Constructivism and constructionism are like “twins”. They are similar, but are two different concepts. “Piaget’s (1968) constructivism is a theory of knowledge that argues that humans generate knowledge and meaning from an interaction between their experiences and ideas. Papert’s (1980) constructionism is based on the principle that meaningful learning occurs when individuals actively construct a meaningful product in the real world.” (Rob, M. and Rob, F. 2018). From my own understanding, Piaget’s (1968) constructivism theory helps teachers understand how students build knowledge based on prior experience. Papert’s (1980) constructionism theory focuses more on the importance of hands-on learning experiences and interaction with peers in order to construct students’ own understanding of the world.

My planning on the Chinese New Year unit can be a good example to show that applying constructivism and constructionism in class can effectively help students meet subject and language goals, and make the class full of fun! This is a summary of the unit. 

Grade level: First grade Chinese Immersion (instructional language is 100% Chinese)

Subject: Chinese & Social Studies

Class duration: 35 mins/ class

Created by: Luxin Xue

Day 1 Goal: Students will explore objects and resources about Chinese New Year (CNY) with teacher’s direct instruction. 

Day 2 Goal: Students are able to say and write two lucky words by finishing the lucky words part of the CNY lapbook 

Day 3 Goal: Students are able to tell 8 CNY food and lucky words behind them by finishing the food part of the CNY lapbook 

Day 4 Goal: Students are able to tell 5 CNY customs by finishing the customs part of the CNY lapbook 

Day 5 Finish up the CNY lapbook 

Day 6 Students will learn from peers by looking at others’ CNY lapbooks and asking related questions. 

Day 7 Presentation day 

The unit planning aligns with constructivism in three ways:

First, over the class, students have the opportunity to freely explore contents about Chinese New Year. "Constructionism emphasizes the importance of hands-on learning, collaboration, and the creation of tangible artifacts as a means of learning. Teachers can use this theory to plan lessons that engage students in active learning, such as by providing opportunities for exploration, experimentation, and problem-solving." (ChatGPT, OpenAI, n.d.)

Second, the next 3 lessons allow students to have a deeper understanding of CNY. These three parts are what people will eat, what to do, and what to say. Clear content segmentation can help students sort out knowledge. Through group discussions, role-plays, and making crafts activities, students have a high level of participation. After discussion, students have freedom to pick what to write on the lapbook. “Facilitating student-led learning, where students take ownership of their learning and pursue their own interests and passions.” (ChatGPT, OpenAI, n.d.)

Third, students present their CNY lapbooks in a small group. "Teachers should encourage students to share their experiences and perspectives to build on their existing knowledge and understanding." (ChatGPT, OpenAI, n.d.)

"There is a good deal of evidence that learning is enhanced when teachers pay attention to the knowledge and beliefs that learners bring to a learning task, use this knowledge as a starting point for new instruction, and monitor students’ changing conceptions as instruction proceeds." (Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., & Cocking, R.R., 2000).Teachers can temporarily put aside the knowledge they want to teach students, think carefully about what students know and what they are interested in, then use constructivism theory to motivate students achieve their goals. 

References:

Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., & Cocking, R.R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience and school. National Academies Press.

Iqbal, Z. (n.d.). Constructivism: Theory and Practice in Education. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/constructivism-theory-practice-education-zafar-iqbal

Lucy Loves Teaching 美国中文沉浸. (2020, December 14). 【10步走，教你轻松搞定Backward Design】设计课程单元心力交瘁！|Standards、评估方式、成果展示、听说读写语言教学点如何整合？| 反向设计让你事半功倍！|新年主题书范例分享 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe5Q-TMdXFs

OpenAI. (2021). GPT-3 Language Model [Chrome]. Retrieved April 1, 2023, from https://openai.com/api/

Rob, M., & Rob, F. (2018). Dilemma between constructivism and constructionism: Leading to the development of a teaching-learning framework for student engagement and learning. Journal of International Education in Business, 11.