7The Constructivist Approach to

teaching and learning

What is Constructivism?

A view of learning based on the belief that knowledge isn't a thing that can simply be given by the teacher at the front of the room to students in their desks.

Students learn by fitting new information together with what they already know

Learners are the builders and creators of meaning and knowledge

Knowledge is constructed by learners through an active, mental process of development

Jean Piaget, 1896-1980

Piaget believed learning occurs by an active construction of meaning, rather than by receiving it passively.

He states," when we, as learners, encounter an experience or situation that conflicts with our current way of thinking, a state of imbalance is created”

We must alter our thinking to restore equilibrium or balance

To do this, we must associate it with what we already know

The developing child must build cognitive structures through the use of …..

Mental maps

Concept maps

Concept maps help us begin with information we are familiar with and branch out to build new ideas.

To further Piaget’s thinking....

We must alter our thinking to restore balance or equilibrium

To do this, we must associate it with what we already know

Piaget’s 4 Stages of Development are…

Sensorimotor stage: (birth-2)

Preoperational: (2-7)

Concrete Operations: (7-11)

Formal Operations: (11-15)

During all development stages, the child experiences his/her environment using whatever mental maps he or she has constructed so far. If the experience is a repeated one it fits easily. For example:

http://www.coe.uga.edu/epltt/Piaget.htm

Please visit this site for two examples relating to Piaget’s stages of development (scroll down!)

Lets move on, shall we? Can any one tell me one reason why constructivism is important?

Fosters critical thinking

Creates active and motivated learners

Students are able to learn through constructing their own understandings

This approach frees teachers to make decisions which enhance and enrich student’s development.

How does the constructivist teacher make this style work?

He/she is flexible

She/he creatively incorporates ongoing experiences with real-life situations

Students work in small groups

Students work individually

Interactive activities become main focus (if materials can be related to an interest of the child, they are more apt to remember them)

What does student-centered mean?

The students are the center of attention, not the teacher

Children are placed in groups, they work together to find meaning

Each student takes on a different objective or part of the assignment or project

They become “experts” on their subject

Students teach one another to become experts on their “piece of the puzzle”

Together, as a whole, the group becomes experts from one another

The teacher = facilitator, guide on the side NOT mentor in the middle

What about the constructivist classroom?" S t u d e n t s s h o u l d b e p re s e n t e d w i t h r e a l l i f e p ro b l e m s a n d t h e n

h e l p e d t o d i s c o v e r i n f o rm a t i o n re q u i re d t o s o l v e t h e m " J o h n D e w e y

As we now know, the environment is a student-centered one

Students are empowered by a teacher who operates as a “guide on the side” vs. a “mentor in the center” or “sage on the stage”

Classrooms are structured so that learners are immersed in experiences with in which they may engage in meaningful………

Inquiry

Action

Imagination

Invention

Interaction

Hypothesizing

Personal reflection

Important roles of the Teacher

Watching

Listening

Asking questions to learn about students

Having the ability to observe and listen to one’s students and their experiences in the classroom contributes to his other ability to use a constructivist approach

A constructivist approach contributes to one’s ability to observe and listen in the classroom.

In conclusion…

Teaching through constructivism would…

1. Allows for students to become engaged with one another

2. Cuts out the “talking head”

3. Children learn through own experiences based on their lives

4. Remember information down the road of life instead of memorization

Resources

Piaget, J. (1977). The development of thought: Equilibration of cognitive structures. (A. Rosin, Trans). New York: The Viking Press.

Rosenblatt, L. (1978). The reader, the text, the poem: The transactional theory of the literary work. Carbondale, !!: Southern Il l inois University Press.

Smith, K. (1993) Becoming the “guide” on the side. Educational Leadership, 51 (2), 35-37.

Zemelman, S., Daniels, H., & Hyde, A. (1993). Best practice: New standards for teaching and learning in America’s schools. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Twomey Fosnot, C. (1989). Enquiring teachers, enquiring learners: A constructivist approach for teaching. New York: Teachers College Press.

McNeil, L. (1986). Contradictions of control: school structure and school knowledge. New York: Routledge.

Mezirow, J. and Associates. (1990). How critical refl ection triggers transformative learning. In J. Mezirow and Associates (1990), Fostering critical refl ection in adulthood: A guide to transformative and emancipatory learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers