Constructivism as a theory of learning focuses on the learner's need to make sense of new information. Dewey approached it from a philosophical standpoint, Piaget from a biological and Vygotsky from a social perspective. Together, they emphasize the importance of looking at what the learner brings to a new experience as well as what the "out there" experience contains. The consultants on these films apply constructivistic points of view to important topics in education.

Two very different philosophies of education have dominated teacher training in this century: Teacher directed, whole group learning with its emphasis on subject matter has been in opposition to the discovery method with its emphasis on active child learning. Sensitive teachers of both persuasions have felt frustrated at the level of learning generated by adherence to these methods. The work of Lev Vygotsky offers a new synthesis of these philosophies that overcomes many problems of single perspective approaches. This video provides examples of how learning can be structured so children are active learners while teachers use their superior knowledge base to meaningfully guide learning. Three essential elements of scaffolding are explained and demonstrated as children in urban classrooms become literate and ever more responsible for their weekly learning plans.  (1996) 35 minutes $250.  

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ISBN: 1-891340-54-9       

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The work of Jean Piaget has contributed much of the theoretical justification for the current move to developmentally appropriate education. Piaget, however, was a theorist, not an educator. Using his mentor’s work, Dr. David Elkind proposes educational practices for today’s primary classrooms. Filmed in three exemplary public school classrooms, the film deals with setting up a physical and organizational environment, making curriculum decisions and assessing child growth. The three classrooms are very different in the socio-economic status of the students, the personalities of the teachers and the resources available to them, but have a commonality in their pursuit of excellence.  (1991) 35 minutes $250.  

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ISBN: 1-891340-59-X      

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Nothing in human experience is quite so astonishing as the enormous changes that occur during the five short years that transform the newborn into the actively curious, exploring kindergartner. This film examines the work of Lev Vygotsky and Jean Piaget, illuminating the similarities and differences of their contributions to our understanding of the cognitive development of young children. Dr. Elkind uses their research and his own work to look at three aspects of intellectual growth: reasoning, visual perception and the use of language. Children are seen both in interview situations and busily participating in an accredited child care center to illustrate Dr. Elkind’s points about their ever changing intellectual abilities. (1996) 25 minutes $250.  

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ISBN: 1-891340-48-4       [Available with Spanish Subtitles]

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It is not just teenage bodies that undergo tremendous changes in adolescence; young minds begin working in new ways that sometimes cause awkward situations just as do the newly elongated legs or deeper voices. Referring to the work of Piaget, Erikson, Goffman and his own studies, David Elkind looks at the intellectual, emotional and social consequences that result from the changes in thinking. These changes permit new ways of reasoning and enable students to take on much more challenging materials, but sometimes the transition results in inconsistent forms of thinking that create social and emotional difficulties. The film includes newly shot film of a public middle school and structured interviews illustrating the intellectual challenges of this period of life when adolescents are constructing personal identities and new mental capacities. In 2000, this film won the prestigious Bronze International CINDY Award, and received a Finalist Award at the New York Film Festivals. (1999) 38 minutes $250.  

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ISBN: 1-891340-67-0       [Available with Spanish Subtitles]

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According to Jean Piaget, intelligence develops in a necessary sequence of stages that are related to age. Piaget’s theories have given us profound insights into the cognitive development of children. This knowledge in turn, provides a framework for understanding how children think and for planning educational strategies. Using structured interviews with children from four to nine years old, Dr. David Elkind illustrates the development of transitive thinking and reversibility as children move from the pre-operational to concrete operational stage of cognitive development. Children’s construction of the unit concept, so basic to arithmetic and beginning reading, is illustrated in a well run first grade class. Dr. Elkind also examines some recent criticisms of Piaget’s theories. (1993) 25 minutes $250.   

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ISBN: 1-891340-58-1       [Available with Spanish Subtitles]

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MORALITY: JUDGMENTS AND ACTION

With Elliot Turiel, Ph.D.

Thoughtful humans have always been deeply concerned with the moral nature of their actions and recent historical events have further widened the scope of this interest. It is only within the last hundred years, however, that we have systematically examined factors involved in moral behavior.

This film reviews some of the basic work of Piaget, Kohlberg and Milgram and investigates current research into the domain theory of Dr. Turiel and his associates. Factors that lead us to act on our judgments, or not, are critically examined using issues important to today’s students. (2002)  32 minutes  $250.  

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[Film Review]

"Elliot Turiel’s video on morality is informative, compelling, and engaging.  I have used it 4 or 5 times in my courses already, and I plan to use it every semester.  The narrative is easy to follow, and brings an important academic area of scholarship to life.  The video covers research on children’s and adolescents’ social and moral development. It covers how children acquire morality, and the distinctions that they are able to make early on regarding their knowledge about different types of rules in everyday, familiar settings, such as playgrounds and classrooms.  My students read much of the material covered in the film prior to viewing it and they marveled at how comprehensive, and at the same time, compelling it was to listen to the narrative and watch the testimonies from the individuals in the film.  In addition, the students found it very helpful to see how the interview methodology is actually carried out.  The film shows interviewers asking children, adolescents, and adults to make moral judgments about a range of social issues.  These vignettes gave a reality to the methodology that was less obvious to the students when they read the materials.  Moreover, the examples from a range of cultures are very timely, and significant in this era of globality, mobility, and multi-culturalism. Rather than just drawing on middle-class U.S. children, the film displays children and families from all over the world.  Interviews are conducted with individuals from different parts of the globe, and my students and I greatly appreciated this type of inclusive approach.  Surprisingly, it is rare to find academic films with this type of breadth, candor, and scholarship. Morality: Judgments and Action is a must for any course that touches on morality, ethics, social development, and culture."  

ISBN: 1-891340-74-3       [Available with Spanish Subtitles]

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MARIA MONTESSORI: HER LIFE AND LEGACY

With Annette Haines, Ph.D. 

Born more than 25 years before Piaget or Vygotsky, Maria Montessori understood the constructivistic nature of all learning. As she observed children building their understanding of the world, she developed materials and approaches to education that are now used, in part, in most early childhood classrooms across the world.  She realized the tremendous power of intrinsic motivation and sought to capitalize upon it, especially for children between the ages of three and six. 

Montessori’s conception of the changing roles the classroom environment and teacher should play for students of various ages is presented with carefully shot film sequences of toddler, preschool, elementary school and secondary classes at work in accredited Montessori schools. Students will also learn of Dr. Montessori’s own dramatic life through archival visuals and will be challenged to think about what they think are the components of exemplary educational practice. (2004)  35 minutes  $250.  

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ISBN: 1-891340-76-X       [Available with Spanish Subtitles]

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