What Is Constructivism

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What Is Constructivism

Watching a young child grow from infancy to toddler hood, we marvel at the amount of learning that has allowed her to understand her expanding environment. Those early years provide the basis for language, physical dexterity, social understanding, and emotional development that she will use for the rest of her life. All of this knowledge is acquired before she even sets foot in school! This child has taught herself by gathering information and experiencing the world around her. This is an example of constructivism. Constructivism emphasizes the importance of the knowledge, beliefs, and skills an individual brings to the experience of learning. It recognizes the construction of new understanding as a combination of prior learning, new information, and readiness to learn. Individuals make choices about what new ideas to accept and how to fit then into their established views of the world (Brooks & Brooks, 1995).

If you are a parent or plan to be a parent, Do you want your child to sit in a desk all day while the teacher lectures them on information that they need to know for life or would you rather have your child learn constructively? Constructivism has been labeled as the philosophy of learning that proposes learners need to build their own understanding of new ideas (Constructivism and the Five E?s,2001). Learning something new, or attempting to understand something familiar in greater depth, is not a linear process. The purpose of this research paper is to explain the theoretical foundations of the constructivist approach to teaching and learning, and to provide concrete examples to show the effectiveness of the constructivist approach with respect to student learning.

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...Received September 13, 2002 from Internet. http://www.artsined.com/teachingarts/Pedag/Constructivist.html.

Jerome Bruner. (2002). Received September 13, 2002 from Internet. http://oaks.nvg.org/wm1ra2.html.

Brooks, J.G. &Brooks, M.G. (1995). Constructing Knowledge in the Classroom. Retrieved September 13, 2002 for Internet. http://www.sedl.org/scimath/compass/v01n03/1.html.

Chen, Irene. Cognitive Constructivist Theories. Received September 13, 2002 from Internet http://pdts.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/ET-IT/cognitiv.htm.

Chen, Irene. Social Constructivist Theories. Received September 13, 2002 from Internet. http://pdts.uh.edu/~ichen/ebook/ET-IT/social.htm.

Martin, K. (2000). Alternative Modes of Teaching and Learning. Received September 13, 2002 from Internet. http://www.csd.uwa.edu.au/atmodes/to_delivery/discovery_learing.html.

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