What
Does The Research
Say?

     In her work as director of the Regents’ Center for Early Development Education at the University of Northern Iowa, Dr. Rhea DeVries has written extensively on constructivist education and what it means for teachers to shift the way they relate with children to create what she calls a "sociomoral classroom atmosphere."

In her latest book, Moral Classrooms, Moral Children: Creating a Constructivist Atmosphere in Early Education (Teachers College Press, 1994) co-authored with Betty Zan, DeVries states that constructivist education engages children’s interest, inspires active experimentation with all its necessary groping and error, and fosters cooperation between adults and children and among children themselves. The constructivist teacher attempts to cooperate with, rather than coerce, children and cultivate an atmosphere of mutual respect. For teachers, this means:

• engaging children in making classroom rules,
• developing consensus,
• asking children what they want to study,
• voting to resolve an issue when only one alternative can be chosen, and
• promoting children’s discussions of social and moral issues.

Research shows the sociomoral atmosphere of constructivist classrooms differs from other classrooms because the children are able to negotiate better with others, resolve twice as many conflicts, and enjoy more friendly, positive interactions with peers and with the teacher.

(Research findings reported in Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 1991, by DeVries and colleagues. Reprinted with permission by Cornerstones – An Alliance for Caring and Challenging Schools; sponsored by Developmental Studies Center, 2000 Embarcadero, Suite 305, Oakland, CA 94606-5300, For information about membership contact 510-533-0213 or 800-666-7270, or by fax: 510-464-3670.