2. Key Points to Constructivism:
Students learn through their own experiences
Teachers guide/steer students in the right direction
Students use critical-thinking skills
“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I
understand” – Confucius
3. Key Contributors to Constructivism
John Dewey Lev Vygotsky
1859-1952 1896-1934
Jean Piaget Jerome Bruner
1896-1980 1915-present
4. Jean Piaget
Gave insight into the role of maturation in children’s increasing
understanding
Proposed that at certain key ages, children’s thinking moves into totally
new areas.
Developed a concept that placed children into one of four categories:
Sensorimotor Birth-2 yrs
Preoperational 2-7 yrs
Concrete Operational 7-11
Formal Operational 11 and up
Two of the most well-known areas of Piaget’s work relating to learning
theories are assimilation and accommodation.
Assimilation: the incorporation of new information into the mind
without “changing the structure of the internal world”
Accommodation: adjusting the ideas held in your mind to fit the
world around you
Today there is growing evidence that Piaget’s four stages, which assume that
no matter how smart a child is, he cannot understand things a certain
way, are too rigidly structured and at least partially incorrect.
5. John Dewey
Known as the Father of Progressivism or Father of American Education
Believed students should master the scientific method and use it to face the world around them
(1) Become aware of the problem (2) define it (3) propose various hypothesis to solve it (4) examine the
consequences of each hypothesis in the light of the previous experience (5) test the most likely solution
Encouraged educators to use creative methods to teach their students in ways that would combine concrete
and practical relevance to the students’ life
His outlook was highly debated. Some saw him as a Hero
Eight-Year Study was conducted to see which educational approach was more effective
Found that graduates of progressive schools
1. Earned a slightly higher grade point average
2. Earned higher grades in all fields except foreign language
3. Tended to specialize in the same fields as more traditional students
4. Received slightly more academic honors
5. Were judged to be more objective and more precise thinkers
6. Were judged to possess higher intellectual curiosity and greater drive
Some felt he was destroying U.S. schools with claims that his curriculum was not academically sound
Started the University Elementary School or Laboratory School with Student-directed with a teacher serving
as a guide for resources
6. Jerome Bruner
Bruner felt that the teacher’ role should be to encourage students through exploration
and inquiry.
Proposed that learning is an active process in which the learner constricts new ideas or
concepts based on his current or past knowledge.
Believes that constructivist learners are participatory learners who are actively engaged in
the learning process.
His constructivist theory provides a framework for instruction based on the study of
cognition.
The theory of cognition suggests that students pass through different intellectual stages.
Curriculum should be organized in a spiral manner so students continually build upon
what they already have learned called Spiral Curriculum.
Believed teachers should provide activities to guide students, and create opportunities for
discussion or for using the Socratic method of learning.
Socratic method- when students learn how to analyze problems, to think critically
about their own point of view and thee view of others, and how to articulate and
defend their position.
7. Lev Vygotsky
Russian educational psychologist
Developed what is known as Social Cognition
Believed that learning was influenced by social development
Proposed that children have a Zone of Proximal Development
The difference between the problem-solving ability that a child has
learned and the potential that the child can achieve from collaboration
with a more advanced person
He theorized that Collaborative Learning, or learning
concepts with an adult or advanced child would give a better
understanding of the material
He also proposed Scaffolding which is altering schemata to
build learning experiences from each students level of
development
8. Implications of Constructivism
For Students For Teachers
the students accomplish learning the teacher is a facilitator of
more independently
the students become highly learning
motivated to learn the teacher is the guide for the
the students have the responsibility students
to use technology to learn
the students have the opportunity to the teacher encourages the
explore internet and technological students to think for themselves
possibilities
the students are not as limited on the teacher is responsible for
how they use technology to learn being aware of available
the students are held responsible for technology
improper use of technology and the
internet the teachers educate students on
internet and computer safety
9. In Conclusion:
We all agree that if used
responsibly, constructivism can be a
very useful learning theory for creating
motivated learners. In fact many of us
wish that we had more teachers who
followed this learning theory. By
allowing the children the opportunity to
learn through their own experiences
while you the teacher are guiding
them, you are giving them a tool they
can use throughout their lifetime.
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.
Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a
lifetime.” Chinese Proverb
10. Credits
Information for presentation from:
•Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom
(Sixth Edition)
http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/piaget.htm
http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/assimacc.htm
Illustrations:
http://piagetpedagogia2010.blogspot.com
http://caritoandjoha.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/principales-autores
http://cvbwebquest.wordpress.com/lev-vygotsky
http://rollins.edu/125/pointsofpride/5.html
