Social Constructivism Essay

Constructivists believe that learning progresses primarily from prior knowledge, and only secondarily from the materials we present to students (Alber, 2011). Alber (2011) added that launching the learning in your classroom from the prior knowledge of your students is a tenet of good teaching.

The classroom is no longer a place where the teacher pours knowledge into passive students who wait like empty vessels to be filled (Open Educational Resources of UCD Teaching and Learning). Constructivist teaching is based on the belief that learning occurs as learners are actively involved in a process of meaning and knowledge construction rather than passively receiving information (Gray. 2016). Lewis and Williams (1994) as cited by Schwartz

Constructivist teaching strategies have a great effect in the classroom both cognitively and socially for the student. A teacher must understand and use methods of both cognitive and social constructivism if he or she is to run effective constructivist classroom (Powell and Kalina, 2016). According to Gray (2016), in the constructivist classroom, both teacher and students think of knowledge as a dynamic, ever changing view of the world we live in and the ability to successfully stretch and explore that view – not as inert factoids to be memorized. The same author stated that the following are the key assumptions of this perspective include: (1) what the students currently believes, whether correct or incorrect is important; (2) despite having the same teaching experience, each individual will base their learning on the understanding and meaning personal to them; (3) understanding or constructing a meaning is an active and continuous process; (4) when students construct a new meaning, they may not believe it but may give it provisional acceptance or even rejection; (5) learning may involve some conceptual changes; and, (6) learning is an active, not a passive process and depends on the students taking responsibility to

As what Burry – Stock (1995) and Zahorik, (1995) as cited by Hamal (2009) stated, a range of techniques is used in assessments. These forms of assessment should be authentic. In authentic learning, learners assume increasingly more control over the sequence in which they want to engage their learning and are free to explore the various local details of the topic. They can build their own mental frameworks in ways that are natural to them, unencumbered by a superimposed logical sequence (Schell, 2016). Likewise, the additional outcome for authentic learning in a constructivist curriculum thus becomes: “learning that triggers critical self-reflection, through which students’ worldviews and values are confirmed or challenged” (McKenzie, 2002).

As what Zimmerman explained (2015), in education, the real trajectory of learning can be seen in the transition from teacher-led instruction to lifelong, self-directed learning. It’s the trajectory of ownership – from performing upon command to performing for the love of the performance. And that’s precisely why so many people give up so much of their lives for this enterprise we call education. The love of learning is so deep in them that it becomes the principle message they need to communicate to those students under their tutelage: live to learn and learn