Constructivism Essay

Definition When examining a study from a constructivist lens, the researcher must ask themselves: How does learning occur? What is the mechanism behind learning? Is it external? Internal? Due to social connections? These are example guiding questions constructivist researchers seek to answer. Constructivism is defined as individuals constructing their own knowledge of the world either internally, or externally by interacting with individuals. When individuals encounter a new experience, it causes them to compare it to their previous idea or experience. This interaction leads to a change in what the individuals believe, or a discardment of the new information. At some point every human tests and revises their knowledge through interactions and experiences. Examples of these experiences can be the classroom, home, and interactions with people. The mechanism of how an individual construct knowledge varies depending on which theoretical approach you are examining. Some

(Phillips, 1995) explained the three different roles of the individual: the active learner, the social learner, and creative learner. The active learner, has an active approach towards obtaining knowledge and understanding. For example, a person investigating, hypothesizing, and giving viewpoints instead of just listening and reading would be an active approach. The social learner acquires knowledge through social interactions. This can be though something simple as conversations or seeing images. A use of the senses can also be considered a social approach to learning. Many constructivists believe knowledge and understanding is acquired between individuals. The creative learner views learning as created and recreated by the individual. Having control of how information is processed and revised is a view by many constructivists. Within constructivism, there is an overlap between all three faces (active, social, and