FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE: REFLECTIONS ON IMPLEMENTING CONSTRUCTIVIST MATHEMATICS PEDAGOGY IN A RURAL INDIAN CLASSROOM

This reflective paper examines the practical realities of implementing constructivist pedagogy in a rural secondary school mathematics classroom in Gyalshing District, Sikkim. Drawing on five months of classroom experience as a Trained Graduate Teacher (Mathematics), the narrative integrates personal teaching observations with relevant literature and policy frameworks, including the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. While constructivism, as conceptualised by Piaget and Vygotsky, emphasises active learning, student agency, and collaborative knowledge construction, the process of translating these principles into daily classroom practice presents unique challenges in rural Indian contexts. Key barriers encountered include foundational skill gaps among students, time and syllabus constraints, multiple non-teaching responsibilities, and socio-economic factors influencing learner motivation. Adaptive strategies combining direct instruction with micro-constructivist tasks enabled meaningful student engagement. The paper offers implications for teacher education, highlighting the need for context-sensitive pedagogical training, ongoing professional support, and flexible curriculum implementation. By documenting this lived experience, the reflection aims to bridge the gap between constructivist theory and classroom realities, contributing to discourse on sustainable pedagogical innovation in mathematics education.