What is Constructivism in Education?

Adam Curtis

Constructivism Defined

Progressive Philosophy of how people learn.

We essentially build our knowledge by experiencing things, and reflecting on those experiences.

http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/index.html

An online workshop covering the basics of constructivism to implementation in the classroom

“The students learn HOW TO LEARN.” This style of teaching focuses more on the path to

discovering the information than the actual information, making it important for the teacher to ask the right questions instead of simply presenting the information to be memorized.

Constructivism as a Paradigm for Teaching and Learning

In the Classroom

Rather than telling the students the information, the teacher acts as a guide, allowing the students to discover the information.

Once the information is found, the teacher leads a reflection on the process of the discussion or activity.

Example: In math class, the teacher

guides the students to ask the right questions, sometimes even taking the incorrect route to illustrate what may not work and why. Once the right path is found and the correct information obtained, the teacher will reflect on the thought process involved.

Students should then be able to apply this thought process to other related problems.

http://ac-journal.org/journal/vol5/iss3/special/jones.pdf Constructivism has already taken shape in many

classrooms. More schools are focusing on peer-to-peer collaboration and classroom discussions, as opposed to lecture based classes. The language, spoken and written, has also changed with an emphasis on learning and communicating with and among the students. The teacher does more than simply talk, he or she listens to the different perspectives and allows these different perspectives to be shared amongst the class with the discussions and collaborations.

The Impact of Constructionism on Education: Language, Discourse, and

Meaning

Pros and Cons

Pros

Develops skills in collaboration.

Builds problem solving skills.

Sparks student’s curiosity. Allows for a sharing of

different perspectives.

Cons

Demotes individualized thinking.

Benefits only kids in privileged schools with good teachers.

What do you think? Is it more beneficial to move towards a

constructivist approach in the classroom, or stick to the tried-and-true current ideologies?

Discussion

(2004). Constructivism as a Paradigm for Teaching and Learning. Retrieved from http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/cons

tructivism/index.htmlBrader-Araje, L. & Jones, M. G. (2002). The Impact of

Constructivism on Education: Language, Discourse, and Meaning. American Communication Journal, 5 (3). Retrieved from http://acjournal.org/journal/vol5/iss3/special/

jones.pdf

References