Constructivism Theory

Constructivism is a theory about human learning, not specifically about a method of teaching. It can be argued that constructivist principles may be implemented through several different approaches to teaching, as we will see later.

Since the 1990s, constructivism has spread as a strong influential force, shaping education reform across many areas of the school curriculum and spawning many new learner-centred approaches to teaching. It is certainly the major influence on the content presented in university methodology courses for trainee teachers at this time. The underlying principles of constructivism can be traced back to the learning theories of John Dewey (1933), Jean Piaget (1983) and Jerome Bruner (1961). In various ways, these pioneers stressed the essential role of activity and firsthand experience in shaping human learning and understanding.

Bruner, for example, devised the hybrid science and social studies course known as Man: A course of study (MACOS), involving children in hands-on discovery, problem solving, inductive thinking and reasoning. These early theorists also recognised that learning can only occur to the extent that new information links successfully with a learner’s prior knowledge and experience. Other pioneers, such as the Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky (1962, 1978), added the view that learning is greatly enhanced by collaborative social interaction and communication – in other words, discussion, feedback and sharing of ideas are powerful influences on learning. Vygotsky’s view has been termed ‘social constructivism’ to differentiate it from Piaget’s view that is often called ‘cognitive constructivism’ or ‘structuralism’, and is less concerned with language and social interaction. Principles of constructivism have been articulated clearly by writers such as von Glasersfeld (1995) and DeVries et al. (2002).

There is a natural commonsense appeal to the notion of learners constructing their own knowledge through their own endeavours, because most of what individuals learn in everyday life clearly comes from personal discovery and experience, not from instruction. Constructivist perspective meshes well with the current humanistic and developmental orientation evident in most of our schools. There is no doubt that in its various guises (e.g., whole language approach, process writing, problem-based learning, inquiry approach and discovery method) the notion of a learner-centered constructivist approach has been readily accepted without question by government departments of education, university departments of methodology and teaching practice, and by many teachers. In recent years constructivism has been virtually the only view of learning presented to trainee teachers in colleges and universities.

Constructivism has brought with it a whole new set of terms – learning has become ‘knowledge construction’; a class of students has become a ‘community of learners’; ‘learning by doing’ has become ‘process approach’ or ‘experiential learning’. In addition, giving students support in the form of hints and advice has become known as ‘scaffolding’. Key words in connection with curriculum are ‘authentic’, ‘meaningful’ and ‘developmentally appropriate’. Typical goals for constructivist classrooms are to help children become inquisitive, inventive and reflective, and to encourage them to take the initiative, think, reason and be confident to explore and exchange ideas with others.