W04 journal

·        How does this perspective (e.g., conceptual change, situated learning, etc.) recognize, view and describe this element of a STEM learning environment (i.e. learner-centered, knowledge-centered, assessment-centered, community)?

·        For each of these elements, what inferences can you make about the kinds of classroom activities that would be deemed appropriate?

·        For each of these elements, what inferences can you make about the nature of the classroom discourse that would be deemed appropriate?

·        For each of these elements, what inferences can you make about the classroom use of technology that would be deemed appropriate?

		Perspectives on STEM Learning
		Conceptual Change	Situated Learning	Social Constructivist	Models & Modeling
Essential Components of a STEM Learning Environment	Learner-Centered Environment	I gather that activities revolve around the learner, the learners explore though activities to further understand information. Students are describing their knowledge and how they arrived at this knowledge. The teachers take what they hear from the students and base the course of their lessons on that information.	The teacher is modeling, assists, coaches and scaffolds. While the teacher is involved, the students, or apprentice is working side by side, first observing but then slowly taking over the doing. Their learning grows in the process. Students rely on each other more than the teacher, especially after the school year has “set” into place.	Teachers create a social system in which students assist one another and the teacher assists the students. Groups of students plan stages of an activity and bring back information to the whole group so all learners are involved. Discussions involve an exchange of ideas, even when students disagree. These disagreements are addressed by the teacher in the sense that they are rerouting these disagreements into a question than gets the students to think further.
	Knowledge-Centered Environment	Students are asked why they say or represent certain things, where the knowledge comes from. Finding out where the knowledge comes from is important. Technology can be used in order t verify information. Students are discussing ideas based on their previous knowledge of concepts. Students are representing ideas in their heads in either a 2d or 3d model. Students need to find ideas believable and why one idea makes more sense than another and can expand their knowledge with new ideas.	Students working in groups have discussion about their knowledge. Students are bouncing ideas off their own groups. The jigsaw exampled there was shared ownership among the students – they all work together to form the entire “piece” that they are trying to gain. Activities are centered on the students’ knowledge and the sharing of that knowledge. Because the students produce knowledge in a way they feel they “own” it and really makes them feel invested in their knowledge.	Students talk about things that they know, but they also discuss what they want to know. The teacher focuses the activity or project based on the questions the students have about a topic.
	Assessment-Centered Environment	It is not quite so assessment centered, it is more based on the discussion students have. The teacher listens to students’ conversation and how they are relating their ideas to accepted knowledge and using it to expand on a problem.	This seems to focus on moving students toward a point in which they went from needing teacher support to being able to complete tasks, explorations and assignments on their own. Assessment probably involves an open ended problem after students have gotten to the point where they are thinking and expanding on ideas on their own.	It seems as if this approach is based on community cooperations and discussions in order to allow ideas to flow. The students progress through an activity or round table discussion. Assessments can take place through teacher observation in these projects and the final outcome of these types of activites.
	Community	Students work in groups, both whole class and small groups to discuss their knowledge on an idea. The students address each other’s ideas and build off each other’s ideas.	Activities involved include jigsaw learning in which each student or group of students study one section or problem and then present it to their peers. The students are learning from each other.	Again, the community is formed though a “circle of assistance”. Students assist each other and the teacher assists the students when needed. Students work as a community because they help each other through their learning. When one group discovers something they share it with the community