I created an assignment that will give students more autonomy for their learning

I created an assignment that will give students more autonomy for their learning. The assignment intends to engage student knowledge base and critical
thinking skills. This assignment provides a new approach to instruction and assessment of learning. I have found that students are both apprehensive
and anxious to create a project to demonstrate learning. They wonder whether they are on the right track or if they have enough information. They want
to make sure that it is exactly what the instructor wants, which makes them think about the theories more critically. I find that assignments of this
approach require students to come out of their comfort zone, apply the learned material, and to make it meaningful and practical for the project. They are
nervous about the freedom that such an approach allows them in academe. Students have been conditioned to the textbook and multiple-choice formats,
just as instructors have been conditioned. I admit that it requires time for everyone to adapt to change. However, by the end of the semester, students
are proud of their work. I enjoy reading the completed assignments and acknowledging the variety of perspectives and approaches that are presented.
Students can be creative when they are given the opportunity.
The following exert was taken from http://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/constructivists.html
The information from the College of Psychotherapies expresses my sentiments about constructivism and the rational for this assignment.
Philosophical position
Constructivism as a philosophical stance sees the world’s ‘reality’ as mediated through the experience of each individual. This is not to deny
the reality of lived experience, rather that a person can change their lived experience by making sense of the world in different ways.
Constructivist positions see existence as contextual and relational. The act of the construal – i.e. making both sense and meaning of being
human – can only be understood in terms of living in a shared world which is socially negotiated through shared perspectives with others.
This understanding affirms the engaged reality of the other and proposes that how everyone lives in the moment is always ethical, for
example, based on the principle of personal integrity. In other words, how we perceive and describe the world and others who inhabit it with
us, is always an ethical act.
One of the advantages of the Constructivist approach is that it emphasizes ‘fit’, not as in fittest but as in good enough fit with ‘reality’ rather
than minds content. Therefore, it tells us not what to think but rather how to explore and understand why we think and experience the way
we do.
The Assignment
Developmental Psychology Project (100 points possible)
As a class, we will have discussed multiple theories of development throughout the semester. The project requires that you analyze three (3)
theories/theorists related to development. Freud, Erikson, Vygotsky, Piaget, Bandura, Schaie, and Kohlberg are examples.
Review the details of your selected three theorists. Select only/exactly three of the theories to use for this project. Consider what area of focus most
resonates with you. You will synthesize/integrate information from the three theories to create your own theory. What is your perspective on
development?