Explain the Constructivist Theory of Guidance
2-28-2012
Explaining Guidance Theories: Developmental, Behavioral, Constructivist.
Question: Explain Constructivist theory of guidance.
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Constructivism is rooted from philosophy just like sociology, ethnography and cognitive psychology. Already in the eighteenth century, the German philosopher Kant believed that a child’s learning was an interaction between the developing child and the environment. He believed that children constructed their own knowledge and understanding about things. This is a constructivist view of how children learn (Bruce, Meggitt & Grenier 2010). The child-centered constructivist approach to early childhood education has its roots in the work of psychologists Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) and Jean Piaget (1896-1980). “Piaget's theories in child development, cognition and intelligence worked as a framework to inspire the development of the constructivist approach to learning.”(http://www.ehow.com/info_8541570_differences-vygotsky-piaget-teaching.html). Piaget believed that children go through four stages of development: (1) the Sensori-
Motor, (from birth to 2 years), (2) the Pre-operational (age 2-7), (3) the Concrete Operational
(age 7-12), and the Formal Operational (age 12-15 years) (Piaget in Bruce, Meggitt, Grenier 2010). A child goes through stages and sequences in her/his learning and, regardless of social background and must go through each stage of cognitive development in succession to gain knowledge. Piaget believed that it is through play that children learn and make sense of the reality that surrounds them. He later (1985) expanded this theory to explain how new information is shaped to fit with the learner's existing knowledge, and existing knowledge is itself modified to accommodate the new information. The major concepts in this cognitive process include the following: (1) Assimilation (taking in new information which is
Explaining Guidance Theories: Developmental, Behavioral, Constructivist.
Question: Explain Constructivist theory of guidance.
____________________________________________________________________________
Constructivism is rooted from philosophy just like sociology, ethnography and cognitive psychology. Already in the eighteenth century, the German philosopher Kant believed that a child’s learning was an interaction between the developing child and the environment. He believed that children constructed their own knowledge and understanding about things. This is a constructivist view of how children learn (Bruce, Meggitt & Grenier 2010). The child-centered constructivist approach to early childhood education has its roots in the work of psychologists Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) and Jean Piaget (1896-1980). “Piaget's theories in child development, cognition and intelligence worked as a framework to inspire the development of the constructivist approach to learning.”(http://www.ehow.com/info_8541570_differences-vygotsky-piaget-teaching.html). Piaget believed that children go through four stages of development: (1) the Sensori-
Motor, (from birth to 2 years), (2) the Pre-operational (age 2-7), (3) the Concrete Operational
(age 7-12), and the Formal Operational (age 12-15 years) (Piaget in Bruce, Meggitt, Grenier 2010). A child goes through stages and sequences in her/his learning and, regardless of social background and must go through each stage of cognitive development in succession to gain knowledge. Piaget believed that it is through play that children learn and make sense of the reality that surrounds them. He later (1985) expanded this theory to explain how new information is shaped to fit with the learner's existing knowledge, and existing knowledge is itself modified to accommodate the new information. The major concepts in this cognitive process include the following: (1) Assimilation (taking in new information which is