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=__Integrating Theory and Practice. __= Created by Wendy Hipwell.

A social constructivist view of learning draws on the theories of Dewey (1964) and Vygotsky (1978). Both theorists view learning as social, collaborative and active. Dewry saw the classroom as replcating the community where children engage in authentic learning playing out important social roles and learning social responsibility. Vsgotsky focused on how children develop, the role of adults in leading the child's early development. (Hill p.3)  Dewey(1859-1952)Vygotsky (1996-1934)
 * Constructivist Theory. **

**Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)-** is the most important of Vygotsky's ideas. The child has two levels of performance: the first is the level they are capable of achieving independently and the second is the level of performance that they reach with assistance. The distance between the two levels is ZPD.

Children to explore how they learn, actively seeking answers, critial thinking, self directed learning. Teachers importance of modelling, explaining and questioning, take responsibility for their classroom, school and community. Apporaches: Whole class, small groups, modelled reading/writing, shared reading/writing, guided reading/writing, independent reading/writing. The topics studied are based on the children's interests, funds of knowledge and what is happening in their local communities and home life.
 * Implications for the classroom- **Scaffolding learning: giving information, prompts, reminders, encouragement, getting students to do more on their own, MODELLING, SHARING GUILDING INDEPENDENCE. Know where children's learning is at.

How Constructivist Theory was observed and implemented in the classroom-

* The set up of the room was inviting, organised, colourful and warm. The set up of is important to children and parents because a non verbal way the teacher gives the message that they value learning. I observed a couch next to the book display shelf and this offers a place for children to comfortably read their stories and a couch is what all children would have in their homes so there is a familiarity to the children's home life.

<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">I observed the teacher being involved in the children's activities, she sat on the mat with the children, took a guided reading group, listening to the children read during independent reading time while always giving praise and speaking to the children in a respectful way and scaffolding their learning by suggesting ways the child improve.

<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">A paragraph of writing the children had to correct for punctuation was about what had happen in the classroom, it was about their teacher being away and asking them to write what their favourite class was at school, the paragraph of writing was directly related to the children.

<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">Molly's Experience:

The various theories about literacy and pedagogy were evident in my observations of Queenscliff Primary school. I noticed that the class teacher made a noticeable effort to fill her classroom full of interesting and colorful piece of work the students had created. Their were facts and pictures about each child up on the wall and birthday date balloons upon another wall. The artwork displayed was always integrated with they were currently studying and pictures and writing samples were displayed around these. In other words the class teacher is always trying to engage the students and take into consideration the funds of knowledge a child brings to the class room. She has provided a safe, and happy environment in which the students feel comfortable, happy to take risks in their learning and not feel threatened.

Madi's observation: -I also observed a very colourful and creative classroom. The teacher at Anakie P.S was also the art teacher so she was very creative and liked everything to be perfect and very colourful. were lots of pictures also displayed throughout the whole school. The work that was displayed was suitable to what the students were studying at the time and even included sentences next to their silhouettes of what they liked and enjoyed doing. The wall also included all students birth dates and the whole school started a timeline while I was there which included a baby photo and their birthdays in order on the timeline.- -Anakie also used their community to their benefit, in the means of Parks Victoria. All students would visit Parks Victoria every second week and would help to clean up the area and create a garden. This helped the students as they also had and were creating a garden at their school.

Hannah's observation: When I was out on placement, all the classrooms I visited were very colourful and inviting, they often had the students work placed around the classroom and in the grade 6 class I was in, the teacher had also put each students learning goals for the term on the back wall so they could be reminded of what goals they were aiming at achieving. Also around the classroom were printed out slideshows of the content they were studying in class, for literacy it was mainly CAFE and for numeracy it was related to their math's goals and for their times table game they did on a regular basis. By having the classroom colourful it had a welcoming feel to it and it created a happy environment for all the students.



<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">Summary of Observations:

<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">Classrooms where set up in a warm, comfortable, inviting way, that shows students and parents that learning is valued. A couches in the book corner, that children have at home. Pictures and children work is displayed around the classroom, that have topics are related to the children and tell information about them. The work displayed celebrates what children have achieved and shows their abilities and what they have learnt.

<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">Birthday balloons to celebrate and acknowledge the most important days of a child's life...their birthday.

<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">Students visit their local communities, at Anakie Madi observed the school visits Parks Victoria every second week to help clean up the area and create a garden. This is related to Dewry's theory of social responsibility and community.

<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">We all observed the teacher being actively involved with the children during lessons times, sitting on the mat with the children, listening to them read, check and assisting them during writing times and always giving praise and encouragement and helping the children set goals for their learning.