3. Enhancing Constructivism... by Ganatra

Journal of Technology for ELT

Vol. II No. 2 (April 2012)

ISSN 2231-4431

ENHANCING CONSTRUCTIVISM THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

Smita Nitin. Ganatra,

C.E. Society’s C.S.S. Mahavidyalaya, Chembur, Mumbai.

ABSTRACT

As a theory, Constructivism has become very popular in recent times, and one cannot deny that it scores above other theories because it has a sound grounding in the researches of Psychology, Sociology and Education. It also stands out due to the fact that along with acquisition of knowledge, it helps one to understand one’s own process of knowledge acquisition. Once the teacher understands the concept of constructivism, its implementation is going to yield better results as compared to the traditional methods of teaching learning. There is a definite shift in the role of teacher and students when using constructivism in the classrooms. At the same time we are fortunate to be living in the age of Digital world where World Wide Web has opened the gates of knowledge of ocean to us. In the present article the author explores the concept of constructivism and throws light on its effective implementation with the help of technology.

Key words: Constructivism, Use of technology.

Introduction:

In a discussion with Brazilian philosopher Paolo Freire said, “...there's a lot of truth in saying that when you go to school, the trauma is that you must stop learning and you must now accept being taught.”

Frère’s observations on the education system still hold an element of truth even after two decades. However, we cannot ignore the experiments that are going worldwide in the field of education. Constructivism is one such theory that has been talked of very often. Constructivism is not a new term; it is a part of cognitive revolution. It is rooted in philosophy just like any other subject for example, ethnography, sociology, cognitive psychology etc. However, Theory of constructivism is quite different from the traditional teaching-learning methods. It is mainly concerned with knowledge building, constructing of knowledge. Till now we all used to think that knowledge is something which is to be given by the teacher and student is a passive receiver. However, this theory takes us completely away from the traditional concept and tells us that by reflecting on our own experiences we can build our understanding about the surrounding or the world we live in. Each of us frame our own rules (or mental models as Brunner calls it) to decipher the meaning of the experience we are going through. .) In other words, we can say that when we learn, we adjust the mental model to house the new experiences. When we come across something new, we try to merge it with our previous experiences, sometimes leading to change in attitude, ideas, ideals etc. When using constructivist theory, we are actively participating in the process of building or creating the knowledge instead of passively receiving it. This is where technology plays an important role and can be a great help to the teacher.

Concept of Constructivism:

In the words of Brooks and Brooks, “Constructivism is a philosophy of learning founded on the premise that, by reflecting on our experiences we construct our own understanding of the world we live in.”

It is based on a type of learning in which the learner forms, or constructs much of what she learns or comprehends. (Cashman).

In the words of Christie (2005), Constructivism is a learning theory which propagates that,

    • Learning is an active process

    • Knowledge is constructed from (and shaped by) experience

    • Learning is a personal interpretation of the world.

Constructivism and education:

Constructivism sees all the aspects of education in a different perspective. The following table tells how the constructivist classrooms have influenced teachers, students, physical structure of the classrooms, curriculum, classroom interaction and so on.

Difference between the traditional and constructivist classroom:

2) Learning is active:

When learning, even though the students are in the classroom, they are learning from themselves, and not from the teacher. Teacher facilitates, suggests, but most of the work is carried out y the students. It is exploration on their own that leads to completion of the task. As the students are trying out things, they are actively busy in the work and therefore, know the task thoroughly. When they are actively involved, they are most likely to understand the usefulness of the content they are working on.

3) Learning is reflective:

Learning anything new leads to deeper level interactions that take place subconsciously. As the students themselves are building knowledge, trying to make sense of the new situation, they become experts in the process of learning. Teacher presents some matter; they ask questions to each other use other resources and arrive at conclusions.

4) Learning is collaborative:

The main premise of constructivist theory is that it advocates group learning strategies, like collaboration, co-operative learning etc. there has been a lot of research which reinforced the importance of these strategies. Constructivism advocates this because peer tutoring has been perceived as the best form of learning.

5. Learning is inquiry based:

Students are trying to find answers to the questions posed by the teacher or fellow student, in that sense; we can say that learning is inquiry based. They ask questions, investigate, explore ideas or suggestions given, ponder over a concept and most importantly, they use range of resources to do this. They assimilate the analyzed ideas, make generalizations all based on the inquiry.

6) Learning is evolving:

Learning through constructivism always picks up from the point where the student has reached now. It progresses from the ‘exact entry behaviour’ leaving no gaps in learning. Therefore this theory is sounder as the growth and development of the knowledge of the pupils is evolutionary. On encountering a new situation or problem which challenges the previous knowledge of the student, the student first of all tries to match the new information with the old one, if it matches properly, there is no problem. (It is in consonant with the previous knowledge.). What if it doesn’t fit the previous knowledge, it may be rejected (It is dissonant to previous knowledge).in this case, the student has to change his previous knowledge and find a fit to the new information or knowledge. Or student has to wait till such time as the students understanding develops till it fits his knowledge. (Until then, it is there but it is ignored by the student.) Sometimes, teacher scaffolds the students in order to reach this understanding, sometimes it happens on his own.

Technology and the constructivism:

Technology makes possible the instant exchange of information between classrooms as well as individual students; it allows instant access to databases and online information services, and provides multimedia technical resources such as interactive audio and video. The first strength of technology is the collaborative process. This process is the one that should be used frequently by constructivists. This process allows each student to share their own perspective, working independently on computers and then putting the information together in a group.

The second strength of the process is allowing the students to take ownership of what, when, and how they are going to learn to compose their own material. Allowing students to have this freedom allows students to explore ways of composing the matter that is important to them. If something is important to a learner, they will spend more time working on it and they will want to do a better job. The advancement of a world-wide network, would allow learners to have access to information from around the world. This abundance of easily-accessible information allows learners to explore virtually any area they choose; which an essential requirement of constructivism. Technology allows for the repurposing of pre-existing educational materials across media formats: print, static illustrations, still and digital photographs, digital audio, still and motion video, still and motion film, animations, computer graphics, and hypermedia can all be accessed and combined in novel ways.

Where techonogy does comes in?

Computers can,

    • Provide multiple representations of reality;

    • Represent the natural complexity of the real world in a simulated situation

    • Present authentic tasks (contextualizing rather than abstracting instruction); that are culture specific

    • Provide real-world, case-based learning environments, rather than pre-determined instructional sequences;

    • Enable context-and content dependent knowledge construction;

    • Give variety of experiences,

    • Allow the teachers to monitor the performance and evaluate.

In conclusion, Technology takes a special place in the as a powerful tool for children's learning by doing. Children's traditional classroom tools - pencils, notebooks, and texts - are still vital. But for children to assemble and modify their ideas, access and study information, they are inadequate. Computers, video, and other technologies engage children with the immediacy they are used to in their everyday lives, and lends it to a new pedagogical purpose. Really, it is not what equipment is used in the classroom, but how that equipment is used that makes the difference. Technology can be thought of as an integral component of the curriculum, handy tool that can be used with almost any content. Computers can be used as writing tools, spreadsheets, and mathematical problem-solvers. The role of the constructivist teacher is to create a learning environment as invigorating, interactive, immersive and informative.

Characteristics of Constructivist classroom:

In order to understand the role of technology, following characteristics of constructivism needs to be taken into account:

1) Learning is ‘constructed’.

Previous knowledge of the students is the base on which learning is constructed. Students are full of new ideas, experiences, and schemas. Teacher needs to present the materials in such a way that it gives room for knowledge construction.

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