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“Constructivism is an epistemology, a learning or meaning-making theory that offers an explanation of the nature of knowledge and how human beings learn.”
“Constructivism is an epistemology, a learning or meaning-making theory that offers an explanation of the nature of knowledge and how human beings learn.”
Emel Ultanir
Emel Ultanir
History of the Field
History of the Field
Though it has been developing for over a century, constructivism only reached the forefront of education in the last twenty years (Wilson, 2017; Ultanir, 2012).
The roots of constructivism can be found in the work of several key theorists, whose ideas collectively helped shape it into the theory of learning we know today. In its most rudimentary form Constructivism can be traced to at least the 18th Century, when the Italian philosopher Giambattista Vico declared, “The only way of “knowing” a thing is to have made it” (Ultanir, 2012, p. 3).
Constructivism’s core concepts and ideas originate from many people over many decades, but there are three figures in particular whose work helped shape constructivism into the robust learning theory practiced today.
John Dewey (1859 - 1952), the great 19th century American educator, based his conception of constructivist learning theory on his experience and observation within schools.
Dewey believed that learning was a product of experience. He disagreed with the then-popular idea that children should be tasked with memorize information, advocating instead for giving children opportunities to gather knowledge through hands-on practical experience.
Similarly, Dewey rejected the strict, pre-defined curricula of his day in favor of something he believed infinitely more valuable: self-directed learning (Ultanir, 2012; John Dewey, Encyclopedia Britannica).
Jean Piaget (1896 – 1980), a biologist by trade, applied his knowledge of organisms to the behavior he witnessed in his own children.
Through observation of his children, Piaget theorized that—like organisms that change their behavior through adaptation—human children learn by constructing knowledge through experience. From this, he realized that children need to be actively engaged for the most impactful and meaningful learning to occur.
Piaget identified four specific stages of development in how children learn: the Sensorimotor Stage, the Preoperational Stage, the Concrete Operational Stage, and the Formal Operational Stage.
This research, based as it was on active learning, greatly influenced and advanced understanding of constructivism as a learning theory (Ultanir, 2012; Jean Piaget, Encyclopedia Britannica).
Finally, Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky (1896 - 1934) proposed a varient of constructivism elaborating on the importance of interaction. This "Social Constructivism" iterated on the traditional constructivism of Dewey and Piaget, and developed into the concept of a “Zone of Proximal Development”.
Through these ideas, Vygotsky sought to demonstrate that learner development requires a certain degree of facilitation by an adult or another more knowledgeable student (Shabani, Khatib, et al., 2010).
Vygotsky’s theories can be observed in most classrooms today, in the more experienced students who assist their less experienced peers and the teachers who scaffold instruction to help learners achieve difficult tasks (Wilson, 2017; Lev Vygotsky, Encyclopedia Britannica).
Today, educators are fighting to replace the stereotypical, passive “sage on a stage” method of delivering knowledge with the active constructivist method (Wilson, 2017). This is no easy feat. Teachers and instructors have struggled for decades to find ways of crafting meaningful lessons and activities that push their learners to connect to content on a deeper level.
Despite the challenge, active learning has become increasingly common. The principles at the heart of constructivist learning theory are alive and well in modern classrooms, where they provide a more authentic, hands-on learning environment for students.
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