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Constructivist Approach Essay

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Constructivist Approach Essay
The Constructivist/Cognitivist Perspective
Context
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
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As noted, variation and discernment are at the core of this perspective. For learning to occur, variation must exist in critical factors of the learning target (Marton, 2006). In very general terms, discernment is the ability to identify differences through experience, where key aspects of the object vary, while other remaining characteristics remain constant (Marton, 2006). I would argue that while both constructivism and phenomenography value the experience of the learner, experience is more rigidly interpreted in the phenomenography perspective. This can be attributed to the empirical research background associated with the learning …show more content…
In the Socio-cultural perspective, the learner negotiates a complex language into a meaningful moments. Learning is a tangent between competence as socially defined and your own personal experience. Social practice is not static, instead it is something that is constantly negotiated by members making different claims to that practice (Wenger, 1998). Such claims can be accepted or refused by the community. Learning can happen both ways, whether it’s the competence that pulling the experience or if it’s the experience pulling the competence. Learning is a social engagement, and a community is formed when people over time developed the competence of the Community of

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