Objectivism vs. Constructivism & The SAMR Model

Chapter 2 Technology Application Activity

1. An important topic in the area of science is the study of the anatomy of the human body. When introducing this topic to students, a teacher might take one of several different approaches, such as an objectivist one or a constructivist one. A lesson idea for the objectivist approach would be to demonstrate the parts of the human body to the students using either a presentation or model, pointing out each different part and naming them for the class. In contrast, a lesson idea for a constructivist approach would be to allow the students to perform a virtual dissection, allowing them to use their prior knowledge to work out which organs are which and what their function might be based on their relative location in the body. Although each of these approaches has the same goal, having students gain a better understanding of the anatomy of the human body, they actually end of solving different learning and teaching problems. While the objectivist approach focuses more on presenting students with information and expecting them to remember it, the constructivist approach focuses more on providing students with more of an opportunity to ask questions and discover things for themselves as opposed to simply being told the information. For this reason, I believe the constructivist approach would be the most beneficial to students because it encourages them to explore and become critical thinkers.
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The lesson ideas I created address similar problems compared to the ones in the example from the book. They all aim to enhance the student's’ learning experience through the use of technology in a way that is specific to each level (substitution, redefinition, augmentation, or modification). Both the example SAMR and the one I created are much more aligned with a constructivist approach as opposed to an objectivist approach due to the emphasis they place on student engagement and creativity.