Social constructivism focuses on the collaborative nature of learning. Knowledge develops from how people interact with each other, their culture, and society at large. Students rely on others to help create their building blocks, and learning from others helps them construct their own knowledge and reality. Social constructivism, a social learning theory developed by Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky, posits that individuals are active participants in the creation of their own knowledge. While social constructionism focuses on the artifacts that are created through the social interactions of a group, social constructivism focuses on an individual's learning that takes place because of his or her interactions in a group. A very simple example is an object like a cup. Cognitive constructivism comes from the work of Jean Piaget and his research on cognitive development in children. Social. Social constructivism focuses on the collaborative nature of learning. Knowledge develops from how people interact with each other, their culture, and society at large. This is the Theory proposed by Piaget and Vygotsky.

1. SOCIAL-CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY OF LEARNING-
( VIEWS OF PIAGET AND LEV VYGOTSKY)
 Social constructivism focuses on the collaborative nature of learning. Knowledge develops from how people interact
with each other, their culture, and society at large.
 Students rely on others to help create their building blocks, and learning from others helps them construct their own
knowledge and reality.
 Constructivism promotes social and communication skills by creating a classroom environment that emphasizes
collaboration and exchange of ideas.
 Students must learn how to articulate their ideas clearly as well as to collaborate on tasks effectively by sharing in
group projects.
 Jean Piaget is known as one of the first theorists in constructivism. His theories indicate that humans create
knowledge through the interaction between their experiences and ideas.
 Social constructivism was developed by post-revolutionary Soviet psychologist Lev Vygotsky.

2. LEV VYGOTSKY-
 Vygotsky was born in Russia on November 17, 1896 and died on June
11, 1934 at the age of 37.
 His work began when he was studying learning and development to
improve his own teaching.
 He attended Moscow State University, where he graduated with a
degree in law in 1917.
 He is considered as the father of social constructivist theory. He
followed the work of Jean Piaget – who is attributed as the roots of
constructivism.
 While Piaget focused on stages of child development and individual
construction of knowledge, Vygotsky identified the greater socio-
cultural context.
 He wrote on language, thought, psychology of art, learning and
development and educating students with special needs.

3. Social Interactions

4. SOCIAL INTERACTIONS-
 Vygotsky emphasized that effective learning
happens through participation in social activities.
 Parents , teachers and other adults in the
learner’s environment all contribute to the
process. They explain, model, assist, give
directions and provide feed back.
 Peers, on the other hand, cooperate and
collaborate and enrich the learning experience.
Basic Principles of Social Constructivism
 Children construct their knowledge.
 Development cannot be separated from its
social context.
 Learning can lead to development.
 Language plays a central role in mental
development.

5.  This child is learning to walk with the help of a
parent. The parent holds both hands so the child
doesn’t have to focus on both balance and moving
her feet. Soon, this child will be able to walk and
run by herself.
 What are you writing? Father’s knowledge of letters:
Structure, Purpose, Conventional spelling and
grammar I’m writing a letter Child’s knowledge of
letters: Mom and dad write and receive letters.
 Language can be viewed as a verbal expression of
culture.
 Every culture has the words it needs for its lifestyle.
 It opens the door for learners to acquire
knowledge that others already have.
 It is use to know and understand the world and
solve problems.
 It serves a social function but it also has an
important individual function. It helps the learner to
regulate and reflect on his own thinking.

6. MAJOR THEMES GIVEN BY VYGOTSKY-

7. SOCIAL INTERACTION-
 Vygotsky felt social learning anticipates
development.
 He believes that young children are curious and
actively involved in their own learning and the
discovery and development of new
understandings.

8. MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE OTHER-
 Many times, a child's peers or an adult's children
may be the individuals with more knowledge or
experience. For example: Who would know more
about the latest teen music group, how to be the
newest black ops game, or what is the latest
dance moves, a child or their parent?

9. ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT (ZPD)
 This is an important concept that relates to the
difference between what a child can achieve
independently and what a child can achieve with
guidance and encouragement from a skilled
partner.
 According to Vygotsky learning occurs here.
 Vygotsky sees the ZPD as the area where the
most sensitive instruction or guidance should be
given, allowing the child to develop skills they
will then use on their own, developing higher
mental functions.

10. ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT
 Vygotsky is most recognized for his concept of Zone of
Proximal Development or ZPD pertaining to the learning
of children.
 However, with an appropriate amount of assistance, these
children can accomplish the task successfully.
 The lower limit of a child’s zone of proximal development
is the level of analysis and problem-solving reached by a
child without any help.
 The upper limit, on the other hand, is the level of
additional responsibility that a child can receive with the
support of a skilled instructor.
 As children are verbally given instructions or shown how
to perform certain tasks, they organize the new
information received in their existing mental schemas in
order to assist them in the ultimate goal of performing the
task independently.

11. COMPONENTS OF SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM-
 Peer interaction, scaffolding and modeling are important way to
facilitate individual cognitive growth and knowledge acquisition.
 Peer Interaction- The shared social interactions when peers work on tasks
cooperatively serve an instructional function.
 Scaffolding - Psychologist and instructional designer Jerome Bruner first
used the term 'scaffolding' in this context back in the 1950s. The term
scaffolding refers to a process in which teachers model or demonstrate
how to solve a problem, and then step back, offering support as needed
(supports may be recourses, compelling a task, templates and guides etc.).
 Modelling or Reciprocal teaching- It involves interactive dialogues
between teacher and small group of students. At first, the teacher models
the activities. After that teacher and students take turns being the teacher.
Eg.- reading comprehension.
Peer
Interaction
Scaffolding
Modeling

12. EDUCATIONAL APPLICATIONS OF SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISTS
THEORY-
 Child is an active participant in the learning process.
 Individual differences are considered.
 Teachers assist children in discovery.
 Each Child’s proximal zone of development to be considered.
 Promote fantasy play.
 Interactive Class-Child to Child and Child to Teacher.
 Give demonstrations, give freedom to certain extent, give responsibility, cooperative learning etc. to be
done.

13. JEAN PIAGET-
 Piaget was born in Switzerland in the late 1800s and was a
precocious student, publishing his first scientific paper when he
was just 11 years old.
 His early exposure to the intellectual development of children came
when he worked as an assistant to Alfred Binet and Theodore
Simon as they worked to standardize their famous IQ test.
 Much of Piaget's interest in the cognitive development of children
was inspired by his observations of his own nephew and daughter.
 Children were earlier treated simply as smaller versions of adults.
Piaget was one of the first to identify that the way that children
think is different from the way adults think.

14. 3 MAIN CONCEPTS IN PIAGET’S THEORY-
Schema
Assimilation
and
Accommodatio
n
Stages of
Learning

15. SCHEMA-
 Mental Structures that an individual uses
to organize knowledge.
 A schema, or scheme, is an abstract
concept proposed by J. Piaget to refer to
our, well, abstract concepts. Schemas (or
schemata) are units of understanding that
can be hierarchically categorized as well as
webbed into complex relationships with
one another.
 For example, think of a house.

16. ASSIMILATION AND ACCOMMODATION-
According to Piaget, the learning process involves
the following:-
 Assimilation: Attempting to interpret new
information within the framework of existing
knowledge.
 Accommodation: Making small changes to that
knowledge in order to cope with things that
don't fit those existing frameworks.

17. JEAN PIAGET'S STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT-
Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development works on understanding how
children acquire knowledge, but also on understanding the nature of
intelligence. Piaget's stages are:
 Sensori-motor stage: birth to 2 years
 Preoperational stage: ages 2 to 7
 Concrete operational stage: ages 7 to 11
 Formal operational stage: ages 12 and up
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18. THE SENSORIMOTOR STAGE
AGES: BIRTH TO 2 YEARS
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19. THE SENSORI-MOTOR STAGE
AGES: BIRTH TO 2 YEARS
Major Characteristics and Developmental Changes:
 The infant knows the world through their movements and sensations
 Children learn about the world through basic actions such as sucking, grasping, looking, and listening
 Infants learn that things continue to exist even though they cannot be seen (object permanence)
 They are separate beings from the people and objects around them
 They realize that their actions can cause things to happen in the world around them
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20. THE PREOPERATIONAL STAGE
AGES: 2 TO 7 YEARS
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21. THE PREOPERATIONAL STAGE
AGES: 2 TO 7 YEARS
Major Characteristics and Developmental Changes:
 Children begin to think symbolically and learn to use words and pictures to represent objects.
 Children at this stage tend to be egocentric and struggle to see things from the perspective of others.
 While they are getting better with language and thinking, they still tend to think about things in very
concrete terms.
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22. THE CONCRETE OPERATIONAL STAGE
AGES: 7 TO 11 YEARS
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23. THE CONCRETE OPERATIONAL STAGE
AGES: 7 TO 11 YEARS
Major Characteristics and Developmental Changes
 During this stage, children begin to thinking logically about concrete events
 They begin to understand the concept of conservation; that the amount of liquid in a short, wide cup is
equal to that in a tall, skinny glass, for example
 Their thinking becomes more logical and organized, but still very concrete
 Children begin using inductive logic, or reasoning from specific information to a general principle
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24. THE FORMAL OPERATIONAL STAGE
AGES: 12 AND UP
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25. THE FORMAL OPERATIONAL STAGE
AGES: 12 AND UP
Major Characteristics and Developmental Changes:
 At this stage, the adolescent or young adult begins to think abstractly and reason about hypothetical
problems
 Abstract thought emerges
 Teens begin to think more about moral, philosophical, ethical, social, and political issues that require
theoretical and abstract reasoning
 Begin to use deductive logic, or reasoning from a general principle to specific information
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27. EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS
1. Emphasis on discovery approach in learning.
2. Curriculum should provide specific educational experience based on children's developmental level.
3. Arrange classroom activities so that they assist and encourage self-learning.
4. Do not treat children as miniature adults; they think and learn differently from adults.
5. Practical learning situations.
6. Simple to Complex and Project method of teaching.
7. Co-curricular activities have equal importance as that of curricular experiences in the cognitive
development of children.
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29. PIAGET’S THEORY

30. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PIAGET AND VYGOTSKY’S VIEWS-
Parameters- Piaget Vygotsky
Sociocultural context little emphasis Strong emphasis
Constructivism Cognitive constructivist Social constructivist
Stages Strong emphasis on stages of
development
No general stages of development
proposed
Key processes in
development& learning
Equilibration; schema; adaptation;
assimilation; accommodation
Zone of proximal development; scaffolding;
language/dialogue; tools of the culture
Role oflanguage Minimal - Language provides labels for
children's experiences (egocentric speech)
Major- Language plays a powerful role in
shaping thought
T
eaching implications Support children to explore their
world and discover knowledge
Establish opportunities for childrento
learn with the teacher and more skilled
peers

31. SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY-
 Child as an active participant in the learning process.
 Importance of individual difference.
 Assist children in discovery.
 Teachers should guide learning through explanation, demonstration and verbal prompts. Tailor lessons
to each Childs zone of proximal development.
 Early childhood – promote teacher/child and child/child interactions.
 Promote fantasy play.
 Within the learning environment focus on literacy activities.
 Use prompts, reminders, increase independence, give information, use cooperative learning and reciprocal
teaching strategies.
 Language is the most important tool for gaining this social knowledge. Children can learn a lot via
language