Teachers must have the mindset of wanting to teach so that their students to understand. Then they must use appropriate instructional techniques to make this goal a reality. It is said that errors in this way of teaching occur from a lack of an accurate understanding of this theory. There seems to be no official formula on how to be a constructivist teacher, which allows for educations use his or her own unique approaches to being an effective constructivist teacher. This type of teaching breaks away from the typical or the known practices like using pre-made lessons, readers, or cliché activities. A notable concern when attempting this method of teaching is the idea that there is no need for any structure in education because students need to figure everything out on their own and that there is “no [one] right answer.” Since constructivism can be found more clearly within specific content areas, it is wise to investigate the effectiveness and the realisticness through a given subject matter; this leads to asking the question: does teachers’ subject-matter knowledge play into the effective use of the constructivist theory? There is no known research that gives an answer to this question, only personal…
Social constructionism accepts that there is an objective reality. It is concerned with how knowledge is constructed and understood. It has therefore an epistemological not an ontological perspective. Criticisms and misunderstanding arise when this central fact is misinterpreted. This is most evident in debates and criticisms surrounding realism and relativism. The words of Kirk and Miller (1986) are relevant when they suggest that the search for a final, absolute truth be left to philosophers and theologians. Social constructionism places great emphasis on everyday interactions between people and how they use language to construct their reality. It regards the social practices people engage in as the focus of enquiry. This is very similar…
individual behavior, and has been used as a basis for many different types of research…
Developments in technology and the introduction of computers into the learning environment have changed the manner of learning inside the classroom. Traditionally, lessons are delivered using teacher-centered strategies. However, as technology-driven initiatives are introduced, there is a gradual shift into employing student-centered learning strategies. Constructivist theorists believe that these are essential to student-centered learning environment. a) centrality of the learner in defining meaning, (b) importance of situated, authentic contexts, and (c) negotiation and interpretation of…
The constructivist perspective upon learning, focuses on how knowledge is actively constructed by the learner. The knowledge the learner constructs, is based on their individual and shared mediated experience. Constructivists argue there is no other reality other than what the student creates. Constructivist learning also inter links with cognitivism, as the constructivist learning can be described as an adaption which can occur via cognitive processes. Experience of the real world is a key concept of this learning perspective.…
People construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences (Jones & Brader-Araje, 2002). When we encounter something new, such as knowledge or a text, we have to interpret with it. Generally, we interpret that new information using our previous knowledge and experience. Learning is an active process. The more active we can be, the more hands on and tangible the information, the more we learn (Winn, 2004). Instruction that centers on the Constructivist approach involves providing experiences for the learner. Learners must be given the freedom to construct meaning at their own pace through personal experience. Learning…
Albert Bandura was a psychologist who came up with what is known as the “Social Cognitive Theory” (“Albert Bandura,” 2015). He believed that two aspects, imitation and operant conditioning, result in social learning. According to Hannum (2005), “Bandura noted that our behavior is changed when we see a person take a specific action and be rewarded for that action”. This is where both operant conditioning and imitation comes in. Operant conditioning is any learning that is established through the use of punishments/behaviors (Cherry, 2015). In order for imitation to be successful, there are elements such as direct and vicarious reinforcements (Lefrancois, 2012, p. 326-327).…
3. IEEE: Standard for Learning Object Metadata. Learning Technology Standards Committee (2003), http://grouper.ieee.org/LTSC/wg12/ (retrieved August 15, 2006) 4. IMS: IMS Open Specifications for Interoperable Learning Technology (2003), http://www.imsglobal.org/ (retrieved August 15, 2006) 5. Hill, J.R.: Overcoming obstacles and creating connections: Community building in Webbased learning environments. Journal of Computing in Higher Education 14(1), 67–86 (2002) 6. Wiley, D.A.: Connecting learning objects to instructional design theory: A definition, a metaphor, and a taxonomy. In: Wiley, D.A. (ed.) The Instructional Use of Learning Objects (2000), http://reusability.org/read/chapters/wiley.doc (retrieved June 23, 2006) 7. Keefe, J.W.: Learning style: An overview. In: NASSP’s Student learning styles: Diagnosing and prescribing programs Reston, pp. 1–17. National Association of Secondary School Principals, VA (1979) 8. Bergeron, D.P., Rosen, D.H., Arnau, R.C., Mascaro, N.: Picture Interpretation and Jungian Typology. Journal of Analytical Psychology 48(1), 83–99 (2003) 9. Jung, C.G.: Psychological types or the psychology of individuation, Brace, Harcourt, New York (1923) 10. Fosnot, C.: Constructivism: A Psychological theory of learning. In: Fosnot, C. (ed.) Constructivism: Theory, perspectives, and practice. Teachers College Press, New York (1996) 11. Steffe, L.P., Gale, J.: Constructivism in Education. Erlbaum, Hillsdale (1995) 12. Honebein, P.C., Duffy, T., Fishman, B.: Constructivism and the Design of Learning Environment: Context and Authentic Activities for Learning. In: Duffy, T.M., Lowyck, J., Jonassen, D. (eds.) Design Environments for Constructivist Learning, pp. 87–108. Springer, Heidelberg (1993) 13. Chickering, A.W., Gamson, Z.F.: Seven Principles for good practice in undergraduate education. AAHE Bulletin, 3–7 (1987) 14. Cisco: Cisco Reusable Learning Object Strategy: Designing and Developing Learning Objects for Multiple Learning Approaches (2003), http://business.cisco.com/ (retrieved August 15, 2006) 15.…
In the constructivist classroom, the student constructs new knowledge through a process of analyzing new…
Measuring the effectiveness of social constructivism in the classroom will take place in two different ways. When working on group projects or when engaging in class discussion, students will be expected to demonstrate the five essential elements that are unique to a cooperative learning classroom: positive interdependence, individual accountability, face-to-face interaction, and social skills (Moreno, 2010). This is very abstract and therefore, will be measured through direct evaluation because it allows the teacher to receive quality information on individual participation and give each student specific feedback. The second measurement will be a criterion-referenced assessment using either an exam or paper…
Constructivism is a type of learning theory where individuals create new perceptions based on different life experiences. The focus of this theory is based on the students want and capability to learn the material being instructed. A constructivist teacher will help guide self-directed learning. They will focus on making connections between facts and developing new understanding in students. These teachers work on modifying their strategies based on their student responses. It is important for them to encourage their students to analyze, interpret, and predict information usually in collaboration with others.…
Jean Piaget (1896-1980) popularized the theory of constructivism. Constructivism style of learning allows a child use exploration as part of their learning process. The students have the opportunity to use prior knowledge to apply to new applications being learned. Whether the prior knowledge is accurate or not, constructivism gives them the chance to reinforce what they knew to be true or change the former way of thinking to achieve a new outcome. The ordinary reading and listening in a classroom does not exist but a more hand on approach. This permits the students to have an active learning experience. It is thought, that while attempting to figure out a problem or question, if a student is permitted to explore, they retain the information since it is self-taught. It is the teacher’s responsibility to create an environment that promotes student investigation as well as making the classroom as engaging as possible.…
In the most basic turns, the social cognitive theory refers to the view that one learns by watching the behavior of others. With mass media becoming more and more relevant in today’s society, understanding how symbolic communication influences human thought, affect, and action is essential (Bandura, 2002, p. 265). In this transactional view, personal factors such as cognitive, affective, and biological events, behavioral patterns, and environmental events, work simultaneously and operate as interacting determinants that influence each other (Bandura, 2002, pg. 266). The theory has been applied in varied and diverse areas of life, including one’s career choice, organizational behavior, athletics, and even mental and physical health (Pajares,…
Constructivism can be evident within incident one through the aspect of social learning theory. According to Tu (2000) Vygotsky believes that social interaction with adults and peers has an influential impact on students learning and development. This may be viewed as significant as Vygotsky’s theory is said to help promote and encourage learning contexts which students are actively involved in, leading to learning which is facilitated and extended until an individual can fulfil a task for themselves (Learning-theories, 2017) (Verenikina, 2008) (Shaffer, 2009). Moreover, linking to practice incident one demonstrated how the child initiated, responded and adapted to the help from a more experienced person, by utilizing different approaches within…
As education has developed so have several major theories of how students learn. The ideas behind behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism represent three of the most commonly followed theories of learning followed in education today. Behaviorism relies on the theory that all human behaviors are learned and only the behaviors that can be clearly observed are worth studying (Standridge, 2002). B.F. Skinner was instrumental in the creation of the behaviorist theory. Unlike behaviorists, cognitivists believe learning is an active process based on the existing cognitive structures of the learner (“Teaching Guide,” n.d.). The ideas of Piaget and Vygtosky form the cornerstone of the cognitivism theory. Constructivism has greater similarities to cognitivism in that learning is an active process for both theories. In constructivism the focus is on how students are able to make the connections between their prior knowledge and new knowledge. Hands-on student learning activities are most closely associated with the theory of constructivism.…