Educational curricula and teaching methods are changing. In the traditional classroom the teacher 's role was directive and rooted in authority. The curriculum emphasised basic skills and strict adherence to fixed curriculum was highly valued. With the introduction of the constructivist classroom the curriculum presently emphasises big concepts, beginning with whole & expanding to include parts. It pursues children’s questions and their interests are valued. The teacher 's role is interactive and rooted in negotiation.
The aim of the constructivist approach is to shift the focus from the teacher to the students. The classroom is no longer a place where the teacher pours reams of knowledge into passive students, who wait behind the desk like empty vessels to be filled, we are familiar with this concept traditionally known as ‘talk and chalk’. In the constructivist/enquiry model, students are urged to be actively involved in their own learning therefore enabling them to construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world through experiencing things and reflecting upon them. As teachers we should create an environment which enables children to do so.
Constructivist teaching leads to critical thinking and higher ordered thinking therefore leading to active and motivated learners. Zemelman, Daniels, and Hyde (1993) suggest to us