What is Constructivism?
Constructivism is basically a theory -- based on observation
and scientific study -- about how people learn. It says that people construct
their own understanding and knowledge of the world, through experiencing things
and reflecting on those experiences. When we encounter something new, we have
to reconcile it with our previous ideas and experience, maybe changing what we
believe, or maybe discarding the new information as irrelevant. In any case, we
are active creators of our own knowledge. To do this, we must ask questions,
explore, and assess what we know.
In the classroom, the constructivist view of learning can point towards a number of different teaching practices. In the most general sense, it usually means encouraging students to use active techniques (experiments, real-world problem solving) to create more knowledge and then to reflect on and talk about what they are doing and how their understanding is changing. The teacher makes sure she understands the students' preexisting conceptions, and guides the activity to address them and then build on them.
In the classroom, the constructivist view of learning can point towards a number of different teaching practices. In the most general sense, it usually means encouraging students to use active techniques (experiments, real-world problem solving) to create more knowledge and then to reflect on and talk about what they are doing and how their understanding is changing. The teacher makes sure she understands the students' preexisting conceptions, and guides the activity to address them and then build on them.
Constructivist teachers encourage students to constantly
assess how the activity is helping them gain understanding. By questioning
themselves and their strategies, students in the constructivist classroom
ideally become "expert learners." This gives them ever-broadening
tools to keep learning. With a well-planned classroom environment, the students
learn HOW TO LEARN.
You might look at it as a spiral. When they continuously
reflect on their experiences, students find their ideas gaining in complexity
and power, and they develop increasingly strong abilities to integrate new
information. One of the teacher's main roles becomes to encourage this learning
and reflection process.
For example: Groups of students in a science class are
discussing a problem in physics. Though the teacher knows the
"answer" to the problem, she focuses on helping students restate
their questions in useful ways. She prompts each student to reflect on and
examine his or her current knowledge. When one of the students comes up with
the relevant concept, the teacher seizes upon it, and indicates to the group
that this might be a fruitful avenue for them to explore. They design and
perform relevant experiments. Afterward, the students and teacher talk about
what they have learned, and how their observations and experiments helped (or
did not help) them to better understand the concept.
Contrary to criticisms by some (conservative/traditional)
educators, constructivism does not dismiss the active role of the teacher or
the value of expert knowledge. Constructivism modifies that role, so that
teachers help students to construct knowledge rather than to reproduce a series
of facts. The constructivist teacher provides tools such as problem-solving and
inquiry-based learning activities with which students formulate and test their
ideas, draw conclusions and inferences, and pool and convey their knowledge in
a collaborative learning environment. Constructivism transforms the student
from a passive recipient of information to an active participant in the
learning process. Always guided by the teacher, students construct their
knowledge actively rather than just mechanically ingesting knowledge from the
teacher or the textbook.
Constructivism is also often misconstrued as a learning
theory that compels students to "reinvent the wheel." In fact,
constructivism taps into and triggers the student's innate curiosity about the
world and how things work. Students do not reinvent the wheel but, rather,
attempt to understand how it turns, how it functions. They become engaged by
applying their existing knowledge and real-world experience, learning to
hypothesize, testing their theories, and ultimately drawing conclusions from
their findings.
The best way for you to really understand what
constructivism is and what it means in your classroom is by seeing examples of
it at work, speaking with others about it, and trying it yourself. As you
progress through each segment of this workshop, keep in mind questions or ideas
to share with your colleagues.For your further understanding, please watch this interesting video.
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