Constructivism

A Synthesis of Knowledge and Lens for

Understanding in Application and Relationship to
Special Education and Individualized Education
Plans
Lev Vygotsky & Social Constructivism

-Relationship to teacher/other to pass on knowledge

● Methodology/deliveries of instruction: small group, individual, push-in
professionals in the inclusion setting to increase 1:1 opportunities.
● Content modification —> the more the teacher knows the student, the
more the teacher can access prior knowledge, make instruction
meaningful to student’s personal life (culturally relevant).
● Performance Criteria: assessment based on understanding of
student’s individual current performance and measurable goals (data
collected by individual who knows student as one of a small,
manageable caseload
Vygotsky continued

Self-talk/inner speech
● Emotional impairments —>CBT/DBT: interruptions of negativity and
reframe of deficit mindset
● Specific Learning Disabilities in Reading, Writing, and Math —>
subvocalization strategies for decoding, encoding, and
comprehension; procedural approach of talking through problems.
● Neurological/Intellectual/ASD —> story scripts, visual, verbal, AAC,
multi-sensory modalities or sensory integration; accommodations to
desensitize and allow inner voice or modifications of content include
senses (e.g. Touch Math to include inner voice/narrative)
Vygotsky final thoughts

Student-centered models of teaching

● Student vision —> “I want to learn this year” & “I see myself as doing _____ this
year.”
● Student strengths leveraged (assessments accommodations/modifications as
how students demonstrate understanding best; e.g. oral vs. written
assignments)
● Student goals vs. course of study (goals directly related to building skills for
the student to access the curriculum based on their individual learning needs,
NOT goals of frameworks or curriculum).
Jean Piaget & Cognitive Constructivism

Teacher provides information to construct understanding

● Direct instruction of specific skills for benchmarks/objectives (definition,
examples, model of application, coaching, guided practice, individual
practice & assessment)
● Selection performance criteria to assess/measure progress toward
objectives (models, observations, portfolios, examinations).
● Distribution & provision of specific, individual accommodation and
modifications of curriculum based on student need.
Piaget continued

Knowledge is assessed and measurable

● Academic achievement assessments (e.g. Woodcock-Johnson IV, Key Math,
TOWRE and TOWL), student learning skills can be determined for levels of
current performance to identify strengths and areas of disability impact. Skills
that are largely subject to change through instruction and maturation.
● Cognitive skills assessments, (e.g. WISC IV, WAIS IV) of skills that underlie
skills required for achievement – processing, perception, reasoning. Also a
primary tool for understanding strengths in demonstrating understanding and
interpreting information as well as disability impact in SLD, ASD, Intellectual,
Neurological. Skills are largely unlikely to change much for majority of
thinkers.
Ernst von Glasersfeld and radical constructivism

Students are active participants in constructing their own understanding and

knowledge
● Students are active participants in creating the IEP and invited to
meetings/to participate in sharing information as early as found eligible
(e.g. a kindergarten student makes a video or draws a picture of what
they like to learn or what they are good at in school; a high school
student works with an interdisciplinary team that includes school
counselor, special education and general education teachers, and
related service providers to understand strengths and learning needs, as
well as accommodations/modifications
Glasersfeld continued

Learning is an individual and subjective process that involves constructing

meaning from one’s experiences.
● From initial evaluation to termination of services (or the age of 22),
student learning is measured solely on student’s progress toward
individual goals–determined by student specific eligibility and visions
● Upon age 14, transition to adulthood is cornerstone of individual learning
plan. All goals and benchmarks coordinate to develop meaningful
opportunities within the scope of instruction, employment, and
community engagement for post-secondary experiences.
Glasersfeld final thoughts

Reality is subjective and constantly evolving, and there is no one objective truth.

● Multi-disciplinary process for evaluation and reevaluation–no single measure will

determine a student’s eligibility or progress
● Comparison models include objective rating to similar age group peers as well as
subjective ratings such as relationships with individual teachers and providers,
student work examples, portfolios, self-assessment and self-rating scales.
● Evaluative measures are snapshots in time —> comprehensive evaluations of a
student’s progress occur over many intervals of time and across multiple
contexts–and ideally generalized across domains
References

Driver, R. (1989). Students’ conceptions and the learning of science. International journal of
science education, 11(5), 481-490.

Mcleod, S. (2023, April 21). Constructivism learning theory & educational philosophy. Simply
Psychology. Retrieved May 7, 2023, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/constructivism.html

Vygotskian inner speech - ed. (n.d.). Retrieved May 8, 2023, from

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ815614.pdf

Zhou, Molly and Brown, David, "Educational Learning Theories: 2nd Edition" (2015). Education
Open Textbooks. 1.

https://oer.galileo.usg.edu/education-textbooks/1