Have you ever had students that memorized the material, but quickly forgot it? This is partially due to the knowledge not being applicable to their individual lives. The learning was not meaningful, therefore they had no reason to remember it. Along with the theory of meaningful learning is constructivism, introduced by Vygotsky. Constructivism is, “creating a personal interpretation of external ideas and experiences.” (Psychology Applied to Teaching, Snowman, Mccown, & Biehler) In other words, constructivism is when a student is able to not only acquire new knowledge, but apply it to their lives in such a way that is personal to the individual. According to Psychology Applied to Teaching: Twelfth Edition, “Meaningful learning occurs when …show more content…
If learning in the classroom is not meaningful to each student, the application of knowledge is lost and unbeneficial. Depending upon the demographics of the school you teach at, there are certain steps a teacher can take to better help her students apply what they are learning to their daily lives and experiences. An article was published for Edutopia, written by David Cutler with special contribution from Mark A. McDaniel, the Director for the Center for Integrative Research on Cognition, Learning and Education (CIRCLE). According to the article, there are three key steps to integrate meaningful learning into your classroom. These steps are as follows: let students problem-solve, give frequent quizzes with low-risk consequences, and help students learn from mistakes, not punish them for their errors. By creating an atmosphere of independence, students learn to rely on themselves to work through their assignments and challenges, rather than relying of the teacher to give the …show more content…
For example, if a teacher located in downtown Cincinnati related the history lesson to the history taken place in Cincinnati, the students would be able to easily identify and apply the lesson to their daily lives. Also, the teacher could assign research projects to each student according to their background, upbringing, and prior knowledge of a certain culture. By implementing problem-solving techniques, giving frequent quizzes, helping students learn from mistakes, and creating an independent, but relatable culture, the students would better be able to not only take in new information, but apply the information in a way that is personal to