COnstructivism

What a child can do with assistance today, he/she will be able to do by him/herself tomorrow

Vygotsky

Each of us construct his/her own understanding of the world

Tchoshanov

Constructivism explains learning as a continuous process performed by the learner, who is not a blank slate, nor an empty vessel, but an active subject who "brings past experiences and cultural factors to a situation" (David, 2015) and "develops new knowledge and understandings [co-constructing it], through interaction with others." (Tchoshanov 2013).

According to Vygotsky (1978), "an essential feature of learning is that it creates the zone of proximal development (ZPD); that is, learning awakens a variety of internal developmental processes" that operate when the learner is interacting with people.

Learner's schemas conflict with external reality and information. This is then assimilated and becomes knowledge (new schemas)

Created by Carolina Ruiz

we move from our actual level of development to higher levels of mental development with the guidance and support of teachers and other scaffolds that allows us to gain skills that we can't master on our own

Created by Carolina Ruiz

"The level of actual development is the level of development that the learner has already reached, and is the level at which the learner is capable of solving problems independently.

The ZPD is the level of development that the learner is capable of reaching under the guidance of teachers or in collaboration with peers.

It comprises cognitive structures that are still in the process of maturing, but which can only mature under the guidance of or in collaboration with others.

The learner is capable of solving problems and understanding material at this level that they are not capable of solving or understanding at their level of actual development; the level of potential development is the level at which learning takes place." (Vygotsky, 1978)

When the learner succeeds in the problem-solving or understanding task, the scaffolding (the appropriate assistance given by the more knowledgeable other (MKO) to the student in order to 'boost' his/her abilities to achieve the task) is removed.

Learning activities & outcomes

Since constructivism methods rely on students' active role in the construction of their own knowledge, the learning experience incorporates intrinsically motivating activities, such as exploring, questioning, investigating, simulating, role-playing, modeling, solving real-life problems or engaging in real-life situations.

These are guided by learning objectives and outcomes like reasoning, reflecting, asking, debating, justifying..., so that knowledge is not transmitted from the teacher to the student, but "self-constructed by a student or co-constructed in the process of student's interaction with others." (Tchoshanov, 2013)

Hence, "a constructivist teacher never reports his/her view first," (Tchoshanov, 2013) nor tries to impose it. Instead, s/he promotes, guides, mediates and structures peer interaction (Berkeley Graduate Division).

A constructivist teacher encourages students to share their points of view and presents nonjudgmental questions or even contradictions to develop students' critical thinking and to foster the continued exploration of the subject. S/he also introduces and clarifies concepts that emerge during the conversation and creates references to previously learned material so that students can keep constructing knowledge and drawing conclusions.

Regarding assessments, constructivism believes that they "should not be used as an accountability tool that serves to stress or demoralize students (...); [instead] should be used as a tool to enhance both the student's learning and the teacher's understanding of student's progress." Consequently, the University College Dublin states that some assessments aligned to this position include reflective journals/portfolios, case studies, group-based projects, presentations (verbal or poster), debates, role-playing etc.

Pros & Cons

Critics argue constructivism undermines the foundations of organized teaching and learning (Tchoshanov, 2013).

Its implementation can be somewhat complicated since some educators feel that it is better suited for small groups (3-6 students) where group members have different levels of ability, so that more advanced peers can help less advanced ones (McLeod, 2018).

For the student is also a complicated internal process: s/he has to accommodate and assimilate new information with her/his current understanding. "Students are very reluctant to give up their established schema/idea and may reject new information that challenges prior knowledge," the University College Dublin explains, and they might even not be aware of the reasons they hold such strong ideas/schemata.

Nonetheless, constructivism stands out for contributing to the development of higher learning outcomes than other traditional forms of teaching, since this teaching approach has a positive effect on the development of students' language, thinking and intelligence, details Tchoshanov (2013), and teaches them higher-order thinking skills, such as reasoning and problem solving, while also helps students to transfer knowledge to new and different situations, David (2015) agrees.

Collaborative learning methods require learners to develop teamwork skills and to see individual learning as essentially related to the success of group learning, explains Berkeley Graduate Division's GSI Teaching & Resource Center.

Furthermore, for the class, as a whole, a constructivism-oriented learning experience becomes more meaningful, engaging and motivating.

ReferencesBanu, Z (2018), Constructivism: A Creative Method Of TeachingConstructivism and Social Constructivism in the Classroom in Open Educational Resources of UCD Teaching and Learning, University College DublinDavid, L (2015) Constructivism In Learning TheoriesInteraction Between Learning and Development In Gauvain & Cole (Eds.) Readings on the Development of Children. New York: Scientific American Books, 33-40.McLeod, S. (2018) The Zone of Proximal Development and Scaffolding McLeod, S. (2018) Lev VygotskySocial Constructivism in Berkeley Graduate Division's GSI Teaching & Resource CenterTchoshanov, M. (2013) Engineering of Learning: Conceptualizing e-Didactics, UnescoVygotsky, L. (1978) Interaction Between Learning and Development In Gauvain & Cole (Eds.) Readings on the Development of Children. New York: Scientific American Books, 33-40.

Google Sites

Report abuse