‘Constructivism’The educator as Facilitator

Educational Theory (1)National Liaisons Workshop

ITOCA / BLDS

Constructivism - Objectives

• By the end of this session, you will:– Know what constructivism is?– Understand why it is important to trainers– Understand how to apply its approach to your

work– Begin to understand the theory behind the

student-centred approach

Constructivism

“Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand”

Chinese Proverb

What is Constructivism?• Teaching & training theory based on research about

how individuals learn• Based on the idea:

– Individuals construct knowledge (personal construct theory – Kelly 1955) through:• Understanding past experiences• Reflecting on past experiences• Adding a greater degree of detail to existing knowledge [1]

– fill in knowledge gaps & go beyond information given (Bruner)• Combining new knowledge into personal understanding of reality [2]

MacKeracher (2004) Making sense of adult learning, 2nd edn. Toronto: University of Toronto Press

What is constructivism?

• Modern Constructivists– Lev Vigotsky• Social Construction

– emphasized the effects of one’s environment (family, friends, culture & background) have on learning

– Jerome Bruner• Constructivism & Cognitivism

– Bruner’s 5 E’s

– Kolb “Learning Cycle or Experiential learning cycle”

Kolb et al

• Experiences play a central role in learning process– Life, work, education or play

• Ideas are formed and re-formed continuously through learning experience

• Bring our own ideas and preconceptions to learning process

• Learning is an iterative processKolb, Rubin and Osland (1991) Organizational Behaviour: an experiential approach, 5th edn. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall

Why it is important to trainers?• Trainer’s role: Act as a facilitator & resource person• Individuals learn best through:

– Exploration or enquiry– ‘Active’ rather than ‘passive’ learning– ‘student-centred’, participative approaches– (Co-) Constructing meaning– Reflection

• Increased sense of ‘autonomy’– Independent learners

• Useful in a variety of settings• Classroom, lecture halls etc.

Modern Constructivist

• Jerome Bruner most recent contributor• Bruner’s five E’s– Engage– Explore– Explain– Elaborate– Evaluate

             

Jerome Bruner

Engage

• Engage students and get them interested in learning

• Discuss in pairs: how would you motivate learners? 5 minutes– Does the student identify his/her own learning needs & then pursue

them?– Learning pace– Student’s ideas / questions welcomed?– Negotiate learning needs?– Student construct knowledge? Progress trial & error?– Opportunities for reflection?

Explore

• Get directly involved in learning approach– Active learning

• Work in ‘teams’ or ‘pairs’• Act as a facilitator (or resource person)• Use enquiry (or discovery) to drive learning

process– Enquiry-based learning“Learning driven by a process of enquiry..”

Explain• Explanations come from:– Students learning together

• Consider uses of ICT

– Trainer introduces concepts and vocabulary– Trainer determines levels of understanding

• Clarifies concepts if misconceptions exist

– Learning approaches (assist AfL)• Students’ set own research topics / essay• Dealing with problem-solving assignments• Creating own questions• Brainstorming

Elaborate

• Students expand on concepts learned– Fill in gaps

• Apply understanding to own environment & real world problems

• Make connections• Connections lead to further inquiry & new

understandings

Evaluate• Can occur at all points of the instructional

process– Formative (used by students to measure learning

progress (reflective)• Rubrics (Peer Assessment)• Teacher observations• Student interviews

– Summative (formal assessment event that contributes to the award of a grade and/or mark)

• Used to guide further training plans

To summarize: Constructivist theory is..

• Learning is active• Student-centred & enquiry-based• Act as a facilitator, not a record player• Learning is achieved through exploration• Learning happens if it is interesting!• Use 5 E’s to put students at centre of learning • Appeals to past experiences (reflective)• Makes learning cyclical or incremental

Problem-solving IL scenario

“You have a friend who is interested in setting using a social networking tool to promote their research (e.g. Facebook). They are worried about the dangers, including: plagiarism, ethical and privacy issues. What advice would you give them? Should they use a social networking tool to promote their research?”

Task #10 – Problem-solving task • In your groups:– Develop a 5 minute PowerPoint presentation– You must:• Consider the pros / cons• Compare tools and suggest alternatives (if applicable)• Identify why task is a pertinent Information Literacy

skills problem

• 20 minutes preparation time

Post task feedback

• Using constructivist approach– How could we have improved task?– Group Discussion• Use different scenarios (variety increases motivation)• Student define scenario• Others?