CONSTRUCTIVISM

 

CONSTRUCTIVISM

                  Constructivism is basically a theory -- based on observation and scientific study – about how people learn. It says that people construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world, through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences. When we encounter something new, we have to reconcile it with our previous ideas and experience, maybe changing what we believe, or maybe discarding the new information as irrelevant. In any case, we are active creators of our own knowledge. To do this, we must ask questions, explore, and assess what we know. In the classroom, the constructivist view of learning can point towards a number of different teaching practices. In the most general sense, it usually means encouraging students to use active techniques (experiments, real-world problem solving) to create more knowledge and then to reflect on and talk about what they are doing and how their understanding is changing. The teacher makes sure she understands the students' preexisting conceptions, and guides the activity to address them and then build on them.

          Constructivist teachers encourage students to constantly assess how the activity is helping them gain understanding. By questioning themselves and their strategies, students in the constructivist classroom ideally become "expert learners." This gives them ever-broadening tools to keep learning. With a well-planned classroom environment, the students learn HOW TO LEARN.

             Constructivism is an epistemological view of knowledge acquisition which emphasize on the active role of the learners in the construction of knowledge and interpretation of reality. This paper describes about the constructivist teaching learning process on the way to construction of understanding. It demonstrates how learners construct their own knowledge and making sense of information in a constructivist classroom. It also pays focus on the importance of constructivist teaching methods and the teaching–learning environment of constructivist classroom with the changing roles of students and teachers in the class room.

• Constructivism says that people construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world, through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences.

• When we encounter something new, we have to reconcile it with our previous ideas and experience, maybe changing what we believe, or maybe discarding the new information as irrelevant.

Ø In any case, we are active creators of our own knowledge.

Ø To do this, we must ask questions, explore, and assess what we know.

Implications to curriculum and pedagogy

       In education, a curriculum is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view of the student's experiences in terms of the educator's or school's instructional goals.

        Pedagogy (most commonly understood as the approach to teaching) refers more broadly to the theory and practice of education, and how this influences the growth of learners. Pedagogy, taken as an academic discipline, is the study of how knowledge and skills are exchanged in an educational context, and it considers the interactions that take place during learning. Pedagogies vary greatly, as they reflect the different social, political, cultural contexts from which they emerge. Pedagogy is the act of teaching. Theories of pedagogy increasingly identify the student as an agent, and the teacher as a facilitator.

The curriculum should be planned in such a manner that,

• There should be opportunities for more real life, first hand experiences
• Learning should be internally controlled and mediated by the leaner
• Focus on realistic approaches to solving real-world problems
•  Focus on knowledge construction, not reproduction.
• Foster reflective practice
• Enable context and content dependent knowledge construction
•  Encourage the use of multiple modes of representation
• Evaluation should serve as self-analysis tool
•  Co-operative and collaborative learning are favoured Learner’s previous knowledge, beliefs and attitudes are considered in the knowledge construction process.

Characteristics of constructivist classroom

1.  Knowledge is compiled through active dialogue between students and teacher.
2. Group interaction is encouraged to foster negotiation among students.
3.  Value is placed on the process of learning through experience and interaction.
4.  Learning occurs as students gain exposure to a variety of individual perspectives.
5.  Construction of knowledge based upon a comprehensive view of learning.
6.  Student-centered learning is the essence.
7. the classroom environment is comfortable and non-threatening.
8.  the construction of knowledge is done through reciprocal student-to-student or student-to teacher interaction.
9. emphasis is on the learning process by actively engaging in activities.
10. each attempt at constructivism is an opportunity for: experimentation, risk, challenge.
11.  Interaction between teacher-student and student-student should be given importance in the classroom.
12. diverse instructional and assessment strategies should be used in the classroom.
13. proper facilities and space for carrying out different learning activities should be there in classrooms.
14. democratic environment.
15.  leaners should actively participate in the classroom activities.

Characteristics of constructivist teacher

Constructivist teacher is a,

v facilitator

v coach

v scaffolder

v modelist for the students.

v The role of the teacher in constructivist philosophy is adapt to the learner’s needs and give them the freedom to construct knowledge for themselves. Each learner is considered as a unique individual, with cultural background, individual disposition, and prior knowledge influencing their learning. The teacher must consider all these factors, and then assist the learner in pursuing new knowledge and placing what they have learned into the context of their own lives.

v The teacher should pay attention to two particular factors in assisting learners. First, they should consider the learner’s zone of proximal development, and give the learners the help they need in constructing new knowledge and meanings. Second, they should facilitate peer interaction and cooperation between learners, since the social and cultural context of learning is essential in constructivist philosophy.

v Setting a conducive classroom environment.

v Planning the classes.

v Preparing appropriate teaching-learning materials.

v Carrying out the classroom activities or learning experiences in proper manner.

v Proper assessment of student’s works.

v Conducting the evaluation procedures properly.

v Proper classroom management.