Constructivism

IDevice Question Icon Think About It Activity 2.5

Yes or No:

Do you think that actively interacting with materials and peers is important to learning?

  
Yes
No

Constructivism posits that learning is an active process, and the learner is a constructor of knowledge. Learners construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world, through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences. More specifically, "learners construct their own reality or at least interpret it based upon their perceptions of experiences, so an individual's knowledge is a function of one's prior experiences, mental structures, and beliefs that are used to interpret objects and events" (Good & Brophy, 1990). "What someone knows is grounded in perception of the physical and social experiences which are comprehended by the mind." (Jonasson, 1991). Driscoll (2004) suggests that the primary differences between constructivism and cognitivism is that constructivism focuses upon novel research on cognition and information processing, more upon the environmental and social aspects of learning, and more upon the adaption and management of learning.

©2010 By Michael and Amanda Szapkiw.