The document discusses the constructivist learning theory. Constructivism posits that learning is an active process where students construct knowledge based on their experiences. According to constructivists like Piaget, Vygotsky, and Bruner, students learn through social interaction and discovery. Teachers take on the role of facilitator by providing guidance and resources for students to learn on their own. In the classroom, this involves collaborative projects where students teach each other and use inquiry to solve problems.

1. Learning Theories & Technology Integration
By
E.C.

2. Contents

 What is Constructivist Theory?
 Who are the main proponents?
 What are the implications for teachers?
 What are the implications for students?
 Final thoughts about the theory.
 Sources.
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3. Constructivist Theory

 Learning is an active social process
• Students share their points of view to gain
understanding that they couldn’t alone
 Knowledge is not acquired, but constructed
• Through hypothesizing about the environment and
using personal experiences
 Learning is affected by past experiences and cultural
factors
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4. Constructivist Theory

 Students learn by doing and discovering
• Inquiry encourages critical thinking and a deeper
understanding of the material
 Teachers are Facilitators
• Rather than present information, teachers guide the
student to reach their own understanding of the material
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5. Important People
 “The principle goal of education
should be creating men and
Jean Piaget (1896-1980) women who are capable of
doing new things, not repeating
what other generations have
done.” - Piaget
 Cognitive theorist
 We learn through assimilation and accommodation
 4 Stages of development
• Sensorimotor (Birth-2yrs) - Building understanding of self and reality
• Preoperational (2-6yrs) – Concrete thinking, needs physical situations
• Concrete Operation (7-11yrs) – Thinking abstractly, constructs logical
structures to explain physical experiences
• Formal Operation (11yrs-Adulthood) – Capable of deductive and
logical reasoning, abstract thinking capabilities similar to an adult
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6. Important People

Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934)
 Social interaction is key to cognitive
development
 Zone of Proximal Development “Through others, we
• The distance between a student’s ability to perform become ourselves”
- Vygotsky
a task with help, and the ability to perform it
independently
 Scaffolding
• Assisting a student in performing a task, gradually
proving less assistance until the student can
perform the task alone
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7. Important People

Jerome Bruner (1915-Present)
 Discovery Learning
• Inquiry based
• Takes place in problem solving situations where the learner
draws on his own past experience and existing knowledge
• Encourages active engagement
• Promotes motivation, autonomy and responsibility
“Learners are encouraged to
discover facts and relationships
for themselves.” - Bruner
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8. Constructivism and
Teachers

 Teachers must play the role of learning facilitator
• Provide enough guidance to reach an objective, but give the
students the independence to get there on their own
• Give students instructions and online resources and then have
them research and organize the information on their own
 Incorporate collaborative activities
• Use projects where the students teach the rest of class using
PowerPoint
• Have students explain their point of view or how they understood
the material
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9. Constructivism and
Students

 Students must discover knowledge
• Student can use the internet to find information from various
sources and in various formats
 Take initiative and experiment
• Students should form hypothesis and then test to see if they were
correct
 Collaborate with their peers
• Use software such as Elluminate to share ideas with their peers in
classes in another district or around the world
 Think critically
• Use inquiry to find a solution
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10. Final Thoughts

 I found the theory of constructivism very interesting. As a
math major I know how much knowledge builds on itself,
how every concept can be related to another in some way.
I will definitely try to incorporate it into my teaching, the
collaborative and inquiry aspects especially. Some people
understand things differently and perhaps a student can
explain a concept to their peer in a way that is easier for
them to understand. I want my students to think critically
of information they receive instead of just accepting it; by
using the Socratic Method of inquiry in which students
ask each other questions to better understand the logic of
their reasoning, I can accomplish this in my classes.
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11. Sources

 Images: Piaget, Vygotsky, Bruner.
 Information: Bruner B2, Constructivism C2 C3 C4,
Piaget P2, Vygotsky V2.
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