Constructivist

Learning Theory

Group one
What is learning and what do the learner
specifically learn?
► "Constructivism is an approach to learning that based on the idea that
people actively construct or make their own knowledge. Basically,
learners use their previous knowledge as a foundation and build on it
with new things that they learn.

What dose learner’s learn ?

❖ Thinking, producing ideas.
❖ Reaching information through their own efforts.
❖ Constructing knowledge based on prior learning (readiness).
❖ Doing and experiencing.
❖ Questioning, producing answers/solutions, searching & discovering.
How do the learners learn and how is the teaching process
planned (what teaching methods are favored and why?)
The constructivist method is composed of at least five stages:
Engage: Teachers must engage students in their lessons in order for them to learn.
By guiding group discussions, asking students to explain, and working groups.

Explore: Students inquire, work together, form hypotheses, learn new

ideas on their own before coming together as a whole class. Students use
textbooks, the internet, scientific instruments, to explore new concepts.

Explain: The student will define and explain the current concept using
their own words. they will support each other by sharing their ideas,
observations, questions, and hypotheses.

Elaborate: Students will expand their learning on the concepts by making

connections to related concepts and applying their understanding .

Evaluate: Constructivism encourages teachers to assess their students

learning on an ongoing basis. 
How do the learners learn and how is the teaching process
planned (what teaching methods are favored and why?)
Developing KSA (Knowledge, Skill, Attitudes)
► K: Knowledge “know what?” Mind
► S: Skill “Represent the know-how?” Hand
► A: Attitudes “ good attitude” Heart
How is the learning assessed and evaluated and by whom?
Assessment of learning is designed to make judgments about student achievement of
knowledge and/or skills at a given point of time.

1- Assessment is a formative rather than a 2- Assessment is a ongoing process

summative.

Its purpose is to improve the quality of Teachers get feedback from

student learning students of their learning.
NOT
to provide evidence for evaluating or
grading students.
Teachers then complete the loop
Assessment has to respond to the particular by providing students with
needs and characteristics of the teachers, feedback on the results of the
students and science content. assessment and suggestions for
improving learning.
Assessment is context-specific: what works
well in one class will not necessarily work in
another.
Constructivist Assessment Tools

Alternative assessment approaches are needed in assessing both

learning process and learning product.

Different constructivist tools are applied to assess students’ cognition, achievement

and their progress. Some of main tools are :

Concept
Portfolio Rubrics
Map
1. Concept map
It is a visual representation of concepts and the relationships between them

Concept maps have their roots in the cognitive theory of Ausubel (1963) that
was part of the constructivism movement in educational psychology.

Ways of assessing
• A careful assessment of how much
student have learned.

• Displays new knowledge acquisition

more effectively than traditional
expository methods such as essay
writing.

concepts = box (enclosed spaces)

connecting line (links) = The Relationships
2-Portfolio
It is a running record of students’ writing performance overtime.
It pays more attention to students’ prior learning, their problem solving skills
and their collaborative learning.

It is a living proof to show students themselves how much

they have done or they haven’t done.

It consists of multiple aspects to express writing.

open-ended problem solving, critical thinking, analyzing,
and reasoning.

Portfolio assessment could be used formatively to enhance

assessment for learning in the classroom.
3-Rubrics
Rubrics is a authentic assessment tool used to measure students’ work. It is a
scoring tool for subjective assessments.

Rubrics are guidelines that

enable the assessment Why use Rubric
process of communicating
∙ Rubrics help students and teachers define
expectations; providing
"quality."
focused ongoing feedback;
and grading. ∙ When students use rubrics regularly to judge
their own work, they begin to accept more
responsibility.
∙ Rubrics reduce the time teachers spend grading
student work.
∙ Parents find rubrics useful when helping with
homework. As one teacher says: "They know
exactly what their child needs to do to be
successful."
Assessment Process:
Assessment process in a constructivist class room are as follows:

A) self assessment B) Peer assessment C) Collaborative assessment

It is a process by which students:
1) Monitor and evaluate the
quality of their thinking and
behavior when learning.
2) Identify strategies that improve
their understanding and skills.
it involves students providing
feedback to other students on the
quality of their work.
Peer assessment requires students
to provide either feedback or
grades (or both) to their peers on
a product or a performance.
It is a problem-solving process,
that can be used as an
alternative to psychological
evaluation.
It draws from the ideas and
techniques of narrative therapy
as well as those of individualized
psychological assessment.

Learning
Self-judgme targets and
nt instructional
correctives

Self- Motivation
how are learners, teachers and their roles viewed ?
Teacher Role Leaner Role

✔ To facilitate discussion ✔ In knowledge building

✔ Teacher is only a guideance • Must have the goal of
✔ Should focus on: improving the quality of ideas

• Modeling • Able to discuss ideas

Behavioral and cognitive: how to • Everyone in the group must

perform the activity and for what contribute
reasons ✔ In the Classroom
• Coaching • Must be actively engaged
Good coaching motivate learners • Responsible for their own
• Scaffolding learning

Provides framework to support • Should give their opinions and

learning views
how are learners, teachers and their roles viewed ?

► Knowledge will be shared between teachers and students.

► Teachers and students will share authority

► The teacher's role is one of a facilitator or a guide.

► Learning groups will consist of small numbers of

heterogeneous student
Advantages of constructivist learning

► Active involvement: Students learn more and enjoy learning more when they
are actively involved
► Develops critical thinking skills
► Real world connections: constructivism is grounded in authentic, real-world
learning activities
► Collaborative learning: Constructivism promotes social and communication
skills
► WIN-WIN-WIN: Students win by deepening their knowledge; teachers win by
having classrooms of engaged learners; Administrators win with higher test
scores and happy teachers
Comparison of constructivist learning
Traditional Classroom Constructivist Classroom
1-Student primarily works alone. 1- Students primarily work in groups.

2-Curriculum is presented part to 2-Curriculum is presented whole to

whole, with emphasis on basic skills. part with emphasis on the big
concept.
3-Students are viewed as blank slates 3-Students are viewed as thinkers
with emerging theories about the
4- Teachers generally behave in a world
didactic manner 4-Teachers generally behave as
facilitators
5-Teachers seek the correct answers
to validate students lessons 5-Teachers seek the student's point
of view in order to understand
student learning for use later on.
6-Assessment of student learning is
viewed as separate from teaching 6- Assessment of student learning is
and occurs almost entirely through interwoven with teaching and occurs
testing through teacher observation of
students at work and through
exhibitions and portfolios