Pedagogical Approaches
Constructivism
Also Known As Constructivist Learning Theory
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The pedagogical approach that asks learners to actively build their own understanding, often through class discussion and group work, linked to Piaget, Bruner and Vygotsky, and works well for extending thinking and developing independence.
Facts
Central QuestionHow does a learner actively build their own understanding from experience, rather than passively receive it? 1 Most Effective ForProblem-solving and critical-thinking tasks where learners connect new information to what they already know. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
PBL is a constructivist, learner-centered method built around student-directed inquiry into an open-ended problem.
Whole language, the side of the Reading Wars dispute opposite phonics, draws on constructivist approaches to knowledge, emphasizing student interpretation of texts over decoding instruction.
Developed By
Includes
Dewey's experiential account is a principal ancestor of constructivist practice, alongside his standing as progressive education's leading theorist.
Vygotsky's sociocultural account is the founding line of social constructivism.
Sources
1. Simply Psychology
Simply PsychologyConstructivism as a Theory for Teaching and Learning pageQuote, Constructivism as a Theory for Teaching and Learning page
Rather than passively receiving information, learners reflect on their experiences, create mental representations, and incorporate new knowledge into their schemas.
1. Simply Psychology
Simply PsychologyConstructivism as a Theory for Teaching and Learning page, applicationsQuote, Constructivism as a Theory for Teaching and Learning page, applications
education should focus on problem-solving and critical thinking, encouraging learners to connect new information with prior knowledge
1. Simply Psychology
Simply PsychologyIncludes: Zone of Proximal Development, Zone of Proximal Development page, sociocultural framingQuote, Includes: Zone of Proximal Development, Zone of Proximal Development page, sociocultural framing
Vygotsky emphasized that learning is a social process, where interaction and dialogue help students move from guided to independent mastery.
1. Simply Psychology
Simply PsychologyIncludes: Learning by Doing, John Dewey on Education page, legacyQuote, Includes: Learning by Doing, John Dewey on Education page, legacy
His stress on active, experience-based learning anticipated the constructivist theories of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky.
1. Simply Psychology
Simply PsychologyIncludes: Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development, Piaget's Theory and Stages page, constructivist framingQuote, Includes: Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development, Piaget's Theory and Stages page, constructivist framing
Children actively build up their knowledge about the world. They are not passive creatures waiting for someone to fill their heads with knowledge.
Structural Learning, Pedagogy Explained
Structural LearningPedagogy Explained, Five Pedagogical Approaches Explained, ConstructivismQuote, Pedagogy Explained, Five Pedagogical Approaches Explained, Constructivism
asks learners to actively build their own understanding...through class discussion and group work
Structural Learning, Pedagogy Explained
Structural LearningOpen Questions: Does Direct Instruction or Discovery Learning Work Better for Novice Learners?, Pedagogy Explained, classroom guide, constructivism side of the debateView the Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Social Constructivism, Social constructivism, lead sectionQuote, Includes: Social Constructivism, Social constructivism, lead section
Social constructivism is a sociological theory of knowledge.
Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Instructional Scaffolding, Instructional scaffolding article, constructivist framingQuote, Includes: Instructional Scaffolding, Instructional scaffolding article, constructivist framing
Constructivists advocate that learning is better facilitated in a minimally guided environment where learners construct important information for themselves.
Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Reading Wars, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whole_language, philosophy sectionQuote, Associated With: Reading Wars, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whole_language, philosophy section
constructivist approaches to knowledge creation, emphasizing students' interpretations of texts and free expression of ideas in writing (often through daily journal entries)
The Marginalian
Includes: Discovery Learning, Jerome Bruner on the Act of Discovery essay, constructivist framingQuote, Includes: Discovery Learning, Jerome Bruner on the Act of Discovery essay, constructivist framing
Emphasis on discovery in learning has precisely the effect on the learner of leading him to be a constructionist, to organize what he is encountering.
Wikipedia: Problem-based learning
Open Questions (1 open question)
Does Direct Instruction or Discovery Learning Work Better for Novice Learners?
Researchers disagree on how much guidance novice learners need. One line of research holds that minimally guided discovery approaches are less effective for novices than explicit teaching with worked examples, citing cognitive-load evidence; another finds well-designed guided inquiry can still be beneficial, arguing scaffolding quality and task design matter more than the direct-instruction-versus-discovery label itself.
What would resolve this Comparative studies that isolate the amount and quality of instructional scaffolding, rather than only labelling a method direct instruction or discovery learning, would show whether the disagreement is about guidance itself or about how well each approach is implemented.
Educational psychology and instructional designStructural Learning, Pedagogy Explained
Dissenting Readings (1 dissenting reading)
Most Effective For
Kirschner, Sweller and Clark hold that minimally guided, discovery-style methods like constructivism's problem-solving emphasis are less effective for novice learners than explicit, direct instruction with worked examples, arguing that novices lack the prior knowledge to benefit from minimal guidance and that cognitive load research favours explicit teaching for this group.
A dissenting reading, from Paul A. Kirschner, John Sweller and Richard E. ClarkStructural Learning, Pedagogy Explained, Structural Learning
Frequently Asked Questions
Is constructivism's discovery-based approach actually better than direct instruction for students new to a topic?
Not according to a well-known challenge: Kirschner, Sweller and Clark argue that novice learners lack the prior knowledge to benefit from minimally guided discovery methods, and that cognitive-load research favours explicit, direct instruction with worked examples for this group.
Paul A. Kirschner, John Sweller and Richard E. Clark hold that minimally guided, discovery-style methods like constructivism's problem-solving emphasis are less effective for novice learners than explicit, direct instruction with worked examples. Their argument is that novices lack the prior knowledge to benefit from minimal guidance, and that cognitive load research favours explicit teaching for this group. The atlas records this as a live dissent on constructivism's own most-effective-for claim rather than settling the question either way: the debate over how much guidance a novice learner needs is unresolved in the research literature, not a matter this atlas takes a side on.
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