Blocks & Constructs = True Story

What does Constructivist Theory look like in practice? 

Well, I'll tell you a little story of what happened just before bedtime last night in our house.

Right before we read stories, I practice a little number sense with my girls.  I asked my four year old, "If I have three blocks, you have three blocks and kid #2 has 3 blocks, how many blocks do we all have?"

She took her blocks and made three seperate piles of three, assigning a color to each set. (This was all her doing.)  She answered nine.

Then, she did something that surprised me. She configured them into a square. (Luckily, I had my phone nearby.)  We talked about how three and three and three (in rows like addition) make 9 and how 3 by 3 is nine.

I told her 9 is a square number.  She just proved it.

So I went with this and asked her, "If I have 4 blocks, you have 4 blocks, kid #2 has 4 blocks and Daddy has four blocks, how many would we have all together?"

So, back to work. She figured out 16, and built the square with no prompting. She declared 16 a square number as well.

I was so proud I could barely stand it, and then she took it even further. With no blocks and no prompting. She shouted, 4 is a square number!

"No way. I said. Show me."

And she did. She built her square of 2x2.

And then she went on to build what she declared rectangle numbers. I'd say she's on to something with rectangle numbers.

Since Kid #2 fell asleep early last night and missed all the fun, I'll have my four year old share her discovery before bed tonight.

Michael Josefowicz @toughloveforx synthesized this conclusion at the end of a Twitter conversation.

"Authentic Connections Inspire instead of Expect."