Rewards Taking students from passive spoon-fed knowledge to creation and acquisition of real learning: It sounds terrific. But how do you do it? This book shows you how to make constructivism work for you and your students. Marlowe and Page bring together constructivist theory with step-by-step guidance to make it work in your classroom. They offer you * Active learning examples to customize for any grade or classroom * Checklists to help you evaluate your starting point, progress, and goals * Practical assistance with issues surrounding inclusion and G.A.T.E. program students * Ideas for involving parents and community members * Ways to implement technology into the mix Stimulate your students′ creativity, autonomy, and independent thinking. Help raise their self-esteem and confidence. Get their minds working on proactive ways to bring real-world learning into their schoolwork. Encourage your students to discover new ways to search for information, process what they find out, and translate it into meaningful knowledge for themselves. This book includes the firsthand experiences of practicing teachers to help you understand the challenges and rewards you can expect from constructivism. The teachers′ stories along with guidance from the authors give you a solid foundation on which to build your own student-created learning classroom.

Bruce A. Marlowe
Bruce A. Marlowe earned his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. where he also completed two years of postdoctoral training in neuropsychological assessment. He is the co-author (with Marilyn Page) of Creating and Sustaining the Constructivist Classroom (Corwin Press) and of a 6- part video series entitled, Creating the Constructivist Classroom (The Video of Journal Education). He is also the co-editor (with Alan Canestrari) of Educational Psychology in Context: Readings for Future Teachers. He has taught at the elementary, secondary and University levels and is currently Professor of Educational Psychology and Special Education at Roger Williams University.

Marilyn Page is author (with Bruce Marlowe) of Creating and Sustaining the Constructivist Classroom (Corwin Press, 1998, 2005) and Creating the constructivist classroom, a six part video series for grades K-12 (The Video Journal of Education, 1999). She began her career in education as a high school social studies and Spanish teacher and has taught in every grade 7 through 12, at every academic level, in rural, suburban, and urban school systems in different parts of the United States. She has taught at the university level and worked with pre- and in-service teachers, grades K-12, for 20 years. She also directed a major and complex research project for the development of K-12 professional certification requirements in the State of Washington. In addition to full time university teaching responsibilities, she has been the technology coordinator for education programs at two universities and developed the first Middle School Teacher Preparation programs in the Vermont State College System. She earned her EdD from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst in Instructional Leadership and in Educational Media and Instructional Technology. She consults on novice teacher, reform, classroom management, and technology issues in education. She lives in State College, Pennsylvania.