Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Constructivist Education in an Age of Accountability pp 267–281Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Expeditionary Learning, Constructivism, and the Emotional Risks of Open-Ended Inquiry

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

  • 1424 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter explores the complex processes involved in a project undertaken by a middle-school student in an Expeditionary Learning school. This case study critiques the overwhelming responsibility of coordinating people to plan and pull off a school event, along with parental interference, limited faculty supervision, and lack of participation by other students. Simply providing constructivist opportunities is insufficient. The chapter concludes with suggestions on how to mitigate the problems so that constructivist school activities might better serve a diverse range of participants.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

eBook
USD   24.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   32.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • American Institutes for Research. (2006). CSRQ center report on middle and high school comprehensive reform models. Retrieved January 18, 2013, from http://www.air.org/sites/default/files/downloads/erport/MSHS_2006_Report_Final_Full_Version_10-03-06_0.pdf

  • Bennett, T. (2013). Teacher proof: Why research in education doesn’t always mean what it claims, and what you can do about it. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1998). Finding flow: The psychology of engagement with everyday life. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dewey, J. (1902). The child and the curriculum. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • EL Education. (2017). EL education. Retrieved April 8, 2017, from https://eleducation.org/

  • Expeditionary Learning. (2011). Core practices. Expeditionary learning outward bound [PDF]. Retrieved April 19, 2011, from www.elschools.org

  • Expeditionary Learning Middle School. (2010a). Advancing student achievement: Now enrolling grades 6, 7, and 8 [Brochure]. Columbus, OH: ELMS.

    Google Scholar 

  • Expeditionary Learning Middle School. (2010b). ELMS: Enrollment update [Brochure]. Columbus, OH: ELMS.

    Google Scholar 

  • Expeditionary Learning Middle School. (2010c). Expeditionary learning design principals [Brochure]. Columbus, OH: ELMS.

    Google Scholar 

  • Expeditionary Learning Middle School. (2010d). ELMS: Expeditionary Learning Middle School. Retrieved November 1, 2010, from school website.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farrell, G., & Liebowitz, M. (1998). Expeditionary learning outward bound in year five: What the research shows. Cambridge, MA: ELOB.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodyear, P., & Ellis, R. (2007). Students’ interpretations of learning tasks: Implications for educational design. In ICT: Providing choices for learners and learning. Proceedings ascilite, Singapore 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2017, from http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/singapore07/procs/goodyear.pdf

  • Graves, D. H. (1983). Writing: Teachers & children at work. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heath, A. L. (2013). We are crew, not passengers: Middle level students’ experiences of the Expeditionary Learning school reform model and its relationship to literacy, agency, and diversity. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hills, T. (2007). Is constructivism risky? Social anxiety, classroom participation, competitive game play and constructivist preferences in teacher development. Teacher Development, 11(3), 335–352. Retrieved April 11, 2017, from http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/psych/people/thills/thills/hillsteacherdevelopment2007.pdf

  • Kastenbaum, S. (2012, May 17). The high stakes of standardized tests. CNN Schools of Thought. Retrieved February 16, 2017, from http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/17/the-high-stakes-of-standardized-tests/

  • Lewis, C. (1997). The social drama of literature discussions in a fifth/sixth-grade classroom. Research in the Teaching of English, 31, 163–204.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manara Academy. (2017). We are an Expeditionary School. Retrieved April 8, 2017, from http://manaraacademy.org/academics/el/

  • McQuillan, P., Kraft, R., O’Conor, A., Timmons, M., Marion, S., & Michalec, P. (1994). An assessment of outward bound USA’s urban/education initiative. Boulder, CO: University of Colorado School of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, J., & Datnow, A. (Eds.). (2003). Leadership lessons from comprehensive school reforms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Commission on Excellence in Education. (1983). A nation at risk: The imperative for educational reform. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved February 13, 2017, from https://www2.ed.gov/pubs/NatAtRisk/index.html

  • Neill, J. (2008). Dr. Kurt Hahn. Retrieved April 10, 2017, from http://www.wilderdom.com/KurtHahn.html

  • Outward Bound International. (2013). History. Retrieved April 10, 2017, from http://www.outwardbound.net/about-us/history/

  • Pearson, S. S. (2002). Finding common ground: Service-learning and education reform. A survey of 28 leading school reform models. Washington, DC: American Youth Policy Forum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ravitch, D. (2013). Reign of error: The hoax of the privatization movement and the danger to America’s public schools. New York: Knopf.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smagorinsky, P. (2011). Vygotsky and literacy research: A methodological framework. Boston: Sense.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Smagorinsky, P. (2013). The development of social and practical concepts in learning to teach: A synthesis and extension of Vygotsky’s conception. Learning, Culture, and Social Interaction, 2(4), 238–248. Retrieved April 10, 2017, from http://www.petersmagorinsky.net/About/PDF/LCSI/LCSI_2013.PDF

  • U.S. Department of Education. (2004). About CSR. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved April 10, 2017, from https://ed.gov/programs/compreform/2pager.html

  • UMass Donahue Institute Research and Evaluation Group. (2011). Impact of the expeditionary learning model on student academic performance in Rochester, New York. Amherst, MA: Author. Retrieved February 14, 2017, from http://www.copperpointschools.org/wp-content/uploads/Expeditionary-Learning-UMDI-Rochester-Impact-Study.pdf

  • Vossoughi, S., & Gutiérrez, K. D. (2017). Critical pedagogy and sociocultural theory. In I. Esmonde & A. N. Booker (Eds.), Power and privilege in the learning sciences (pp. 139–161). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Language and Literacy Education, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA

    Amy L. Heath & Peter Smagorinsky

Authors
  1. Amy L. Heath
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Peter Smagorinsky
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Staten Island, City University of New York, Staten Island, New York, USA

    David W. Kritt

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Heath, A.L., Smagorinsky, P. (2018). Expeditionary Learning, Constructivism, and the Emotional Risks of Open-Ended Inquiry. In: Kritt, D. (eds) Constructivist Education in an Age of Accountability . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66050-9_13

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66050-9_13

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-66049-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-66050-9

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation