What Are The Principles of Constructivism?: Knowledge Is Constructed, Rather Than Innate, or Passively Absorbed

What are the principles of
constructivism?
Knowledge is constructed, rather than innate, or passively
absorbed
Constructivism's central idea is that human learning is constructed, that learners
build new knowledge upon the foundation of previous learning.
This prior knowledge influences what new or modified knowledge an individual
will construct from new learning experiences (Phillips, 1995).
Learning is an active process

The second notion is that learning is an active rather than a passive process.
The passive view of teaching views the learner as ‘an empty vessel’ to be filled
with knowledge, whereas constructivism states that learners construct meaning
only through active engagement with the world (such as experiments or real-
world problem solving).
Information may be passively received, but understanding cannot be, for it must
come from making meaningful connections between prior knowledge, new
knowledge, and the processes involved in learning.
What is the role of the teacher in a constructivist classroom?

The primary responsibility of the teacher is to create a collaborative problem-
solving environment where students become active participants in their own
learning.
From this perspective, a teacher acts as a facilitator of learning rather than an
instructor.
The teacher makes sure he/she understands the students' preexisting
conceptions, and guides the activity to address them and then build on them
(Oliver, 2000).
Scaffolding is a key feature of effective teaching, where the adult continually
adjusts the level of his or her help in response to the learner's level of
performance.
In the classroom, scaffolding can include modeling a skill, providing hints or
cues, and adapting material or activity (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009).
What are the features of a constructivist classroom?

Tam (2000) lists the following four basic characteristics of constructivist learning
environments, which must be considered when implementing constructivist
teaching strategies:
1) Knowledge will be shared between teachers and students.
2) Teachers and students will share authority.
3) The teacher's role is one of a facilitator or guide.
4) Learning groups will consist of small numbers of heterogeneous students.
What are the three main types of

constructivism?
Typically, this continuum is divided into three broad categories: Cognitive
constructivism based on the work of Jean Piaget, social constructivism based on
the work of Lev Vygotsky, and radical constructivism.
According to the GSI Teaching and Resource Center (2015, p.5):
Cognitive constructivism states knowledge is something that is actively constructed
by learners based on their existing cognitive structures. Therefore, learning is
relative to their stage of cognitive development.
Cognitivist teaching methods aim to assist students in assimilating new information
to existing knowledge, and enabling them to make the appropriate modifications to
their existing intellectual framework to accommodate that information.
According to social constructivism learning is a collaborative process, and
knowledge develops from individuals' interactions with their culture and society.
Social constructivism was developed by Lev Vygotsky (1978, p. 57) who suggested
that,
Every function in the child's cultural development appears twice: first, on the social
level and, later on, on the individual level; first, between people (interpsychological)
and then inside the child (intrapsychological).
he notion of radical constructivism was developed by Ernst von Glasersfeld
(1974) and states that all knowledge is constructed rather than perceived through
senses.
Learners construct new knowledge on the foundations of their existing
knowledge. However, radical constructivism states that the knowledge
individuals create tells us nothing about reality, and only helps us to function in
your environment. Thus, knowledge is invented not discovered.
The humanly constructed reality is all the time being modified and interacting to fit
ontological reality, although it can never give a ‘true picture’ of it
Social constructivism
Social Constructivism
Social constructivism, a social learning theory developed by Russian
psychologist Lev Vygotsky, posits that individuals are active
participants in the creation of their own knowledge (Schreiber & Valle,
2013). Vygotsky believed that learning takes place primarily in social
and cultural settings, rather than solely within the individual (Schreiber
& Valle, 2013). The social constructivism theory focuses heavily upon
dyads (Johnson & Bradbury, 2015) and small groups. For instance,
students learn primarily through interactions with their peers, teachers,
and parents, whereas teachers stimulate and facilitate conversation
through harnessing the natural flow of conversation in the classroom
(Powell & Kalina, 2009). Social constructivism suggests that
successful teaching and learning is heavily dependent on
interpersonal interaction and discussion, with the primary focus on the
students’ understanding of the discussion.
One of the core constructs of Vygotsky’s theory of social
constructivism is the zone of proximal development (ZPD), which
emphasizes the role of the instructor in an individual’s learning. The
ZPD delineates the activities that a student can do without help, and
the activities the student cannot do without the help of an instructor.
The ZPD suggests that, with the help of an instructor, students are
able to understand and master knowledge and skills that they would
not be able to on their own (Schreiber & Valle, 2013). Once the
students master a particular skill they are able to complete it
independently. In this theory, the instructor plays an integral role in the
students’ acquisition of knowledge, rather than serving as a passive
figure .
Social constructivism tells us we build knowledge as ways of
understanding the world, and that these ways of understanding are a
subset of how the world could be understood. When we consider the
wide diversity of world views, this seems a very sensible idea, if a little
more complicated. A shaman’s knowledge of the spirit world allows
him to interpret naturally occurring phenomena as portents or signs.
Moral knowledge allows us to assess behaviour as right or wrong,
criminal, unethical or fair. Knowledge of invoice processing allows a
programmer to generate automatic reminder letters. Social
constructivism does not judge whether or not there are actually such
things as ‘spirits’ or ‘right and wrong’ or even ‘invoices’. ‘What is ‘real’
to a Tibetan monk may not be ‘real’ to an American businessman (or
even a Trappist for that matter).
According to the theory of social constructivism, social worlds develop out of individuals’
interactions with their culture and society. Knowledge evolves through the process of social
negotiation and evaluation of the viability of individual understanding. Basically, every
conversation or encounter between two or more people presents an opportunity for new
knowledge to be obtained, or present knowledge expanded. The exchange of ideas that goes
along with human contact is at play here.
In order to apply social constructivism theories in the education arena, teachers and school
leaders need to shift and reshape their perspectives. Both must move from being “people who
teach” to being “facilitators of learning.” A good constructivist teacher is one who questions
students’ answers, without regard to whether they are right or wrong, to make sure the student
has a good grasp of the concept. Additionally, instructors should have their students explain
the answers they give and not allow students to use words or equations without explanations.
They should also encourage students to reflect on their answers.
ocial constructivism teaches that all knowledge develops as a result of social interaction and
language use, and is therefore a shared, rather than an individual, experience. Knowledge is
additionally not a result of observing the world, it results from many social processes and
interactions. We therefore find that constructivist learning attaches as much meaning to the
process of learning as it does to the acquisition of new knowledge. In other words, the journey
is just as important as the destination.
The process of learning requires that the learner actively participate in creative activities and
self-organization. Teachers should allow their students to come up with their own questions,
make their own theories, and test them for viability. Moreover, those who practice
constructivist theory find that imbalance facilitates learning, in the sense that contradictions
between the learner’s current understanding and experiences create an imbalance, which leads
the learner to inquire into his or her own beliefs and then try out new ideas. Instructors should
therefore encourage errors resulting from the learners’ ideas, instead of minimizing or avoiding
them.
Students should also be challenged by their instructors to perform open-ended investigations,

working to solve problems with realistic and meaningful contexts. This activity enables the
learner to explore, and come up with either supporting or conflicting possibilities.
Contradictions need to be investigated, clarified, and discussed.
Through the process of reflecting on the collected data,, learning is given a push. A good
example of allowing reflection is through journal writing, which usually facilitates reflective
thoughts.

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What are the principles of

Learning is an active process

What is the role of the teacher in a constructivist classroom?

What are the features of a constructivist classroom?

What are the three main types of

Students should also be challenged by their instructors to perform open-ended investigations,

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