MODULE 5: CONSTRUCTIVIST LEARNING THEORIES

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

 explain the major features of the constructivist learning theories
 cite the implications of the constructivist learning theories in teaching and
learning

“The essence of creativity is figuring out how to use what you already know in order to go
beyond what you already think.” - Jerome Bruner

Constructivism lies on the premise that learning is an active process. When given
the proper guidance and learning environment, learners can create representations of the
objective reality. They are not empty vessels to be filled up but they can construct
knowledge when new information is linked to their prior knowledge.

Coming from the works of Piaget and Vygotsky, the constructivist theory of learning
posits that learners derive meaning and form concepts out of their own experiences. In the
process, they reflect on the experience and create new understanding from a new
experience. If the experience is related to the previous one, a learner revises the knowledge
and understanding and discards whatever information is deemed irrelevant.

Using questioning, exploring and assessing, the learner constructs, reconstructs or

reorganizes knowledge, thus becoming an active creator of knowledge and understanding.
For instance, a small child who touches the flame of a candle soon realizes that it is hot, that
touching it, hurts. From that experience, the child learns that the flame is hot, it can burn
the skin. With this realization, the child avoids and no longer attempts to touch a lighted
candle again. These concepts are derived from the child’s personal experiences.

A. BRUNER’S CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY

Jerome S. Bruner (an American psychologist, 1915-

2016) believes that learners are active in learning where
they can create new ideas or concepts using their past
knowledge about things, events or situations. They can
select information, transform them into new ones, add up
to them to make decisions or create new sets of
understanding.
When properly guided and motivated, they can go
beyond the information given to them. This is a time when
learner’s creativity on concept formation is made evident
because they are given opportunities to make hypotheses
goodreads.com and tests them for further discovery.

“Learners are encouraged to discover facts and relationships for themselves.”

- Jerome Bruner -

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BRUNER’S MAIN CONCEPTS
1. Representation of Knowledge
Bruner suggested the ability to represent knowledge develops in three stages. These
three stages also become the three ways to represent knowledge:
1. Enactive representation (action-based). At the earliest stages, children learn
about the world through actions on physical objects and outcomes of these actions.
Children represent objects in terms of their immediate sensation of them. They are
represented in the muscles and involve motor responses, or ways to manipulate the
environment (i.e. riding a bicycle and tying a knot, tasting the apple). For example, a baby
when asked “where is the bird?” would point to the sky. Since the baby cannot put into
words his knowledge of a bird, he or she does this by the action of pointing.
2. Iconic representation (picture-based). This second stage is when learning can be
obtained using models and pictures. The learner can now use mental images to stand for
objects or events. Iconic representation allows one to recognoze objects when they are
changed in minor ways (e.g. mountains with and without snow at the top). That is why
books of preschool and elementary learners are filled with pictures and teachers show a lot
of visual aids to concretize learning.
3. Symbolic representation (language-based). In this third stage, the learner has
developed the ability to think in abstract terms. This uses symbol system to encode
knowledge. The most common symbol systems are language and mathematical notation.
High school and college students can read and understand printed text and other textual
media since they are now capable of abstraction.

Bruner advised that teachers utilize and bring together concrete, pictorial then
symbolic activities to facilitate learning. Before children can comprehend abstract
mathematical operations, teachers can first have the numbers represented enactively (with
blocks) and then, iconically (in pictures). Children can later on handle number concepts
without concrete objects and only with numbers and number signs (symbolic).

2. Categorization
Bruner gave much attention to categorization of information in the construction of
internal cognitive maps. He believed that perception, conceptualization, learning, decision-
making, and making inferences all involved categorization. Categories are “rules” that
specify four things about objects.
A. Criterial attibutes - required characteristics for inclusion of an object in a category.
(Example, for an object to be included in the category “car”, it must have an engine, 4
wheels, and be a possible means of transportation).
B. The second rule prescribes how the criteria attributes are combined.
C. The third rule assigns weight to various properties. (Example, it could be a car
even if a tire was missing, and if it was used for hauling cargo it would be shifted to a
different category of “truck” or perhaps “van”.)
D. The fourth rule sets acceptance limits on attributes. Some attributes can vary
widely, such as color. Others are fixed. (For example, a vehicle without an engine is
not a car. Likewise, a vehicle with only two wheels would not be included in “car”.)

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 There are several kinds of categories:
1. Identity categories - categories include objects based on their attributes or
features.
2. Equivalent categories - provide rules for combining categories. Equivalent can be
determined by affective criteria, which render objects equivalent by emotional
reactions, functional criteria, based on related functions (for example, “car”, “truck”,
“van” could all be combined in an inclusive category called “motor vehicle”), or by
formal criteria, for example by science, law, or cultural agreement. For example, an
apple is still an apple whether it is green, ripe, dried, etc (identity). It is food
(functional), and it is a member of a botanical classification (formal).
3. Coding systems are categories that serve to recognize sensory input. They are
major organizational variables in higher cognitive functioning. Going beyond
immediate sensory data involves making inferences on the basis of related categories.
Related categories form a “coding system”. These are hierarchical arrangements of
related categories.

The principles of Bruner launched the notion that people interpret the world mostly
in terms of similarities and differences. This is a valuable contribution to how individuals
construct their own models or view of the world.

3. Discovery learning
Discovery learning refers to obtaining knowledge for oneself. Teacher plans and
arrange activities in such a way that students search, manipulate, explore and investigate.
Students learn new knowledge relevant to the domain and such general problem-solving
skills as formulating rules, testing and gathering information. Most discovery does not
happen by chance. Students require background preparation. Once students possess
prerequisite knowledge, careful structuring of material allows them to discover important
principles.

4. Theory of Instruction

Bruner (1966) states that a theory of instruction should address four major aspects:
Aspects Bruner’s Beliefs
1. Predisposition - introduced the ideas of “readiness for learning”
to learn - any subject could be taught at any stage of development in a way that
fits the child’s cognitive development
- emphasized social factors and early teachers and parents’ influence
- learning and problem solving emerged out of exploration, part of
teacher’s task is to maintain and direct child’s spontaneous
explorations
2. Structure of - body of knowledge can be structured so that it can be most readily
Knowledge grasped by the the learner
- emphasized the role of structure (relationships among factual
elements and techniques) in learning and how it can be made central
in teaching

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 - structures are usually arranged from simple to complex forms
3. Effective - no one sequencing will fit every learner, but in general, the lesson can
Sequencing be presented in increasing difficulty (spiral way)
- sequencing or lack of it, can make learning easier or more difficult
- spiral curriculum refers to revisiting basic ideas over and over, building
upon them and elaborating to the level of full understanding and
mastery.
4. Reinforcement - rewards and punishment should be selected and paced appropriately
- motivation for learning was investigated
- interest in the subject matter is the best stimulus for learning
- did not like external competitive goals like grades or class ranking

5. Spiral Curriculum
Bruner stressed that teaching should always lead to boosting cognitive development.
Students will not understand the concept if teachers plan to teach it using only the teacher’s
level of understanding. Instruction needs to be anchored on the learners’ cognitive
capabilities. The task of the instructor is to translate information to be learned into a format
appropriate to the learners’ current state of understanding. Curriculum should be organized
in a spiral manner so that the student continually builds upon what they have already
learned.
In a spiral curriculum, teachers must revisit the curriculum by teaching the same
content in different ways depending on students’ developmental levels. This is why certain
topics are initially presented in grade school in a manner appropriate for grade schoolers,
and then the same topic is tackled in high school, but in a much deeper level. Sometimes a
topic can be revisited within the same semester or school year.
Below are the principles of instruction stated by Bruner:
1. Instruction must be concerned with the experiences and contexts that make the
student willing and able to learn (readiness).
2. Instruction must be so structured so that it can be easily grasped by the student
(spiral organization).
3. Instruction should be designed to facilitate extrapolation and/or fill in the gaps
(going beyond the information given).

B. GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY
Gestalt psychology was at the forefront of the cognitive psychology. It served as the
foundation of the cognitive perspective to learning. It considered the mental processes and
products of perception.
Gestalt theory was the initial cognitive response to behaviorism. The word “gestalt”
comes from a German word which means “form”, “pattern”, “shape” or “configuration”.
This theory emphasized the importance of sensory wholes and the dynamic nature of visual
perception. Psychologists Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Kohler and Kurt Koffka studied
perception and concluded that perceivers (learners) were not passive, but rather active.
They suggested that learners do not just collect information as is but they actively process
and restructure data in order to understand it. This is the perceptual process. Factors like
past experiences, needs, attitudes and one’s present situation can affect his perception.

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 Max Wertheimer (1880 - 1943) introduced Gestalt
Psychology in 1912. He was a German psychologist who
believed that the whole is more than just the totality of its
parts. The focus of this theory was on grouping.
When teachers present information or concepts to
the learners, instructional strategies should use the laws
of groupings or Gestalt principles. The strategies a teacher
uses will help the learners to discover if there are
elements hindering them from learning new concepts.
Teachers assist learners in removing these barriers to
learning so that new knowledge can be stored and
effectively used in varied situations.
Gestalt theory looks into an individual’s way of problem solving. A person can solve a
problem if he has a good understanding of the overall or general structure of the problem.
Understanding a problem means knowing and seeing the whole and its parts. This theory
also looks into how people organize their learning by looking at their experiences both inside
and outside the classroom. When the instructions given are related to their experiences,
learning effectively takes place.

Major principles of Gestalt Theory of Learning (Koffka, 2013):

1. The learner should be encouraged to discover the underlying nature of a topic
or problem.
2. Gaps, incongruities, disturbances are essential stimuli for learning.
3. Instruction should be based upon the laws of organization or groupings.

Gestalt theory generates laws (principles) that govern perception:

Law Description Illustration

Elements that are closer together will

Law of Proximity be perceived as a coherent object.
Things near each other appear to be
grouped together

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Elements that look similar will be

Law of Similarity perceived as part of the same form.
Similar things appear to be grouped
together

wairimusensationndperception.weekly.com

We tend to fill the gaps or “close”

Law of Closure the figures we perceive. Incomplete
figures tend to be perceived as
complete

gsce-psychology.fandom.com

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 Individuals have the tendency to
continue contours whenever the
Law of Good elements of the pattern establish an
Continuation implied direction.
Individual elements are linked
together to form a continuous
pattern that makes sense.
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The stimulus is organized into as

Law of Good good a figure as possible.
Pragnanz Every stimulus pattern is seen in such
a way that the resulting structure is
as simple as possible.

lawofux.com
We tend to pay attention and
perceive things in the foreground
Law of first.
Figure/Ground A stimulus will be perceived as
separate from its ground
In the picture, the figure is the vase
(foreground), two persons facing
each other is the ground (white
background) interaction-design.org

Insight Learning
Gestalt psychology adheres to the idea of learning taking place by discovery or insight.
The idea of insight learning was first developed by Wolfgang Kohler in which he describes
experiments with apes where the apes could use boxes and sticks as tools to solve problems.
In the box problem, a banana is attached to the top of a chimpanzee’s cage. The banana is
out of reach but can be reached by climbing upon and jumping from a box. Only one of
Kohler’s apes (Sultan) could solve the problem. A much more difficult problem which
involved the stacking of boxes was introduced by Kohler. This problem required the ape to
stack one box on another, and master gravitational problems by building a stable stack.
Kohler also gave the ape sticks which they used to rake food into the cage. Sultan, Kohler’s
very intelligent ape, was able to master a two-stick problem by inserting one stick into the
end of the other in order to reach the food. In each of these problems, the important
aspect of learning was not reinforcement, but the coordination of thinking to create new
organizations (of materials). Kohler referred to this behavior as insight or discovery
learning.
Kohler proposed the view that insight follows from the characteristics of objects
under consideration. His theory suggested that learning could occur when the individual
perceives the relationships of the elements before him and reorganizes these elements and
comes to a greater understanding or insight. This could occur without reinforcement, and
once it occurs, no review, training, or investigation is necessary. Significantly, insight is not
necessarily observable by another person.

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Gestalt Principles and the Teaching-Learning Process
The six gestalt principles not only influence perception but they also impact on
learning. Other psychologists like Kurt Lewin, expounded on gestalt psychology. His theory
focusing on “life space adhered to gestalt psychology”. He said that an individual has inner
and outer forces that affect his perceptions and also his learning. Inner forces include his
motivation, attitudes and feelings. Outer forces may include the attitude and behavior of
the teacher and classmates. All these forces interact and impact on the person’s learning.
Mario Polito, an Italian psychologist writes about the relevance of geatalt psychology to
education.

Gestalt theory is focused on the experience of contact that occurs in the here
and now. It considers with interest the life space of teachers as well as students. It
takes interest in the complexity of experience, without neglecting anything, but
accepting and amplifying all that emerges. It stimulates learning as experience and
the experience as a source of learning. It appreciates the affections and meaning
that we attribute to what we learn. Knowledge is conceived as a continuous
organisation and rearrangement of information according to needs, purposes and
meanings. It asserts that learning is not accumulation, but remodelling or insight.
Autonomy and freedom of the student is stimulated by the teacher. The time
necessary for assimilation and for cognitive and existential remodelling is respected.
The contact experience between teachers and students is given value: an authentic
meeting based on sharing and affections.

C. AUSUBEL’S MEANINGFUL VERBAL LEARNING/SUBSUMPTION THEORY

David Paul Ausubel’s (an American psychologist

1918-2008) theory is anchored on the theme that
knowledge is hierarchically organized; that the new
information is meaningful to the extent that it can be
related (attached) to what is already known. It is about how
individuals learn large amounts of meaningful material from
verbal/textual presentations in a school setting. He thought
that the primary way of learning was subsumption.

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Subsumption is a process by which the new material is related (linked,

connected) to relevant ideas in the existing relevant structure. What is learned is based on
what is already known (prior knowledge).

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Focus of Ausubel’s Theory
1. The most important factors influencing learning are the quantity, clarity and
organization of the learner’s present knowledge. The present knowledge consists of facts,
concepts, propositions, theories and raw perceptual data that the learner has which are
available to him/her at any point in time. This comprises the learner’s cognitive structure.
2. Meaningful learning takes place when an idea to be learned is related in some
sensible way to ideas that the learner already possesses. Ausubel believed that before the
raw material can be presented effectively, the student’s cognitive structure should be
strengthened. When this is done, acquisition and retention of new information is facilitated.
The way to strengthen the student’s cognitive structure is by using advance organizers that
allow students to have a bird’s eye view or to see the ‘big picture” of the topic to be
learned even before going to the details.

Meaningful learning can take place through FOUR PROCESSES:

Processes of
Description
Subsumption
Describing the situation in which the New info – blue jay or cockatoo
1. Derivative new learning is an example of a
Subsumption concept already learned
Changing or expanding old concept
2. Correlative to accommodate new information;
Subsumption more valuable learning than the
derivative subsumption since it
enriches higher level concept
Knowing a lot of examples about a
3. Superordinate
concept but doesn’t know the
Learning
concept until it was taught
Deriving new idea from another
4. Combinatorial idea that is neither lower or higher
Learning in the hierarchy but at the same
level ; a lot like learning by analogy Sunrise can be related to new life
Example
Old concept – bird
(blue jay is subsumed as bird derived
from characteristics: feathers, wings,
lays eggs, beak, flies)
New- ostrich
Old – bird
(ostrich is subsumed as bird by
extending or modifying most
characteristics of bird though ostrich
cannot fly)
Examples known: mango, guava,
banana, etc.
Concept just learned: fruit
Teaching how plants breathe can be
related to human respiration

Advance Organizers
The advance organizer is a major instructional tool proposed by Ausubel. The
advance organizer, gives two benefits: (1) You will find it easier to connect new information
with what you already know about the topic, and (2) you can readily see how the concepts in
a certain topic are related to each other. As you go about learning about the topic and go
through the four learning processes, the advance organizer helps you link the new learning
to your existing scheme. As such, advance organizers facilitate learning by helping you
organize and strengthen your cognitive structure.
Ausubel stressed that advance organizers are not the same with overviews and
summaries which simply emphasize key ideas and are presented at the same level of
abstraction and generality as the rest of the material. Organizers act as a subsuming bridge
between new learning material and existing related ideas.

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 Types of advance organizers:
1. Expository - describes the new content.
2. Narrative - presents the new information in the form of a story to students.
3. Skimming - is done by looking over the new material to gain a basic
overview.
4. Graphic organizer - visuals to set up or outline the new information. This
may include pictographs, descriptive patters, concept patterns, concept maps.

Constructivism is a broad theory that believes in the construction of knowledge

through the lumping of experiences and reflecting on such experiences. In applying the
theory, teachers s always ensure that their level of teaching, the kind of instructional
materials and the degree of difficulty of tasks should always be within the level of the
learners.
Bruner’s enactive, iconic and symbolic strategies can be used to ensure smooth
learning of concepts. In introducing fractions to elementary pupils, for example, Lego blocks
can be used to illustrate the concept first before using numbers.
The use of advance organizers, questions for recall and simulated illustrations can
help the students to pick their past experiences. After that, teachers may use such
experiences as starting point to connect to the next lesson. An English teacher, for instance,
can use the experiences of students to reintroduce vocabulary and grammar points. Math
teachers who categorize examples or non-examples of a certain topic (ex. numbers divisible
by 8) can greatly help students to organize their concept about it, having a clearer
understanding of the lesson.
Exposing students to do certain procedures in real-life context can enrich the
learners’ experiences for transfer of learning and longer retention. Students’ prior
knowledge can be of help in learning a certain related context deeper and wider. Giving
feedback also plays a vital role in directing intrinsic motivation and emphasizing grades and
competition is discouraged. Bruner believed that students need to experience both success
and failure in the classroom, not as a reward or punishment but as a piece of information.

D. COOPERATIVE AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

Cooperative learning allows many

opportunities to develop learners’
interpersonal skills, giving them experiences on
how they can properly interact with others, at
the same time listen and learn from their
group mates. It is also a type of constructive
teaching because it allows the creation and
innovation of knowledge through group
interaction and active participation of each
member.

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 Cooperative learning is an educational approach which aims to organize classroom
activities into academic and social learning experiences. There is much more to cooperative
learning than merely arranging students into groups, and it has been described as
“structuring positive independence”.
Cooperative Learning is an instructional method in which students work in small
groups to accomplish a common learning goal under the guidance of the teacher.
Cooperative learning strategies offer students the possibility to learn by applying knowledge
in an environment more similar to the one they will encounter in their future work life.
Teachers get the chance to work on core competencies and on students’
communication and soft skills, which are valuable for students’ success in life and work,
integrating them in school curricula. Cooperative learning strategies are content-free
structures that can be reused in different school contexts. Strategies can be used both in
pairs and groups are designed to fulfill all the so-called PIES principles:
1. Positive interdependence happens when a gain for one is a benefit for the other.
Pair and group members experience themselves as a team and are on the same side
working toward the same goal. To ensure positive interdependence while working
with cooperative learning, two requisites must be met: students should feel on the
same side and the task should require working together.
2. Individual accountability - In the cooperative classroom, students work together
as a team to create and to learn, but ultimately every individual student is
responsible for his or her own performance. It is exactly to fulfill both positive
interdependence and individual accountability that in every cooperative learning
strategy, students are given both time to think/work alone and to interact with peers.
In this way, students’ autonomy and cooperation are improved.
3. Equal participation - Pair and group work is usually very well-welcomed by
students, but the problem is that it is difficult to check whether students are equally
working. Cooperative learning strategies instead make sure every student in each
team or pair is equally contributing to the final achievement. They are actually
designed to make students interact and to have everyone at every step of the activity
fulfill a specific task.
4. Simultaneous interaction - In sequential interaction, when only one student at a
time is engaged, the teacher talks (at least) twice for each time a student talks. And
when the teacher is the most active participant in the classroom, students are
obviously disengaged (and most likely bored as well). Cooperative learning
strategies on the contrary are designed to produce simultaneous interaction, so to
engage as many students as possible simultaneously.

Features of Cooperative Learning:

1. Students are actively engaged, thus, developing in each member a cooperative
spirit.
2. Each is challenged to give his/her best because it can create a healthy,
competitive spirit.
3. It allows learners creativity and innovation because they interact with people their
age, peers or classmates.
4. It develops positivity, open-mindedness, humility, give and take attitude as well as
listening skills.
5. It reduces pressure from work and creates a positive classroom atmosphere.

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Stages of Cooperative Learning:
When teachers use cooperative learning as an instructional strategy, proper guidance
should be established. Clear instructions should be given before grouping. Expectations and
outputs should be made clear so that learners will not be wasting their time during the
groupings. It usually follows the three stages:
1. Teachers assign learners to groups. Sometimes, learners are also given the chance
to choose their group mates depending on the nature of the task given. Teachers should be
creative; groupings should also be varied for learners to experience working with others.
2. Tasking is a vital component of cooperative learning. Everybody should clearly
understand what is expected from them and the kind of output they are supposed to
accomplish at the end of the group role. Clear and concrete instructions should be given by
the teacher, like the time element involved to finish the task, materials to use, role of
members, etc., this way, time is also well-spent.
3. The working time and task collaboration should be an active process. Teachers
need to actively monitor how tasks are done. Each member performs his/her assigned role.
Learners should be free to interact and comment on each other’s work.

Experiential Learning

Kolb Experiential Learning Theory, developed by David A. Kolb, is widely recognized

and influential framework that describes how people learn through experience. Since
learning is the primary process used to navigate life, people can use this process for all forms
of learning, development, and change. Learning occurs in any setting and continues
throughout life. The experiential learning process supports performance improvement,
learning and development.
Actual hands-on activities are still the most effective means of learning. Experiences
that are direct and purposeful are rich experiences that the senses bring, from which ideas,
concepts, generalizations are constructed (Dale, 1969).
Realities can be brought to the classroom through the planned activities of the
teacher. In planning the delivery of a lesson or topic, the way experiences are processed and
used in the classroom makes it easier for the learner to internalize what has been taught.
They can see and feel that what is being learned is a part of their real-life situations.
Experiential learning is the process of learning by doing. By engaging students in
hands-on experiences and reflection, they are better able to connect theories and
knowledge learned in the classroom to real-world situations.
Experiences through the planned activities of the teacher is a way of achieving a goal
or objective in learning. Learning by doing is an essential element in discovering and
constructing new knowledge and concepts.
Contrived experiences are substitutes for real things, objects or situations. Examples
of these are models, mock-ups, specimens, simulations and even games. These are brought
and performed in the classroom because not all real things can be brought there.
Substitutes such as these can also bring near-to-real experiences to the learners.
Experiential learning can also take the form of dramatized experiences like plays,
pageants, tableaus, pantomimes, puppetry and role-playing. Learners enjoy when they take
active roles in experiential learning activities. Teachers challenge them to come up with
their creative styles of presentation. With all their access to varied information combined

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with their experiences, creation and construction of new concepts are seen visibly from
them.

David Kolb described the ideal processes of learning in a

four-step Experiential Learning Cycle:
Experiencing - Reflecting - Thinking - Acting

1. Experiencing (Concrete Experience): Learning begins when a learner uses senses

and perceptions to engage in what is happening now.
2. Reflecting (Reflective Observation): After the experience, a learner reflects on
what happened and connects feelings with ideas about the experience.
3. Thinking (Abstact Conceptualization): The learner engages in thinking to reach
conclusions and form theories, concepts, or general principles that can be tested.
4. Acting (Active Experimentation): The learner tests the theory and applies what
was learned to get feedback and create the next experience.

The Experiential Learning Cycle

This cycle is natural and organic way that people engage in life situations, often
without being aware that they are learning. Because the cycle is composed of two pairs of
opposite ways of grasping information (Experiencing and Thinking) and transforming it into
knowledge (Reflecting and Acting), most people have preferences for the way they use this
learning cycle, focusing on some modes more than others. When one engage deliberately
with all four modes of the Experiential Learning Cycle, deep learning occurs.

An inclusive teacher takes into consideration all the unique characteristics of his/her
learners. To do this, s/he has to look into their individual learning needs, strengths,
cognitive abilities, skills, potentials and limitations. This is surely a very challenging task for
all teachers. One way of addressing this is through application of one’s knowledge in the
different learning theories in the teaching-learning process.
Constructivism is a very essential theory in the field of education. It sees the learner
as a creator and innovator of new concepts. Learners are not empty-handed when they go
to school. They have a lot of skills and even knowledge that are products of both their
experiences and exposure to their immediate environment. When all these are put together
with the new learnings and concepts provided in school, new knowledge also results from
them.

When lessons are properly planned along the spectrum of constructivism, the
following are obtained:
(1) Learners do not fear situations where there is problem solving involved. They get
engaged through cooperative learning techniques to consider different perspectives as a
team.
(2) Learners also develop flexibility in thinking. They do trial and error techniques.
Discovery and experimentation also comes as a part of exploring for possibilities.
(3) All previously learned knowledge is important because they connect and associate
them to their current or recent life experience. They are able to analyze, synthesize and
evaluate varied elements or factors that contribute to the solution of a problem. They learn
to make conclusions that are based on actual findings and objective processing of data.

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 One of the most significant contributions of constructivism is that it develops the
interpersonal skills of the learners. Through the varied activities and techniques that are
cooperative in nature, learners become more confident to contribute, to be a part of a group
and to be more articulate in expressing his/her point of view. It highly promotes the intrinsic
motivation to learn.

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