Constructivism in Practice

The overall principle of the Constructivist Theory is that, “knowledge is not simply transmitted from teacher to student, but actively constructed in the mind of the learner,” (Orey, 2001). Utilizing this Constructivist point of view, learners should have a variety of resources to help construct their own learning, as well as a classroom teacher who will act as a balanced, non-biased facilitator of learning. Learning by Design, Problem Based Instruction, and Project Based Learning are three approaches that incorporate Constructivism into an open and rich classroom. Each approach has their merit and each, asks a learner to create and design products or solutions within a real and meaningful context.

Specifically from this week’s resources, Spreadsheet Software, Data Collection Tools, and Web Resources support the open-ended learning of Constructivism. Each tool allows students to work through a process, be it scientific or not, and to generate and test their various hypothesis. This strategy encourages students to “engage in a complex mental process, apply content knowledge like facts and vocabulary, and to enhance their own overall understanding of the content,” (Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, and Pitler, 2007, p.202). Technology plays an important role in this quest for knowledge and encourages students to apply what they already know and to interpret factual knowledge and information; as opposed to spending the majority of their time simply researching and collecting data for the same process.

The above mentioned educational tools present opportunities where students can construct meaning at an exact moment in the classroom, and manipulate the software to receive feedback on multiple scenarios, (Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, and Pitler, 2007). “Using data collection tools enables students to see the bigger picture and recognize patterns,” (Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski, and Pitler, 2007), more easily. Often their findings will lead them to other hypothesis, hereby continuing the idea of constructing and testing more knowledge. Ultimately, all students aim to comprise a solution and a series of facts that will support and explain their solution. This approach and the various technologies tools discussed, give real-world meaning to otherwise rote study, and allow for exploration and learning to be interactive and quite useful.


References:

Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.