Foxfire: Constructivism for Teachers and Learners

Abstract

Abstract The Foxfire approach to teaching, first popularized by the magazine and book series with the same name, actively involves students in the process of planning, implementing, and evaluating activities designed to meet mandated curricular goals and objectives. The purpose of the article is to demonstrate how the Foxfire approach to teaching is undergirded by a constructivist framework and how the approach serves to assist both teachers and students in developing ownership for their learning. The Foxfire Level One course for teachers is described, illustrating how the approach is modeled for teachers. Responses of teachers to Foxfire training demonstrate that the experience of having the approach modeled for them is a powerful tool for changing their attitudes and beliefs about using learner-centered strategies in their own classrooms.