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me to Constructivism as a Paradigm for Teaching and Learning.

Start with the


Explanation section to gain a good understanding of the CONCEPT of constructivism. Then
go on to Demonstration, where we move from CONCEPT TO CLASSROOM!

What is constructivism?
How does this theory differ from traditional ideas about teaching and learning?
What does constructivism have to do with my classroom?
Expert interview
What is the history of constructivism, and how has it changed over time?
What are some critical perspectives?
What are the benefits of constructivism?

What is 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.

You might look at it as a spiral. When they continuously reflect on


their experiences, students find their ideas gaining in complexity
and power, and they develop increasingly strong abilities to
integrate new information. One of the teacher's main roles
becomes to encourage this learning and reflection process.

For example: Groups of students in a science class are discussing a


problem in physics. Though the teacher knows the "answer" to the
problem, she focuses on helping students restate their questions in
useful ways. She prompts each student to reflect on and examine his or her current
knowledge. When one of the students comes up with the relevant concept, the teacher
seizes upon it, and indicates to the group that this might be a fruitful avenue for them to
explore. They design and perform relevant experiments. Afterward, the students and
teacher talk about what they have learned, and how their observations and experiments
helped (or did not help) them to better understand the concept.

Contrary to criticisms by some (conservative/traditional) educators, constructivism does


not dismiss the active role of the teacher or the value of expert knowledge. Constructivism
modifies that role, so that teachers help students to construct knowledge rather than to
reproduce a series of facts. The constructivist teacher provides tools such as problem-
solving and inquiry-based learning activities with which students formulate and test their
ideas, draw conclusions and inferences, and pool and convey their knowledge in a
collaborative learning environment. Constructivism transforms the student from a passive
recipient of information to an active participant in the learning process. Always guided by
the teacher, students construct their knowledge actively rather than just mechanically
ingesting knowledge from the teacher or the textbook.

Constructivism is also often misconstrued as a learning theory that compels students to


"reinvent the wheel." In fact, constructivism taps into and triggers the student's innate
curiosity about the world and how things work. Students do not reinvent the wheel but,
rather, attempt to understand how it turns, how it functions. They become engaged by
applying their existing knowledge and real-world experience, learning to hypothesize,
testing their theories, and ultimately drawing conclusions from their findings.

The best way for you to really understand what constructivism is and what it means in
your classroom is by seeing examples of it at work, speaking with others about it, and
trying it yourself. As you progress through each segment of this workshop, keep in mind
questions or ideas to share with your colleagues.

Workshop: Constructivism as a Paradigm for Teaching and Learning


Explanation | Demonstration | Exploration | Implementation | Get Credit

Concept to Classroom | About the Series | Resources | Sitemap | Credits

Thirteen | Thirteen Ed Online | thirteencelebration.org

2004 Educational Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved.

ow does this theory differ from traditional ideas about


teaching and learning?
As with many of the methods addressed in this series of workshops, in the constructivist classroom,
the focus tends to shift from the teacher to the students. The classroom is no longer a place where the
teacher ("expert") pours knowledge into passive students, who wait like empty vessels to be filled. In
the constructivist model, the students are urged to be actively involved in their own process of
learning. The teacher functions more as a facilitator who coaches, mediates, prompts, and helps
students develop and assess their understanding, and thereby their learning. One of the teacher's
biggest jobs becomes ASKING GOOD QUESTIONS.

And, in the constructivist classroom, both teacher and students think of knowledge not as inert
factoids to be memorized, but as a dynamic, ever-changing view of the world we live in and the ability
to successfully stretch and explore that view.
The chart below compares the traditional classroom to the constructivist one. You can see significant
differences in basic assumptions about knowledge, students, and learning. (It's important, however, to
bear in mind that constructivists acknowledge that students are constructing knowledge in traditional
classrooms, too. It's really a matter of the emphasis being on the student, not on the instructor.)

Curriculum begins with the parts of the Curriculum emphasizes big concepts,
whole. Emphasizes basic skills. beginning with the whole and
expanding to include the parts.

Strict adherence to fixed curriculum is Pursuit of student questions and


highly valued. interests is valued.

Materials are primarily textbooks and Materials include primary sources of


workbooks. material and manipulative materials.

Learning is based on repetition. Learning is interactive, building on


what the student already knows.

Teachers disseminate information to Teachers have a dialogue with


students; students are recipients of students, helping students construct
knowledge. their own knowledge.

Teacher's role is directive, rooted in Teacher's role is interactive, rooted in


authority. negotiation.

Assessment is through testing, correct Assessment includes student works,


answers. observations, and points of view, as
well as tests. Process is as important as
product.

Knowledge is seen as inert. Knowledge is seen as dynamic, ever


changing with our experiences.

Students work primarily alone. Students work primarily in groups.

What does constructivism have to do with my classroom?


As is the case with many of the current/popular paradigms, you're probably already using the
constructivist approach to some degree. Constructivist teachers pose questions and problems, then
guide students to help them find their own answers. They use many techniques in the teaching
process. For example, they may:

prompt students to formulate their own questions (inquiry)


allow multiple interpretations and expressions of learning (multiple intelligences)
encourage group work and the use of peers as resources (collaborative learning)

More information on the above processes is covered in other workshops in this series. For now, it's
important to realize that the constructivist approach borrows from many other practices in the pursuit
of its primary goal: helping students learn HOW TO LEARN.

In a constructivist classroom, learning is . . .

Students are not blank slates upon which knowledge is etched. They come to learning situations with
already formulated knowledge, ideas, and understandings. This previous knowledge is the raw
material for the new knowledge they will create.

Example: An elementary school teacher presents a class problem to measure the length of the
"Mayflower." Rather than starting the problem by introducing the ruler, the teacher allows students to
reflect and to construct their own methods of measurement. One student offers the knowledge that a
doctor said he is four feet tall. Another says she knows horses are measured in "hands." The students
discuss these and other methods they have heard about, and decide on one to apply to the problem.

The student is the person who creates new understanding for him/herself. The teacher coaches,
moderates, suggests, but allows the students room to experiment, ask questions, try things that don't
work. Learning activities require the students' full participation (like hands-on experiments). An
important part of the learning process is that students reflect on, and talk about, their activities.
Students also help set their own goals and means of assessment.

Examples: A middle-school language arts teacher sets aside time each week for a writing lab. The
emphasis is on content and getting ideas down rather than memorizing grammatical rules, though one
of the teacher's concerns is the ability of his students to express themselves well through written
language. The teacher provides opportunities for students to examine the finished and earlier drafts of
various authors. He allows students to select and create projects within the general requirement of
building a portfolio 1. Students serve as peer editors who value originality and uniqueness rather than
the best way to fulfill an assignment.

1.

In a history class, asking students to read and think about different versions of and perspectives on
"history" can lead to interesting discussions. Is history as taught in textbooks accurate? Are there
different versions of the same history? Whose version of history is most accurate? How do we know?
From there, students can make their own judgments.
Students control their own learning process, and they lead the way by reflecting on their experiences.
This process makes them experts of their own learning. The teacher helps create situations where the
students feel safe questioning and reflecting on their own processes, either privately or in group
discussions. The teacher should also create activities that lead the student to reflect on his or her prior
knowledge and experiences. Talking about what was learned and how it was learned is really
important.

Example: Students keep journals in a writing class where they record how they felt about the class
projects, the visual and verbal reactions of others to the project, and how they felt their own writing
had changed. Periodically the teacher reads these journals and holds a conference with the student
where the two assess (1) what new knowledge the student has created, (2) how the student learns
best, and (3) the learning environment and the teacher's role in it.

The constructivist classroom relies heavily on collaboration among students. There are many reasons
why collaboration contributes to learning. The main reason it is used so much in constructivism is that
students learn about learning not only from themselves, but also from their peers. When students
review and reflect on their learning processes together, they can pick up strategies and methods from
one another.

Example: In the course of studying ancient civilizations, students undertake an archaeological dig.
This may be something constructed in a large sandbox, or, as in the Dalton School's "Archaeotype"
software simulation, on a computer. As the students find different objects, the teacher introduces
classifying techniques. The students are encouraged to (1) set up a group museum by developing
criteria and choosing which objects should belong, and (2) collaborate with other students who worked
in different quadrants of the dig. Each group is then asked to develop theories about the civilizations
that inhabited the area.

The main activity in a constructivist classroom is solving problems. Students use inquiry methods to
ask questions, investigate a topic, and use a variety of resources to find solutions and answers. As
students explore the topic, they draw conclusions, and, as exploration continues, they revisit those
conclusions. Exploration of questions leads to more questions. (See the CONCEPT TO CLASSROOM
workshop Inquiry-based Learning)

Example: Sixth graders figuring out how to purify water investigate solutions ranging from coffee-filter
paper, to a stove-top distillation apparatus, to piles of charcoal, to an abstract mathematical solution
based on the size of a water molecule. Depending upon students' responses, the teacher encourages
abstract as well as concrete, poetic as well as practical, creations of new knowledge.
Students have ideas that they may later see were invalid, incorrect, or insufficient to explain new
experiences. These ideas are temporary steps in the integration of knowledge. For instance, a child
may believe that all trees lose their leaves in the fall, until she visits an evergreen forest.
Constructivist teaching takes into account students' current conceptions and builds from there.

What happens when a student gets a new piece of information? The constructivist model says that the
student compares the information to the knowledge and understanding he/she already has, and one of
three things can occur:

The new information matches up with his previous knowledge pretty well (it's consonant with
the previous knowledge), so the student adds it to his understanding. It may take some work,
but it's just a matter of finding the right fit, as with a puzzle piece.
The information doesn't match previous knowledge (it's dissonant). The student has to
change her previous understanding to find a fit for the information. This can be harder work.
The information doesn't match previous knowledge, and it is ignored. Rejected bits of
information may just not be absorbed by the student. Or they may float around, waiting for
the day when the student's understanding has developed and permits a fit.

Example: An elementary teacher believes her students are ready to study


gravity. She creates an environment of discovery with objects of varying kinds.
Students explore the differences in weight among similarly sized blocks of
Styrofoam, wood, and lead. Some students hold the notion that heavier objects
fall faster than light ones. The teacher provides materials (stories, posters, and
videos) about Galileo, Newton, etc. She leads a discussion on theories about
falling. The students then replicate Galileo's experiment by dropping objects of
different weights and measuring how fast they fall. They see that objects of
different weights actually usually fall at the same speed, although surface area
and aerodynamic properties can affect the rate of fall.

Expert interview
Interview with Jacqueline
Grennon Brooks

In the following video clips,


Jacqueline Grennon Brooks, an
educational theorist,
constructivism advocate, and this
workshop's content expert,
answers questions about
constructivism.

.Concept to Classroom: You have said Concept to Classroom: What do you


that constructivism is a "life view." Would mean by "construct understandings"?
you explain that?

. Concept to Classroom: So, where . Concept to Classroom: People often


and how can a teacher begin? have difficulty grasping the concept of
constructivism. Why is that? Is it because
it is so abstract? Is it because it has been
misrepresented? Can you give us a simple
explanation?

.Concept to Classroom: Do you think . Concept to Classroom: How does


the interest in constructivism is primarily constructivist teaching differ from the
American-based? traditional approach?

. Concept to Classroom: Have you . Concept to Classroom: What other


found the recent information and computer things ought to happen to bring the
explosion and the mandate to connect promise of technology to constructivism?
each classroom to the Internet promising
for constructivist learning situations?

.Concept to Classroom: What are the .Concept to Classroom: What are the
implications of constructivism for the implications of constructivism for the
school administrator? child's parents, guardians, and
community?

.Concept to Classroom: Test scores .Concept to Classroom: Would you


are often the basis by which community like to add anything?
members judge schools and schools
receive state funding. What do you think of
test scores as a way to evaluate
performance?
What is the history of constructivism, and how has it
changed over time?

The concept of constructivism has roots in classical antiquity, going back to Socrates's dialogues with
his followers, in which he asked directed questions that led his students to realize for themselves the
weaknesses in their thinking. The Socratic dialogue is still an important tool in the way constructivist
educators assess their students' learning and plan new learning experiences.

In this century, Jean Piaget 1 and John Dewey 2 developed theories of childhood development and
education, what we now call Progressive Education, that led to the evolution of constructivism.

1. 2.

Piaget believed that humans learn through the construction of one logical structure after another. He
also concluded that the logic of children and their modes of thinking are initially entirely different from
those of adults. The implications of this theory and how he applied them have shaped the foundation
for constructivist education.

Dewey called for education to be grounded in real experience. He wrote, "If you have doubts about
how learning happens, engage in sustained inquiry: study, ponder, consider alternative possibilities
and arrive at your belief grounded in evidence." Inquiry is a key part of constructivist learning.

Among the educators, philosophers, psychologists, and sociologists who have added new perspectives
to constructivist learning theory and practice are Lev Vygotsky 3, Jerome Bruner 4, and David
Ausubel 5.

3. 4. 5.

Vygotsky introduced the social aspect of learning into constructivism. He defined the "zone of proximal
learning," according to which students solve problems beyond their actual developmental level (but
within their level of potential development) under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable
peers.

Bruner initiated curriculum change based on the notion that learning is an active, social process in
which students construct new ideas or concepts based on their current knowledge.

Seymour Papert's 6 groundbreaking work in using computers to teach children has led to the
widespread use of computer and information technology in constructivist environments.

Modern educators who have studied, written about, and practiced constructivist approaches to
education include John D. Bransford 7, Ernst von Glasersfeld 8, Eleanor Duckworth 9, George
Forman 10, Roger Schank 11, Jacqueline Grennon Brooks 12, and Martin G. Brooks 13.

6. 7. 8. 9.

10. 11. 12. 13.

What are some critical perspectives?


Constructivism has been criticized on various grounds. Some of the charges that critics level against it
are:

. It's elitist. Critics say that constructivism and other "progressive" educational theories have been
most successful with children from privileged backgrounds who are fortunate in having outstanding
teachers, committed parents, and rich home environments. They argue that disadvantaged children,
lacking such resources, benefit more from more explicit instruction.

. Social constructivism leads to "group think." Critics say the collaborative aspects of constructivist
classrooms tend to produce a "tyranny of the majority," in which a few students' voices or
interpretations dominate the group's conclusions, and dissenting students are forced to conform to the
emerging consensus.

. There is little hard evidence that constructivist methods work. Critics say that constructivists, by
rejecting evaluation through testing and other external criteria, have made themselves unaccountable
for their students' progress. Critics also say that studies of various kinds of instruction -- in
particular Project Follow Through 1, a long-term government initiative -- have found that students
in constructivist classrooms lag behind those in more traditional classrooms in basic skills.

1.

Constructivists counter that in studies where children were compared on higher-order thinking skills,
constructivist students seemed to outperform their peers.
What are the benefits of constructivism?

. Benefit

Children learn more, and enjoy learning more when they are actively involved, rather
than passive listeners.

. Benefit

Education works best when it concentrates on thinking and understanding, rather than on rote
memorization. Constructivism concentrates on learning how to think and understand.

. Benefit

Constructivist learning is transferable. In constructivist classrooms, students create


organizing principles that they can take with them to other learning settings.

. Benefit

Constructivism gives students ownership of what they learn, since learning is based
on students' questions and explorations, and often the students have a hand in
designing the assessments as well. Constructivist assessment engages the students' initiatives and
personal investments in their journals, research reports, physical models, and artistic representations.
Engaging the creative instincts develops students' abilities to express knowledge through a variety of
ways. The students are also more likely to retain and transfer the new knowledge to real life.

. Benefit

By grounding learning activities in an authentic, real-world context, constructivism stimulates and


engages students. Students in constructivist classrooms learn to question things and to apply their
natural curiousity to the world.

. Benefit

Constructivism promotes social and communication skills by creating a classroom environment that
emphasizes collaboration and exchange of ideas. Students must learn how to articulate their ideas
clearly as well as to collaborate on tasks effectively by sharing in group projects. Students must
therefore exchange ideas and so must learn to "negotiate" with others and to evaluate their
contributions in a socially acceptable manner. This is essential to success in the real world, since they
will always be exposed to a variety of experiences in which they will have to cooperate and navigate
among the ideas of others.
Constructivism (philosophy of education)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article has an unclear citation style. The references used may be made
clearer with a different or consistent style of citation, footnoting, or external
linking. (November 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Jean Piaget, founder of constructivism

Constructivism is a philosophical viewpoint about the nature of knowledge. Specifically, it


represents an epistemological stance.[1]
There are many "flavors" of constructivism, but one prominent theorist known for his constructivist
views is Jean Piaget, who focused on how humans make meaning in relation to the interaction
between their experiences and their ideas. He considered himself to be a genetic epistemologist,
which means he was interested in the genesis of knowledge. His views tended to focus on human
development in relation to what is occurring with an individual as opposed to development that is
influenced by other humans [clarification needed].
Views more focused on human development in the context of the social world include the
sociocultural or socio-historical perspective of Lev Vygotskyand the situated cognition perspectives
of Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger;[2] Brown, Collins and Duguid;[3] Newman, Griffin and Cole,[4] and
Barbara Rogoff.[5]
The concept of constructivism has influenced a number of disciplines, including psychology,
sociology, education and the history of science.[6] During its infancy, constructivism examined the
interaction between human experiences and their reflexes or behavior-patterns. Jean Piaget called
these systems of knowledge schemes.
Schemes are not to be confused with "schema," a term that comes from schema theory, which is
from information-processing perspectives on human cognition. Whereas Piaget's schemes are
content-free, schemata (the plural of schema) are concepts; for example, most humans have a
schema for "grandmother" or "egg" or "magnet."
Constructivism does not refer to a specific pedagogy, although it is often confused
with constructionism, an educational theory developed by Seymour Papert, inspired by constructivist
and experiential learning ideas of Piaget.
Piaget's theory of constructivist learning has had wide-ranging impact on learning
theories and teaching methods in education, and is an underlying theme of many education
reformmovements.[citation needed] Research support for constructivist teaching techniques has been
mixed, with some research supporting these techniques and other research contradicting those
results.[citation needed]
History[edit]
Earlier educational philosophies did not place much value on what would become constructivist
ideas; children's play and exploration was seen as aimless and of little importance.[citation needed]Jean
Piaget did not agree with these traditional views; he saw play as an important and necessary part of
the student's cognitive development and provided scientific evidence for his views. Today,
constructivist theories are influential throughout the formal and informal learning sectors. In museum
education, constructivist theories inform exhibit design. One good example of constructivist learning
in a non-formal setting is the Investigate Centre at The Natural History Museum, London.[citation
needed]
Here visitors are encouraged to explore a collection of real natural history specimens, to
practice some scientific skills and make discoveries for themselves. Writers who influenced
constructivism include:

John Dewey (18591952)


Maria Montessori (18701952)
Wadysaw Strzemiski (18931952)
Jean Piaget (18961980)
Lev Vygotsky (18961934)
Heinz von Foerster (19112002)
George Kelly (19051967)
Jerome Bruner (19152016)
Herbert Simon (19162001)
Paul Watzlawick (19212007)
Ernst von Glasersfeld (19172010)
Edgar Morin (1921)
Humberto Maturana (1928)

Individual[edit]
The formalization of constructivism from a within-the-human perspective is generally attributed to
Jean Piaget, who articulated mechanisms by which information from the environment and ideas from
the individual interact and result in internalized structures developed by learners. He identified
processes of assimilation and accommodation that are key in this interaction as individuals
construct new knowledge from their experiences.
When individuals assimilate new information, they incorporate it into an already existing framework
without changing that framework. This may occur when individuals' experiences are aligned with
their internal representations of the world, but may also occur as a failure to change a faulty
understanding; for example, they may not notice events, may misunderstand input from others, or
may decide that an event is a fluke and is therefore unimportant as information about the world. In
contrast, when individuals' experiences contradict their internal representations, they may change
their perceptions of the experiences to fit their internal representations.
According to the theory, accommodation is the process of reframing one's mental representation of
the external world to fit new experiences. Accommodation can be understood as the mechanism by
which failure leads to learning: when we act on the expectation that the world operates in one way
and it violates our expectations, we often fail, but by accommodating this new experience and
reframing our model of the way the world works, we learn from the experience of failure, or others'
failure.
It is important to note that constructivism is not a particular pedagogy. In fact, constructivism is a
theory describing how learning happens, regardless of whether learners are using their experiences
to understand a lecture or following the instructions for building a model airplane. In both cases, the
theory of constructivism suggests that learners construct knowledge out of their experiences.
However, constructivism is often associated with pedagogic approaches that promote active
learning, or learning by doing. There are many critics of "learning by doing" (a.k.a. "discovery
learning") as an instructional strategy (e.g. see the criticisms below).[7][8] While there is much
enthusiasm for constructivism as a design strategy, according to Tobias and Duffy "... to us it would
appear that constructivism remains more of a philosophical framework than a theory that either
allows us to precisely describe instruction or prescribe design strategies.(p.4)".[7]

Constructivist learning intervention[edit]


The nature of the learner[edit]
Social constructivism not only acknowledges the uniqueness and complexity of the learner, but
actually encourages, utilizes and rewards it as an integral part of the learning process (Wertsch
1997).
The importance of the background and culture of the learner[edit]
Social constructivisms or socioculturalism encourage the learner or learners to arrive at his or her
version of the truth, influenced by his or her background, culture or embedded worldview. Historical
developments and symbol systems, such as language, logic, and mathematical systems, are
inherited by the learner as a member of a particular culture and these are learned throughout the
learner's life. This also stresses the importance of the nature of the learner's social interaction with
knowledgeable members of the society. Without the social interaction with other more
knowledgeable people, it is impossible to acquire social meaning of important symbol systems and
learn how to utilize them. Young children develop their thinking abilities by interacting with other
children, adults and the physical world. From the social constructivist viewpoint, it is thus important
to take into account the background and culture of the learner throughout the learning process, as
this background also helps to shape the knowledge and truth that the learner creates, discovers and
attains in the learning process (Wertsch 1997).
Responsibility for learning[edit]
Furthermore, it is argued that the responsibility of learning should reside increasingly with the learner
(Glasersfeld, 1989). Social constructivism thus emphasizes the importance of the learner being
actively involved in the learning process, unlike previous educational viewpoints where the
responsibility rested with the instructor to teach and where the learner played a passive, receptive
role. Von Glasersfeld (1989) emphasized that learners construct their own understanding and that
they do not simply mirror and reflect what they read. Learners look for meaning and will try to find
regularity and order in the events of the world even in the absence of full or complete information.
The Harkness discussion method[edit]
It is called the "Harkness" discussion method because it was developed at Phillips Exeter
Academy with funds donated in the 1930s by Edward Harkness. This is also named after the
Harkness table and involves students seated in a circle, motivating and controlling their own
discussion. The teacher acts as little as possible. Perhaps the teacher's only function is to observe,
although he/she might begin or shift or even direct a discussion. The students get it rolling, direct it,
and focus it. They act as a team, cooperatively, to make it work. They all participate, but not in a
competitive way. Rather, they all share in the responsibility and the goals, much as any members
share in any team sport. Although the goals of any discussion will change depending upon what's
under discussion, some goals will always be the same: to illuminate the subject, to unravel its
mysteries, to interpret and share and learn from other points of view, to piece together the puzzle
using everyone's contribution. Discussion skills are important. Everyone must be aware of how to get
this discussion rolling and keep it rolling and interesting. Just as in any sport, a number of skills are
necessary to work on and use at appropriate times. Everyone is expected to contribute by using
these skills.
The motivation for learning[edit]
Another crucial assumption regarding the nature of the learner concerns the level and source of
motivation for learning. According to Von Glasersfeld (1989) sustaining motivation to learn is strongly
dependent on the learner's confidence in his or her potential for learning. These feelings of
competence and belief in potential to solve new problems, are derived from first-hand experience of
mastery of problems in the past and are much more powerful than any external acknowledgment
and motivation (Prawat and Floden 1994). This links up with Vygotsky's "zone of proximal
development" (Vygotsky 1978) where learners are challenged within close proximity to, yet slightly
above, their current level of development. By experiencing the successful completion of challenging
tasks, learners gain confidence and motivation to embark on more complex challenges.
The role of the instructor[edit]
Instructors as facilitators[edit]
According to the social constructivist approach, instructors have to adapt to the role of facilitators
and not teachers (Bauersfeld, 1995). Whereas a teacher gives a didactic lecture that covers the
subject matter, a facilitator helps the learner to get to his or her own understanding of the content. In
the former scenario the learner plays a passive role and in the latter scenario the learner plays an
active role in the learning process. The emphasis thus turns away from the instructor and the
content, and towards the learner (Gamoran, Secada, & Marrett, 1998). This dramatic change of role
implies that a facilitator needs to display a totally different set of skills than that of a teacher
(Brownstein 2001). A teacher tells, a facilitator asks; a teacher lectures from the front, a facilitator
supports from the back; a teacher gives answers according to a set curriculum, a facilitator provides
guidelines and creates the environment for the learner to arrive at his or her own conclusions; a
teacher mostly gives a monologue, a facilitator is in continuous dialogue with the learners (Rhodes
and Bellamy, 1999). A facilitator should also be able to adapt the learning experience 'in mid-air' by
taking the initiative to steer the learning experience to where the learners want to create value.
The learning environment should also be designed to support and challenge the learner's thinking
(Di Vesta, 1987). While it is advocated to give the learner ownership of the problem and solution
process, it is not the case that any activity or any solution is adequate. The critical goal is to support
the learner in becoming an effective thinker. This can be achieved by assuming multiple roles, such
as consultant and coach.
A few strategies for cooperative learning include

Reciprocal Questioning: students work together to ask and answer questions


Jigsaw Classroom: students become "experts" on one part of a group project and teach it to the
others in their group
Structured Controversies: Students work together to research a particular controversy (Woolfolk
2010)
Constructivism[edit]
Learning is an active process[edit]
Social constructivism, strongly influenced by Vygotsky's (1978) work, suggests that knowledge is
first constructed in a social context and is then appropriated by individuals (Bruning et al., 1999; M.
Cole, 1991; Eggan & Kauchak, 2004). According to social constructivists, the process of sharing
individual perspectives-called collaborative elaboration (Meter & Stevens, 2000)-results in learners
constructing understanding together that wouldn't be possible alone (Greeno et al., 1996).[citation needed]
Social constructivist scholars view learning as an active process where learners should learn to
discover principles, concepts and facts for themselves, hence the importance of encouraging
guesswork and intuitive thinking in learners (Brown et al.1989; Ackerman 1996). In fact, for the
social constructivist, reality is not something that we can discover because it does not pre-exist prior
to our social invention of it. Kukla (2000) argues that reality is constructed by our own activities and
that people, together as members of a society, invent the properties of the world.
Other constructivist scholars agree with this and emphasize that individuals make meanings through
the interactions with each other and with the environment they live in. Knowledge is thus a product of
humans and is socially and culturally constructed (Ernest 1991; Prawat and Floden 1994). McMahon
(1997) agrees that learning is a social process. He further states that learning is not a process that
only takes place inside our minds, nor is it a passive development of our behaviors that is shaped by
external forces and that meaningful learning occurs when individuals are engaged in social activities.
Vygotsky (1978) also highlighted the convergence of the social and practical elements in learning by
saying that the most significant moment in the course of intellectual development occurs when
speech and practical activity, two previously completely independent lines of development,
converge. Through practical activity a child constructs meaning on an intra-personal level, while
speech connects this meaning with the interpersonal world shared by the child and her/his culture.
Good relationship between instructor and learner[edit]
A further characteristic of the role of the facilitator in the social constructivist viewpoint, is that the
instructor and the learners are equally involved in learning from each other as well (Holt and Willard-
Holt 2000). This means that the learning experience is both subjective and objective and requires
that the instructor's culture, values and background become an essential part of the interplay
between learners and tasks in the shaping of meaning. Learners compare their version of the truth
with that of the instructor and fellow learners to get to a new, socially tested version of truth (Kukla
2000). The task or problem is thus the interface between the instructor and the learner (McMahon
1997). This creates a dynamic interaction between task, instructor and learner. This entails that
learners and instructors should develop an awareness of each other's viewpoints and then look to
their own beliefs, standards and values, thus being both subjective and objective at the same time
(Savery 1994).
Some studies argue for the importance of mentoring in the process of learning (Archee and Duin
1995; Brown et al. 1989). The social constructivist model thus emphasizes the importance of the
relationship between the student and the instructor in the learning process.
Some learning approaches that could harbour this interactive learning include reciprocal teaching,
peer collaboration, cognitive apprenticeship, problem-based instruction, web quests, Anchored
Instruction and other approaches that involve learning with others.
Collaboration among learners[edit]
Learners with different skills and backgrounds should collaborate in tasks and discussions to arrive
at a shared understanding of the truth in a specific field (Duffy and Jonassen 1992).
Most social constructivist models, such as that proposed by Duffy and Jonassen (1992), also stress
the need for collaboration among learners, in direct contradiction to traditional competitive
approaches. One Vygotskian notion that has significant implications for peer collaboration, is that of
the zone of proximal development. Defined as the distance between the actual developmental
level as determined by independent problem-solving and the level of potential development as
determined through problem-solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable
peers, it differs from the fixed biological nature of Piaget's stages of development. Through a
process of 'scaffolding' a learner can be extended beyond the limitations of physical maturation to
the extent that the development process lags behind the learning process (Vygotsky 1978).
Learning by teaching (LdL) as constructivist method[edit]
Main article: Learning by teaching

If students have to present and train new contents with their classmates, a non-linear process of
collective knowledge-construction will be set up.
The importance of context[edit]
The social constructivist paradigm views the context in which the learning occurs as central to the
learning itself (McMahon 1997).
Underlying the notion of the learner as an active processor is "the assumption that there is no one
set of generalised learning laws with each law applying to all domains" (Di Vesta
1987:208). Decontextualised knowledge does not give us the skills to apply our understandings to
authentic tasks because, as Duffy and Jonassen (1992) indicated, we are not working with the
concept in the complex environment and experiencing the complex interrelationships in that
environment that determine how and when the concept is used. One social constructivist notion is
that of authentic or situated learning, where the student takes part in activities directly relevant to the
application of learning and that take place within a culture similar to the applied setting (Brown et al.
1989). Cognitive apprenticeship has been proposed as an effective constructivist model of learning
that attempts to "enculturate students into authentic practices through activity and social interaction
in a way similar to that evident, and evidently successful, in craft apprenticeship" (Ackerman
1996:25).
Holt and Willard-Holt (2000) emphasize the concept of dynamic assessment, which is a way of
assessing the true potential of learners that differs significantly from conventional tests. Here the
essentially interactive nature of learning is extended to the process of assessment. Rather than
viewing assessment as a process carried out by one person, such as an instructor, it is seen as a
two-way process involving interaction between both instructor and learner. The role of the assessor
becomes one of entering into dialogue with the persons being assessed to find out their current level
of performance on any task and sharing with them possible ways in which that performance might be
improved on a subsequent occasion. Thus, assessment and learning are seen as inextricably linked
and not separate processes (Holt and Willard-Holt 2000).
According to this viewpoint instructors should see assessment as a continuous and interactive
process that measures the achievement of the learner, the quality of the learning experience and
courseware. The feedback created by the assessment process serves as a direct foundation for
further development.
The selection, scope, and sequencing of the subject matter[edit]
Knowledge should be discovered as an integrated whole[edit]
Knowledge should not be divided into different subjects or compartments, but should be discovered
as an integrated whole (McMahon 1997; Di Vesta 1987).
This also again underlines the importance of the context in which learning is presented (Brown et al.
1989). The world, in which the learner needs to operate, does not approach one in the form of
different subjects, but as a complex myriad of facts, problems, dimensions, and perceptions
(Ackerman 1996).
Engaging and challenging the learner[edit]
Learners should constantly be challenged with tasks that refer to skills and knowledge just beyond
their current level of mastery. This captures their motivation and builds on previous successes to
enhance learner confidence (Brownstein 2001). This is in line with Vygotsky's zone of proximal
development, which can be described as the distance between the actual developmental level (as
determined by independent problem-solving) and the level of potential development (as determined
through problem-solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers)
(Vygotsky 1978).
Vygotsky (1978) further claimed that instruction is good only when it proceeds ahead of
development. Then it awakens and rouses to life an entire set of functions in the stage of maturing,
which lie in the zone of proximal development. It is in this way that instruction plays an extremely
important role in development.
To fully engage and challenge the learner, the task and learning environment should reflect the
complexity of the environment that the learner should be able to function in at the end of learning.
Learners must not only have ownership of the learning or problem-solving process, but of the
problem itself (Derry 1999).
Where the sequencing of subject matter is concerned, it is the constructivist viewpoint that the
foundations of any subject may be taught to anybody at any stage in some form (Duffy and
Jonassen 1992). This means that instructors should first introduce the basic ideas that give life and
form to any topic or subject area, and then revisit and build upon these repeatedly. This notion has
been extensively used in curricula.
It is important for instructors to realize that although a curriculum may be set down for them, it
inevitably becomes shaped by them into something personal that reflects their own belief systems,
their thoughts and feelings about both the content of their instruction and their learners (Rhodes and
Bellamy 1999). Thus, the learning experience becomes a shared enterprise.
The emotionsand life contexts of those involved in the learning process must therefore be
considered as an integral part of learning. The goal of the learner is central in considering what is
learned (Brown et al. 1989; Ackerman 1996).
The structuredness of the learning process[edit]
It is important to achieve the right balance between the degree of structure and flexibility that is built
into the learning process. Savery (1994) contends that the more structured the learning environment,
the harder it is for the learners to construct meaning based on their conceptual understandings. A
facilitator should structure the learning experience just enough to make sure that the students get
clear guidance and parameters within which to achieve the learning objectives, yet the learning
experience should be open and free enough to allow for the learners to discover, enjoy, interact and
arrive at their own, socially verified version of truth.
In adult learning[edit]
Constructivist ideas have been used to inform adult education. Whereas pedagogy usually applies to
the education of children, educators of adults often speak instead of andragogy. Methods must take
account of differences in learning, due to the fact that adults have many more experiences and
previously existing neurological structures.
Approaches based on constructivism stress the importance of mechanisms for mutual planning,
diagnosis of learner needs and interests, cooperative learning climate, sequential activities for
achieving the objectives, formulation of learning objectives based on the diagnosed needs and
interests.
Personal relevance of the content, involvement of the learner in the process, and deeper
understanding of underlying concepts are some of the intersections between emphases in
constructivism and adult learning principles.

Pedagogies based on constructivism[edit]


Main article: Constructivist teaching methods
Various approaches in pedagogy derive from constructivist theory. They usually suggest that
learning is accomplished best using a hands-on approach. Learners learn by experimentation, and
not by being told what will happen, and are left to make their own inferences, discoveries and
conclusions.

Supportive research and evidence[edit]


Hmelo-Silver, Duncan, & Chinn cite several studies supporting the success of the
constructivist problem-based and inquiry learning methods. For example, they describe a project
called GenScope, an inquiry-based science software application. Students using the GenScope
software showed significant gains over the control groups, with the largest gains shown in students
from basic courses.[9]
Hmelo-Silver et al. also cite a large study by Geier on the effectiveness of inquiry-based science for
middle school students, as demonstrated by their performance on high-stakes standardized tests.
The improvement was 14% for the first cohort of students and 13% for the second cohort. This study
also found that inquiry-based teaching methods greatly reduced the achievement gap for African-
American students.[9]
Guthrie et al. (2004) compared three instructional methods for third-grade reading: a traditional
approach, a strategies instruction only approach, and an approach with strategies instruction and
constructivist motivation techniques including student choices, collaboration, and hands-on activities.
The constructivist approach, called CORI (Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction), resulted in better
student reading comprehension, cognitive strategies, and motivation.[10]
Jong Suk Kim found that using constructivist teaching methods for 6th graders resulted in better
student achievement than traditional teaching methods. This study also found that students
preferred constructivist methods over traditional ones. However, Kim did not find any difference in
student self-concept or learning strategies between those taught by constructivist or traditional
methods.[11]
Doru and Kalender compared science classrooms using traditional teacher-centered approaches to
those using student-centered, constructivist methods. In their initial test of student performance
immediately following the lessons, they found no significant difference between traditional and
constructivist methods. However, in the follow-up assessment 15 days later, students who learned
through constructivist methods showed better retention of knowledge than those who learned
through traditional methods.[12]

Transcript of Creativity and Constructivism


Creativity and Piaget
Context

Piaget and Vygotsky, both of whom were entering the "field of child development
psychology in the early 1920s."(Matusov, p.286), were witnesses to a time where
industrialization was gaining momentum, World War I had ravaged their continent and
technology was rapidly evolving. With that said, Piaget grew up in Neuchtel, Switzerland
which was relatively untouched by the war whereas Vygotsky grew up in Belarus and then
moved to Russia and was part of a persecuted Jewish minority.

Words Their Way


Constructivism
...through the eyes of Piaget and Vygotsky
Creativity and Constructivism
Survey
Summary
References
Eugene Matusov, Renee Hayes, New Ideas in Philosophy: Sociocultural critique of Piaget
and Vygotsky,
School of Education, University of Delaware, Renee Hayes, Newark DE 19716, USA, 2000.
Pp. 215-239

Anne-Nelly Perret-Clermont, Revisiting young Jean Piaget in Neuchtel among his partners
in learning,
Routledge, 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001, 2005. p. 70-91
Connery, C. P., John-Steiner, V., & Marjanovic-Shane, A. (2010). Vygotsky and creativity:
A cultural-historical
approach to play, meaning making and the arts. New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc.
First Steps in Literacy. (2003). Linking assessment, teaching and learning (Canadian ed.).
Toronto, ON: Pearson Education Canada.
Kausar, G. (2010). Educational implication of Piaget and Vygotsky language learning
theories in
Pakistani context: A review. The Dialogue, 5(3), 254-268.
Pearson, P.D & Gallagher, M. (1983). The instruction of reading comprehension.
Washington, DC.
University of Illinois, National Institute of Education.
Piaget, J. (1932/2004). The moral judgment of the child. [trans. M. Gabain]. Glencoe, IL:
The Free Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. (2004). Imagination and creativity in childhood. Journal of Russian and
Eastern European Psychology, 42(1), 7-97.
Wardle, F. (2009) Approaches to early to childhood and elementary education.
New York, NY: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
Creativity and Vygotsky
Lev Vygotsky - Contrary to the traditional belief that creativity is to be studied independently
largely due to, predisposition, talent, apprenticeship, and recognition of prevalent trends,
Vygotsky viewed a dialectual relationship between the individual and his or her world.
Creativity exists not only where it creates great historical works, but also everywhere
human imagination combines, changes, and creates anything new.

Vygotsky saw imagination as a psychological function, located in the core of learning and
development. He believed that imagination originates within social interaction and cultural-
historical moments of a childs development. All of these are woven together with learning,
teaching, discovery, and transformational change (Connery, John-Steiner, & Marjanovic-
Shane, 2010).

Zone of Proximal Development


Then

Lev Vygotsky,
the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem
solving and the level of potential development as determined by problem solving under adult
guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers (Kausar, 2010).

ZPD is a model for intellectual growth that involves a range of tasks that a child is in the
process of learning to complete.

Scaffolding is teacher-provided support for students working in what Vygotsky called the
zone of proximal development, the area just beyond a students level of development.

Pigaet's Developmental Stages


Jean Piaget believed that the goal of education is knowledge constructed by the learner as
they progress through developmental stages. Intellectual growth is most influenced by
learners own personal intellectual activities. Childrens development will occur with or
without instruction. Children should play, experiment and reason in order to learn.
Five Kindergarten teachers, Four grade 3 teachers and four grade 5 teachers were asked four
questions concerning creativity within the classroom. Here are our findings...
"I was strongly struck, after the First World Warby the repercussions that the social and
political instability, which dominated Europe at that time, had on the movement of ideas, and
this led me naturally to doubt the objective and universal validity of philosophical
declarations made in those circumstances. In my small country, so quiet and relatively
sheltered from outside events, many symptoms showed this dependence of ideas on social
unrest."(Clairemont, p.72)
Vygotsky and Piaget have wielded a tremendous influence on educational theory. To better
understand their views, we should look at the social and historical context in which they were
created.
Question #1
Question #2
Question #3
Question #4
What does creativity look like in your classroom?
Kindergarten:
Classroom is bright, colourful, interactive, bold and inviting.
Students invited to learn through inquiry and discovery.
Focus on learning through the 5 senses.
Kinesthetic learning with opportunities to move (dance, drama).
Students given a voice and a choice in many aspects of their learning.
Students invited to use their imagination and be creative when working in centers with
blocks, art materials, play dough and pretend play (dress up, kitchen, puppets).
Creativity is displayed within the classroom and the hallway.
Creativity is reported to parents on student report card each term.
Open ended materials
Movement throughout the class (no assigned seats.
Opportunities to problem solve.

Grade 3:
Students are engaged in an activity that gives them freedom in expressing what they think,
feel or sense.
Posters, word walls, planners are visuals that help creativity.

Grade 5:
Bustling with activity with students interacting and sharing ideas. They work cooperatively
together. The noise level may be high but they are engaged and productive.
Visual, work on paper or sometimes orally expressing their ideas.
Teachers give opportunities for creativity based on students strengths.
Not allowing students to give up.

Do students have opportunities to demonstrate creativity?


Kindergarten:
Using centers to act out make-believe play.
Through the use of puppets
Building and creating
Art activities.
Exploring outside the classroom.
Opportunities to teach each other new skills and knowledge (student teaching student,
student teaching teacher).
Free time to explore centers.
During activities, students are given the opportunity to present and extend their vocabulary
and this gives them a
better sense of self.
Sand tables
Music
Drama
Sharing time
Grade 3:
Art projects with no set patterns to follow.
Classroom discussions.
Writing (creative writing or book making)
Problem solving
Educational games
Change the environment to accommodate learning
Math centers
Grade 5:
Art projects
Writing (where they find voice)
Problem solving
Field trips to the art gallery
Answering questions activate prior knowledge and allow for personalized responses.

No real opportunities to be creative because curriculum are trying to be followed and only
chance students get to show creativity is when they veer away from the curriculum.

What are some of the challenges to promoting creativity within the classroom?
Kindergarten:
Time
Resources
Class size
Money (buses, sub days, supplies)
Internal school restraints
Curriculum pressure
Differing philosophies
Difficult to come up with ideas and activities which are not teacher directed
Space
Fine motor skills
Noise
Hearing school bells
Grade 3:
Having to follow the curriculum
Time: Many different needs within a classroom sometimes does not allow for time
necessary for creative expression.
Time to prepare materials for centers
Assessment and evaluation to determine clear outcomes
Students who feel they need assurance that they are doing it correctly.

Grade 5:
Time
Lack of resources
Trying to cover curricular outcomes
Students asking is this right

What are some ways your students demonstrate their understanding?


Kindergarten:
Manipulatives in math
Writers workshop
Art activities
Guided Reading
Things they build or put together
Hands on learning
Independence to do things themselves
Communicating about what theyve learned
Displaying for others (show and tell)
By following direction
Responding correctly to questions
Participation
Writing activities with picture drawing

Grade 3:
Children are naturally creative. They need a safe learning environment to express
themselves.
Records and checklists
Journals and informal writing
Shared readings
Presentations
Running records
Book making
Grade 5:
Group work
Classroom discussions
Running records
Assessments
Projects (creation of models, puppet shows, triptychs, television commercials)
Assignment
Written work
Oral communication
Analyzing and critiquing (artwork or writing).

Key Quotes from the Survey:


VISUAL ARTS

DRAMATIC ARTS

LITERARY ARTS

PROBLEM SOLVING IN SOCIAL SITUATIONS

CHOICE

SELF-DIRECTED

TEACHING BECOMES PERSONALIZED TO EACH STUDENTS STRENGTHS AND


NEEDS

BUILD ON STUDENTS STRENGTHS AND CREATIVITY

ANSWERING QUESTIONS CAN BE CREATIVE-ACTIVATING PRIOR


KNOWLEDGE
Piaget argued that there is a difference between given knowledge and knowledge
constructed. He believed that true knowledge, is constructed by the learner. For Piaget, the
goal of education was to promote creativity and develop creative individuals.

the goal of education is to create men who are capable of doing new things not simply of
repeating what other generations have done, men who are creative, innovative, and
discovers (Kausar, 2010).

Creativity in the Chinese Classroom


Developmental Stages
Now
Zone of Proximal Development
Now
Effective teachers support students with a range of scaffolds, such as modeling, sharing,
guiding and conferencing.

Pearson and Gallaghers Gradual Release of Responsibility Model (1983) details for teachers
how to support students on their way to becoming self-directed learners.

Problem Based Learning is an instructional strategy that allows students to self-direct their
learning. Students assume the role of active learners as they construct their own knowledge,
reflecting on their experiences and collaboratively solving problems.
Piaget in the classroom
Anchor charts
Visual aids
Multimedia
Manipulatives
Constructivism is a new approach in education that claims humans are better able to
understand the information they have constructed by themselves This was the first line in
The Fountain Magazine: Education issue 48 in 2004.

New approach
is questionable... it is true, constructivism is a 21st century approach, however was
introduced and built on years ago by various theorists. Lev Vygotsky and Jean Piaget were
two constructivists that shared the idea that classrooms must be constructivist environments,
meaning students need to be able to understand and learn, by constructing their own
learning. Therefore, learners are central to the learning process (Ozer, 2004).

Constructivism transforms todays classrooms into a knowledge-construction site where


information is absorbed and knowledge is built by the learner (Ozer, 2004).
PEI Schools are using Words their Way to ensure student are learning in their appropriate
"spelling developmental stages".
Ozer, O. (2004, December). Education: Constructivism in Piaget and Vygotsky. The
Fountain Magazine,
(48). Retrieved from http://www.fountainmagazine.com/Issue/detail/CONSTRUCTIVISM-
in-Piaget-and-Vygotsky.
As educators, we need to constantly monitor the various influences shaping student learning.
When left to their own devices, students may develop according to Piaget's developmental
stages, when they are interacting with peers and educators, there is an opportunity, as
Vygotsky suggests, to co-create, and to generate a better understanding.
Literacy Place
PEI Schools use
Literacy Place
resources to support the balanced approach. This approach uses scaffolding to shift learning
from teacher centered to student centered.
Confucius:
The Confucian sense of creativity be noted. In the Western philosophic tradition, informed
by the
Judaeo Christian
notion of
creatio exnihilo
, creativity is often understood as the imitation of a transcendent creative act. In Confucian
terms, creative actions exist
ab initio
within the world of natural events and are to be assessed in terms of their contributions to the
order of specific social circumstances. In no sense are creative actions modeled after the
meaning-closing actions of an extra-mundane creative event. Creativity in a Confucian world
is more closely associated with the creation of meaning than of being. Confucianism
highlights the features of dialogue-teaching, heuristic elicitation with analogical evocation,
teaching in accordance with individual aptitude.
Creativity Comparison
Western View:
Respecting the children intelligence and characteristics development.
Complying with the childrens nature.
Developing greatly their creativity.
Chinese View:
Most following the spirit of a traditional way of education:
Inculcating study
Recitation learning
Current situation in Chinese Creativity within the Classroom
According to the research on the students development of creativity thinking in Grade 3-6 in
China, these dimensions have an extremely remarkable effect on student grades:

-the creative overall scores -fluency overall scores -flexibility of text,


-flexibility overall scores -letter fluency -graphics fluency
-digital fluency and flexibility -digital uniqueness -problem fluency

In such dimensions: uniqueness, graphics flexibility, and characteristics and uniqueness of


problem, there is a significant main effect on grade level performance. In the dimension of
flexibility and the total score of the text flexibility, fluency, and graphics fluency, there was a
significant effect of gender. Age and gender has significant interaction in two dimensions
between unique graphic and fluency of problem.

The overall level of pupils creative thinking is a gradually rising trend of development
during the Grade 3 and Grade 6.
Our survey results indicated that many teachers believe that creativity simply belongs in the
realms of the visual and performance arts. Our findings suggest that Kindergarten students,
provided with play based learning opportunities, may have more opportunities to express
themselves and demonstrate understanding in creative ways. Should we be concerned that as
students get older, we sometimes do not provide a creative release for them to better express
their understanding and develop meaning?
Summary
Which type of educator are you? Do you make an effort to provide your students with
opportunities to be creative? Do you provide your students with an environment which
fosters creativity? Do you allow your students to express themselves in creative fashions and
demonstrate their understanding creatively? Is creativity left to the student's personal
development or do you provide social opportunities for your students to co-construct
creatively with others?
Food for thought
Piaget once wrote:
On the other hand, Vygotsky's theories were predicated against the backdrop of Marxist
doctrine and an appreciation of socialist ideologies. Having witnessed the necessities and
importance of war time collaboration and cooperation and the need to stand together to
overcome oppression, perhaps Lev Vygotsky's appreciation for socially constructed learning
was born from a time and place where working together was a necessity for survival and
growth.
Sir Ken Robinson shares his thoughts on Divergent thinking, Creativity and Collaboration.
We invite you to watch the entire video at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=068Xv-J7fEw
Creativity in the Chinese Classroom Continues
References
He, Kekang. (2000). Creative thinking theory: Construction and demonstration of DC model.
Beijing, China: Beijing Normal University Press.

Dong, Qi. (1993). Children's creativity developmental psychology. Zhejiang, China:


Zhejiang Education Press.

Yu, Guoliang. (1996). Creativity Psychology. Zhejiang, China: Zhejiang Peoples Press.
References
He, Kekang. (2000). Creative thinking theory: Construction and demonstration of DC model.
Beijing, China: Beijing Normal University Press.

Dong, Qi. (1993). Children's creativity developmental psychology. Zhejiang, China:


Zhejiang Education Press.

Yu, Guoliang. (1996). Creativity Psychology. Zhejiang, China: Zhejiang Peoples Press.
Explore the Prezi further to see how these theorists have influenced education through
constructivism from the mid 1900s to present day.

Creativity and Constructivism

ED614 Theories of Research and Learning

March 9, 2014

Jeff Willson
Amy MacKinnon
Vanessa Dunn
Su Dan
Constructivism
Approach

Full transcript

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