1. By Anna M.

2.  “A type of learning in which the learner forms, or
constructs, much of what he or she learns or
comprehends” (Shelly 376)
 “A paradigm or worldview posits that learning is
an active, constructive process”
(“Constructivism”)
 Students learn through doing the task, rather
than listening to or seeing it
 They will understand the topic much better by
using critical thinking skills to complete the task
and therefore it will more efficiently teach the
students

3.  “Piaget’s Stage Theory of Cognitive
Development
◦ a description of cognitive development as
four distinct stages in children” (“Stage
Theory”)
◦ Sensorimotor Stage: Ages 0-2; infant
learns through imitation using sense and
motor activities
◦ Preoperational Stage: Ages 2-6; child is
“egocentric” and begins to use “concrete
thinking” and “intuitive reasoning” (Shelley
377)
◦ Concrete Operations: Ages 7-12; child
solves problems and thinks abstractly
using logic
◦ Former Operations: Ages 12+; child thinks
abstractly and using deductive logic while
testing hypotheses
 He felt children learned more as they
experienced more and then applied
their experiences to what they knew Jean Piaget by Boeree

4.  “Proposed that learning is an active process”
where the learner makes new ideas based off
past knowledge (Shelley 378)
 They are participatory learners
 He felt that the curriculum would be best
organized “in a spiral manner so that
students continually build upon what they
already have learned” (Shelley 379)

5.  Theory of the “Zone of Proximal
Development”
◦ Children worked better when in
collaboration with an
adult, whether the adult was
teaching or not
◦ “Enabled them to refine their
thinking or their performance to
make it more effective” (Atherton)
 Developing a child’s language
and articulation is key to the
child’s ability to learn
 Learning is “influenced
significantly by social
development” (Shelley 379)
Lev Vygotsky from “The Mozart of Psychology”

6.  “Learning should engage and expand the
experiences of the learner” (Shelley 381)
 He considered education to be more of a
social process than anything else
 Progressive Education: “focused on educating
the whole child, physically, mentally, and
socially” (Shelley 382)
 It isn’t about just lecturing and listing
facts, but the student has to actively be a part
of the learning

7.  “Teachers should engage students by providing
activities that guide students and create opportunities
for discussion or for using the Socratic method of
learning” (Shelley 379)
 With and without technology, the teacher would have
the student doing hands-on activities, such as using
online programs to help them solve math or reading
problems
 They may also have their students construct things to
take measurements of and understand what they are
building right in front of them
 Finally, teachers will teach by having the students “do”
rather than “hear or see”

8.  With and without technology, students will use
critical thinking skills while analyzing a
problem
 They may also create their own understanding
of a problem to help them better understand it
 Students will complete a project step-by-step
and analyze each part of it
 Finally, they will have their teacher available in
case they need assistance, but the more they
work on their own, the more information they
will absorb

9.  I would definitely prefer Constructivism to any of the
other learning theories
 It allows the students to have a lot more hands on
assignments instead of having to listen to me lecture
on-and-on every class
 Constructivism allows the teacher and student to
expand their knowledge by exchanging ideas and
working to solve the problem
 I think the students would be much better off by
being a more active learner and it would not only
benefit their level of interest, but also their level of
knowledge
 I plan to have a lot of projects and in class activities
so that students don’t have to just constantly listen
to me talk

10.  Atherton, J. S.. "Constructivism in Learning." Learning and
Teaching Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2011.
 Boeree, C. George. "Personality Theories: Jean Piaget." My
Webspace Files. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2011.
 "Constructivism." Learning Theories - Knowledge Base and
Webliography. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2011.
 Shelly, Gary B., Glenda A. Gunter, and Randolph E. Gunter.
"Learning Theories and Educational Research." Teachers
Discovering Computers: Integrating Technology and
Digital Media in the Classroom. 6th ed. Boston, Mass.:
Course Technology, 2010. 376-382. Print.
 "Stage Theory of Cognitive Development (Piaget)" Learning
Theories. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2011.
 "The Mozart of Psychology: Lev Semenovich Vygotsky."
Afraid.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2011.

11. Thank you for listening 