Lois Letchford, The Constructionist Theory and Learning to Read

21 Jul 2020 · 3 min

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2:52

In this short instructional video, Lois Letchford—author of Reversed: A Memoir and The Literacy Problem Solver—explains her interpretation of constructivist learning theory as the construction of knowledge that already exists within the learner. She emphasizes that teaching should tap into students' prior knowledge rather than delivering entirely new information. Letchford introduces her signature "box lesson," a hands‑on activity used with students aged 6‑15 who have limited reading ability. The lesson asks learners to predict what could be inside a box (e.g., an elephant, shoes, or more boxes) and to consider the meaning of the word "should." By encouraging students to generate clues, visualize concrete objects, and discuss possibilities, the activity makes them actively think, which she argues leads to real learning. She highlights how concrete items like a shoebox, an elephant, or a bottle of juice help students access and apply knowledge stored in their mental "backpack," fostering creativity and reading comprehension. The video concludes with a call to like, subscribe, and revisit the lesson.

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Hello, I'm Lois Letchford, author of the book Reversed: A Memoir and The Literacy Problem Solver. Today I wanted to talk about the constructivist theory. What is constructivism? To me, it's the construction of knowledge, and it's showing the child that they have the knowledge within themselves. I'm not giving them anything new, but I'm using what they have and accessing it. David Perkins, Real learning is a consequence of thinking. I love it. Real learning is a consequence of thinking. This is my box lesson. Why is this lesson so important to me? And it's the first lesson I use with my students who come to me. My students come with very few words that they are able to read. Age from 6 to 15. So this is my first lesson. Why is it? Because I'm asking my students to think, what could be in this box? And there's your choices: an elephant, shoes, or more boxes. What should be in this box? And to answer the question, you have to understand the word should. What should be in this box? And it's surprising the number of people who have problems with this. What does it tell you? What, what clues do you get from this box? Ah, there's one on the end. Is there? Is that a picture of a shoe? Oh, women's size. We're still looking for a picture of a shoe. Some people may know that it is a shoebox. So what should be in this box are shoes. What else have we got? And then what would you like It shows you that your mind can be creative about what could be in the box. And then you open it up to have more boxes and a bottle of juice. A bottle of juice. My students are now thinking. And when they're thinking, they are learning. And the front of the box says, Could there be an elephant in this box? Of course there's an elephant in this box. Just the size of the elephant varies. Again, when you've got the concrete objects, I am constructing knowledge. I'm showing them that they are accessing the knowledge that's in their backpack, that it's there and they can put it to use. In my lesson. Thank you. Lois Letchford. Hit like, hit subscribe, and listen again.