This week we learned about constructivism. This theory of learning is very different from what I have learned up to date with behaviorism. I like the idea of building upon life experiences and past knowledge to incorporate new information. I think this way of learning creates a foundation for meaningful learning as well as information that will be stored and readily accessible when one needs to call upon it.
According to Ismat Abda-Haqq (1998) constructivism is an epistemology, a learning or meaning-making theory, that offers an explanation of the nature of knowledge and how human beings learn. It maintains that individuals create or construct their own new understandings or knowledge through the interaction of what they already know and believe and the ideas, events, and activities with which they come in contact.
To me constructivism allows teachers to be able to create lessons and curriculum that maintains their continuity of learning. It also establishes the groundwork for teachers to collaborate lessons across fields of interest (i.e. English, social studies, science). By teachers being able to build upon other subjects, experiences and prior knowledge this will aide them in creating successful lesson plans that can speak directly to the student. It would seem that this type of learning would be more effective and engaging for students, thus leading to them wanting to learn.
I look forward to learning more about constructivism being implemented in education. Well that's all for now...
Abdal-Haqq, I. (1998). Constructivism in Teacher Education: Considerations for Those Who Would Link Practice to Theory. In ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education. Retrieved September 22, 2008, from http://www.ericdigests.org/1999-3/theory.htm
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Tina,
I agree! I like constructivism as well. I like how you don't really have to "pick" one or another to follow (like behaviorism vs. cognitivism). You can practice the philosophy of constructivism while also using other learning theories like behaviorism at the same time.
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