CONSTRUCTIVISM

Constructivism is
•
an innovative strategy in which students
construct their knowledge themselves
through interaction with each-other on the
basis of previous experiences. It is student-
centered rather than teacher-centered in
which teacher acts as a facilitator.
"Constructivist" teachers emphasize development:

1. personal meaning through reflection analysis

of the gradual build-up of layers
2. through conscious and constant mental
processing.
 Types of constructivism.
1. Cognitive. It is focuses on the idea that learning should be
related to the learner’s stage of cognitive development. It works to
help students in learning new information by connecting it to
things they already know, enabling them to make modifications in
their existing intelligence to accommodate the new information.
2. Social. It is focuses on the collaborative nature of learning.
Knowledge develops from how people interact with each other, their
culture, and society at large.
3. Radical. It is very different from cognitive and social
constructivism. It focuses on the idea that learners and the knowledge
they construct tell us nothing real, only help us function in our
environment.
Constructivist classes rely on four keys areas to be successful:

1) Exchange of knowledge between teachers

and students.
2) Divided the powers between teachers and
students.
3) Teachers act as a guide or facilitator.
4) Study groups consist of a small number of
students.
 Cognitive consdtructivism

Key components of this theory are:

 1) Schemes
For example, a child may have a schema about the type of animal,
such as a dog. If the child's only experience was with small dogs, the
child may believe that all dogs are small, fluffy and have four legs.
Suppose then that a child meets a huge dog. The child will
assimilate this new information by changing the pre-existing
schema to include these new observations.
 2) Assimilation
• This means adjusting new information in
existing schemas in the mind. When a child
uses his scheme, already present in his mind,
on a new problem, subject or situation.
 3) Accomodatipon

• Modification of existing schemes and their

compliance with new ideas. When the old
scheme does not work, and the child has to
adapt the new one to the old one.
 4) Equilibration
• The balance between assimilation and
adaptation, which is achieved through the
mechanism. Maintaining a balance between
applying previous knowledge (assimilation)
and changing behavior based on new
knowledge (adaptation). Balancing helps
explain how children can move from one stage
of thinking to the next.
 Social constructivism
• classrooms collaborative learning is a process
of peer interaction that is mediated and
structured by the teacher.
• Discussion can be promoted by the
presentation of specific concepts, problems or
scenarios, and is guided by means of effectively
directed questions, the introduction and
clarification of concepts and information, and
references to previously learned material.
 Radical constructivism
Focuses on the individual learner as a
constructor. Neither trivial nor radical
constructivism look closely at the extent to
which the human environment affects
learning: it is regarded as part of the total
environment. However, more recent theory do
stress the role of socio-cultural context.
Role of Constructive in Promoting Basic Communication
Skill in the English language

1. Engage
2. Explore
3. Explain
4. Evaluate
5. Conclusions
The key methods for "constructivist" teachers are:

1. Reflections,
2. Seminar discussion forums,
3. Small group work online,
4. Collaborative learning projects,
5. Communities of practitioners are important
constructivist methods in online learning.
Disadvantages of constructivist methods

1) The absence of structure. Some students

need a highly structured and organized
learning environment to thrive
2)constructivist learning focuses on a more
relaxed method to help students engage in
their own learning.
 Questions:
1. “Constructivist" teachers emphasize
development…
2. Key areas of constructivism to be successful
are…
3. Tell us about the benefits of each type of
constructivism