Objectivism and Constructivism

Objectivism is based on the theory that individual’s knowledge of the world comes from their experience of it. Where as Constructivism theory rests on the assumption that learner constructs knowledge as they attempt to make sense of their experiences.

Let me write down the comparison of Objectivism and Constructivism, as I understood. As a teacher, this comparison helped me to understand and differentiate Objectivism and Constructivism.

In Objectivism, the teacher is the information giver. The teacher identifies the issues or topics. However, in Constructivism the learner is responsible for identifying the issues or topics.

In Objectivist approach, the teacher will ask questions to the learners, where as in Constructivism the learner will ask questions.

In Objectivism, the teacher will identify, locate, and contact the human resources, where as in Constructivism the learner is responsible for those.

In constructivism, student takes much more active role. This can motivates the students to learn. Prior knowledge of the learners can be a major factor affecting the success of Constructivist approach.

From Objectivism to Constructivism, the teacher's role will change from trainer to a facilitator. In both the cases the teacher will be one of the major resources, the learner depends. The teacher needs to engage the learners to those experiences, which challenge their prior-knowledge. In general, the teacher’s knowledge and actions will influence the success of the learner.

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