Theories and Concepts
Constructivism
Also Known As Constructivist Learning Theory
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Constructivism is the psychological and learning theory holding that learners do not passively absorb knowledge but actively construct their own understanding by integrating new experience with what they already know. The view is credited principally to developmental psychologist Jean Piaget, who identified assimilation and accommodation as the processes through which a learner builds knowledge from experience, and was substantially enriched by Lev Vygotsky, who stressed how interaction with adults, peers and culturally transmitted tools such as language shapes cognitive development, and by Jerome Bruner, who applied the theory to education through discovery learning and instructional scaffolding.
Facts
Disputed
Origin YearNo single founding event or year exists; the theory developed across decades through several contributors. 1923 marks Piaget's earliest major constructivist-relevant publication (The Language and Thought of the Child); Vygotsky's own sociocultural extension continued until his death in 1934; Bruner's discovery-learning and scaffolding extension of the theory followed in the 1960s. Core ClaimKnowledge is not transmitted directly from a teacher or the environment to a learner; it is actively built by the learner through experience and action and, per Vygotsky, through social interaction, rather than passively absorbed. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Constructivism (learning theory)
Wikimedia FoundationOverview / BackgroundQuote, Overview / Background
a theory that suggests that learners do not passively acquire knowledge through direct instruction. Instead, they construct their understanding through experiences and social interaction
1. Wikipedia: Constructivism (learning theory)
Wikimedia FoundationOverviewQuote, Overview
Constructivism is a theory that suggests that learners do not passively acquire knowledge through direct instruction.
1. Wikipedia: Constructivism (learning theory)
Wikimedia FoundationBackgroundQuote, Background
Constructivism in educational psychology can be attributed to the work of Jean Piaget (1896-1980) and his theory of cognitive development.
1. Wikipedia: Constructivism (learning theory)
Wikimedia FoundationIn Branch: Developmental Psychology, Social constructivism sectionQuote, In Branch: Developmental Psychology, Social constructivism section
Social constructivism recognizes and embraces the individuality and complexity of each learner, actively encouraging and rewarding it as a vital component of the learning process.
1. Wikipedia: Constructivism (learning theory)
Wikimedia FoundationIn Branch: Educational Psychology, Overview section, mechanisms of learningQuote, In Branch: Educational Psychology, Overview section, mechanisms of learning
Piaget described the mechanisms by which information from the environment and ideas from the individual interact to form internalized structures developed by learners.
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