Constructivism is a theory of learning that suggests learners construct knowledge based on their experiences. It is based on the idea that learning occurs as learners are actively involved in a process of meaning and knowledge construction rather than passively receiving information. Key figures in constructivism include Piaget, Bruner, Vygotsky, and Dewey. Constructivist teaching strategies include identifying student entry points, structuring experiences to build understanding, using projects to relate to real-life experiences, and monitoring student understanding rather than assessing right/wrong answers.

1. CONSTRUCTIVISM
A. Hutton, A. Warren, J. Scarborough

2. Constructivism
Five Tenets of Constructivism
THE
CONSTRUCTI
VE THEORY • How might students entry points be identified?
IS BASED • What is involved in structuring the experiences
UPON THE that will build bridges from present
IDEA THAT understanding to new understanding?
THE • How might the selection of projects pose
LEARNER questions that relate to students' real-life
“CONSTRUCT experiences?
S” WHAT IT IS • What are the major concepts that students
THEY should understand?
UNDERSTAN
D.
• How might we move from right/wrong to
monitoring students' understanding?

3. Key People: Jean Piaget
 Piaget was a Swiss psychologist who studied
human development in the 20s. Dewey introduced
Constructivism, but Piaget further developed it.
Piaget stated that children have a holistic
approach to learning, focusing on the various
channels such as reading, writing, listening, etc.
 Children go through four stages of learning:
 Birth to age 2: sensorimotor, or using both
sensory and motor skills to explore things
 Age 2 to age 7: preoperational, or using
symbols and responding to things as they
see them
 Age 7 to age 11: concrete operational, or
beginning to think logically
 Age 11 to age 14: formal operational, or
beginning to think about thinking with
abstract and systematic thinking.
 The learner is then advanced through three
mechanisms: assimilation, accommodation, and
equilibrium

4. Key People: Jerome Bruner
 Bruner was an American psychologist who
believed that learning is an active process
in which the learner constructs new ideas
or concepts based on his current or past
knowledge; learn by participation.
 He developed the framework for
cognition, in which students learn by
building on past knowledge, changing and
shaping what they already know to fit the
new information.
 Bruner also encouraged spiral curriculum
and organization of curriculum that allows
students to build on what they've already
learned.
 The Socratic Method was developed by
Bruner as well. Using this, teachers
engage students which forces them to
answer their own questions by thinking
critically, discussing, and finding ways to
back up their findings.

5. Key People: Lev Vygotsky
 Lev Vygotsky was a Russian educational psychologist who
focused on child cognitive development. He created many
theories and concepts on learning.
 Social Cognition learning is significantly impacted by
social development. Learning takes place in a child's
social development and culture. Socializing ultimately
produces consciousness and cognition.
 Zone of Proximal Development refers to the difference
between a child's ability to solve problems and his
potential to learn from an older or more advanced
person, such as a teacher.
 Collaborative Learning puts emphasis on close
instruction between a student and a teacher, or
students together. This gives support for group
projects, so that students can bounce ideas off of each
other to learn and understand better than they can on
their own.
 Scaffolding is helpful when learning takes place in a
social setting. New information builds a scaffold for the
student to work with so that he can develop his own
set of knowledge based off of the information that has
been presented to him.

6. Key People: John Dewey
 John Dewey was not only an American
educational psychologist, but a
philosopher, and activist for instruction
centered around the child. His beliefs
were similar to Vygotsky in that he
thought education should be a social
process.
 Dewey was a forward thinking man
whose ideas on education favored well
rounded, practical education.
 Progressive education was a
movement Dewey took great part
in. It emphasized teaching children
not facts, but educating them
physically, and socially as well.
 Pragmatism was another movement
Dewey has been linked to. It
stressed that theories are only
valuable for their practical
applications.
 Many progressive American schools
were founded by John Dewey.

7. Classroom Implications on Constructivism
What the Teacher Does What the Students Do
 Behave  Work in groups
interactively, mediating the
student’s interactions  Are encouraged to ask
 Seek the student's point of questions
view rather than the correct  Students become more
answer
actively engaged with
 Teachers in constructivist technology than in a normal
classrooms with technology
can let students learn classroom setting and can
different things at the same learn different things at the
time, increasing the zone of same time.
proximal development.

8. What We Think About Constructivism
As far as teaching in my own classroom, it's important as an English Language Arts
teacher to allow your students to ask questions and mention their own points of view.
Having a constructivist classroom increases their willingness to do so, therefore making
the lesson more effective and interesting for all. Constructivism also plays on parts of the
student's minds that may not have been used as effectively before. Not only does this
make for more interesting discussions, but it also opens up new areas of their mind that
can be used in future learning. I definitely plan to use constructivism in some way in my
classroom.
- A. Hutton
This is a perfect way of teaching in my I became interested in teaching because
own classroom, because it demands my I wanted to inspire thought within my
students' attention and they cannot help students. With some of the theories of
but learn something because they are constructivism I can get my students to
actively pursuing answers. actively participate and use their minds.
- J. Scarborough -A. Warren

9. Credits
 Shelly, Gary, Glenda Gunter, and Randolph Gunter.
Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the
Classroom. Sixth Edition. Boston: Course
Technology, 2010. 376-382. Print.
 "Constructivism Theorists." The San Francisco State
University. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov 2011.
<http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~foreman/itec800/finalprojects
/eitankaplan/pages/theorists.htm
 Photographs retrieved from Google:
 http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/piaget.html
 http://www.phillwebb.net/topics/human/Bruner/Bruner.
htm
 http://01.edu-
cdn.com/files/static/g/pcl_0001_0002_0_img0146.jpg
 http://dewey.pragmatism.org/dewey.gif