Why use constructivist approach

People only deeply understand what they have constructed. A constructivist approach to learning and instruction has been proposed as an alternative to the objectivist model, which is implicit in all behaviorist and some cognitive approaches to education.

Objectivism sees knowledge as a passive reflection of the external, objective reality. This implies a process of "instruction," ensuring that the learner gets correct information. The psychological roots of constructivism began with the developmental work of Jean Piaget — , who developed a theory the theory of genetic epistemology that analogized the development of the mind to evolutionary biological development and highlighted the adaptive function of cognition.

Piaget proposed four stages in human development: the sensorimotor stage, the preoperational stage, the concrete operational stage, and the formal operational stage. For Piaget, the development of human intellect proceeds through adaptation and organization. Adaptation is a process of assimilation and accommodation, where external events are assimilated into existing understanding, but unfamiliar events, which don't fit with existing knowledge, are accommodated into the mind, thereby changing its organization.

Countless studies have demonstrated—or tried to discredit—Piaget's developmental stages. For example, it has become clear that most adults use formal operations in only a few domains where they have expertise. Nonetheless, Piaget's hypothesis that learning is a transformative rather than a cumulative process is still central.

Children do not learn a bit at a time about some issue until it finally comes together as understanding. Instead, they make sense of whatever they know from the very beginning. This understanding is progressively reformed as new knowledge is acquired, especially new knowledge that is incompatible with their previous understanding. This transformative view of learning has been greatly extended by neo-Piagetian research. The Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky's — relevance to constructivism derives from his theories about language, thought, and their mediation by society.

Vygotsky held the position that the child gradually internalizes external and social activities, including communication, with more competent others. Although social speech is internalized in adulthood it becomes thinking , Vygotsky contended that it still preserves its intrinsic collaborative character. In his experiments, Vygotsky studied the difference between the child's reasoning when working independently versus reasoning when working with a more competent person.

He devised the notion of the zone of proximal development to reflect on the potential of this difference. Vygotsky's findings suggested that learning environments should involve guided interactions that permit children to reflect on inconsistency and to change their conceptions through communication. Vygotsky's work has since been extended in the situated approach to learning. Vygotsky and Piaget's theories are often contrasted to each other in terms of individual cognitive constructivism Piaget and social constructivism Vygotsky.

Some researchers have tried to develop a synthesis of these approaches, though some, such as Michael Cole and James Wertsch, argue that the individual versus social orientation debate is over-emphasized. To them, the real difference rests on the contrast between the roles of cultural artifacts. For Vygotsky, such artifacts play a central role, but they do not appear in Piaget's theories. For the American philosopher and educator John Dewey — , education depended on action—knowledge and ideas emerge only from a situation in which learners have to draw out experiences that have meaning and importance to them.

Dewey argued that human thought is practical problem solving, which proceeds by testing rival hypotheses. These problem-solving experiences occur in a social context, such as a classroom, where students join together in manipulating materials and observing outcomes.

Dewey invented the method of progressive education in North America. In summary, Piaget contributed the idea of transformation in learning and development; Vygotsky contributed the idea that learning and development were integrally tied to communicative interactions with others; and Dewey contributed the idea that schools had to bring real world problems into the school curriculum.

There are a number of competing constructivist views in education. Constructivists tend to celebrate complexity and multiple perspectives, though they do share at least a few educational prescriptions. Prior knowledge.

Constructivists believe that prior knowledge impacts the learning process. In trying to solve novel problems, perceptual or conceptual similarities between existing knowledge and a new problem can remind people of what they already know. This is often one's first approach towards solving novel problems. Information not connected with a learner's prior experiences will be quickly forgotten. In short, the learner must actively construct new information into his or her existing mental framework for meaningful learning to occur.

For example, Rosalind Driver has found that children's understanding of a phenomenon interpretations that fit their experiences and expectations differ from scientific explanations. This means that students distinguish school science from their "real world" explanations.

Studies of adult scientific thinking reveal that many adults hold non-normative scientific explanations, even though they have studied science. This is what the philosopher Alfred Whitehead — referred to as inert knowledge. Asking students what they already know about a topic and what puzzles them affords an opportunity to assess children's prior knowledge and the processes by which they will make sense of phenomena.

When the student selects the button, a new tab will open with the link. Metacognition is an important skill in the classroom and in the workforce. And when we provide students with time and space to be aware of their own knowledge and their own thinking, student ownership increases.

Example: Ask the student to reflect on how their opinion has changed after learning more about a certain topic. In addition, there are many constructivist pedagogical practices that you can use to frame your lessons. Here are a few:. Adding constructivist activities to your lesson will be a great way to make more active experiences, promotes student agency, and develop advanced skills such as critical thinking, analysis, evaluation, and creation. She is passionate about creating learning experiences that give students the best opportunity to succeed.

Grace Dover Feb 28, 4 min read. It promotes student agency. It develops advanced skills such as critical thinking, analysis, evaluation, and creation. It promotes diverse viewpoints. It encourages students to reflect, evaluate their work, and identify intermediary skills to acquire based on their needs. The following suggestions would, by no means, result in a fully constructivist lesson, but they could make an activity more constructivist in nature: 5 Ways to Employ Constructivist Activities 1.

Ask students to construct their own definition Provide materials they can use to build their definition, such as words and images that illustrate feelings, reactions, and concepts. Oxford review of education, 27 1 , Honebein, P. Seven goals for the design of constructivist learning environments. Constructivist learning environments : Case studies in instructional design, Oliver, K.

Methods for developing constructivism learning on the web. Educational Technology, 40 6. Phillips, D. The good, the bad, and the ugly: The many faces of constructivism. Educational researcher, 24 7 , Tam, M. Educational Technology and Society, 3 2. Teaching Guide for GSIs. Learning: Theory and Research Piaget and the radical constructivist epistemology. Epistemology and education , A radical constructivist view of basic mathematical concepts.

Constructing mathematical knowledge: Epistemology and mathematics education, Vygotsky, L. Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. McLeod, S. Constructivism as a theory for teaching and learning. Simply Psychology. Toggle navigation. Theories Constructivism Constructivism as a theory for teaching and learning Constructivism as a theory for teaching and learning By Saul McLeod , published What is constructivism?

Constructivist Theories. Knowledge is constructed, rather than innate, or passively absorbed. Learning is an active process.