CONSTRUCTIVIST APPROACH TO TEACHING AND LEARNINGCreated By Christy F.

Constructivist Approach to Teaching and Learning

Overview of Constructivism Theorists supporting Constructivism How Constructivism is Applied in the C

lassroom My Constructivist Classroom

Overview of Constructivism The theory of constructivism is an approach

to learning suggesting that children must construct their own understandings of the world in which they live.

In comparison to behaviorism, the learner is not a blank slate (tabula rasa), but instead brings past experiences and cultural factors to a situation and new information is constructed from prior knowledge.

Next

Overview of Constructivism Learners construct their own understanding

and knowledge of the world through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences.

Learning is an active, contextualized process of constructing knowledge rather than acquiring it.

Information must be mentally acted on, manipulated, and transformed by learners in order to have meaning.

Main Menu

Theorists Supporting Constructivism

Jean Piaget (1896-1980): Stages of Cognitive Development

John Dewey (1859-1952): Progressive Education

Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934): Social Development Theory

Jerome Bruner (1915 -) Discovery Learning Theory

Main Menu

Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development

Piaget proposed that cognitive development followed an invariant sequence from infancy through adolescence.

His particular insight was the role of maturation in children's increasing capacity to understand their world: they cannot undertake certain tasks until they are psychologically mature enough to do so.

Next

Sensori-motor  (Birth-2 yrs)  Differentiates self from objects  Recognizes self as agent of action and begins to act intentionally: e.g. pulls a string to set mobile in motion or shakes a rattle to make a noise.

Achieves object permanence: realizes that things continue to exist even when no longer present or seen.

Pre-operational  (2-7 years)  Learns to use language and to represent objects by images and words.  Thinking is still egocentric: has difficulty taking the viewpoint of others. 

Classifies objects by a single feature: e.g. groups together all the red blocks regardless of shape or all the square blocks regardless of color. 

Piaget’s Four Stages of Cognitive Development

Next

Piaget’s Four Stages of Cognitive Development Concrete operational 

(7-11 years)  Can think logically about objects and events.  Achieves conservation of number (age 6), mass (age 7), and weight (age 9).

Classifies objects according to several features and can order them in series along a single dimension such as size. 

Formal operational  (11 years and up)  Can think logically about abstract propositions and test hypotheses systematically.  Becomes concerned with the hypothetical, the future, and ideological problems.

Main Menu

How Constructivism is Applied in the Classroom

Teachers should have lessons where “hands-on” experimentation, problem solving, logical reasoning, and authentic learning are emphasized.

Teachers should generally behave in an interactive manner mediating the environment for students where student questions are highly valued.

Next

How Constructivism is Applied in the Classroom

Teachers should seek the student's point of view in order to understand student learning for use in subsequent lessons.

Assessment of student learning should be interwoven with teaching and occur through teacher observation of students at work and through presentations and portfolios.

Main Menu

My Constructivist Classroom

In order to follow the principles behind constructive cognitive development I will incorporate the following strategies in my classroom:

Provide scaffolding to extend student’s Zone of Proximal Development

Involve students in activities which engage the mind as well as the hands. Next

My Constructivist ClassroomContinued: Have students work in groups often

Initiate group discussions and debates allowing students to share their own thoughts and opinions

Main Menu