WEEK 5 CONSTRUCTIVISM AND COGNITIVSM

CONSTRUCTIVISM

Constructivism suggests that the learner is much more actively involved in a joint enterprise with the teacher of creating new meanings. The theory of constructivism suggests that the learners construct knowledge out of their experiences. As far as I read from the chapter I can sum up that;

Learning is an active process in which learner uses sensory input and constructs meaning out of it. People learn to learn as they learn.

The crucial action of constructing meaning is mental. Learning is a social activity and it takes time to learn. Motivation is a key component in learning.

There are two types of Constructivism;

Cognitive Constructivism; emphasizes on individual internal construction of knowledge.(based on Piaget’s theory)

Social Constructivism; Knowledge exits in a social context and is initially shared with others instead of being represented solely in the mind of an individual. (based on Vygotsky’s theory)

Principles of Constructivism

Learners construct their own meaning.

New learning builds on prior knowledge.

Learning enhanced by social interaction and develops through authentic task.

COGNITIVISM

It involves how we think and gain knowledge, examining learning memory problem solving skills and intelligence. Learning is explained as a recall of stored information. Instructions usually grabs the attention of learners and helps make sense of the information so it can be readily stored later for recall.

This theory says that existing schema and previous knowledge influences learning. Memory has a role for storage retrieval and encoding.

We are in 5th week and we’ve read Behaviorism, Cognitivism, and Constructivism so far when I compare these theories;

I can basically say that:

In behaviorism; Learning is a process of reacting to external stimuli and behavior can be explained without considering mental states or consciousness.

In Cognitivism; Learning is a process of acquiring and storing information and changes in behavior  are a reflection of what is in people’s minds.

And lastly when it comes toConstructivism; It says Learning is a process of constructing subjective reality based on previous knowledge and objective reality. Behavior is the result of testing personal hypotheses.

Constructivist theory is closer to me because this theory is more learner focused and allows for different learner backgrounds. Also as teachers we act as a facilitator  and more of a guide for a learning journey and actively participating in the learning process with the students as well as encouraging them to challenge ideas, and also students like and prefer being a part of this decision making process.

What do you think about Constructivist theory ? what can you say as a disadvantage while implementing Constructivism in our classes?