CONSTUCTIVEXPERIENTIAL

LEARNINGI T E C 8 0 0 L E A N I N G I D # 3

N AT H A N G E E R

Motivational

Experience

Hands-on/Active

Experimentation

Critical Reflection

Group Challenge

(application)

From: Baker, A., Jensen, P., Kolb, D. (2002). Conversational Learning: An Approach to Knowledge Creation. Wesport: Quorum

MOTIVATIONAL EXPERIENCE: COLORGo on a Jungle Tour at the conservatory of flowers in Golden Gate Park. Students will be assigned the task of taking pictures of as many different colors they can find in the flowers. With permission, collect single petals from flowers growing outside representing.

HANDS-ON/ACTIVE EXPERIMENTATIONBack in the classroom, have students attempt to recreate the colors they found in nature (using the pictures they took, or petal samples). Students will be given a choice as to how they can achieve this. Students may make colors using:

-Food coloring and water

-Paint

-Transparency overlays

Technology

-Online color mixers

-Apps for color making

CRIT ICAL REFLECTION

Have students discuss in groups what they found in attempting to make various colors.

-What was the most difficult? Easy?

-What background knowledge did you already have about colors?

-Where might these newly acquired skills come in handy in real life?

-What professions use color?

-How do you think indigenous people from log ago made color?

GROUP CHALLENGE(APPLICATION)

Students choose one particular challenge to apply what they have learned about color mixing. Students must work in their group to complete the challenge and then present their end product to the class.

Challenges:

“The Baker”

“The Painter”

“The Interior Designer”

“The Florist”

“The Neanderthal”

“The Contractor”

“The App Designer”

Example Challenges“The Baker”- You are baking a cake for the wedding of the century! Your customers demand that you match the exact colors of their wedding invitations. A pastel blue and orange. You promise to make the icing for each layer to match the colors! Challenge: Use these supplies (all supplies a baker would need) to match the two different colors.

“The Neanderthal”- You finally trapped and killed that that saber-tooth tiger! Now you need to paint your story on the stone wall for all to see! The brown fur is so brilliant, you want to make sure and capture that color as you paint your story picture. Use these items (berries, leaves, rocks, etc) to recreate your kill.

“The Interior Designer”- A new customer is hoping to get her child’s bathroom remodeled by your company. She has already met with two other design firms and they simply haven’t been up to their satisfaction. She wants to bathroom to perfectly match with the main colors from the movie Frozen, her child’s favorite movie. Using your tools, come with a design for the bathroom using only colors from the movie Frozen.

JUSTIFICATIONS AND RATIONALThe core of this lesson is based in constructivist thought, emphasizing the integration of interpersonal, cultural historical, and individual qualities involving student development all in an authentic learning environment (Tudge & Scrimsher, 2003). The primary objective is to have learner discover, in whatever path they choose, how to mix colors together to get another color. The degree of accuracy is not specified, but the scaffolding throughout the activity allows the learner to connect their own ideas. Students are given tools, and some basic knowledge of color knowledge is assumed. However, even if a student has trouble recalling basic color mixing rules, they quickly have the opportunity experiment making various colors. In designing this lesson with authenticity in mind, I began to lean towards an experiential model more so than a purely constructivist one. Granted, the experiential challenges are still simulated in a classroom environment, but the challenges are designed to be as real as possible for the learner. In grouping students, it would be important to keep in mind Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal development. I intentionally left off a specific age for this lesson, as it could be adjusted accordingly. But when grouping students, it is vital to “focus on properties of the learner, including notions of a learner’s potential and/or readiness to learn (Chaiklin, 1998).” For example, student’s abilities to collaborate with others and problem solve, as well as their prior knowledge about color, should be taken into account before they embark on their challenge. Looking over the various learning models, led me to adapt the Kolb’s learning cycle to fit my lesson. The most important aspect to this flow chart is that it allows to learner to revisit any part of their experiment at anytime (no, they cannot go back to Golden Gate Park). After the motivational experience, it would be my plan to go on to the hands-on experimentation, and then critical reflection before the challenges are given. However, based on the learner’s experience and age level, it could also be done in reverse; give the challenge, then have the learner move through the different stations as they deem necessary. The timing of this lesson would most likely be close to 5 class periods, so about a week’s time.Finally, the evaluation process of this lesson would be done throughout the activities. Informally through listening to conversation and observing experimentation, and formally through evaluation of the end product that comes out of their challenge and their abilty to present and retell their learning path during their presentation.

WORKS CITED

Images found at:• http://www.thebakerskitchen.net/ProductImages/cakedecorating/food_coloring/Powder_Food_Color.jpg• http://paletton.com/widget/• http://paintoutside.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Oil-paint_tubes.jpg• http://s3.amazonaws.com/libapps/customers/1594/images/Brainstorm2.jpg

Baker, A., Jensen, P., Kolb, D. (2002). Conversational Learning: An Approach to Knowledge Creation. Wesport: Quorum. 10/30/15 from: http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Experiential_Learning

Chaiklin, S. The Zone of Proximal Development in Vygotsky's Analysis of Learning and Instruction. Vygotsky's Educational Theory in Cultural Context, 39-64.

Scrimsher, S., & Tudge, J. (n.d.). The Teaching/Learning Relationship in the First Years of School: Some Revolutionary Implications of Vygotskya's Theory. Early Education & Development, 293-312.

Vygotsky’s Social Learning Theories, Chapter 6. Accessed through Blackboard at: https://ilearn.sfsu.edu/ay1516/mod/folder/view.php?id=151046