Constructivism Reflection

Constructivism is the learning theory that focuses on observation by acquiring data and thereafter reexamining, altering, and updating information to be useful in the present time. Humans process experiences, knowledge, and conception of life based on their impressions of their past. As individuals experience an unfamiliar event, they will attempt to integrate it with their knowledge and past, therefore replacing old outdated or incorrect data with new more pertinent information (Kerka, 1997). This learning theory states that learning is an ongoing process and not about merely comprehending available data without questioning, processing, and updating previously learned information (Allen, 2005).

Constructivism is reflecting on the experiences we have had in order to create our own understanding of the environment me live in. For instance, lets say I had and old sewing machine that I used all the time but now broke. I visit a sewing machine shop in order to buy a new one. The only machines available are newer models of the machine I owned, with different buttons and features. My previous experience with my machine will guide me into using the new machine. By simply learning a few extra steps, I would now be able to use the new model thanks to by previous experience, this is considered constructivism.

Constructivist teaching. Muijs and Reynolds (2005) interpreted that the principles of constructivist teaching consider all learners construct knowledge for themselves, rather than absorbing knowledge directly from the teacher. This means that every pupil will learn something slightly differently from a particular lesson given. The assumption that pupils are active knowledge constructers has several consequences. For examples, the learners need to be active in order to construct knowledge or to learn effectively, teaching is about helping children construct their own meaning rather than training them to get the right answer without the actual understanding of the concept, and pupils learn best when new lessons are clearly related to what they already know,

Dewey and Vygotsky both believed that teachers should act as guides for students, helping students through the learning process to make meaning of their world, though Vygotsky with his zone of proximal development theory was more optimistic than Piaget or Dewey about how much a child’s learning could be helped or encouraged by the social setting of peers and adults (Gallagher).

Education can serve to promote the advancement of some children, while undermining others. So, in his theory, it is important for teachers to know what a pupil is capable of and what he or she is not. Therefore, techniques like “scaffolding” can help the child with what he/she already knows by letting them to explore further without the help of a teacher. Vygotsky also thought that society influences our development in many ways. For example, social media, today has become a life changing in communication with friends and relatives, but they have also become a fast medium to learn from: kids are emulating behaviors they see online, sometimes without the acknowledgment of the parents. Thus, social interactions beyond the parental circle are an important source of development in Vygotsky's

Vygotsky’s main Theory is the Social Development Theory. He was known for his Sociocultural Theory. With this theory, he talks about how children’s behaviors, as well as their thoughts, can differ because of cultures and how they are raised. The children’s interactions change according to their cultures and teachings.His theory suggests that the children’s development is according to their cultures and how they are raised, the children have their own view of their world depending on their way they are taught and the tools that they are given as they grow up. Vygotsky talks about imitative learning, instructed learning, and collaborative learning. Imitative learning is where the child learns from watching

Lev Vygotsky concept is showing or helping children with a task. They are taught everything through social interaction no matter what it is. They are taught by example, by getting help with the task and are expected to be able to complete it by themselves. With this concept of learning every child is able to learn and evolve into completing activities independently and progressively from what they have learned. It is important that the environment for the child be set with ideas and task that will allow them too mentally, educationally and physically develop with or without adult and peer assistant.

Constructivist theory states that people learn by adding new experiences to their knowledge, by applying what they already know elsewhere as well as trying out and testing new things. For Piaget, learning is motivated by a desire to have equilibrium, a balance of what is known and what is experienced. As an individual tries new things and takes in new information, they must either assimilate the new information into their current constructs or, if the information does not fit neatly into their current, the constructs themselves must make accommodations for the new information. While Piaget examined learning on a cognitive level, Vygotsky took a social approach, where people learn things based on their experiences with others. More specifically, the others are people who are more skilled than the individual. Vygotsky called the place where an individual cannot do something on their own but they can do it with help, the zone of proximal development. A teacher would work with the learner in this area to support their learning without doing the whole thing for

Berge (1995) asserts that instructors must be present in their course and provide clear goals and objectives and encourage participation, while being flexible (Berge, 1995). Instructors need to find a balance between providing their expertise and guidance while allowing learners to discover and contribute to the learning process. This balance supports the constructivist theory of learning where learners are active participants in the learning process instead of passive learners who simply absorb the teachings of the

The concept, which is quite intertwined with his concept of a More Knowledgeable Other and is almost synonymous with the term scaffolding, describes the difference between what a child can accomplish independently and what a child can accomplish with assistance and reinforcement from a knowledgeable mentor. There are three basic levels a child experiences as they learn a new skill. There is the information they already know and fully understand, the material they are in the process in learning and with which they need assistance, and the information they do not know and are, perhaps, not ready to obtain. “Vygotsky sees the Zone of Proximal Development as the area where the most sensitive instruction or guidance should be given - allowing the child to develop skills they will then use on their own - developing higher mental functions. Vygotsky also views interaction with peers as an effective way of developing skills and strategies”

Constructivism is learning through experiences in our environment. Using this method we are essentially teaching ourselves through occurrences in our environment. This method of learning is demonstrated In a early childhood classroom by teachers providing guided opportunities that allow for children to explore their environment in various ways. At the end of these activities the teacher typically initiates a class discussion on the information learning through an activity. An example of an activity you may see in a classroom could be a scavenger hunt where the students find an object to match every color; this could take place inside or

Constructivism is where students are learning more by having their own active involvement then just listening and observing during instruction. Although there is a teacher present in the classroom, they take a step back and observe how students are learning. This is not an easy job for a teacher though. The teacher should know their classroom, the subject matter, and above all, their students. Each student is unique. In an article about student-centered classrooms entitled, Student-Centered Instruction: Involving Students in Their Own Education, the author writes, “Put simply, student-centered instruction is when the planning, teaching, and assessment revolve around the needs and abilities of the

Lev Vygotsky is one of the earliest proponents of a constructivist learning theory. Although he only lived through the early 1930s, his work was largely unknown in the West until the 1960s (Learning Theories Knowledgebase, 2012). His significant contributions to constructivist learning theory include three important distinctions. First, he purports in Mind and Society: the development of higher mental process (1978) that “social interaction between people plays the first fundamental role in the process of cognitive development” (explained in the Learning Theories Knowledgebase, 2012). This means we first learn by watching others and discussing new information with others, only then do we attempt to use our own cognitive systems for storing that new knowledge individually. “Vygotsky focused on the connections between

There are five identified central tenets of constructivism as a teaching philosophy: Constructivist teachers seek and value students’ points of view. This concept is similar to the reflective action process we call withitness, in which teachers attempt to perceive students’ needs and respond to them appropriately; Constructivist teachers challenge students to see different points of view and thereby construct new knowledge. Learning occurs when teachers ask students what they think they know about a subject and why they think they know it; Constructivist teachers recognize that curricula must have meaning for students. When students see the relevance of curricula, their interest in learning grows; Constructivist teachers create lessons that tackle big ideas, not small bits of information. By seeing the whole first, students are able to determine how the parts fit together; Constructivist teachers assess student learning in daily classroom activities, not through the use of separate testing or evaluation events. Students

Constructivism is a method of teaching that lends itself well to social studies content area because it encourages students to become critical thinkers who take