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Constructivism tenets are found in many other theories of teaching and learning; some were informed by constructivism, and some informed constructivism. This is a sampling of some additional approaches that reinforce the benefits of constructivist strategies.
Andragogy
Andragogy
Malcolm Knowles focuses his work on adult education and concludes that pedagogical approaches are not appropriate when adult students have completely different lived experiences, contexts, and needs (Knowles, 1978). Pedagogy seems to mirror behaviourist approaches while Andragogy mirrors constructivist approaches (Knowles, 1978).
Knowles assumes the following in the context of adult education (adapted from Digital Pedagogy - A Guide for Librarians, Faculty, and Students by UofT Libraries):
The need to know - adult learners need to know why they are learning something before they learn it. What is the context for the lesson?
Learner self-concept - adults learners should be able to make their own learning decisions, moving from dependent learning to self-directed learning
Role of learners' experience - adult learners have a variety of lived experiences that offer enrichment for learning, but also can create bias
Readiness to learn - adults learn better when it is situationally appropriate. Adults learn better through problem-solving
Orientation to learning - adults are motivated to learn when it prepares them to deal with real-world situations
When compared to pedagogy, these assumptions lead to an alternative approach for designing learning experiences.
(adapted from NZDL)
Constructionism
Constructionism
Seymour Papert suggested the concept of “constructionism” based within a constructivist framework and focused on building, making and creating which encourages, “the creation and sharing of personally meaningful artefacts of knowledge at various stages, not just at the completion…” (Byrne et al, 2021, p. 965). The externalization of our learning helps us communicate our learning to others but also helps us shape and sharpen our understanding (Papert & Hirel, 1991).
Papert suggested in 1980 that a computer especially enables a learner access to tools for building, and once the student has proficiency with these tools, the technology can move backstage and learning-through-making can take centre stage (Byrne et al, 2021). This perspective might not sound so new in our age of Web 2.0 read/write culture complete, with readily available educational technology tools for building any number of digital media, as well as educational makerspaces that have been in vogue for at least a decade, but at the time “learning-by-making” was a relatively new approach in Western education (Papert & Hirel, 1991, p. 8).
Mitchel Resnick, one of Papert’s students, distills Papert’s ideas for supporting learning into the four “p’s” (Resnick, 2017):
Projects - solve problems within the context of a project, build something useful from the process
Passion - find a way to form a connection with the information and fall in love with the ideas
Peers - learn with and from one another
Play - explore, experiment, have “hard” fun, and push boundaries
Indigenous Pedagogy
Indigenous Pedagogy
Indigenous approaches to learning share common themes with constructivism. While typical colonial education often focused on the goal of achieving a high grade, Anishinaabe education was more "holistic" and was a lifelong process of development of the whole body, mind, emotion, and spirit, and was supported by teachers at school, at home, and in the community (Bell, 2016).
Learning in an indigenous community is based in social interactions where mentors, elders and family share their experience, "Indigenous peoples come to know things by living their lives and adding to a set of cumulative experiences that serve as guideposts for both individuals and communities over time" (Brayboy and Maughan, 2009, p3).
Contrast this to colonial education which often focused on "facts" and standardized testing to place students in a category of achievement. Colonial education was considered done when a student received their degree. Indigenous ways of knowing suggest a more flexible, reflective, and customized approach to assessment and includes problem solving, allowing questions to surface through discussions, reflection and journaling, resulting in "a personal and reflective process of self-exploration, starting with the individual and progressing to entail relationships with family, community, and beyond" (Trumball & Nelson-Barber, 2019).
Indigenous Ways of Understanding align with the constructivist approach, as the student is seen as part of a learning community with their teacher and peers. Assessment is done throughout the course and is a result of having discussions, engaging in activities, and solving problems. Students are encouraged to know themselves but also to know their role and responsibilities within the community to ensure it thrives for many generations.
One example of an Indigenous Knowledge System includes 8 Aboriginal Ways of Learning which includes a focus on non-verbal learning, storytelling, hands-on activities, community, and non-linear exploration (from 8 Ways):
Constructivism and Open Educational Practices
Constructivism and Open Educational Practices
Open Educational Practices (OEP)
Many of the tenets of open educational practices align well with constructivism, so much so that some refer to the practice as “open constructivist pedagogy” (Wiley, 2017). A quote from the Cape Town Open Education Declaration in 2008 states that,
“We are on the cusp of a global revolution in teaching and learning. Educators worldwide are developing a vast pool of educational resources on the Internet, open and free for all to use. These educators are creating a world where each and every person on earth can access and contribute to the sum of all human knowledge. They are also planting the seeds of a new pedagogy where educators and learners create, shape and evolve knowledge together, deepening their skills and understanding as they go.” (Cape Town, 2008).
Synthesis between the ideas of OEP and constructivism are highlighted by von Glaserfeld, “students perceive their environment in ways that may be very different from those intended by the educators. And this environment includes curricula, textbooks, didactic props including computer programs and micro worlds, tasks they are given, and, of course, the teachers” (Fosnot, 2013, p. 7). If we as faculty cannot construct education for students, then they should participate and construct their education using our pathways as a guide.
From https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2018/11/the-values-of-open-pedagogy
Examples of efforts to increase agency, democracy and inclusivity in a course include:
co-creating curriculum
co-creating course materials (e.g. case studies, visuals)
co-editing open textbooks
collaborative assessment design
move from throw-away assignments to more authentic assessment (align with real-world skills/create content to add value to the world)
REFLECTION: Do you connect with any of these additional strategies for your own teaching? Is there one idea you can implement immediately in your class or suggest to a colleague? Bring your ideas to the discussion board back in Canvas.
REFLECTION: Do you connect with any of these additional strategies for your own teaching? Is there one idea you can implement immediately in your class or suggest to a colleague? Bring your ideas to the discussion board back in Canvas.
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