Constructivism is a concept that entails all
learning as a building process that creates knowledge through mental processes derived
from the social and communicative process. When students are reflective they
are able to learn from their experience and apply new information to these
concepts. A paper by Abdulla Al Mahmud moves into the concept of learning
through a constructivist perspective by fostering knowledge building through
experience to create better student learning (2013).
In a constructionists perspective
all learning comes from experiencing the world and reflecting on those
experiences. The concept was mention by
John Dewey in his 1910 book How We Think, “Only by wrestling with the
conditions of the problem at hand, seeking and finding his own solution [not in
isolation but in correspondence with the teacher and other pupils] does one
learn.” People live within a social environment and use their experiences and
the knowledge of others to learn.
To understand a person you must
understand what they know and how they know it. Jean Piaget (1985) believed
that knowledge is the result of accurate internalization of information and
reconstructing that information into cognitive meaning. People must take in
information, reflect on it, and build better models of the world to engage
in the process of learning. Teachers must find ways of relaying information to
fit within existing student models.
Social constructivism occurs when
people learn from each other to create sociably acceptable models of
understanding. They use language and their social networks to construct the
meaning of their environment. Most individuals experience and negotiate that
experience with others to create an understanding that is shared among a group
of individuals. That does not mean that the experience or its socially
constructed definition is accurate but only that it is shared.
The best learning occurs when reflection is
part of the process. Critical thinking requires reflection of past and current
situations to develop stronger ways of viewing the world. This can take the
effective of reflection-in-action or reflection-on-action. Both methods offer
some advantages to the development of knowledge.
Reflection-in-action occurs
during a situation when an individual adjusts and moves to events as they occur.
“The
competent practitioner learns to think on his/her feet and is able to improvise
as
s/he
takes in new information and/or encounters the unexpected .”(Pickett,
1996,p. 1). They use past knowledge and current information to build stronger
models as the events unfold.
Reflection-on-action occurs when
a person looks back at past performance or situations and learns new
knowledge. Students may take case scenarios and match then to their models to
expand those understandings. They may review and reflect on their actions to
determine if these actions were successful or unsuccessful. Reflection creates
opportunities to do things better in the future.
Eight factors can be derived from
constructionist pedagogy (Brooks & Brooks, 1993):
1. Learning should take place in
real-world situations.
2. Learning should involve social
negotiation.
3. Content and skills should be
relevant to the student
4. Content and skills should fit
within the student’s previous knowledge
5. Assessments should be
formative
6. Students should be
self-regulatory, self-mediated, and self-aware
7. Teachers are guides
8. Teachers should encourage
multiple perspectives and representations of issues.
The author leaves the reader with
three concepts learned in his analysis. Each of these concepts can be applied
within the constructionist learning method. Students should come with Open-mindedness, Sincerity, and Responsibility. Open-mindedness analyzes multiple
perspectives and possibilities. Sincerity allows for self-reflection on themselves,
their work, and structures. Responsibility will lead to greater concerns of
seeking out the truth in order to solve problems and extract information to
create new learning for others.
Al
Mahmud, A. (2013). Constructivism and reflectivism as the logical counterparts
in TESOL: learning theory versus teaching methodology. TEFLIN Journal: A Publication on the Teaching & Learning of
English, 24 (2).
Brooks, J. & Brooks, M.
(1993). In search of understanding: The case for constructivist classrooms. Alexandria:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Piaget, J. (1985). The
equilibration of cognitive structures: The central problem of intellectual
development. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Pickett,
A. (1996). Reflective teaching practices and academic skills instruction. Retrieved from http://www.indiana.edu/1506/mod02/pickett.html
