Constructivism Learning Theory: A Paradigm for Teaching and Learning
by Yvon Cano- Fullido
Constructivism is basically a theory which is based on observation and scientific study, about how people learn. It says that people construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world, through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences (Bereiter, 1994). When we encounter something new, we have to reconcile it with our previous ideas and experience, maybe changing what we believe, or maybe discarding the new information as irrelevant. In any case, we are active creators of our own knowledge. To do this, we must ask questions, explore, and assess what we know.In the classroom, the constructivist view of learning can point towards a number of different teaching practices. In the most general sense, it usually means encouraging students to use active techniques (experiments, real-world problem solving) to create more knowledge and then to reflect on and talk about what they are doing and h ow their understanding is changing. The teacher makes sure he/she understands the students’ preexisting conceptions, and guides the activity to address them and then build on them (Oliver, 2000).”
Bada, S. O., & Olusegun, S. (2015). Constructivism learning theory: A paradigm for teaching and learning. Journal of Research & Method in Education, 5(6), 66-70.
E-Learning and Constructivism: From Theory to Application
by Koohang, A., Riley, L., Smith, T., & Schreurs, J.
Entrenched in learning theories advanced by Dewey (1916), Piaget (1972), Vygotsky (1978) and Bruner (1990), constructivism learning theory is defined as active construction of new knowledge based on a learner’s prior experience. Woolfolk (1993, p. 485) states the following:
… The key idea is that students actively construct their own knowledge: the mind of the student mediates input from the outside world to determine what the student will learn. Learning is active mental work, not passive reception of teaching.
Koohang, A., Riley, L., Smith, T., & Schreurs, J. (2009). E-learning and constructivism: From theory to application. Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects, 5(1), 91-109.
Constructivist Learning Theory
by Prof. George E. Hein
Principles of learning
What are some guiding principles of constructivist thinking that we must keep in mind when we consider our role as educators? I will outline a few ideas, all predicated on the belief that learning consists of individuals’ constructed meanings and then indicate how they influence museum education.
- Learning is an active process in which the learner uses sensory input and constructs meaning out of it. The more traditional formulation of this idea involves the terminology of the active learner (Dewey’s term) stressing that the learner needs to do something; that learning is not the passive acceptance of knowledge which exists “out there” but that learning involves the learner s engaging with the world. 7
- People learn to learn as they learn: learning consists both of constructing meaning and constructing systems of meaning. For example, if we learn the chronology of dates of a series of historical events, we are simultaneously learning the meaning of a chronology. Each meaning we construct makes us better able to give meaning to other sensations which can fit a similar pattern. 8
- The crucial action of constructing meaning is mental: it happens in the mind. Physical actions, hands-on experience may be necessary for learning, especially for children, but it is not sufficient; we need to provide activities which engage the mind as well as the hands.9 (Dewey called this reflective activity.)
- Learning involves language: the language we use influences learning. On the empirical level. researchers have noted that people talk to themselves as they learn. On a more general level. there is a collection of arguments, presented most forcefully by Vigotsky, that language and learning are inextricably intertwined. 10 This point was clearly emphasized in Elaine Gurain’s reference to the need to honor native language in developing North American exhibits. The desire to have material and programs in their own language was an important request by many members of various Native American
communities. - Learning is a social activity: our learning is intimately associated with our connection with other human beings, our teachers, our peers, our family as well as casual acquaintances, including the people before us or next to us at the exhibit. We are more likely to be successful in our efforts to educate if we recognize this principle rather than try to avoid it. Much of traditional education, as Dewey pointed out, is directed towards isolating the learner from all social interaction, and towards seeing education as a one-onone relationship between the learner and the objective material to be learned. In contrast, progressive education (to continue to use Dewey’s formulation) recognizes the social aspect of learning and uses conversation, interaction with others, and the application of
knowledge as an integral aspect of learning. 11 - Learning is contextual: we do not learn isolated facts and theories in some abstract ethereal land of the mind separate from the rest of our lives: we learn in relationship to what else we know, what we believe, our prejudices and our fears. 12 On reflection, it
becomes clear that this point is actually a corollary of the idea that learning is active and social. We cannot divorce our learning from our lives. 13 - One needs knowledge to learn: it is not possible to assimilate new knowledge without having some structure developed from previous knowledge to build on. 14 The more we know, the more we can learn. Therefore any effort to teach must be connected to the state
of the learner, must provide a path into the subject for the learner based on that learner’s previous knowledge. 15 - It takes time to learn: learning is not instantaneous. For significant learning we need to revisit ideas, ponder them try them out, play with them and use them. This cannot happen in the 5-10 minutes usually spent in a gallery (and certainly not in the few seconds usually spent contemplating a single museum object.) If you reflect on anything you have learned, you soon realize that it is the product of repeated exposure and thought. Even, or especially, moments of profound insight, can be traced back to longer periods of
preparation. - Motivation is a key component in learning. Not only is it the case that motivation helps learning, it is essential for learning. This ideas of motivation as described here is broadly conceived to include an understanding of ways in which the knowledge can be used. Unless we know “the reasons why”, we may not be very involved in using the knowledge that may be instilled in us. even by the most severe and direct teaching. 16
Hein, G. E. (1991). Constructivist learning theory. Institute for Inquiry. Available at:/http://www. exploratorium. edu/ifi/resources/constructivistlearning. htmlS.
Evolution Of Constructivism
by Liu, C. C., & Chen, I. J.
In the 1990s, Taiwan began to develop a series of educational reforms in the form of decrees concerning teacher qualification, teaching, curriculum, textbooks, and finance to address the needs of the
educational system. In 1993, constructivism theory was first introduced in the curriculum standard for mathematics at the elementary level. This theory was stopped in 2003 after the learners whose math was taught on
the first year of utilizing constructivism theory entered high school and couldn’t achieve the academic achievement as those who were educated in traditional classrooms. Debates about using constructivism theory in math arose as a result.
Liu, C. C., & Chen, I. J. (2010). Evolution of constructivism. Contemporary issues in education research, 3(4), 63-66.
Learning Theories Use and Relationships in Computing Education Research
by Szabo, C., & Sheard, J.
In recent times, constructivism has become the leading philosophical position on learning. Constructivism builds upon the ideas of Piaget [134], who proposed that learning is individually constructed. The central tenet of constructivism is that knowledge is not passively received but is actively built up by the cognising subject [182]. In the constructivist view, learners build knowledge upon their existing knowledge and the knowledge that they construct is shaped by what they already know. Learning involves events both internal and external to the learner and the learner is necessarily an active participant in the learning process. Building on the ideas of constructivism is constructionism which holds central the tenet that learning happens efectively when the learner is actively engaged in construction of tangible objects [4]. Kolb’s [93] experiential learning theory is closely connected with constructionism.
Szabo, C., & Sheard, J. (2022). Learning Theories Use and Relationships in Computing Education Research. ACM Transactions on Computing Education (TOCE).