Constructivism Essay

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Constructivism is a somewhat new, but up-and-coming ideology that is progressing through education. In order to properly understand constructivism, one must understand the history. Then, building upon the history one begins to understand its progression through education. Then, building upon that knowledge we can begin to see the applications of constructivism in the modern classroom. In the process of establishing the layout this paper, a method of constructivism, also known as scaffolding, was shown. Scaffolding is the process of establishing what a learner's base knowledge is and then teaching them in a method that relates and builds upon that. This leads into the broader idea of Constructivism, which the view of learning is based upon the learner produces knowledge and form meaning based upon their experience. ("Piaget's Theory of Constructivism", 2006) The first constructivist theories were developed …show more content…

A technical definition for scaffolding can be, "a process through which a teacher adds supports for students in order to enhance learning and aid in the mastery of tasks." (Reid, para. 1, 2017). This basis of learning that the teacher adds support for is known as the Zone of Proximal Development. The Zone of Proximal Development can be defined as the difference where a student can perform currently to what they can achieve with the proper instruction and resources. In comparison to athletics, this would be considered a learner’s 'floor' vs their 'ceiling.' Before one can look at the application of constructivism and scaffolding in the classroom, one must understand what it is not. Constructivism is not direct instruction. It is not built around a teacher giving a general lecture to a class on a daily basis with little to no peer communication. This established thesis, and antithesis can let one see what this teaching method looks like in a

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