Orey, (2001) described the constructionist/constructivist approach to learning as a unique individual interpretation of one’s experience or knowledge. A learner constructs an idea in his or mind about what he or she just experienced, and based on the information, the learner could assimilate, accommodate, establish equilibration and finally store the information in his or her schema. These mental processes depend on the learner’s developmental stages at the time of experience, Lever-Duffy, & McDonald, (2008) noted that if the new experience readily fits into learner’s prior schema, the experience is then assimilated, if not, the learner will adjust his or her cognitive map to accommodate the new experience, in this way, the learner tries to attain equilibration by balancing his or her current external reality with the current belief. Hence, Piaget declared that, knowledge is continually under construction, because knowledge is “dynamic, ever changing with our experiences” depending on the learner's age, nature and nurture.
.
Constructionists believe that students learn only when they think through an experience and construct knowledge in their own unique ways; the roles of technology and teachers are therefore just to guide and enable students to construct knowledge on their own through thinking and manipulating their experience. Jonassen, Peck, & Wilson (1999), identified six ways by which technology could be combined with constructionist approach to learning that will enable learners to construct knowledge and maximize their learning potentials. (Jonassen, et al., 1999) also pointed out five features of meaningful learning as follows: intentional learning, active learning, constructive learning, cooperative learning, and authentic learning. For learning to really impact the learners, teachers are expected to combine the above features or characteristics in various degrees.
Constructivist/Constructionist Learning Theories and Project-based Learning
Constructivist/Constructionist Theories of learning are about building and construction of knowledge, using whatever tool to build different kinds of artifact to demonstrate and apply their knowledge in an authentic ways. Constructivist theory always puts learners at the centre of their approaches, guiding them to develop and create knowledge. The learners are very active, they are exposed to all forms of experiences, and they build their mental maps in order to construct knowledge based on their unique experiences. “Generating and Testing Hypotheses” as well as Project-based learning tools are well adapted and suited for constructionist/constructivist theories of learning because both tools put students at the centre of leaning and allow the learners to really engage, explore, construct, develop and experience in order to develop and build their unique mental maps of the information they are exposed to. Using the above tools change the roles and dynamics in the classroom, the teacher now takes more passive roles, only providing an enabling environment, guiding and coaching learners when required, while learners take more active roles, building and applying knowledge in an authentic and enduring ways to build artifact, the prior knowledge become the raw material to build new ones.
Generating and Testing Hypothesis, and Project-based learning nicely correlate with the instructional strategy that constructivist/constructionist theories prescribed as preconditions for meaningful learning to take place. Both strategies encompass the use of technology tools in an instructional setting to help students collaborate with one another during learning to brainstorm, think aloud and problem solve and pick up strategies from each other to resolve issues at hand. These strategies also help students to become reflective during learning process, the activities created by the teacher help students to engage in mental process, reflect on the experience either in group or individually. In the process of being reflective, learners become very active by performing experiments, asking questions, trying new things out, and working with other students engaging in purposeful talking with each other, they co-construct new knowledge. The teacher usually takes back seat at this time, he allows learners to construct their knowledge and build their own mental maps, and the teacher only comes on board when asked by learners. In inquiry-based learning, there is no dull moment, construction and problem solving go on all the time, learners use inquiry method to investigate, explore, engage, infer and find solutions to problems at hand. By doing all the above, students evolve gradually and become mature risk takers and the teacher push students a little further depending on their responses, he encourages them to become more poetic, abstract and more practical in their knowledge construction and artifact building. These are the unique ways by which constructionist/constructivist theories of learning combined with technology tools help learners to develop and discover the joy of learning. Without any doubt, both “Generating and Testing Hypothesis”, and “Project-based learning” correlate and promote the core beliefs on which the constructionist/constructivist theories of learning are based.
References
Constructivism as a Paradigm for Teaching and Learning. (n.d.). THIRTEEN - New York Public
Media. Retrieved March 22, 2011, from
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/index_sub2.html
Discipline. (n.d.). Learning with technology: A constructivist perspective
Mendeley.
Academic reference management software for researchers
Mendeley. Retrieved
March 22, 2011, from http://www.mendeley.com/research/learning-with-
technology-a-constructivist-perspective/
Jonassen, D. H., Peck, K. L., & Wilson, B. G. (1999). Learning with technology: a constructivist
perspective. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Merrill.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program seven. Constructionist and
constructivist learning theories [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and
technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Lever-Duffy, J., & McDonald, J. B. (2008). Theoretical Foundations (Custom Ediction ed.).
Boston, Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved
, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Pitler, H. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works . Alexandria, Va.:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development ;.
.
Constructionists believe that students learn only when they think through an experience and construct knowledge in their own unique ways; the roles of technology and teachers are therefore just to guide and enable students to construct knowledge on their own through thinking and manipulating their experience. Jonassen, Peck, & Wilson (1999), identified six ways by which technology could be combined with constructionist approach to learning that will enable learners to construct knowledge and maximize their learning potentials. (Jonassen, et al., 1999) also pointed out five features of meaningful learning as follows: intentional learning, active learning, constructive learning, cooperative learning, and authentic learning. For learning to really impact the learners, teachers are expected to combine the above features or characteristics in various degrees.
Constructivist/Constructionist Learning Theories and Project-based Learning
Constructivist/Constructionist Theories of learning are about building and construction of knowledge, using whatever tool to build different kinds of artifact to demonstrate and apply their knowledge in an authentic ways. Constructivist theory always puts learners at the centre of their approaches, guiding them to develop and create knowledge. The learners are very active, they are exposed to all forms of experiences, and they build their mental maps in order to construct knowledge based on their unique experiences. “Generating and Testing Hypotheses” as well as Project-based learning tools are well adapted and suited for constructionist/constructivist theories of learning because both tools put students at the centre of leaning and allow the learners to really engage, explore, construct, develop and experience in order to develop and build their unique mental maps of the information they are exposed to. Using the above tools change the roles and dynamics in the classroom, the teacher now takes more passive roles, only providing an enabling environment, guiding and coaching learners when required, while learners take more active roles, building and applying knowledge in an authentic and enduring ways to build artifact, the prior knowledge become the raw material to build new ones.
Generating and Testing Hypothesis, and Project-based learning nicely correlate with the instructional strategy that constructivist/constructionist theories prescribed as preconditions for meaningful learning to take place. Both strategies encompass the use of technology tools in an instructional setting to help students collaborate with one another during learning to brainstorm, think aloud and problem solve and pick up strategies from each other to resolve issues at hand. These strategies also help students to become reflective during learning process, the activities created by the teacher help students to engage in mental process, reflect on the experience either in group or individually. In the process of being reflective, learners become very active by performing experiments, asking questions, trying new things out, and working with other students engaging in purposeful talking with each other, they co-construct new knowledge. The teacher usually takes back seat at this time, he allows learners to construct their knowledge and build their own mental maps, and the teacher only comes on board when asked by learners. In inquiry-based learning, there is no dull moment, construction and problem solving go on all the time, learners use inquiry method to investigate, explore, engage, infer and find solutions to problems at hand. By doing all the above, students evolve gradually and become mature risk takers and the teacher push students a little further depending on their responses, he encourages them to become more poetic, abstract and more practical in their knowledge construction and artifact building. These are the unique ways by which constructionist/constructivist theories of learning combined with technology tools help learners to develop and discover the joy of learning. Without any doubt, both “Generating and Testing Hypothesis”, and “Project-based learning” correlate and promote the core beliefs on which the constructionist/constructivist theories of learning are based.
References
Constructivism as a Paradigm for Teaching and Learning. (n.d.). THIRTEEN - New York Public
Media. Retrieved March 22, 2011, from
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/index_sub2.html
Discipline. (n.d.). Learning with technology: A constructivist perspective
Mendeley.
Academic reference management software for researchers
Mendeley. Retrieved
March 22, 2011, from http://www.mendeley.com/research/learning-with-
technology-a-constructivist-perspective/
Jonassen, D. H., Peck, K. L., & Wilson, B. G. (1999). Learning with technology: a constructivist
perspective. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Merrill.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program seven. Constructionist and
constructivist learning theories [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and
technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Lever-Duffy, J., & McDonald, J. B. (2008). Theoretical Foundations (Custom Ediction ed.).
Boston, Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon.
Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved
Pitler, H. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works . Alexandria, Va.:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development ;.
4 comments:
When reading your blog and the strategies that embrace the constructivist theory, I was energized at the thought of the students taking control and directing their own learning. What a refreshing instructional strategy for students to decide what is meaningful and actively engage in research to enhance their learning. Not only do students become risk takers but teachers do to. I have experienced the unsettling feeling of relinquishing the role of director and yet witnessed the enthusiasm of my students when they become the decision makers. As teachers begin to take on this shift in the responsibilities of instruction and learning, I question whether professional development could be key to making these changes more seamless.
Your comment just reminded me of a PD session I attended. The resource person expressed how sorry she was for some teachers who thought they should be the only voice in the classroom, dishing out the "stuff" to students, and they are all spent and tired at the end of the day, when students are going home at the end of the day, they are all still full of energy and bubbling! She said, "the reverse should be the case." When students are allowed to be in charge all day, creating “stuff and constructing knowledge” they would have spent their energy in the most productive way, and teachers still feel refreshed and have energy to plan yet for the next day. These days, I put together all different kind of real life scenarios and let my students do the work, go round and offer help and useful hints only when needed, and guess what, they LOVED it!
Your classroom certainly sounds engaging. As I read your response, I refelected on how valuable it is for students to participate in real life scenarios that have relevance and importance to them. Recently my students have been writing persuasive essays. I introduced our blog to a fifth grade class and immediately they wanted to participate. How incredible to have these to motivate our students.
Post a Comment