Chapter-6-constructivism

Chapter6ConstructivismConstructivismarebasedontheideathat,unlikeacomputerdiskoranemptycontainer,studentsdonotwaitpassivelytobefilledupwithknowledge.Rather,studentsactivelybuild,orconstruct,theirownknowledge.Teacherscannotentirelycontroltheirstudents’learning,expertteacherscandomuchtofacilitatestudents’ownactivelearningprocesses.(Cobb,2000)Chapter6Constructivism6.1constructivism:anoverviewConstructivismisaphilosophyoflearningfoundedonthepremisethat,byreflectingonourexperiences,weconstructourownunderstandingoftheworldwelivein.Eachofusgeneratesourownrulesandmentalmodels,whichweusetomakesenseofourexperiences.Learning,therefore,issimplytheprocessofadjustingourmentalmodelstoaccommodatenewexperiences.Chapter6Constructivism6.1constructivism:anoverviewTheessenceofconstructivismistheideathatlearnersmustindividuallydiscoverandtransformcomplexinformationiftheyaretomakeittheirown.Constructiviststheoryseeslearnersasconstantlycheckingnewinformationagainstoldrulesandthenrevisingtheruleswhentheynolongerwork.Thisviewhasprofoundimplicationsforteaching,asitsuggestsafarmoreactiveroleforstudentsintheirownlearningthanistypicalinthegreatmajorityofclassrooms.Chapter6Constructivism6.1constructivism:anoverviewTheverbtoconstructcomesfromtheLatinconstruere,whichmeanstoarrangeorgivestructure.Ongoingstructuring(organizing)processesaretheconceptualheartofconstructivism.Thewords“construct”and“construction”havebeeninuseforcenturies,ofcourse.But“constructivism‘”isarelativelynewword.Yetitisappearingwithanacceleratingfrequencyinthetitlesofbooksandarticlesinpsychology.Figure1showsthecumulativefrequencywithwhich`construct-based'termshaveappearedinthetitlesorabstractsofarticlesappearinginpsychologybetween1974and2002.Chapter6ConstructivismChapter6Constructivism6.2Historicalrootsofconstructivism:＊theinfluenceofphilosophy:Socrates(470-399B.C):Knowledgeisonlyperception.Hisapproachessentiallyconsistedofleadingstudentsthroughaseriesofquestionsinordertopromotecriticalthinking.Popper(KarlR.Popper):thephilosophyofscience.Wecannotconfirmwhetheratheoryistruebyexperience,butwecanconfirmwhetheritisfalsebyexperience.Marx(K.Marx):theimportanceofone’ssubjectivityandsocialinteractions.Chapter6Constructivism6.2Historicalrootsofconstructivism:＊theinfluenceofpsychology:(1)top-downprocessingTop-downmeansthatstudentsbeginwithcomplexproblemstosolveandthenworkoutordiscover(withtheteacher’sguidance)thebasicskillsrequired.Forexample,thestudentsmightbeaskedtowritecompositionsandonlylaterlearnaboutspelling,grammar,andpunctuation.Constructivistapproachesemphasizingdiscovery,experimentation,andopen-endedproblemshavebeensuccessfullyappliedinmathematics,readingandinothersubjects.Chapter6Constructivism6.2Historicalrootsofconstructivism:(2)generativelearningAcentralassumptionofconstructivistapproachesisthatalllearningis“discovered”,evenifwetellstudentssomething,theymustperformmentaloperationswithinformationtomakeittheirown.Chapter6Constructivism6.2Historicalrootsofconstructivism:(3)ScaffoldingScaffoldingisapracticebasedonVygotsky’sconceptofassistedlearning.AccordingtoVygotsky,highermentalfunctions,includingtheabilitytodirectmemoryandattentionisapurposefulwayandthinkinsymbols,aremediatedbehaviors.Mediatedexternallybyculture,theseandotherbehaviorsbecomeinternalizedinthelearners’smindaspsychologicaltools.Inassistedormediatedlearning,theteacheristheculturalagentwhoguidesinstructionsothatstudentswillmasterandinternalizetheskillsthatpermithighercognitivefunction.Theabilitytointernalizeculturaltoolsrelatestothelearner’sageorstageofcognitivedevelopment.Onceacquired,however,internalmediatorspermitsgreaterself-mediatedlearning.Chapter6Constructivism6.2HistoricalrootsofconstructivismInpracticalterms,scaffoldingmayincludegivingstudentsmorestructureatthebeginningofasetoflessonsandgraduallyturningresponsibilityovertothemtooperateontheirown.Forexample,studentcanbetaughttogeneratetheirownquestionsaboutmaterialtheyarereading.Earlyon,theteachermightsuggestthequestions,modelingthekindsofquestionsstudentmightask,butlater,thestudentstakeoverthequestion-generatingtask.Chapter6Constructivism6.2Historicalrootsofconstructivism:＊moderntechnology:Computer,internet,etc.6.3MainideasaboutlearningConstructivistideasaboutlearningarebasedontheideathatlearnersmustbuildtheirownknowledge---itcannotbegiventothem---andthatnewknowledgebuildsoncurrentknowledge.Chapter6Constructivism6.3Mainideasaboutlearning(1)Learningisasearchformeaning.Therefore,learningmuststartwiththeissuesaroundwhichstudentsareactivelytryingtoconstructmeaning.(2)Meaningrequiresunderstandingwholesaswellasparts.Andpartsmustbeunderstoodinthecontextofwholes.Therefore,thelearningprocessfocusesonprimaryconcepts,notisolatedfacts.Chapter6Constructivism6.3MainideasaboutlearningLearningshouldbewhole,authentic,andreal.Meaningisconstructedaslearnersinteractinmeaningfulwayswiththeworldaroundthem.Studentsaremorelikelytolearniftheyareengagedinmeaningfulactivities,suchasoperatingaclass“store”or“bank”orwritingandeditingaclassnew