Constructivism
Views of Learning
Individual constructivism
Social Constructivism
How knowledge is constructed?
The realities and truth of the external world direct knowledge construction
Information processing model
Internal processes such as organization, assimilation and accommodation direct knowledge construction
Both external and internal factors direct knowledge construction
Piaget
Vygotsky
Individuals construct their understanding of the world
Teacher’s role is to provide instructional materials and a supportive environment
Student interests and choice drive the process of learning
Individual Constructivism
in the Classroom
Discovery learning
Inquiry based learning
- Students develop questions that they are hungry to answer.
- Research the topic using time in class.
- Have students present what they have learned.
- Ask students to reflect on what worked about the process and what didn’t.
Pure discovery
Guided discovery
Vygotsky
Emphasizes the role of social context in knowledge construction.
Learners share individual perspectives with others to construct understandings together that would not be possible to construct individually
Distributed cognition
Distributed cognition
Teacher is the discussion facilitator
Different understandings may result from the same instructional materials
Situated learning
Cognitive Tasks in Constructivism
Discover flaws in their reasoning
Organize
Clarify
Elaborate
Entertain alternative perspectives
Social Constructivism
in the Classroom
- Tutoring and reciprocal teaching
- Communities of learners
- Cooperative learning
- Classroom discussion
- Problem-based learning
- Informal learning experiences
Elements for successful cooperative tasks
Face-to-face interaction
Individual accountability
Social skills
Positive interdependence
Group processing
Tasks for cooperative learning
Ill-structured, conceptual and problem-solving tasks
Social skills and communication tasks
Highly structured, review and skill-building tasks
Cooperative Learning Techniques
Student Teams Achievement Divisions (STAD)
Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (CIRC)
Think-pair-share
Jigsaw
Cooperative scripting
Structured controversies
Group investigations
promote comprehension strategies
Clarifying
Generating questions
Predicting
Summarizing
Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies
Appropriate for older, self-regulated students
Building a community of discourse
Participating in multiple zones of proximal development
Allowing students to become tutors for some and tutees of others
Seeding or suggesting ideas to the community
Taking individual responsibility
Sharing the gained expertise with the community members
Participating in the rituals and procedures adopted by the community
Teacher presents an ill-defined problem and students solve the problem
Teacher presents an ill-defined problem and students solve the problem
Problems chosen must be complex, ill-defined, interesting, and requiring the integration of knowledge from more than one domain
Uses problem solving strategies
Algorithm
Heuristics
Incubation
Initiate, Response, Evaluate
Roles of the teacher
Facilitate the materials and context for the discussion
Monitor the progress of the discussion
Arrange the groups and seating
Help students evaluate outcomes
Out-of-classroom learning
Not pedagogically planned
Student experiences tied in with lessons
Libraries
Museums
Zoo and gardens
Industrial sites
Sanctuaries
Field trips