Constructivism

About constructivism

Opposing to behaviorism and cognitivism, learning paradigms which begin from a point of view that world external to the learner is objective and real and the learner needs to map it's principles and facts, constructivism as a learning paradigm focuses on the assumption that learning is an active process in which the learner constructs his own interpretation and meaning of the objective reality mostly from his prior knowledge and experience.

Constructivism, developed during the 1990s, views learning as a process of creating meaning from experience. Humans create meaning from experience rather than acquire it. Construction of new knowledge is the objective of learning which occurs through interaction of learners prior knowledge and experience.

Learning theories

Instructional design theories and learning models:

Case-Based Learning

Cognitive Apprenticeship (Collins et al.)

Other important contributors:

Vygotsky, Piaget, Dewey, Vico, Rorty, Bruner

Critic

Bibliography

Ertmer PA, Newby TJ. Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly. 1993;6(4):50–72.

Constructivism at Learning Theories.

Read more

Driver, R. (1995). Constructivist approaches in science teaching. In L. P. Steffe & J. Gale (Eds.), Constructivism in education (pp. 385-400). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Duit, R. (1995). The constructivist view: A Fashionable and fruitful paradigm for science education research and practice. In L. P. Steffe & J. Gale (Eds.), Constructivism in education (pp. 271-285). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Tobin, K., & Tippins. D. (1993). Constructivism as a referent for teaching and learning. In K. Tobin (Ed.), The practice of constructivism in science education (pp. 3-21). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.