“CONSTRUCTIVISM AND SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM”

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CONSTRUCTIVISM
Constructivism is a learning theory found in psychology which explains how people might acquire knowledge and learn. It therefore has direct application to education. The theory suggests that humans construct knowledge and meaning from their experiences. Constructivism is not a specific pedagogy. Piaget’s theory of Constructivist learning has had wide ranging impact on learning theories and teaching methods in education and is an underlying theme of many education reform movements. Research support for constructivist teaching techniques has been mixed, with some research supporting these techniques and other research contradicting those results.

Resources
What is constructivism?
Concept to Classroom > Constructivism as a Paradigm for Teaching and Learning
Provides a workshop on the concept of constructivism beginning with an explanation of the term and ending with a demonstration of how the concept can be applied in the classroom. (retrieved Jan 19, 2011)

Learning Theories.Com
Provides an overview of the concept of Constructivism: that learning is an active, contextualized process of constructing knowledge rather than acquiring it. (retrieved Jan 19, 2011)

How does a constructivist approach differ from a traditional approach?
Concept to Classroom. Constructivism as a Paradigm for Teaching and Learning. How does this theory differ from traditional ideas about teaching and learning?
Provides a comparison of a “traditional classroom” with a “constructivist classroom”. In a constructivist classroom the students are the focus and the teacher a
facilitator who asks good questions. (retrieved Jan 19, 2011)
Concept to Classroom. Constructivism as a Paradigm for Teaching and Learning. What does constructivism have to do with my classroom?
Explains through a series of examples how Constructivist principles can be applied in the classroom demonstrating how Constructivist teachers pose questions and problems, then guide students to help them find their own answers, using many techniques in the teaching process. (retrieved Jan 19, 2011)
The Practice Implications of Constructivism
Discusses the notion of Constructivism and its implications for teaching. Concludes that the most important contribution of constructivism may well be a focus on student-centered learning. (retrieved Jan 19, 2011)

Social Constructivism- What is it?
“… a known truth owes its existence to the mind that knows it…” -Giamattista Vico, 1668-1744

Social constructivism emphasises that all cognitive functions including learning are dependent on interactions with others (e.g. teachers, peers, and parents). Therefore learning is critically dependent on the qualities of a collaborative process within an educational community, which is situation specific and context bound (Eggen and Kauchak, 1999; McInerney and McInerney, 2002; Schunk, 2012). However learning must also be seen as more than the assimilation of new knowledge by the individual, but also as the process by which learners are integrated into a knowledge community.

According to social constructivism nothing is learnt from scratch; instead it is related to existing knowledge with new information being integrated into and expanding the existing network of understanding. The successful learner is therefore one who embeds new ideas within old and for whom understanding expands to encompass the new experience. Therfore, a social constructivistic learner’s view of the world will always be subjective, as each individual will interpret experience via a different pre-existing framework of understanding and will develop their own unique view of the world.

Background
Constructivism and Social Constructivism are two similar learning theories which share a large number of underlying assumptions, and an interpretive epistemological position.

Both Approaches
Social Constructivism

• Deep roots classical antiquity. Socrates, in dialogue with his followers, asked directed questions that led his students to realize for themselves the weaknesses in their thinking.
• Learning is perceived as an active, not a passive, process, where knowledge is constructed, not acquired
• Knowledge construction is based on personal experiences and the continual testing of hypotheses
  Each person has a different interpretation and construction of knowledge process, based on past experiences and cultural factors.
• Emphasis is on the collaborative nature of learning and the importance of cultural and social context.
• All cognitive functions are believed to originate in, and are explained as products of social interactions

*Learning is more than the assimilation of new knowledge by learners; it was the process by which learners were integrated into a knowledge community.

• Believed that constructivists such as Piaget had overlooked the essentially social nature of language and consequently failed to understand that learning is a collaborative process.

Main Theorists
John Dewey (1933/1998) is often cited as the philosophical founder of this approach. Bruner (1990) and Piaget (1972) are considered the chief theorists among the cognitive constructivists, while Vygotsky (1978) is the major theorist among the social constructivists.

Dewey
John Dewey rejected the notion that schools should focus on repetitive, rote memorization & proposed a method of “directed living” – students would engage in real-world, practical workshops in which they would demonstrate their knowledge through creativity and collaboration. Students should be provided with opportunities to think from themselves and articulate their thoughts.

Dewey called for education to be grounded in real experience. He wrote, “If you have doubts about how learning happens, engage in sustained inquiry: study, ponder, consider alternative possibilities and arrive at your belief grounded in evidence.”

Piaget
Piaget rejected the idea that learning was the passive assimilation of given knowledge. Instead, he proposed that learning is a dynamic process comprising successive stages of adaption to reality during which learners actively construct knowledge by creating and testing their own theories of the world.

Although less contemporary & influential, it has inspired several important educational principles such as:

Discovery learning
Sensitivity to children’s’ readiness
Acceptance of individual differences
Learners don’t have knowledge forced on them – they create it for themselves