2. What Is Constructivism?
Constructivism is a learning theory that says that
people construct their own understanding and
knowledge of the world, through experiencing things
and reflecting on those experiences.
3. Key People
Jean Piaget
Psychologist who developed the cognitive learning
theory
Believed children were constructing new
knowledge as they moved through different
cognitive stages
Defined four cognitive stages :
Sensorimotor, Preoperational, concrete
operational, and formal operational.
4. Key People
Jerome Bruner
American psychologist and educator
Believed constructive learners are participatory
learners.
Also believed in a spiral curriculum where children
build upon what they've already learned
5. Key People
-Lev Vygotsky
Russian educational psychologist
Believed learning was significantly influenced by
social development
Proposed that children have a zone of proximal
development
Also proposed scaffolding and anchored instruction
6. Key People
John Dewey
Educational psychologist, philosopher, and political
activist
Believed learning should engage and expand the
experiences of learners
Part of the progressive education movement
7. Key Points
Constructivism is a type of learning in which the learner
forms, or constructs, much of what he or she learns or
comprehends.
Constructivism focuses on interactive student-centered
instruction rather than traditional teacher-centered
instruction.
Constructionists believe learning is an
active, contextualized process of constructing
knowledge rather than acquiring it.
The learner is not a blank slate ... brings past
experiences and culture to new situations.
8. Classroom Implications
What the teacher does under this theory.
Constructivist teachers encourage:
Students to assess how the activity is helping them gain understanding.
Questions their:
Strategies
Themselves
Through doing this, the student learns how to learn and they become
experts at doing so.
Constructivism modifies the teacher's role so that they can help students
construct knowledge and understand instead of just listing facts.
Problem solving & Inquiry-based learning activities
With the use of technology today, the teacher is able to give the students
even more information to process and help them to use a higher level of
thinking when learning the material instead of students being solely
limited to the teacher's knowledge or a textbook.
9. What the student does under this theory
Students need to have an open mind. Students will learn
better if they figure out the answers instead of just sitting
there and listen to a lecture. Students can learn about a
topic through the internet, videos, television. This can be
through take home projects or computers in the
classroom.
10. What you think about the theory for
your own teaching
We believe constructivism is a great way to teach and
learn. A lot of the time a teacher will spend time
explaining something but the student wont
understand what to do until they are actively involved
in the problem. A teacher can write whatever they
want on a board and explain in detail, but until a
student tries themselves they wont grasp what they
need to know.
11. Credits
Picture Credits:
"Technology Conference." Pittsburg State University.
N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2013.
"Stephen Hicks, Ph.D." Stephen Hicks PhD RSS.
N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2013.
"Karen Jeanette Corn." Karen Jeanette Corn.
N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2013.
"Life @ U of T." Life U of T. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr.
2013.
