Chapter 6 Constructivism
Constructivism are based on the idea that,
unlike a computer disk or an empty container,
students do not wait passively to be filled up
with knowledge,Rather,students actively build,
or construct,their own knowledge.Teachers
cannot entirely control their students’ learning,
expert teachers can do much to facilitate
students’ own active learning processes,
(Cobb,2000)
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.1 constructivism,an overview
? Constructivism 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,Each of us generates our own "rules" and
"mental models," which we use to make sense of our
experiences,Learning,therefore,is simply the
process of adjusting our mental models to
accommodate new experiences,
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.1 constructivism,an overview
? The essence of constructivism is the idea that
learners must individually discover and transform
complex information if they are to make it their
own,Constructivists theory sees learners as
constantly checking new information against old
rules and then revising the rules when they no
longer work,This view has profound implications
for teaching,as it suggests a far more active role for
students in their own learning than is typical in the
great majority of classrooms.
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.1 constructivism:an overview
? The verb "to construct" comes from the Latin con
struere,which means to arrange or give structure,
Ongoing structuring (organizing) processes are the
conceptual heart of constructivism.
? The words,construct” and,construction” have been in
use for centuries,of course,But,constructivism?”is a
relatively new word,Yet it is appearing with an
accelerating frequency in the titles of books and articles
in psychology,Figure 1 shows the cumulative frequency
with which `construct-based' terms have appeared in the
titles or abstracts of articles appearing in psychology
between 1974 and 2002,
Chapter 6 Constructivism
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.2 Historical roots of constructivism:
? ＊ the influence of philosophy:
? Socrates(470-399B.C),Knowledge is only
perception.His approach essentially consisted of
leading students through a series of questions in order
to promote critical thinking.
? Popper(Karl R,Popper),the philosophy of science.
? We can not confirm whether a theory is true by
experience,but we can confirm whether it is false by
experience.
? Marx(K,Marx),the importance of one?s subjectivity
and social interactions.
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.2 Historical roots of constructivism:
? ＊ the influence of psychology:
? (1)top-down processing
? Top-down means that students begin with complex
problems to solve and then work out or discover(with
the teacher?s guidance) the basic skills required,For
example,the students might be asked to write
compositions and only later learn about spelling,
grammer,and punctuation.
? Constructivist approaches emphasizing discovery,
experimentation,and open-ended problems have been
successfully applied in mathematics,reading and in
other subjects,
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.2 Historical roots of constructivism:
? (2)generative learning
? A central assumption of constructivist
approaches is that all learning is
“discovered”,even if we tell students
something,they must perform mental
operations with information to make it their
own.
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.2 Historical roots of constructivism:
? (3)Scaffolding
? Scaffolding is a practice based on Vygotsky?s concept of
assisted learning,According to Vygotsky,higher mental
functions,including the ability to direct memory and attention is
a purposeful way and think in symbols,are mediated behaviors.
Mediated externally by culture,these and other behaviors
become internalized in the learners?s mind as psychological
tools.
? In assisted or mediated learning,the teacher is the cultural
agent who guides instruction so that students will master and
internalize the skills that permit higher cognitive function,The
ability to internalize cultural tools relates to the learner?s age or
stage of cognitive development,Once acquired,however,
internal mediators permits greater self-mediated learning.
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.2 Historical roots of constructivism
? In practical terms,scaffolding may include giving
students more structure at the beginning of a set of
lessons and gradually turning responsibility over to
them to operate on their own,For example,student
can be taught to generate their own questions about
material they are reading,Early on,the teacher
might suggest the questions,modeling the kinds of
questions student might ask,but later,the students
take over the question-generating task.
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.2 Historical roots of constructivism:
? ＊ modern technology,
? Computer,internet,etc.
? 6.3 Main ideas about learning
? Constructivist ideas about learning are based
on the idea that learners must build their own
knowledge---it cannot be given to them--- and
that new knowledge builds on current
knowledge.
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.3 Main ideas about learning
? (1) Learning is a search for meaning,
Therefore,learning must start with the issues
around which students are actively trying to
construct meaning,
? (2)Meaning requires understanding wholes as
well as parts,And parts must be understood in
the context of wholes,Therefore,the learning
process focuses on primary concepts,not
isolated facts.
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.3 Main ideas about learning
? Learning should be whole,authentic,and real,
Meaning is constructed as learners interact in
meaningful ways with the world around them,
Students are more likely to learn if they are engaged
in meaningful activities,such as operating a class
“store” or,bank” or writing and editing a class
newspaper,
? Whole activities,as opposed to isolated skill exercises,
authentic activities which are inherently interesting
and meaningful to students,and real activities that
result in something other than a grade on a test or a
“Great,you did well”from the computer lesson
software,are emphasized in constructivism classroom.
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.3 Main ideas about learning
? (3)The purpose of learning is for an individual
to construct his or her own meaning,not just
memorize the,right” answers and regurgitate
（ 涌回，流回，反刍） someone else?s meaning,Since
education is inherently interdisciplinary（ 各学科
间的）,the only valuable way to measure
learning is to make the assessment part of the
learning process,ensuring it provides students
with information on the quality of their
learning,
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.3 Main ideas about learning
? Superior learning,non-structural knowledge
? Inferior learning,structural knowledge.
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.3 Main ideas about learning
? To summarize,learning emphasizes the
process and not the product,How one arrives
at a particular answer,and not the retrieval of
an,objectively true solution”,is what is
important,Learning is a process of
constructing meaningful representations,of
making sense of one?s experiential world,
Students? errors are seen in a positive light
and as a means of gaining insight into how
they are organizing their experiential world,
Glaserfeld said:
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.3 Main ideas about learning
?, From the constructivist perspective,
learning is not a stimulus-response
phenomenon,It requires self-regulation and
the building of conceptual structures through
reflection and abstraction”,Fosnot said,
Rather than behaviors or skills as the goal of
instruction,concept development and deep
understanding are the foci（ 焦距，配光）,
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.4 Main ideas about teaching
? (1) create real world environments that employ the context in
which learning is relevant.
? (2) focus on realistic approaches to solving real-world problems.
? (3) The instructor is a coach and analyzer of the strategies used
to solve these problems.
? (4) stress conceptual interrelatedness,providing multiple
representations or perspectives on the content,
? (5) instructional goals and objectives should be negotiated and
not imposed.
? (6) Evaluation should serve as self-analysis tool.
? (7) provide tools and environments that help learners interpret
the multiple perspectives of the world.
? (8) Learning should be internally controlled and mediated by
the learner.
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.4 Main ideas about instructional models
? (1) Random access instruction
? (2) Scaffolding instruction
? (3) Anchored Instruction
? (4)Top-Down instruction
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.5 Evaluation of constructivism
Contributions:
? Deepen and extend learning theories by
focusing on the active learning process,
the learner,the non-structural knowledge.
? The ideas about instruction has profound
implications for education.
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.5 Evaluation of constructivism
? Criticisms:
? Emphasizing too much the relativity of
knowledge,and denying the objectivity of
knowledge.
? Emphasizing too much the importance of
learning situation,and neglect the
abstractness.
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? Constructivism does not claim to have
made earth-shaking inventions in the area
of education; it merely claims to provide a
solid conceptual basis for some of the
things that,until now,inspired teachers
had to do without theoretical foundation.
? (E.Von Glassersfeld,1995)
Questions
? 1,What is the role of teachers in
constructivism classroom?
? 2,How to apply the ideas of
constructivism into educational practice?
Constructivism are based on the idea that,
unlike a computer disk or an empty container,
students do not wait passively to be filled up
with knowledge,Rather,students actively build,
or construct,their own knowledge.Teachers
cannot entirely control their students’ learning,
expert teachers can do much to facilitate
students’ own active learning processes,
(Cobb,2000)
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.1 constructivism,an overview
? Constructivism 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,Each of us generates our own "rules" and
"mental models," which we use to make sense of our
experiences,Learning,therefore,is simply the
process of adjusting our mental models to
accommodate new experiences,
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.1 constructivism,an overview
? The essence of constructivism is the idea that
learners must individually discover and transform
complex information if they are to make it their
own,Constructivists theory sees learners as
constantly checking new information against old
rules and then revising the rules when they no
longer work,This view has profound implications
for teaching,as it suggests a far more active role for
students in their own learning than is typical in the
great majority of classrooms.
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.1 constructivism:an overview
? The verb "to construct" comes from the Latin con
struere,which means to arrange or give structure,
Ongoing structuring (organizing) processes are the
conceptual heart of constructivism.
? The words,construct” and,construction” have been in
use for centuries,of course,But,constructivism?”is a
relatively new word,Yet it is appearing with an
accelerating frequency in the titles of books and articles
in psychology,Figure 1 shows the cumulative frequency
with which `construct-based' terms have appeared in the
titles or abstracts of articles appearing in psychology
between 1974 and 2002,
Chapter 6 Constructivism
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.2 Historical roots of constructivism:
? ＊ the influence of philosophy:
? Socrates(470-399B.C),Knowledge is only
perception.His approach essentially consisted of
leading students through a series of questions in order
to promote critical thinking.
? Popper(Karl R,Popper),the philosophy of science.
? We can not confirm whether a theory is true by
experience,but we can confirm whether it is false by
experience.
? Marx(K,Marx),the importance of one?s subjectivity
and social interactions.
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.2 Historical roots of constructivism:
? ＊ the influence of psychology:
? (1)top-down processing
? Top-down means that students begin with complex
problems to solve and then work out or discover(with
the teacher?s guidance) the basic skills required,For
example,the students might be asked to write
compositions and only later learn about spelling,
grammer,and punctuation.
? Constructivist approaches emphasizing discovery,
experimentation,and open-ended problems have been
successfully applied in mathematics,reading and in
other subjects,
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.2 Historical roots of constructivism:
? (2)generative learning
? A central assumption of constructivist
approaches is that all learning is
“discovered”,even if we tell students
something,they must perform mental
operations with information to make it their
own.
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.2 Historical roots of constructivism:
? (3)Scaffolding
? Scaffolding is a practice based on Vygotsky?s concept of
assisted learning,According to Vygotsky,higher mental
functions,including the ability to direct memory and attention is
a purposeful way and think in symbols,are mediated behaviors.
Mediated externally by culture,these and other behaviors
become internalized in the learners?s mind as psychological
tools.
? In assisted or mediated learning,the teacher is the cultural
agent who guides instruction so that students will master and
internalize the skills that permit higher cognitive function,The
ability to internalize cultural tools relates to the learner?s age or
stage of cognitive development,Once acquired,however,
internal mediators permits greater self-mediated learning.
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.2 Historical roots of constructivism
? In practical terms,scaffolding may include giving
students more structure at the beginning of a set of
lessons and gradually turning responsibility over to
them to operate on their own,For example,student
can be taught to generate their own questions about
material they are reading,Early on,the teacher
might suggest the questions,modeling the kinds of
questions student might ask,but later,the students
take over the question-generating task.
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.2 Historical roots of constructivism:
? ＊ modern technology,
? Computer,internet,etc.
? 6.3 Main ideas about learning
? Constructivist ideas about learning are based
on the idea that learners must build their own
knowledge---it cannot be given to them--- and
that new knowledge builds on current
knowledge.
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.3 Main ideas about learning
? (1) Learning is a search for meaning,
Therefore,learning must start with the issues
around which students are actively trying to
construct meaning,
? (2)Meaning requires understanding wholes as
well as parts,And parts must be understood in
the context of wholes,Therefore,the learning
process focuses on primary concepts,not
isolated facts.
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.3 Main ideas about learning
? Learning should be whole,authentic,and real,
Meaning is constructed as learners interact in
meaningful ways with the world around them,
Students are more likely to learn if they are engaged
in meaningful activities,such as operating a class
“store” or,bank” or writing and editing a class
newspaper,
? Whole activities,as opposed to isolated skill exercises,
authentic activities which are inherently interesting
and meaningful to students,and real activities that
result in something other than a grade on a test or a
“Great,you did well”from the computer lesson
software,are emphasized in constructivism classroom.
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.3 Main ideas about learning
? (3)The purpose of learning is for an individual
to construct his or her own meaning,not just
memorize the,right” answers and regurgitate
（ 涌回，流回，反刍） someone else?s meaning,Since
education is inherently interdisciplinary（ 各学科
间的）,the only valuable way to measure
learning is to make the assessment part of the
learning process,ensuring it provides students
with information on the quality of their
learning,
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.3 Main ideas about learning
? Superior learning,non-structural knowledge
? Inferior learning,structural knowledge.
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.3 Main ideas about learning
? To summarize,learning emphasizes the
process and not the product,How one arrives
at a particular answer,and not the retrieval of
an,objectively true solution”,is what is
important,Learning is a process of
constructing meaningful representations,of
making sense of one?s experiential world,
Students? errors are seen in a positive light
and as a means of gaining insight into how
they are organizing their experiential world,
Glaserfeld said:
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.3 Main ideas about learning
?, From the constructivist perspective,
learning is not a stimulus-response
phenomenon,It requires self-regulation and
the building of conceptual structures through
reflection and abstraction”,Fosnot said,
Rather than behaviors or skills as the goal of
instruction,concept development and deep
understanding are the foci（ 焦距，配光）,
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.4 Main ideas about teaching
? (1) create real world environments that employ the context in
which learning is relevant.
? (2) focus on realistic approaches to solving real-world problems.
? (3) The instructor is a coach and analyzer of the strategies used
to solve these problems.
? (4) stress conceptual interrelatedness,providing multiple
representations or perspectives on the content,
? (5) instructional goals and objectives should be negotiated and
not imposed.
? (6) Evaluation should serve as self-analysis tool.
? (7) provide tools and environments that help learners interpret
the multiple perspectives of the world.
? (8) Learning should be internally controlled and mediated by
the learner.
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.4 Main ideas about instructional models
? (1) Random access instruction
? (2) Scaffolding instruction
? (3) Anchored Instruction
? (4)Top-Down instruction
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.5 Evaluation of constructivism
Contributions:
? Deepen and extend learning theories by
focusing on the active learning process,
the learner,the non-structural knowledge.
? The ideas about instruction has profound
implications for education.
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? 6.5 Evaluation of constructivism
? Criticisms:
? Emphasizing too much the relativity of
knowledge,and denying the objectivity of
knowledge.
? Emphasizing too much the importance of
learning situation,and neglect the
abstractness.
Chapter 6 Constructivism
? Constructivism does not claim to have
made earth-shaking inventions in the area
of education; it merely claims to provide a
solid conceptual basis for some of the
things that,until now,inspired teachers
had to do without theoretical foundation.
? (E.Von Glassersfeld,1995)
Questions
? 1,What is the role of teachers in
constructivism classroom?
? 2,How to apply the ideas of
constructivism into educational practice?
