Constructivism

The Mad ScientistsGeorge Butcher

Key Theorists of Constructivism

• Jean Piaget

• Jerome Bruner

• John Dewey

Key Points of Constructivism

• Learning is best accomplished by doing, less focus on lectures• Active learning is stressed over passive learning• Social integrations are considered key to learning• The student is pressed to form, and thus construct, the

concepts of the instruction• Jean Piaget stressed that different age groups develop

different cognitive stages• Jerome Bruner proposed participatory learning and with

diverse class activities• John Dewey suggested experiential and practical education

Classroom Implications for TeachersWith technology

• The class should be a student laboratory

• Computers, calculators, the internet, and other diverse media should be available

Without technology • Encourage the students

to formulate their own questions

• Use real world examples to promote conversations

• Assign collaborative activities and group work

Classroom Implications for Students

With technology• Utilize online tools for

group coordination• Use programs to

prepare presentations• Share things online that

they have found interesting with their peers

Without technology• Devise hands-on

experiments to demonstrate things taught in class

• Share personal experiences with others to promote social connections

• Think of ways that the class will impact their life

Additional Thoughts

• A very modern and effective method of teaching if done correctly

• Can overwhelm students who are not used to unstructured learning

• Instructions must be clear and expectations should be targeted to one or two points

Cons Pros

Effectiveness

Collaboration

Context

Confusion

Planning

Time for a short quiz to test your understanding

George Butcher

????

INSTRUCTIONS

You’ll be asked 4 short questions about the constructivist theory. Feel free to try again if you get one wrong! Best of all, you will not be timed or graded. Click to advance after a correct answer and click to retry the question. Try it now on the button below…

Question 1

Ideally, students should ultimately __________ when learning.

a. Believe whatever the teacher tells themb. Construct their own understandingc. Just do their own independent research

Question 1 yes

Exactly! As you might have guessed that’s why it was called constructivism in the first place!

Question 1 no

Give that another try…

Question 2

Social interaction and group work is _________ when teaching.

a. Requiredb. Encouragedc. Actively discouraged

M

m

Question 2 yes

Sure. Having students work together is great, but as always some things that are best done

individually.

Question 2 no

That’s a bit extreme. Reflect on that and try again.

Question 3

True or false… In constructivism, lectures are the primary teaching method.

True.False.

Question 3 yes

That’s correct! Lectures are still used to an extent, but they are not the primary way

constructivism would have a student learn.

Question 3 no

That’s actually not quite right. Try once more.

Question 4

One of your students shows you an instructional game he found free online. You should _______.a. Tell him thanks but that video games are nev

er instructionalb. Assign it as homeworkc. Review it for use as long as all students will h

ave access to it

Question 4 yes

Yeah. Many games (physics games for example) are useful tools in helping kids construct their

own intuitions on how things work.

M

m

Question 4 a no

That’s not the best answer.Also stop being such a buzzkill.

Question 4 b no

That’s a bit premature. What if costs money some students don’t have?

That’s it, you’re all done. I hope this has helped you with your understanding of constructivism.

Who knew testing could be so much fun?

ReferencesPhotos Cited:

Slide 1-http://www.brainpickings.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/rainbowbrain.pngSlide 2a-http://www.moonmentum.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Jean-Piaget-1-257x300.jpgSlide 2b-http://alejandroiborra.blogia.com/upload/20100720172359-20070412232152-jerome-bruner.jpgSlide 2c-http://www.biography.com/imported/images/Biography/Images/Profiles/D/John-Dewey-9273497-1-402.jpgSlide 4-http://edudemic.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/education-technology.jpgSlide 22-http://25.media.tumblr.com/ddd95141cc46c9bda28c87e0b4c8c710/tumblr_mp4nweamNL1rc0dgmo1_500.gifWorks cited:

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.learning-theories.com/constructivism.html

Shelly, Gary B., Glenda A. Gunter, and Randolph E. Gunter. Teachers Discovering Computers: Integrating Technology in a Connected World. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.