Psychology of human learning

1. SETTABA HENRY 21/U/24120/HTG
ATINGU ESTHER 21/U/24084/HTG
BWAMBALE FESTO 20/U/21993/HTP
NABAGESERA SARAH 21/U/24110/HTG
ASIIMWE ANNE 21/U/24081/HTG
ANGUZIRU PATRICIA 19/U/30490/HTP
GROUP 3

2.  DISCUSS CONSTRUCTIVISM THEORY OF LEARNING
 DISCUSS THE CONCEPT OF ANDROGOGY

3. By the end of the lesson, learners should be able to;
 Define constructivism theory
 Discuss origins of constructivism theory
 Explain applications of constructivism theory in learning
 Discuss andragogy and its principles.

4.  Constructivism theory is a philosophy of learning founded on the premise that
by reflecting on our experiences, we construct our own understanding of the
world, we live in.(Hogue 2013)
 Constructivism is an important learning theory that educators use to help their
students to learn.
 Is based on the idea that people actively construct or make their own
knowledge and that one’s reality is determined by one’s experiences as a
learner. (Brian Fairbanks 2017) “Experience is the best teacher.”
 A person is thus viewed as an active participant in creating and determining
their life path.

5. ORIGIN
Heraclitus (c.535-474 BC), a pre-Socratic philosopher, has been
shown to be a very early constructivist-style thinker. Most famously,
Heraclitus is known for saying that we cannot step into the same river twice
 Kirk (1986) suggests that Heraclitus drew distinction between an inner
state of beliefs and an 'outer state of facts, accessible to anyone (62). This
Seems to be saying that the facts of the outer world are interpreted by the
individual to form the beliefs of the individual’s version of reality.

6.  ORIGIN
Scholar Walsh (1999) cites the writing of Gautama Buddha (560-477 BC):
“We are what we think. All that we are, arises within our thoughts. With
our thoughts, we make the world” .This is indeed the view that individuals
construct the world in which they live. That is, we come to understand
our surroundings through processes of thinking based upon what is observed
or otherwise experienced.

7.  Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), considered to be the first to have advanced
constructivist ideas, described the mind as an active organ which transforms
the chaos of experience into orderly thought (1bid.). He influenced Jean Piaget,
a more well-known twentieth-century psychologist known for the development
of his theory of genetic epistemology. Piaget’s thoughts on constructivist
learning seem to have been based on some of the ideas first promulgated by
Kant

8.  Types of constructivism
 Cognitive constructivism. Emphasizes that learning should match with developmental
stage so as to promote sequential learning as supported by psychologist Jean Piaget.
Otherwise, a vacuum of unknown in learners’ learning process might be created.
 Social constructivism. As first understood by psychologist Levy Vygotsky, this type of
constructivism believes that the experience is built by interacting with the environment,
people of different cultures, norms inclusive. So, it’s from the social sharing / exposure
to different environments that learning takes place.IT involves guiding and supervising.
 Radical constructivism. As developed by Ernest von Glasersfeld in 1974, this type
argues that learners’ ideas and knowledge says nothing real but only help us function in
the environment. The knowledge is invented not discovered though interpreted.

9. Educational implication/applications of constructivism
The educational implications of constructivist learning theory are prettified. The
teacher can take the help of the following in order to ensure that their children
learn to their best ability
 Problem-solving: The teacher can provide the students with problems that
they acquired to solve them in their own way eg- How can we stop pollution?
The above question can help the teacher understand what the children already
know and can be used as a basis for further discussion

10.  Experiments: The children can learn a lot through apprentice-learning for
instance the teacher can instruct the students on how to use a microscope to
look at organisms and ask them to identify various slides.
 Guide: The teacher can play the role of guide, facilitator, coach, or tutor. He
must let their children learn in their own way
 Activities: Various activities can be organized in the classroom such as debates
so that children learn from one to another

11.  Interaction: The teacher should also provide time for students to discuss or
interact with one another. At the same time, he should monitor, so that class
does not be too missy.
 Group: The teacher should divide the class into groups so that they discuss
and do projects together
 Mistakes: Mistakes should be monitored. The prior knowledge of the students
could be false, the teacher should encourage his/her children to make sure that
discussions or projects are going in the right direction.

12.  Brain Storming: The teacher can also organize brainstorming sessions so that children
give out their ideas. The teacher should organize children’s ideas into a comprehensive
system.
 Textbook: The teacher in a constructivist classroom should encourage his/her children
to the best possible use of interaction, discussion, and experiments.
 Field trips: A trip in which the children can learn through exploration and observation
should be made by the whole class. The teacher can make sure that the students
recorded their observations.

13.  Organization: The teacher can always make sure that knowledge is dished out by the
students not unless organized into systematic knowledge.
 Assessment: Proper assessment of children on knowledge can be done through tests,
quizzes, and so on.

14.  Androgogy
 Andragogy refers to methods and principles used in adult education. The word
comes from the Greek ἀνδρ-, meaning "man", and ἀγωγός, meaning "leader
of". Therefore, andragogy literally means "leading men",Andragogy is referred
to the art and science of helping the adults to learn. When an individual reaches
the age of 18 and above, he becomes an adult, adults are more experienced and
possess greater knowledge and awareness as compared to the children.

15.  Andragogy is principled on least four central statements different from
child learners on which traditional pedagogy is centred. These
statements are that, as a person matures, (1) his self-concept transfers
from the one of being a dependant personality toward one of being a
self-directing human being; (2) he gathers an increasing reservoir of
experience that becomes an accumulative resource for learning;

16.  (3) his willingness to learn becomes focused on progressively to the
developmental responsibilities of his social roles; and (4) his time perception
changes from one of postponed presentation of information to imminence of
presentation, and accordingly his directions toward learning shifts from one of
subject centeredness to one of problem-centeredness (Knowles, 2015.)

17.  premises of andragogy(Warnick, & Straquadine, 2016.).
 Self- Concept – by the self-concept, it means that mature adult is less
dependent and more self-directed when it comes to performance of
some kinds of tasks and duties. When adult learners attend educational
institutions and pursue a training program, then they may find some
concepts difficult to learn, learning is not
 smooth and manageable, in such cases, they are required to
communicate with their teachers
 and fellow students, to improve their learning abilities.

18.  Conclusion

19.  References
 BEREITER, CARL. 2002. Education and Mind for the Knowledge Age. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
 BEREITER, CARL, and SCARDAMALIA, MARLENE. 1989. "Intentional Learning As a Goal
of Instruction." In Knowing, Learning, and Instruction: Essays in Honor of Robert Glaser, ed.
Lauren B. Resnick. Hillsdale NJ: Erlbaum.
 BRANSFORD, JOHN D.; BROWN, ANN L.; and COCKING, RODNEY. 1999. How People
Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

20.  Thank you