By:Syeda Fareeha ImamMavia Naz Kiran Durdana KhanShaista MarveeNoorani Karim Jindani

WHAT IS

CONSTRUCTIVISM

?

CONSTRUCT: to build or form by putting together parts

CONSTRUCTIVISM: Constructivism is a learning theory

found in psychology which suggests that humans construct knowledge and meaning from their experiences.

O Constructivism utilizes interactive teaching strategies to create meaningful context that help students construct knowledge based on their own experiences.

O Constructivism can help engage and motivate your students by making them take a more active role in the learning process.

THE 5 E’s MODEL:O EngagementO ExplorationO ExplanationO Elaboration O Evaluation

Views of main THEORISTS

about conStructivism

John Dewey:O John Dewey rejected the notion that

schools should focus on repetitive, rote memorization & proposed a method of "directed living" – students would engage in real-world, practical workshops in which they would demonstrate their knowledge through creativity and collaboration. Students should be provided with opportunities to think from themselves and articulate their thoughts.

Jean Piaget:

O Piaget rejected the idea that learning was the passive assimilation of given knowledge. Instead, he proposed that learning is a dynamic process comprising successive stages of adaption to reality during which learners actively construct knowledge by creating and testing their own theories of the world.

Bruner:

O A major theme in the theoretical framework of Bruner is that learning is an active process in which learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon their current/past knowledge. The learner selects and transforms information, constructs hypotheses, and makes decisions, relying on a cognitive structure to do so.

CONSTRUCTIVE TEACHERS:

Constructivist teachers do not take the role of the "sage on the stage." Instead, teachers act as a "guide on the side" providing students with opportunities to test the adequacy of their current understandings

teachers should continually in conversation with the students, creating the learning experience that is open to new directions depending upon the needs of the student as the learning progresses.

Instead of telling, the teacher must begin asking.

Encourage and accept student autonomy and initiative

Use raw data and primary sources along with manipulative, interactive and physical materials

When framing tasks, use cognitive terminology like “classify”, “analyze”, “predict”, and “create”

Inquire about student’s understandings of concepts before sharing their own understandings

Encourage students to engage in dialogue, both with the teacher and with one another

O Encourage student inquiry by asking thoughtful questions and encouraging students to ask questions of one another.

Seek elaboration of initial student responses.

Engage students in experiences that might be contradictory to their hypotheses, and then encourage discussion.

Provide time for students to construct relationships and create metaphors.

  Instead of answering questions that only align with their curriculum, the facilitator in this case must make it so that the student comes to the conclusions on their own instead of being told.

MAJOR ROLES OF

FACILITATORS:

David Jonassen identified three major roles for facilitators to support students in

constructivist learning environments:MODELLILNG:

O Modeling is when an expert, usually a teacher, within the

cognitive domain or subject area demonstrates a task explicitly so that novices, usually a student,

can experience and build a conceptual model of the task.

COACHING:a good coach motivates learners,

analyzes their performance, provides feedback and advice on

the performance and how to learn about how to perform, and

provokes reflection and articulation of what was learned.

SCAFFOLDING: Scaffolding is a more systemic

approach to supporting the learner, focusing on the task, the environment, the teacher, and the

learner. Scaffolding provides temporary frameworks to support learning and student performance

beyond their capacities.