SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING

Constructivism: Empowering Minds, Transforming Education

25 January 2024/ By Zineb DJOUB

Constructivism accounts for how we come to know what we know, what it means to know something, and how our capacity to learn changes over time. From an educational perspective, it supports us in understanding and creating the conditions that encourage and foster authentic learning. Understanding what Constructivism means and how it differs from traditional educational philosophy is necessary to unveil some difficulties many learners and teachers encounter in the teaching-learning process.

In this post, we delve into the essence of Constructivism, its foundational principles as a learning theory, and its applications in the teaching-learning process.

What is Constructivism?

Constructivism is a learning theory that describes the nature of learning, development, and how knowledge is acquired.

It “describes knowledge as temporary, developmental, nonobjective, internally constructed, and socially and culturally mediated” (Fosnot, 1996, pix).

This means that knowledge is dynamic, actively constructed, and attained through social and cultural interactions such as cooperative social activities, discourse, and debate.

So, learning is a shared activity that requires intentional and purposeful engagement with others.

Where Constructivism theory comes from

Constructivism began in the mid-1800s and is rooted in the work of Froebel, Dewey, Piaget, Vygotsky, and others. These scholars viewed children as being innately disposed to construct actively knowledge and understanding of the world around them.

So, here are brief descriptions of their ideas:

-Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852) saw children as active learners, who are inherently curious and creative. For him, education’s purpose should provide opportunities for these qualities to flourish.

-John Dewey (1859-1952), the founder of progressive education, argued that children learn by engaging in meaningful, purposeful activity with real objects, doing real-life tasks, rather than performing abstract tasks. So, their interests, abilities, and their active nature are essential to their learning.

Dewey also believed in the power and importance of reflective thinking and saw it as the tool to act consciously and mindfully. He emphasized active engagement in life and learning.

-Piaget (1896-1980), known as the father of Constructivism, gave a theory of how intelligence develops in children and adolescents. He explained the process by which children and adolescents learn by delineating a sequential progression of intellectual development.

Like Dewey, Piaget believed that the construction of knowledge requires action on the part of the learner. According to him, children learn by acting on objects, observing actions, and making sense of what they see. This learning depends on their stage of intellectual development.

Piaget acknowledged the importance of social interaction in the construction of knowledge, but this emphasis was brought to the forefront by Lev Vygotsky.

Social Constructivism

The social and cultural aspects of learning were stressed by Vygotsky (1986-1934) who viewed learning and development as the result of human interaction and shared activity in the physical environment.

Unlike individual constructivism, which focuses on personal experiences and mental processes, social constructivism highlights the collaborative and shared nature of knowledge creation.

So, collaborative activities, discussions, and group projects play a crucial role in the learning process.

To explain how the environment might be arranged to help individuals progress, Vygotsky (1978) developed his theory of the “Zone of Proximal Development” (ZPD).

This theory refers to the range of tasks or activities that a learner cannot perform independently but can accomplish with the help of a more knowledgeable person, such as a teacher, peer, or mentor.

The distance between the actual development level as determined by independent problem-solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem-solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers (Vygotsky, 1978, p.86)