Learning Theories

2.  Constructivism is a type of learning in which the
learner forms, or constructs, much of what he or she
learns or comprehends.
 Constructivism as a paradigm or worldview posits that
learning is an active, constructive process. The
learner is an information constructor. People actively
construct or create their own subjective
representations of objective reality. New information is
linked to to prior knowledge, thus mental
representations are subjective.

3.  Learning as experience, activity and dialogical
process; Problem Based Learning (PBL); Anchored
instruction; Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development
(ZPD); cognitive apprenticeship (scaffolding); inquiry
and discovery learning.

4.  If we were to pinpoint where constructivism came
from, we could say that it had somehow evolved from
Socratic thinking.
 There were four leading theorists of Constructivism:
Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner, Lev Vygotsky, John
Dewey.

5.  Lived from 1896-1980.
 Profoundly influenced the Constructive movement.
 Observed children for many years.
 Piaget believed children learned differently from adults.
 Piaget believed that children were constructing new
knowledge as they moved through different cognitive
stages or schema, building on what they already knew.
Furthermore, children interpret this knowledge differently
as they progress through different stages.

7.  Piaget’s developmental theory of learning and
constructivism are based on discovery. According to his
constructivist theory, in order to provide an ideal learning
environment, children should be allowed to construct
knowledge that is meaningful for them.
 The motivation for learning is the predisposition of the
learner to adapt to his environment, hence to institute
equilibrium between schemes and the environment.
Continuous interactions among existing schemes,
assimilation, accommodation, and equilibrium create new
learning.

8.  American Psychologist and educator
 Born 1915
 Proposed that learning is an active process in which the learner constructs
new ideas or concepts based on his current or past knowledge.
 Believes that the learner selects and transforms information, constructs
hypotheses, and makes decisions, relying on a cognitive structure to do so.
Cognitive structure (i.e., schema, mental models) provides meaning and
organization to experiences and allows the individual to "go beyond the
information given".
 Bruner initiated curriculum change based on the notion that learning is an

9.  Discovery Learning is a method of inquiry-based
instruction, discovery learning believes that it is best for
learners to discover facts and relationships for themselves.
 Bruner suggested that teachers can nurture inductive
thinking by encouraging students to make guesses based
on incomplete evidence and then to confirm or disprove the
guesses systematically. To apply Bruner’s ideas in the
classroom, teachers would present both examples and
non-examples of concepts, help students see connections
among concepts with questions, pose questions and allow
students to find an answer, and encourage students to
make intuitive guesses.

10.  Bruner states that a theory of instruction should
address four major aspects: (1) predisposition towards
learning, (2) the ways in which a body of knowledge
can be structured so that it can be most readily
grasped by the learner, (3) the most effective
sequences in which to present material, and (4) the
nature and pacing of rewards and punishments. Good
methods for structuring knowledge should result in
simplifying, generating new propositions, and
increasing the manipulation of information

11.  Lived 1896-1934
 Russian educational psychologist
 Interested in children’s cognitive development
 Developed Social Cognition
 Believed learning was influenced by social
development

12. Social Cognition
 Vygotsky introduced the social aspect of learning into
constructivism. He defined the "zone of proximal
learning," according to which students solve problems
beyond their actual developmental level (but within
their level of potential development) under adult
guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers.
 Social Development Theory argues that social
interaction precedes development; consciousness and
cognition are the end product of socialization and
social behavior.

14.  Collaborative Learning: Vygotsky theorized that if a 9 year old
child worked on a problem with an adult or another child who was
gifted, the 9 year old would be able to learn the concept or ideas
that were more complex than the 9 year old could understand on
his own.
 ZPD: At the heart of Vygotsky’s theories is what he called the
Zone of Proximal Development or ZDP. As a psychologist with a
particular focus on early childhood development, Vygotsky
theorized that children maximize learning when they enter this
zone, which represents the gap between the tools they have on
hand to solve problems independently and the potential they
have to solve problems with the aid of an adult or more
competent peer.

15.  Lived 1859-1952
 He was an educational psychologist, philosopher, and
political activist.
 Believed that learning should engage and expand the
experiences of the learners.
 Like Vygotsky, Dewey believed that education was a
social process.

16.  He believed students learn by doing and should be
allowed to construct, create, and actively inquire.

17.  In the classroom, the constructivist view of learning
can point towards a number of different teaching
practices. In the most general sense, it usually means
encouraging students to use active techniques
(experiments, real-world problem solving) to create
more knowledge and then to reflect on and talk about
what they are doing and how their understanding is
changing. The teacher makes sure she understands
the students' preexisting conceptions, and guides the
activity to address them and then build on them.

18.  Constructivist teachers encourage students to
constantly assess how the activity is helping them
gain understanding. By questioning themselves and
their strategies, students in the constructivist
classroom ideally become "expert learners." This
gives them ever-broadening tools to keep learning.
With a well-planned classroom environment, the
students learn HOW TO LEARN.

19.  For example: Groups of students in a science class are
discussing a problem in physics. Though the teacher
knows the "answer" to the problem, she focuses on helping
students restate their questions in useful ways. She
prompts each student to reflect on and examine his or her
current knowledge. When one of the students comes up
with the relevant concept, the teacher seizes upon it, and
indicates to the group that this might be a fruitful avenue for
them to explore. They design and perform relevant
experiments. Afterward, the students and teacher talk
about what they have learned, and how their observations
and experiments helped (or did not help) them to better
understand the concept.

20.  Sincerely, I believe this is a great learning theory. I
have always been a big fan of learning through doing.
I think that by actively engaging students, teachers are
more effective when it comes to delivering new
information. I personally learn this way. I have never
been one to learn by just reading or listening to the
teachers.

21. Work cited
 "Constructivism as a Paradigm for Teaching and Learning."
Constructivism as a Paradigm for Teaching and Learning. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2013.
 "Discovery Learning (Bruner)." Learning Theories RSS. N.p., n.d.
Web. 14 Apr. 2013.
 "The Fountain Magazine - Issue - CONSTRUCTIVISM in Piaget
and Vygotsky." The Fountain Magazine - Issue -
CONSTRUCTIVISM in Piaget and Vygotsky. N.p., n.d. Web. 14
Apr. 2013.
 "Jerome Bruner and Discovery Learning." Jerome Bruner and
Discovery Learning. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2013.
 "Social Development Theory (Vygotsky)." Learning Theories
RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2013.

22. Work Cited Cont….
 http://appsychtextbk.wikispaces.com/file/view/PiagetC
ognitiveStagesFlickr.jpg/119375783/PiagetCognitiveSt
agesFlickr.jpg
 http://www.buzzle.com/images/diagrams/zone-of-
proximal-development-diagram.jpg
 http://davezak.com/lip/wp-
content/uploads/2011/09/unschool1-dewey.jpg