Article in Arts Education Policy Review by Joe Shively "Over the past twenty years, constructivism, as a theory of learning, has taken on an increasingly important role in music education. Efforts to shift music education toward a more constructivist practice have significant implications for policymaking at all levels of music education. In this article, I seek to recalibrate our thinking about what it might or might not mean to take a constructivist teaching stance in the music classroom. Building on constructivism as a theory of learning, I revisit its principles and their implications for our work with learners, the nature of knowledge, and the musics and musical experiences we bring into our classrooms. Further, I consider how constructivism has informed music education reform efforts. Throughout, I discuss ways in which a constructivist view of learning and teaching might better inform our professional practice by finding a balance between progressive and traditional views of music education. Through this, we can find a constructivist view that is more resonant with music educators."
Article from General Music Today "Stacy McKenzie is challenged to find new ways to involve students in their learning. She begins this journey by developing a lesson planning framework based on constructivist principles for learning. The perspectives Stacy applies in her program are shared in this article: First, by examining how she crafts a lesson framework that provides opportunities for students to build new understandings from what they already know through active involvement with music; and, second, by exploring how she uses questions to guide and support students' learning and how her students use questions as a means to assume an active role in their learning. This lesson is part of a larger unit of study using the piece Simple Gifts."