SL in the Classroom and Constructivist Teaching Methods

Jeremy Koester, an eighth-grade math teacher at Alamo Heights Junior School in San Antonia, Texas, uses technology in his classes and is exploring ways to use Second Life as a distance education environment. Koester, also a graduate student in the Instructional Technology program at the University of Texas at San Antonio, is working toward the immersive opportunities of gaming in SL for his students.

In an interview with TechTrends reporter Joe Landsberger, Koester indicated that SL “provides an opportunity for constructivist applications. Students can model and share their prior knowledge, learn from other learners and show proficiency through physical representation and collaboration” (p. 3).

Constructivist teaching methods have been used for many decades in the classroom and they allow for students to actively engage in the construction of knowledge rather than passively receiving it. For example, students form a study group when they have a difficult and confusing textbook. As they help each other, they are able to better interrupt and understand the book in way that they cannot do on an individual basis. This type of learning that focuses on how people work together reflects a social constructivism perspective (Ormrod, 2008).

Landsberger, J. (2007, July/August). Learning by design: An interview with Jeremy Koester. TechTrends, 51, 4.

Ormrod, J.E. (2008). Human Learning (5th ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.