Technology's Role within Constructivist Classrooms

As part of the Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement's (OERI) Studies in Education Reform Program, SRI's Center for Technology in Learning has been conducting a national study of the role of technology in supporting education reform, especially constructivist, student-centered teaching methods and instructional uses of computers and other technologies. Case studies of nine sites that have been using technology in ways that enhance a restructuring of the classroom around students' needs and project-based activities form the centerpiece of the project. Discussions include: "Moving from Discrete Skills to Authentic Tasks"; "Case Study Examples of Authentic Classroom Projects"; "Teacher-Reported Effects of Technology Use," including "Enhancing Student Work,""Increases in Motivation and Self-Esteem,""Changes in Student and Teacher Roles," and "Importance for Low-SES Students"; and "Factors for Success." Exhibits include: "Exhibit 1: A Computer-Supported Collaborative Elementary School Project" and "Exhibit 2: Examples of Technology-Enhanced Activities." Across the case study sites, classrooms were found where technology was supporting constructivist goals by providing students with new capabilities and teachers with both stimulation for their thinking about activities and evidence of what highly motivated students can accomplish with technology. At the same time, only a minority of classrooms even approached the model of technology use in the reformer's vision for classrooms of the 21st century. A table outlines study sites and demography. (Contains seven references.) (MAS)