social constructivist theories

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al Constructivist Theories

//viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/social.htm[6.7.2013. 20:04:55]

For a general intro to constructivism click: Overview of constructivism.

Overview of Social Constructivism

Another cognitive psychologist, Lev Vygotsky (http://www.ced.appstate.edu/vybio.html), shared many ofPiaget'shttp://education.indiana.edu/~cep/courses/p540/vygosc.html) assumptions about how children learn, but he placed

more emphasis on the social context of learning. Piaget's cognitive theories have been used as the foundation for

iscovery learning(http://129.7.160.115/INST5931/Discovery_Learning.html#dl) models in which the teacher playmited role. In Vygotsky's theories both teachers and older or more experienced children play very important roles earning.

here is a great deal of overlap between cognitive constructivism and Vygotsky's social constructivist theory.However, Vygotsky's constructivist theory, which is often called social constructivism, has much more room for anctive, involved teacher. For Vygotsky the culture gives the child the cognitive tools needed for development. The tnd quality of those tools determines, to a much greater extent than they do in Piaget's theory, the pattern and rate evelopment. Adults such as parents and teachers are conduits for the tools of the culture, including language. Theools the culture provides a child include cultural history, social context, and language. Today they also includelectronic forms of information access.

Although Vygotsky died at the age of 38 in 1934, most of his publications did not appear in English until after 196here are, however, a growing number of applications of social constructivism in the area of educational technolog

One such use was described by Martin (1992).

We call Vygotsky's brand of constructivism social constructivism because he emphasized the critical importance ofulture and the importance of the social context for cognitive development. Vygotsky's the zone of proximalevelopment is probably his best-known concept. It argues that students can, with help from adults or children who

more advanced, master concepts and ideas that they cannot understand on their own.

here are thousands of books, articles, and papers on the theories of Vygotsky and the implications of those theorieor teaching and learning. This brief summary cannot do the theory justice, but if you would like to explore Vygotsk

asic ideas more thoroughly, the links below are all rich sources of information:

Overview of Lev Vygotsky's Theory(http://education.indiana.edu/~cep/courses/p540/vygosc.html)Lev Vygotsky(http://education.indiana.edu/~cep/courses/p540/vygotsky.html)Vygotsky's Social Development Theory(http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/educ/tip/51.htm)Review and Analysis of Vygotsky's Thought and Language(http://129.7.160.115/inst5931/Vygotsky.html)Vygotsky Analyzes Piaget's Developmental Theory
http://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/constr.htmhttp://www.ced.appstate.edu/vybio.htmlhttp://education.indiana.edu/~cep/courses/p540/vygosc.htmlhttp://education.indiana.edu/~cep/courses/p540/vygosc.htmlhttp://129.7.160.115/INST5931/Discovery_Learning.html#dlhttp://129.7.160.115/INST5931/Discovery_Learning.html#dlhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/martin.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/zpd.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/zpd.htmhttp://education.indiana.edu/~cep/courses/p540/vygosc.htmlhttp://education.indiana.edu/~cep/courses/p540/vygosc.htmlhttp://education.indiana.edu/~cep/courses/p540/vygotsky.htmlhttp://education.indiana.edu/~cep/courses/p540/vygotsky.htmlhttp://www.lincoln.ac.nz/educ/tip/51.htmhttp://www.lincoln.ac.nz/educ/tip/51.htmhttp://129.7.160.115/inst5931/Vygotsky.htmlhttp://129.7.160.115/inst5931/Vygotsky.htmlhttp://129.7.160.115/inst5931/Vygotsky_Analyzes_Piaget.htmlhttp://129.7.160.115/inst5931/Vygotsky_Analyzes_Piaget.htmlhttp://129.7.160.115/inst5931/Vygotsky.htmlhttp://129.7.160.115/inst5931/Vygotsky.htmlhttp://www.lincoln.ac.nz/educ/tip/51.htmhttp://www.lincoln.ac.nz/educ/tip/51.htmhttp://education.indiana.edu/~cep/courses/p540/vygotsky.htmlhttp://education.indiana.edu/~cep/courses/p540/vygotsky.htmlhttp://education.indiana.edu/~cep/courses/p540/vygosc.htmlhttp://education.indiana.edu/~cep/courses/p540/vygosc.htmlhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/zpd.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/zpd.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/martin.htmhttp://129.7.160.115/INST5931/Discovery_Learning.html#dlhttp://129.7.160.115/INST5931/Discovery_Learning.html#dlhttp://education.indiana.edu/~cep/courses/p540/vygosc.htmlhttp://education.indiana.edu/~cep/courses/p540/vygosc.htmlhttp://www.ced.appstate.edu/vybio.htmlhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/constr.htm


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(http://129.7.160.115/inst5931/Vygotsky_Analyzes_Piaget.html)The Mind Of Man: Models of Human Understanding(http://129.7.160.115/inst5931/mndofman.html)

General Implicationsof Social Constructivism

f Vygotsky is correct and children develop in social or group settings, the use of technology to connect rather thaneparate students from one another would be very appropriate use.

A constructivist teacher creates a context for learning in which students can become engaged in interesting activitihat encourages and facilitates learning. The teacher does not simply stand by, however, and watch children explorend discover. Instead, the teacher may often guide students as they approach problems, may encourage them to worroups to think about issues and questions, and support them with encouragement and advice as they tackle problemdventures, and challenges that are rooted in real life situations that are both interesting to the students and satisfyinn terms of the result of their work. Teachers thus facilitate cognitive growth and learning as do peers and other

members of the child's community.

All classrooms in which instructional strategies compatible with Vygotsky's social constructivist approach are usedon't necessarily look alike. The activities and the format can vary considerably. However, four principles are appl

n any Vygotskian classroom.

1. Learning and development is a social, collaborative activity.2. The Zone of Proximal Development can serve as a guide for curricular and lesson planning.3. School learning should occur in a meaningful context and not be separated from learning and knowledgechildren develop in the "real world.".4. Out-of-school experiences should be related to the child's school experience.

Types of Instructionof Social Constructivism

echnology provides essential tools with which to accomplish the goals of a social constructivist classroom. Belowfew examples of the way information technology can support social constructivist teaching and learning:

Telecommunications tools such as e-mail and the Internet provide a means for dialogue, discussion, and deb- interactivity that leads to the social construction of meaning. Students can talk with other students, teachersand professionals in communities far from their classroom. Telecommunications tools can also provide studeaccess to many different types of information resources that help them understand both their culture and theculture of others.Networked writing programs provides a unique platform for collaborative writing. Students can write for reaaudiences who respond instantly and who participate in a collective writing activity.Simulations can make learning meaningful by situating something to be learned in the context of a "real woractivity such as running a nuclear power plant, writing up "breaking" stories for a newspaper, or dealing with

pollution problems of local waterways

Examples of Social Constructivist Classroom Activities
http://129.7.160.115/inst5931/Vygotsky_Analyzes_Piaget.htmlhttp://129.7.160.115/inst5931/mndofman.htmlhttp://129.7.160.115/inst5931/mndofman.htmlhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/4vygo.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/4vygo.htmhttp://129.7.160.115/inst5931/mndofman.htmlhttp://129.7.160.115/inst5931/mndofman.htmlhttp://129.7.160.115/inst5931/Vygotsky_Analyzes_Piaget.html


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Reading/ Writing Workshop Whole Language Situated Learning

Collaborative Learning Anchored InstructionGames, Simulations,

Case-Based Instruction,Problem-Solving

Additional Information

ocial Constructivism

n contrast to the individual-cognitive constructivist, the socio-cultural constructivist locates the mind in thendividual-in-social action. Learning, then, is primarily a process of enculturation into a community of practice.

URL: http://education.indiana.edu/~cep/courses/p540/semcons/semcons_overview.html#SC

PC is to Piaget as WWW is to Vygotsky

he author of this on-line article makes an interesting comparison:

The development of educational pedagogy has interesting parallels with the development of personal computtechnology. Centralized and autocratic, mainframe technology (and, in the public schools, similarly designedIntegrated Learning Systems) distributed a CAI (computer-assisted instruction) approach to education which strictly content-based and driven by behavioral objectives. With the onslaught of personal computers came th

popularity of constructivist approaches to educational technology, where open-ended environments providedindividual students with tools to experiment and build their own learning constructs. In the last few years, as internet and World Wide Web have matured; the social aspects of learning as described by Vygotsky havebecome useful for those looking to design educational projects involving a distributed but intercommunicatinaudience.

URL: http://www.iconceptual.com/Siggraph.html

nstructional Design Perspectives on Mathematics Education with Reference to Vygotsky's

Theory of Social Cognition
http://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/workshop.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/whole.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/situ.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/collab.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/ai.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/gcsp.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/gcsp.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/gcsp.htmhttp://education.indiana.edu/~cep/courses/p540/semcons/semcons_overview.html#SChttp://education.indiana.edu/~cep/courses/p540/semcons/semcons_overview.html#SChttp://www.iconceptual.com/Siggraph.htmlhttp://www.iconceptual.com/Siggraph.htmlhttp://ouray.cudenver.edu/~jlteslow/mathed.htmlhttp://ouray.cudenver.edu/~jlteslow/mathed.htmlhttp://ouray.cudenver.edu/~jlteslow/mathed.htmlhttp://ouray.cudenver.edu/~jlteslow/mathed.htmlhttp://www.iconceptual.com/Siggraph.htmlhttp://www.iconceptual.com/Siggraph.htmlhttp://education.indiana.edu/~cep/courses/p540/semcons/semcons_overview.html#SChttp://education.indiana.edu/~cep/courses/p540/semcons/semcons_overview.html#SChttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/gcsp.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/gcsp.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/gcsp.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/ai.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/collab.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/gcsp.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/ai.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/collab.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/situ.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/whole.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/workshop.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/situ.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/whole.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/workshop.htm


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//viking coe uh edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/social htm[6 7 2013 20:04:55]

he purpose of this web page is to offer some perspectives on mathematics education from an instructional designiewpoint. The authors do this in a somewhat eclectic fashion, beginning with an overview of the ideologicalparadigm wars" within the instructional design community. Alternative philosophies of mind, including Vygotsky'smphasis on the social origins of cognition, have implications for the teaching of mathematics, as well as fornstructional design generally. The authors conclude with some recommendations for the instructional design of

mathematics education curricula that are consistent with a Vygotskian framework.

URL: http://ouray.cudenver.edu/~jlteslow/mathed.html

The role of culture in Vygotskyean-informed psychology

his web page is a source of the main thrust of Vygotsky's general developmental framework, as well as offering aontrast to the Piagetian approach.

URL: http://www.massey.ac.nz/~ALock/virtual/colevyg.htm

Talk of saying, showing, gesturing, and feeling in Wittgenstein and Vygotsky

his on-line article is a "reading" of Vygotsky's central notions through the work of Wittgenstein.

URL: http://www.massey.ac.nz/~ALock/virtual/wittvyg.htm

Return to Homepage
http://ouray.cudenver.edu/~jlteslow/mathed.htmlhttp://www.massey.ac.nz/~ALock/virtual/colevyg.htmhttp://www.massey.ac.nz/~ALock/virtual/colevyg.htmhttp://www.massey.ac.nz/~ALock/virtual/wittvyg.htmhttp://www.massey.ac.nz/~ALock/virtual/wittvyg.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/cover.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/cover.htmhttp://viking.coe.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/et-it/cover.htmhttp://www.massey.ac.nz/~ALock/virtual/wittvyg.htmhttp://www.massey.ac.nz/~ALock/virtual/wittvyg.htmhttp://www.massey.ac.nz/~ALock/virtual/colevyg.htmhttp://www.massey.ac.nz/~ALock/virtual/colevyg.htmhttp://ouray.cudenver.edu/~jlteslow/mathed.html

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