Download ppt - Social Constructivist Perspectives on Teaching & Learning Research context of social constructivism Mechanisms accounting for learning Sociocognitive

Social Constructivist Perspectives on Teaching & Learning

Research context of social constructivism Mechanisms accounting for learning

Sociocognitive conflict theory of Piaget Sociocultural theory of Vygotsky

Analyses of social constructivism Institutional analyses Interpersonal analyses Discursive analyses

Application to contemporary education Acquiring expertise across domains Assessment Providing meaningful education for all children Educational reform

Social Constructivism: The acquisition of intellectual skills through social interaction(Think: Vygotsky, Socially Distributed Cognition)






Situating Sociocultural Theory Behaviorism

Learning. Differential strengthening of bonds between situations and actions (S R)

Teaching. Shaping the responses of the learner (e.g. demonstration, reinforcement)

Task Analysis. Determine component parts, drill on prerequisite skills before advanced materials

Direct Instruction. Teacher controls pace, sequence, and content of lesson

Problems with Behaviorism Works for teaching facts, not higher order cognitive skills Does not result in the flexibility necessary for transfer of

skills to occur Offers no explanation of the mechanisms that account for

learning

Situating Sociocultural Theory Computational Theory of Mind

Meaning-making. Cognitive structures (e.g., schemata, proposition networks) represent knowledge in memory& underlie problem-solving & transfer.

Constructivism. Cognitive structures seen as individually constructed in the process of interpreting (representing) experiences.

Notion of “Constructivism”

Minimal constructivism

Radicalconstructivism

Individual constructs knowledge via mental

representations; issue is whether or not they are

accurate

Knowledge develops via dialogue w/others; hence, no such thing as objective

knowledge

Situating Sociocultural Theory Why social constructivism?

Modeling the mental processing of a given task (i.e. think-aloud activities) improves students’ performance.

Success of reciprocal teaching – students engage in reading comprehension strategies (predicting, questioning, summarizing, clarifying) in groups

o Provided evidence of relationship between quality of social interaction & nature of learning that occurred

Research on collaboration – collective knowledge, multiple understandings (representations), distributed cognitive work

Awareness of role of language production in promoting learning (explaining ones thinking leads to deeper processing)

What is social constructivism? The idea that thought, language, and knowledge are ‘not just

influenced by social factors but are social phenomena’o Cognition is a collaborative process

o Thought is internalized discourse

o Development is internalization of socially shared activities/ processes

SocialConstructivism =

Socially DistributedCognition






Mechanisms for LearningSociocognitive Conflict Theory of Piaget Cognitive conflict created by social interaction drives

intellectual development Contradiction between the learner’s existing understanding

& current experiences leads to disequilibration Disequilibration “forces the subject to go beyond his current

state and strike out in new directions” (Paiget)

Among peers, there is mutual control over the interaction, therefore…

Social interaction between equals is more likely to lead to cognitive development

Caveats: verbal interaction is key to the co-construction of meaning May be unproductive if interaction is sparse May be unproductive if social structure allows passive compliance Social status strongly shapes what cognitive change happens.

Mechanisms for LearningSociocultural Theory of Vygotsky “The social dimension of consciousness is primary in time and in

fact. The individual dimension of consciousness is derivative and secondary.” (Vygotsky)

Higher mental functioning has its origins in social interaction An individual’s cognitive structures & processes emerge from their

interactions with others (not just information passed around) Focus typically on interaction between people of varying levels of

expertise (zone of proximal development) Development seen as the result of learning, not its precondition

(*cough cough Piaget cough*) There is no generic development that is independent of

communities & their practices (*cough cough Piaget cough*) Human action, on both the social and individual planes, is mediated

by tools & signs (semiotics) These tools & signs (a) facilitate co-construction of knowledge, and

(b) are internalized to aid future independent activity Learning (& Development) – result from a complex interplay of

mediational tools, the individual, and the social world

Summing Up Social Constructivism The individual is thoroughly social – Separating the

individual from social influences is not possible

Learning is culturally & contextually specific – the sociocultural contexts in which teaching & learning occur are critical to learning itself

Cognition is not separate from social, motivational, emotional, and identity processes

The study of generalization (transfer) is the study of processes not personal/situational attributes






Institutional Analysis of Social Constructivist Perspective

What does this theory mean for the culture of schooling? Schools must be reconsidered in terms of…

different teaching methods (yes, of course) different cultural systems, representing different

educational, social, & communicative norms & priorities

EXAMPLE: The value placed on co-construction of meaning CHALLENGE: Difficulty of creating a context in Western

European schools where an intersubjective attitude prevails (rather than privileging of individual success, knowledge display, competition)

Interpersonal Analysis of Social Constructivist PerspectiveWhat does this theory mean for classroom culture? Learning as a Social Enterprise Emphasis on collaborative student work Teacher as scaffold (guide on the side) Shared ownership of the learning – negotiation of shared

meaning (rather than division of labor) through: All members of group work on same part of the problem at the

same time Members externalize their thinking, both right & wrong Members negotiate to agreement before moving forward As instruction moves forward, regulative activity is transferred

from teacher to students (e.g. revoicing)

Caveats: social relations drastically impact collaboration (hence, learning) teachers must socialize students into new ways of treating peers

as intellectual partners

Discursive Analysis of Social Constructivist Perspective

What does this theory mean for student interaction? Discourse is the primary symbolic, mediational tool for

cognitive development Research demonstrates that discourse/interaction is

conducive to learning; however, the benefits depend on the type of talk

Talk that is interpretive (generated in the service of analysis or explanations) is better than than talk that is merely descriptive

Teachers need to seed the conversation with new and/or alternatives for students to consider – to push students’ individual & joint thinking

The structure of the group activity matters: o Responsibility should be shared

o Expertise should be distributed

o Needs an ethos for building on preceding ideas

We stopped here & will continue with the rest

tomorrow.






Application of Social Constructivism to EducationAcquiring Expertise Expertise construed as facility in practices valued within a

particular community of practice (rather than merely the construction of knowledge structures in memory)

Hence, classroom are designed to capture important practices valued in the relevant domain community, not just domain ‘facts’

Assessment = Dynamic Assessment Performance of the learner is mediated/guided by the

teacher to determine the learner’s potential to profit from assistance or instruction.

A prospective measure of performance, revealing developing abilities not just already matured ones & predicting future independent success

Application of Social Constructivism to EducationProviding Meaningful Education for All children Why schools have failed to serve all children:

Discontinuities between home culture & school culture Mismatched communicative practices between

non-mainstream children & mainstream teachers, resulting in miscommunication

Internalization of negative stereotypes by minority students who may find schools to be a site for opposition & resistance

Relational issues, such as failure to attain mutual trust or shared sense of identity between teachers & students

These explanations are both descriptive of current state of schools & prescriptive for teaching.

X

Activity

Take a close look at Dotty Herd’s classroom in the film.

Briefly analyze her classroom from a social constructivist perspective. What does/not

work? Explain.

X

Interpersonal Analysis of Social Constructivist PerspectiveInterpersonal Analysis

What does this theory mean for classroom culture? Emphasis on collaborative student work

Activity

Social constructivist

classroomTraditional classroom

Student-centered activity

Independent Seat Work 0% 40%

Student presentations 15% 0%

Pair/small-group work 55% 1%

Teacher-centered activity

Directive 0% 29%

Facilitative 29% 0%

Several different forms but all share some common features Students work in small groups or teams Students are responsible not only for their own

learning but for one another’s learning as well

Example Models of Cooperative Learning Student Team Learning Jigsaw

Structuring Collaborative Learning Activities

Team Rewards Students in team receive rewards if they meet some

designated learning goal Teams are not in competition with one another All teams can earn reward

Individual Accountability Team’s success depends on the individual learning of all

team members Team members explain concepts to one another Ensure that each member of group is up to speed

Equal Opportunities Students contribute to their teams by improving over

their own past performances Ensures that all skill levels are equally challenged and

equally valued

Student Team Learning

Usually used in courses where text is central

1. Class is divided into teams of 6-10

2. Whole class reads the target text (entirely)

3. Each student chooses a topic to become expert on

4. Students who choose the same topic meet to form an expert group

5. Expert groups research topic & collaborate to develop a shared understanding

6. Students return to their teams to teach what they learned to their teammates

• Students can only learn topics other than the one they chose via listening to peers, so teammates are motivated to support one another’s work.

Jigsaw Method

Compared to traditional (individual desk work) instruction, cooperative learning wins out 61% of the time

Effects vary depending on particular methods used Group goals & individual accountability are crucial! Equal benefits to students of all ability levels Students express greater liking for their peers in

general as a result – important when classroom is ethnically diverse

Increases students’ self esteem & self-concept Other general outcomes: liking school, development

of peer norms in favor of doing well academically, feelings of self-efficacy, cooperativeness, & altruism ..

Research Shows…