CONSTRUCTIVIST

APPROACH TO
TEACHING AND
LEARNING
Created By Christy F.
Constructivist Approach
to Teaching and Learning
 Overview of Constructivism

 Theorists supporting Constructivism

 How Constructivism is Applied in the

Classroom

 My Constructivist Classroom
Overview of Constructivism
 The theory of constructivism is an
approach to learning suggesting that
children must construct their own
understandings of the world in which they
live.
 In comparison to behaviorism, the learner
is not a blank slate (tabula rasa), but
instead brings past experiences and
cultural factors to a situation and new
information is constructed from prior
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knowledge.
Overview of Constructivism
 Learners construct their own
understanding and knowledge of the world
through experiencing things and reflecting
on those experiences.
 Learning is an active, contextualized
process of constructing knowledge rather
than acquiring it.
 Information must be mentally acted
on, manipulated, and transformed by
learners in order to have meaning.Main Menu
Theorists Supporting
Constructivism
 Jean Piaget (1896-1980):
 Stages of Cognitive Development
 John Dewey (1859-1952):
 Progressive Education
 Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934):
 Social Development Theory
 Jerome Bruner (1915 -)
 Discovery Learning Theory

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Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive
Development
 Piaget proposed that cognitive development
followed an invariant sequence from infancy
through adolescence.

 His particular insight was the role of

maturation in children's increasing capacity to
understand their world: they cannot undertake
certain tasks until they are psychologically
mature enough to do so.

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Piaget’s Four Stages of Cognitive
Development
 Sensori-motor
(Birth-2 yrs) Differentiates self from objects Recognizes
self as agent of action and begins to act intentionally:
e.g. pulls a string to set mobile in motion or shakes a
rattle to make a noise.
Achieves object permanence: realizes that things
continue to exist even when no longer present or seen.
 Pre-operational
(2-7 years) Learns to use language and to represent
objects by images and words. Thinking is still
egocentric: has difficulty taking the viewpoint of others.
Classifies objects by a single feature: e.g. groups
together all the red blocks regardless of shape or all the
square blocks regardless of color.
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Piaget’s Four Stages of Cognitive
Development
 Concrete operational
(7-11 years) Can think logically about objects and
events. Achieves conservation of number (age
6), mass (age 7), and weight (age 9).
Classifies objects according to several features and
can order them in series along a single dimension
such as size.
 Formal operational
(11 years and up) Can think logically about abstract
propositions and test hypotheses
systematically. Becomes concerned with the
hypothetical, the future, and ideological problems.

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How Constructivism is Applied in the
Classroom
 Teachers should have lessons where “hands-
on” experimentation, problem solving, logical
reasoning, and authentic learning are
emphasized.

 Teachers should generally behave in an

interactive manner mediating the environment
for students where student questions are
highly valued.
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How Constructivism is Applied in the
Classroom
 Teachers should seek the student's point of
view in order to understand student learning
for use in subsequent lessons.

 Assessment of student learning should be

interwoven with teaching and occur through
teacher observation of students at work and
through presentations and portfolios.

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My Constructivist Classroom

 In order to follow the principles behind

constructive cognitive development I will
incorporate the following strategies in my
classroom:

 Providescaffolding to extend student’s Zone of

Proximal Development

 Involvestudents in activities which engage the

mind as well as the hands.
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My Constructivist Classroom
Continued:
 Have students work in groups often

 Initiate
group discussions and debates allowing
students to share their own thoughts and opinions

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