Constructivism is the educational theory that says learners construct knowledge rather than just passively take in information. As people experience the world and reflect upon those experiences, they build their own representations and incorporate new information into their pre-existing knowledge (schemas).  

To be less technical: I believe that students bring in their own ways of learning (even if they haven't figured it out yet). This means that I'll generally focus on developing self-troubleshooting skills and helping students uncover ways of explaining and connecting concepts that make sense to them, rather than doubling-down on rote memorization (though there may be some shortcuts and mnemonics there, too).