Constructivism

Citation: Huitt, W. (2003). Constructivism. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State Universit . !etrieved "date#, $rom %tt&:''c%iron.valdosta.edu'(%uitt'col'co)s s'construct.%tml

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/%e constructivistic a&&roac% to teac%in) and learnin) is 0ased on a com0ination o$ a su0set o$ researc% (it%in co)nitive &s c%olo) and a su0set o$ researc% (it%in social &s c%olo) , 1ust as 0e%avior modi$ication tec%ni2ues are 0ased on o&erant conditionin) t%eor (it%in 0e%avioral &s c%olo) . /%e 0asic &remise is t%at an individual learner must activel 30uild3 4no(led)e and s4ills (e.)., 5runer, 6770) and t%at in$ormation e8ists (it%in t%ese 0uilt constructs rat%er t%an in t%e e8ternal environment. "See Ullman (6790) versus Gi0son (67:7) $or an overvie( o$ t%is controvers (it%in t%e co)nitive &ers&ective.# Ho(ever, all advocates o$ constructivism a)ree t%at it is t%e individual;s &rocessin) o$ stimuli $rom t%e environment and t%e resultin) co)nitive structures, t%at &roduce ada&tive 0e%avior, rat%er t%an t%e stimuli t%emselves (Harnard, 6792). <o%n =e(e (6733'6779) is o$ten cited as t%e &%iloso&%ical $ounder o$ t%is a&&roac%> Ausu0el (67?9), 5runer (6770), and -ia)et (67:2) are considered t%e c%ie$ t%eorists amon) t%e co)nitive constructionists, (%ile V )ots4 (67:9) is t%e ma1or t%eorist amon) t%e social constructionists. Activit t%eor and situated learnin) are t(o e8am&les o$ modern (or4 0ased on t%e (or4 o$ V )ots4 and some o$ %is $ollo(ers. A ma1or &ro0lem is t%at ma4in) connections 0et(een t%in4in) (in terms o$ 4no(led)e, intellectual s4ills, attitudes, etc.) and 0e%avior %as &roven ver illusive (=o le, 677:). +ne reason is t%at ot%er $actors, suc% as situational varia0les, emotions, and conse2uences, all &la an im&ortant role in t%e &roduction o$ overt, ada&tive 0e%avior. As =o le &oints out @ental re&resentations suc% as attitudes, mental models, scri&ts, and sc%emas are, o$ course, related to 0e%avior, 0ut t%e relations%i& is o$ten com&le8 and counterintuitive. /%ere is also a )ro(in) 0od o$ evidence t%at su))ests t%at t%e mental re&resentations on (%ic% decisions and 0e%avior are 0ased can 0e %i)%l varia0le de&endin) on su0tle as&ects o$ t%e &articular situation or conte8t decision ma4ers are in at an )iven time (-a ne et al., 6772), ma4in) it di$$icult to )eneraliAe results across tas4 and domain di$$erences. Until more is 4no(n a0out t%e $orm, content, and $unction o$ mental models o$ s stems in a &articular researc% settin), assessments o$ s stems t%in4in) interventions s%ould measure 0ot% 0e%avioral and co)nitive c%an)es. At t%is &oint, (it%out a uni$ in) t%eor as to %o( t%e di$$erent learnin) t%eories interact (it%in a sin)le individual to &roduce 0e%avior, (e %ave to stud t%ese di$$erent vie(&oints inde&endentl and t%en &iecemeal t%em to)et%er into a sc%ool curriculum. Ho(ever, acce&tance o$ a &articular vie(&oint &rovides a di$$erent startin) &oint $or curriculum develo&ment. Bennimore and /inAmann (6770) su))est a di$$erence 0et(een a 0e%aviorall Coriented curriculum in (%ic% 4no(led)e and s4ills

are tau)%t discretel and t%en inductivel connected versus t%e constructivisticall C oriented classroom in (%ic% students ac2uire content (%ile carr in) out tas4s re2uirin) %i)%erCorder t%in4in): An e8am&le s%ould %el& clari$ t%is c%aracteristic o$ a t%in4in) curriculum. SummariAin) is a common s4ill learned in sc%ool. .n conventional curricula, oun) students $re2uentl are e8&ected to learn %o( to summariAe 0 $irst learnin) eac% 3ste&3 in t%e summariAin) &rocess. /%e are tau)%t t%ese ste&s one at a time. Am&le time is )iven to &ractice t%e $irst ste&> $or e8am&le, cate)oriAin) items or activities descri0ed in a te8t under a more inclusive la0el. .ndeed, t%e ma com&lete numerous (or4s%eets on cate)oriAin). /%en, t%e teac%er ma teac% t%em a second 3ste&>3 $or e8am&le, deletin) redundant in$ormation. A)ain, t%e students &ractice. /%is a&&roac% continues until students %ave 0een tau)%t all t%e ste&s or su0&rocesses t%ou)%t to 0e involved in summariAin). .n s%ort, curriculum tends to routiniAe t%e tas4. Binall , students are as4ed to &ut all t%ese su0s4ills to)et%er. Un$ortunatel , man students cannot do t%isCCCt%e are stuc4 at t%e su0s4ill level, eac% o$ (%ic% t%e mi)%t &er$orm 0eauti$ull , 0ut (%ic% t%e cannot inte)rate into a smoot% &rocess o$ summariAin). .n contrast, in a t%in4in) curriculum, summariAin) (ould 0e conceived and tau)%t as a %olistic &rocess. !at%er t%an $ra)mentin) t%e &rocess, it (ould 0e tau)%t in a conte8t or environment in (%ic% students can succeed. Bor oun) c%ildren, t%is mi)%t mean as4in) t%em $irst to summariAe relativel s%ort &ara)ra&%s t%at deal (it% in$ormation (it% (%ic% t%e are ver $amiliar. /%e teac%er ma also as4 students to (or4 colla0orativel to summariAe in$ormation at t%is initial learnin) sta)e. As students )ain s4ill and con$idence in summariAin), t%e teac%er (ould as4 t%em to summariAe lon)er &ara)ra&%s, &er%a&s containin) less $amiliar in$ormation. .n summar , a t%in4in) curriculum al(a s treats tas4s as indivisi0le (%oles> variations t%at ac4no(led)e t%e novice status o$ t%e learner are c%an)es t%e teac%er can ma4e in t%e environment. 5runer (see Dearsle , 6777) &rovides t%e $ollo(in) &rinci&les o$ constructivistic learnin): 6. .nstruction must 0e concerned (it% t%e e8&eriences and conte8ts t%at ma4e t%e student (illin) and a0le to learn (readiness). 2. .nstruction must 0e structured so t%at it can 0e easil )ras&ed 0 t%e student (s&iral or)aniAation). 3. .nstruction s%ould 0e desi)ned to $acilitate e8tra&olation and or $ill in t%e )a&s ()oin) 0e ond t%e in$ormation )iven). Advocates o$ a constructivistic a&&roac% su))est t%at educators $irst consider t%e 4no(led)e and e8&eriences students 0rin) (it% t%em to t%e learnin) tas4. /%e sc%ool curriculum s%ould t%en 0e 0uilt so t%at students can e8&and and develo& t%is 4no(led)e and e8&erience 0 connectin) t%em to ne( learnin). Advocates o$ t%e 0e%avioral a&&roac%, on t%e ot%er %and, advocate $irst decidin) (%at 4no(led)e or s4ills students s%ould ac2uire and t%en develo&in) curriculum t%at (ill &rovide $or t%eir develo&ment.

/%ose advocatin) a constructivisitic a&&roac% s%ould consider t%ere are a variet o$ &rinci&les $rom o&erant conditionin) and in$ormation &rocessin) learnin) t%eories t%at can 0e utiliAed (it%in t%is a&&roac%. Bor e8am&le, (%en mediatin) a studentEs learnin) it is certainl a&&ro&riate to teac% a s&eci$ic s4ill usin) direct instruction, o0serve students &racticin) t%e s4ill, and &rovidin) corrective $eed0ac4. /%e ma1or issue is (%et%er to start (it% a curriculum t%at is tau)%t ste&C0 Cste& in an inductive manner as su))ested 0 t%e 0e%aviorists or to start (it% t%e studentEs 4no(led)e and understandin)s and %el& t%e c%ild $ill in )a&s necessar to solve a situationCs&eci$ic &ro0lem as su))ested 0 t%e constructivists. -rinci&les o$ learnin) $rom an in$ormation &rocessin) &ers&ective suc% as reco)niAin) t%e limits o$ s%ortCterm memor , &rovidin) man o&&ortunities $or students to connect &rior 4no(led)e to current learnin), and reco)niAin) t%e need $or s&aced &ractice can also 0e im&lemented (it%in a constructivistic a&&roac%. A)ain, t%e ma1or distinction is in (%ere to start: (it% a &redesi)ned curriculum or (it% t%e studentEs e8&eriences and 4no(led)e 0ase. W%at is t%e correct a&&roac%F .n m vie( t%e ans(er is 3G,S.3 .$ (e start (it% t%e student;s 4no(led)e 0ase 0e$ore (e %ave esta0lis%ed desired end )oals, t%ere is a tendenc to %ave t%e students sim&l Hma4e &ro)ress,I t%ere0 limitin) students (%o are not ade2uatel &re&ared. /%ese students ma develo& ade2uate t%in4in) s4ills, 0ut can %ave lar)e )a&s in t%eir 4no(led)e and s4ills. +n t%e ot%er %and, i$ (e $ocus onl on desired end )oals, es&eciall 4no(led)e )oals, (it%out consideration o$ t%e student;s ac2uired 4no(led)e and 0ac4)round, (e run t%e ris4 o$ develo&in) 4no(led)e and s4ills t%at %ave no meanin) to t%e learner and are t%ere$ore easil $or)otten. References

Ausu0el, =. (67?9). Educational psychology: A cognitive view. Je( Gor4: Holt, !ine%art K Winston. 5runer, <. (6770). Acts of meaning. Cam0rid)e, @A: Harvard Universit -ress =e(e , <. (6733'6779) How we think (!ev. ed.). 5oston, @A: Hou)%ton @i$$lin Com&an . =o le, <. D. (677:). /%e co)nitive &s c%olo) o$ s stems t%in4in). System Dynamics Review !"(3): 2L3C2?L. Bennimore, /., K /inAmann, @. (6770). #hat is a thinking curriculum$ +a4 5roo4, .M: Jort% Central !e)ional ,ducational Ma0orator . !etrieved @a 6777, $rom %tt&:''(((.ncrel.or)'ncrel'sdrs'areas'r&lNes s't%in4in).%tm Gi0son, <. <. (67:7). An ecological approach to visual perception. 5oston: Hou)%ton @i$$lin. Harnad, S. (6792) Jeoconstructivism: A uni$ in) t%eme $or t%e co)nitive sciences. .n /. Simon K !. Sc%oles (,ds.), %anguage mind and &rain (6 C 66). Hillsdale J<: ,rl0aum. !etrieved @a 6777, $rom %tt&:''co)sci.soton.ac.u4'O%arnad'-a&ers'Harnad'%arnad92.neoconst.%tml Dearsle , G. (677P, 6777). E'plorations in learning ( instruction: )he theory into practice data&ase. Was%in)ton, =C: Geor)e Was%in)ton Universit . !etrieved @a 6777, $rom %tt&:''(((.)(u.edu'Oti&' -ia)et, <. (67:2). )he psychology of the child. Je( Gor4: 5asic 5oo4s.

Ullman, S. (6790) A)ainst direct &erce&tion. *ehavioral and *rain Sciences ", 3:3 C P6L. V )ots4 , M. (67:9). +ind in society. Cam0rid)e, @A: Harvard Universit -ress.