Constructivism

July 30th is the school opening day for my children. They will be in new grades with their friends and new teachers. It seems like they are very excited to start their studies.

I remember their previous schools, classes, teachers, most of their friends and their parents. I remember their growth from birth to today. I really wonder how much they learned during these years. They learned how to cope with, collect information and experience from the environment around them. They learned to walk, learned the language(s), they learned to ride the bikes, and the list goes on. These are examples for Constructivism, one of the important learning theories.

Constructivism is a theory about learning. Each learner individually constructs meaning thorough experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences. Construction of meaning is learning. Learning is a byproduct of understanding. In Constructivist method, learners build their own knowledge rather than having it poured in by a teacher. That is, Knowledge is constructed, not acquired.

I believe that the constructivism learning theory originated and grown with technology. This approach reduces or changes the role of a teacher from a trainer to facilitator. It is useful in the e learning settings.

According to Driscoll (p.407) in the constructivist approach and philosophy, only the active learners are successful. Learning by doing and practicing enables learners to achieve deep levels of understanding. Learning with understanding, not rote learning is desired. In addition, the social context of the learning environment is important.

I believe that the knowledge is not a fixed object. Whenever my children encounter something new, they try to find out the answer for the question themselves. If they find the answer, they acquire the knowledge through their own experience. If they cannot find the answer, they used to ask questions. I know, some of my answers to their questions changes their believes. Whatever it is, most of the time, they are the active creators of their own knowledge.

Think about a classroom with small children with no prior–knowledge and using constructivist method without any guidance! Definitely none of us will agree with that kind of situation in a classroom.

It is appropriate to use a constructivist approach to a learner have prior-knowledge in the subject. For that type of learner, the amount direct guidance needed may be very less. However, for a novice, constructivism will present cognitive overload. They really need reasonable direct guidance of learning.

It is always appropriate to know the learner before selecting the training method. Need to consider the learner’s prior-knowledge in the subject. In addition, it is important to consider the previous educational system the learner was in. All these factors will decide how much direct guidance of learning is required for a particular learner.

I strongly believe the need of reasonably direct guidance of learning with the constructivist approach of learning. After all, I feel comfortable and confident, when I get enough guidance from an expert, a teacher.


Reference: Driscoll, M (2005). Psychology of Learning For Instruction. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.