Constructivist theory in teaching MTB-MLE

FIVE MAJOR LEARNING THEORY:

 Behaviorism – a theory that focusses on shaping behavior through conditioning.
 Cognitivism- a theory that focusses on how information is received, organized, stored,
and retrieved by the mind.
 Connectivism- is built on the idea that digital technology brings people together and
creates new learning opportunities.
 Humanism- focuses on the specific human capabilities including creativity, personal
growth, and choice.
 Constructivism- the theory that says learners construct knowledge.

-Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky are two most recognized pillars of constructivist learning theory.
-Both puts high premium on how children acquire and construct meaning, however, unlike the
behaviorists, both Piaget and Vygotsky do not view children as empty vessels (tabula rasa) waiting to
be filled by an expert and learned adult.
-Constructivists argue that children are performed to learn and acquire language as they go through
different developmental stages.
-Jean Piaget (1896-1980) argues that children are active learners who construct meaning from their
environment. Piaget is the proponent of cognitive developmental theory that explains the
interconnectedness of knowledge acquisition and language acquisition through qualitative changes of
their mental processes as they develop (Crystal, 1987; Schickendanz, 1993; Vasta et al, 1999).
-He views children as active learners, constructing knowledge overtime, as they interact with their
environment through developmental states.
“Constructivism” has been a byword in education for generations, applied both to learning theory
and epistemology—both on how people learn and the nature of knowledge. We do not need to
adhere if it is simply a new fad, but we need to think about our work in relation to theories of
learning and knowledge.
So, we need to ask: what is constructivism, what does it have to tell us that is new and relevant, and
how do we apply it to the universe of MTB-MLE? As they say, it will not take rocket science to
understand and employ constructivism. There is nothing dramatically new in constructivism: the
core ideas expressed by it have been clearly enunciated by John Dewey among others.
Constructivist’s perspective of language acquisition is generally centered on brain
development.Hung (1965) in Schickendanz (1993) provides a summary of Piaget’s Stages of
Cognitive Development and how children construct knowledge and acquire a language. Lev
Vygotsky’s emphasized that private speech, of children talking to themselves, for turning shared
knowledge into personal knowledge (Slavin,1997)

1) Sensorimotor stage (ages 0-2During this stage, a child uses sensory (sensation) and

motor (movement) abilities to experience and learn about the world around them.
 2) Preoperational stage (ages 2-7) In the preoperational stage, a child continues to use
mental representations, such as symbolic thought and language. They: develop memory
and imagination, learn to imitate, engage in make-believe or pretend play

3) Concrete operational stage (ages 7-11) The concrete opertional stage marks the end of
egocentrism. The child begins to develop an understanding of the outside world and others’
perceptions.

4) Formal operational stage (ages 12+)Finally, in the formal operational stage, adolescents
develop abstract logical and moral reasoning. They start to analyze their environment and
move beyond concrete facts. They learn to: make hypothese, understand theories grasp
abstract concepts like morality and beauty.

Vygotsky’s emphasized that private speech, of children talking to themselves, for turning shared
knowledge into personal knowledge (Slavin,1997)

Vygotsky proposed that children incorporate the speech of others and then use that speech to help
themselves solve problems (Slavin,1997). Vygotsky’s theory implies that cognitive development
and the ability to use thought to control one’s own actions require first a mastery of cultural
communication systems and then learning to use these systems to regulate one’s own thpught
processes (Slavin, 1997, Crystal,1987).

If Piaget’s view of learning and language acquisition is centered on the children’s changes of
logical thinking through stages based on maturation and experience. Vygotsky’s view is centered
on the role of culture and social interactions of children with other children and adults in the
environment. Vygotsky even argued that children’s speech is a major tool in their development of
thinking.
Constructivist theory requires that we turn our attention by 180 degrees and look towards all
those wonderful, individual living beings—the learners– each of whom creates his or her own
model to explain nature. If we accept the constructivist position, we are inevitably required to
follow a pedagogy which argues that we must provide learners with the opportunity to: a)
interact with sensory data, and b) construct their own world.
As future educators/teachers it is our responsibility to inform our students of what the truth is, it is
our duty to let them know of what the “real world” is out there.
Guide-post that are laid for us to consider:
1. Learning they say is from womb to tomb, from cradle to grave, and from navel to gravel.
Learning is not just pure absorption process of what is transferred directly from one
vessel to another. Hence, it is a process of learning by doing wherein the active
engagement of the learner in the process makes it an effective one.
2. Learning is a wed process, as a learner is engaged in learning, in the process o it all,
implicitly, the learner also learns other concepts or procedures related to what is being
learned explicity.
3. Taking rom John Dewey’s reflective activity, learning is a mental process that involves
actual doing and reflective action. Reflective action gives the learner a chance to note the
significance and connection of the whole process.
Once a learner is able to define a concept in his or her own terms, we can safety say that
learning took place. This is why we are always reminded to focus on the learner in the
process of learning and not on the learning area or subject/lesson. We have to put premium
on the students’ interest and ability, and where they are at in the process of learning.
We have to note also that part of the learning is attributed to the experiences gathered by the
learners in their own community. If we fully accept the constructivist point of view, we are
reminded that knowledge is not just simply “out there” divorced from the knower, but a
complete process of learning by doing and reflecting. It is both a personal and social process,
learning does not take place if we do not open ourselves to the world around us.
Some Implications to Teaching and Learning MTB-MLE

 TEACHERS SHOULD FIRST UNDERSTAND LEARNING IN THE REAL WORLD,

ORGANIZE IT IN THE MOST RATIONAL WAY POSSIBLE AND PRESENT IT TO
THE LEARNERS.
 PROVIDE LEARNERS WITH ACTIVITIES, WITH HANDS ON LEARNING, WITH
OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPERIMENT AND MANIPULATE OBJECTS OF THE
WORLD.
 CONSIER THE LEARNERS AS WONDERFUL, INDIVIDUAL LIVING BEINGS
EACH OF WHOM CREATES HIS/HER OWN MODEL TO EXPLAIN NATURE.