CONSTRUCTIVISM:

CONSTRUCTIVISM:
CONCEPT, PRINCIPLES
& BENEFITS
What is Constructivism?

• Constructivism is about how people learn.

• People construct their own understanding and

knowledge through experiencing things and
reflecting on those experiences.

• We must ask questions, explore and assess

what we know.
• Constructivism is a philosophy of learning founded on the
premise that, by reflecting on our experiences, we color and
construct our own understanding of the world we live in.

• Each of us generates "rules" to make sense of our experiences.

• Learning is adjusting our rules to accommodate new

experiences.

• Students can learn different meanings from the same lesson.

• Information received is reshaped inside the learner’s mind to
fit within his or her frame of reference.

• It is a theory of learning based on the historical works of

Dewey, Piaget and Vygotsky.

• It is learning using prior knowledge and connecting it to new

information.

• It challenges the learner to construct their own knowledge and

test their understanding of the material.
HISTORICAL PERSEPECTIVE
 Jean Piaget (1896 – 1980) Constructivism views
knowledge as “assimilated” into existing schema

• Idea largely based on Swiss

Biologist Jean Piaget’s research on
child development & learning.
• Piaget’s theory states that children
learn by creating “mental maps” or
schemes.
• These maps or schemes are added
to and adapted as needed to help
them understand their
environment.
• Structure becomes more complex
as child develops.
Lev Vygotsky

• Russian psychologist &

philosopher in 1930’s usually
associated with Social
Constructivism.

• Social Constructivism
emphasized the effects of
one’s environment (family,
friends, culture & background)
have on learning.
John Dewey (1859 – 1952)

• Learning should engage and expand

the experiences of the learners.
• Education is a social process
• School should be viewed as an
extension of society and students
should play an active role in it,
working cooperatively with each
other.
• Students learn by doing and should be
allowed to construct, create and
actively inquire.
Jerome Bruner
most recent contributor

• 1966-1990 Has incorporated

social and cognitive aspects.

• These ideas originated from a

conference for math and
science learning.

• New ideas are based on

current or past knowledge.
The five E’s: ENGAGE EXPLORE
EXPLAIN ELABORATE
EVALUATE
During the math and science conference, a modified lesson plan was
developed with Bruner’s assistance.

The five E’s:

 ENGAGE
 EXPLORE
 EXPLAINE
 ELABORATE
 EVALUATE

“I shall take it as self-evident that each generation must define afresh the
nature, direction, and aims of education to assure such freedom and
rationality as can be attainted for a future generation. It is in this sense that
education is in constant process of invention.”--Jerome S. Bruner, 1966
In a Constructivist Classroom,
Learning is….

Constructed
Active
Reflective
Collaborative
Inquiry-Based
Evolving
CHARACTERISTICS OF CONSTRUCTIVIST
LEARNING & TEACHING

• Multiple perspectives and representations of concepts

is encouraged.

• Goals and objectives are derived by the student or in

negotiation with the teacher.

• Teachers serve in the role of guides, monitors,

coaches, tutors and facilitators.
• Activities, opportunities, tools and environments are
provided to encourage metacognition, self-analysis, self-
regulation, self-reflection & self-awareness.

• Learning situations, environments, skills, content and tasks

are relevant, realistic, authentic and represent the natural
complexities of the 'real world'.

• Primary sources of data are used in order to ensure

authenticity and real-world complexity.
• Knowledge construction and not reproduction is
emphasized.

• This construction takes place in individual contexts and

through social negotiation, collaboration and experience.

• Learners are provided with the opportunity for

apprenticeship learning in which there is an increasing
complexity of tasks, skills and knowledge acquisition.
• Knowledge complexity is reflected in an emphasis on
conceptual interrelatedness and interdisciplinary
learning.

• Collaborative and cooperative learning are favored in

order to expose the learner to alternative viewpoints.

• Assessment is authentic and interwoven with teaching.

• The learner's previous knowledge constructions, beliefs and
attitudes are considered in the knowledge construction process.

• Problem-solving, higher-order thinking skills and deep

understanding are emphasized.

• Errors provide the opportunity for insight into students' previous

knowledge constructions.

• Exploration is a favored approach in order to encourage

students to seek knowledge independently and to manage the
pursuit of their goals.
Two Views of Constructivism

1. Individual Constructivism.

2. Social Constructivism.
Individual Constructivism

• This is also called Cognitive Constructivism.

• It emphasizes individual, internal construction of

knowledge.

• It is largely base on Piaget’s Theory.

• Learner should be allowed to discover principle

through their own exploration rather than direct
instruction by the teacher.
Social Constructivism

• This view emphasizes that “ knowledge exist in

a social context and is initially shared with
others instead of being represented solely in
the mind of an individual.”

• It is based on Vygotsky’s Theory.

• Construction of knowledge is shared by two or

more people.
Traditional vs. Constructivist
TRADITIONAL
• Basic skills emphasized
• Materials are textbooks and
workbooks
• Learning based on
repetition
• Teacher disseminates
information to students
• Assessment is through
testing
• Students work alone
CONSTRUCTIVIST
• Big concepts emphasized
• Student questions and
interests are valued
• Learning is interactive
• Teacher’s role is
interactive
• Variety of assessment
• Students work in groups
 THE JOB OF THE
CONSTRUCTIVIST TEACHER
• The teacher must enter the classroom believing that
all students have different backgrounds from
experiences and cultural practices.

• The teacher has to meet the students at there current

level and help them connect and expand to the
material.

• Taking these two factors into account ensures that the

material will be meaningfully related to the students.
Tailor Strategies To Student
Responses.

• Encourage Analysis, Interpretation, Prediction.

• Use Open-ended Questions And Discussion.

• Connect Past Experiences With New Learning.

• Use Project-based Learning.

• Use Problem-based Learning

PRINCIPLES OF
CONSTRUCTIVISM

• Knowledge is actively constructed by the individual.

• Learning is both an individual an a social process.

• Learning is a self-regulated process.

• Learning is an organizational process. Reality

represents an interpretation.
PRINCIPLES OF
CONSTRUCTIVISM

• Learning is a socially situated activity.

• Language plays an essential role in learning.

• Motivation is a key component in learning.

IMPACT ON INSTRUCTION

• Teacher as facilitator/guide rather than

authority

• Focus on making connections between facts

• Experimentation, open-ended questions,

extensive reflection, dialogue among students
IMPACT ON ASSESSMENT Ongoing
assessment during instruction.

De-emphasizes traditional grading methods.

Self-assessment, learner articulates growth through
projects and reflection.
IMPACT ON CURRICULUM Less
standardized curriculum.

Customized to connect to learner’s prior

knowledge.
Emphasizes hands-on problem- solving
BENEFITS OF CONSTRUCTIVISM

• Constructivism concentrates on learning how to think and

understand.

• Constructivist learning is transferable. In constructivist

classrooms, students create organizing principles that they
can take with them to other learning settings.

• Constructivism gives students ownership of what they learn,

since learning is based on students' questions and
explorations, and often the students have a hand in
designing the assessments as well.
• Constructivist assessment engages the students' initiatives and
personal investments in their journals, research reports,
physical models, and artistic representations.

• By grounding learning activities in an authentic, real-world

context, constructivism stimulates and engages students.
Students in constructivist classrooms learn to question things
and to apply their natural curiosity to the world.

• Constructivism promotes social and communication skills by

creating a classroom environment that emphasizes
collaboration and exchange of ideas.
CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE OF
CONSTRUCTIVISM
• It's elitist.

• Social constructivism leads to "group think." Critics say the

collaborative aspects of constructivist classrooms tend to
produce a "tyranny of the majority," in which a few students'
voices or interpretations dominate the group's conclusions, and
dissenting students are forced to conform to the emerging
consensus.
 
• There is little hard evidence that constructivist methods work.
Critics say that constructivists, by rejecting evaluation through
testing and other external criteria, have made themselves
unaccountable for their students' progress.
 THANK YOU

Prepared by:

Aubrey Ann P. Edang

Ronnie T. Ellanic

Reference
• CONSTRUCTIVISM: CONCEPT, PRINCIPLES
& BENEFITS
• Published by Lorin Davis
https://slideplayer.com/user/15609131/