DEFINITION:
CONSTRUCTIVISM: is a theory in education that recognizes learners construct new understandings and knowledge, integrating with what they already know. This includes knowledge gained prior to entering school.
IMPLICATIONS & INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN:Constructivism is student-centered which requires that the learner is actively engaged throughout the course. For Instructional Design that means a lot of interactive content and knowledge checks. In return the teacher needs to be dedicated to heavy involvement in the classroom. Constructivism has a strong role in Instructional Design as sometimes Elearning can feel less personal and less interactive. Integrating Constructivism into Elearning provides a more tailored experience.
PROS
Limitations
CONSTRUCTIVISM IN PRACTICE:Example of what Constructivism looks like: We are going to say that a group of students understand how to play piano composition and are able to read music. The teacher is going to challenge the students with some new learning objectives while applying Constructivism learning theory. Learning Objectives:
Examples of skills that would be considered in the Zone of Proximal Development:
Scaffolding Gather students in a group setting and provide them with handouts of basic definitions for review prior. Ask students what they know about what should be in a composition. Prompt with questions such as asking about what would be a good choice to begin or end a song with. Then show and tell examples of different basic compositions. Create live sample through student engagement as a teacher led discussion with group (ie. Engaging students to actively make decisions on what notes should come next DURING discussion) making this a live group student-centered sample. Pause and gauge students through process referring back to the hand out. This then becomes a collaborative effort to form foundations for the next step of the practice. Social Constructivism Have the students come up with their own theories of what makes a composition successful. The students are to form their own conclusions of what makes a composition ultimately appealing and then test them for viability before applying Music Theory. When the students have created their own theories they can then compare and contrast Music Theory to see the accuracy of their assumptions towards composition. |
1897-1924
1897
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1909
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1910
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1924
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1934-1960
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1936
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1949
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1960
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1961-1967
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1967
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Related Definitions
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ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT
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SCAFFOLDING
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SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM
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Here is a compiled list of relative definitions for Constructivism:
- ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT
- SCAFFOLDING
- SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM
- ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT: "the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem-solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers" as defined by Lev Vygotsky.
- SCAFFOLDING: identifies the importance of providing students with enough support in the initial stages of learning a new subject.
- SOCIAL 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. Teachers should allow their students to come up with their own questions, make their own theories, and test them for viability.
References:
1) Alber, R. (2014, January 24). 6 Scaffolding Strategies to Use With Your Students. Edutopia.
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/scaffolding-lessons-six-strategies-rebecca-alber .
2) 390, 10, & 65354. (2016, November 19). Social Constructivism in Education. The Edvocate.
https://www.theedadvocate.org/social-constructivism-in-education/#:~:text=Social%20constructivism%20teaches%20that%20all,rather%20than%20an%20individual%2C%20experience.&text=Teachers%20should%20allow%20their%20students,and%20test%20them%20for%20viability.
3) Joel Amidon, A. M. (n.d.). Education, Society, & the K-12 Learner. Lumen.
courses.lumenlearning.com/teachereducationx92x1/chapter/constructivism-and-social-constructivism-in-the-classroom/.
4) A Timeline of Constructivist Thought. Cognitive Construction. (n.d.).
www.cognitiveconstruction.com/cognitive-building-blocks/constructivist-timeline/
1) Alber, R. (2014, January 24). 6 Scaffolding Strategies to Use With Your Students. Edutopia.
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/scaffolding-lessons-six-strategies-rebecca-alber .
2) 390, 10, & 65354. (2016, November 19). Social Constructivism in Education. The Edvocate.
https://www.theedadvocate.org/social-constructivism-in-education/#:~:text=Social%20constructivism%20teaches%20that%20all,rather%20than%20an%20individual%2C%20experience.&text=Teachers%20should%20allow%20their%20students,and%20test%20them%20for%20viability.
3) Joel Amidon, A. M. (n.d.). Education, Society, & the K-12 Learner. Lumen.
courses.lumenlearning.com/teachereducationx92x1/chapter/constructivism-and-social-constructivism-in-the-classroom/.
4) A Timeline of Constructivist Thought. Cognitive Construction. (n.d.).
www.cognitiveconstruction.com/cognitive-building-blocks/constructivist-timeline/