Margaret Siryj

TED 467
September 8, 2015

As I began reading this article, the work environment at your high school immediately
came to my mind because the permeating mindset of some teachers that are confined to what
we have done in the past is good for me. The Brooks pointed out that turning over classroom
control and locking into current teaching approaches can stifle teaching and learning. As
Common Core enters the classroom, some teachers are resisting change because what they are
presently doing seems to work. However, what worked in the past may not equip the 21st
century student for life after high school and the rigors of college and career.
If middle and high school educators approach constructivism with the right attitude,
student autonomy and initiative will occur. Being autonomous includes making connections
with ideas and concepts. Being an independent thinker enables students to decide for themselves
what is important versus what is trivial or non essential. As a Social Science teacher, analyzing
raw data and primary sources are essential to understand the historical context of content
presented in textbooks. Without the use of other data or primary sources, students are learning in
a vacuum and not exposed to how an argument or themes are introduced. As students progress
through high school and decide to pursue a college or university degree, the ability to read and
properly analyze primary and secondary sources and data will inhibit trenchant skills needed to
identify thesis statements and build arguments. This not only applies to Social Science, but to
other subject areas such as English, Science, and Mathematics.
Blooms Taxonomy includes different increasingly challenging levels to learn curriculum
by using cognitive terminology such as: analyze, interpret, and create. Connections are being
made and students begin to question and predict what will occur in an information sequence that

is presented to them. These connections allow students to actively engage in curriculum that
empowers teachers to change and adapt content to fit the needs of each student and class. The
Brooks argue that state-level specialists and publishers make and distribute textbooks used in
classrooms. This is challenging and problematic because appropriate methodologies may not be
highlighted in the text.
Allowing a constructivism approach to be a teachers guide causes a teacher to customize
what a particular student or classroom situation may need to grasp a concept or an important
event in history. This philosophy of education supports the idea that teachers can probe previous
knowledge that a student possesses prior to sharing what they know about a concept. This can be
challenging to some educators because this can be expressed as losing control, but as the
teacher of record it is more about facilitating rather than conducting. As students graduate, they
will find that the teachers who allowed them to develop their own thoughts and views will
approach college course material with more ease and less anxiety. When the student reflects on
her or his high school education, they will discover that their teachers who sought elaboration
beyond an initial answer equipped them for a successful future. By allowing elaboration,
students may find that they change their original viewpoint or opinions because they had to
thoughtfully argue their ideas. Constructivist teachers do not jump on an answer from a student,
but instead, allow them to process information and think of an answer. Creativity is a vital
component to education and constructivists allow their students an open-ended approach
giving students the opportunity to make questions and discover the answers.
My question to the authors is How can a teacher incorporate Blooms Taxonomy of
higher level critical thinking while maintaining their control over the classroom?