Diverse Interaction Fosters Collaborative Learning

Studying child development influenced my Philosophy of Education by giving me an insight of how children think and learn. Knowing that constructivism has roots in cognitive theory, basically the idea of how people construct their own understanding of the world (Philosophy of Education 1). Knowing a constructivist teacher will use student’s prior knowledge to create classroom lessons and use questions to encourage students to understand on a higher level (Philosophy of Education 1).

Constructivism is currently enjoying popularity as a "new theory" in education. In reality, the theory traces its roots through Piaget and Dewey to Kant. Constructivists align their beliefs with Kant’s writings on the interaction of the innate mind structures with the world. The individual can never know the "world-in-itself," only the world as it is constructed in the individual’s experience. Piaget traced his constructivist roots to Kant but Piaget sought to identify the structures of the mind behind the cognitive behaviors characteristic of each stage of human development. (Noddings, 1995) While Piaget wrote primarily on genetic development, Dewey stressed a student’s knowledge grew and

“Sociocultural approaches emphasize the interdependence and individual processes in the construction of knowledge”.(John-Steiner,V and Mahn,H 1996).The real understanding of constructivism is only paying much attention on the learners’ previous experience and background knowledge .It maintains that individuals create or construct their own new understandings or knowledge through the interaction of what they already believe and the ideas,events,and activities with which they come into contact.(Faculty, E. 2012).In this essay,the constructivist approaches are based on the Plaget and the sociocultural approaches are based on the Vygotskian.

Psychologists Jean Piaget’s and Lev Vygotsky’s contributions to our knowledge about cognitive development and learning, forms the foundations of modern education. Both men’s work was revolutionary for their times, underpinning the transformative shift to a constructivist way of thinking, which emerged as the most significant influence on education of the 21st Century (James & Bader, 2002). Piaget, was the first psychologist to investigate the world from the perspective of the child, determining that children and adults had different cognitive processes, while Vygotsky, formed the influential Social-cultural Development Theory. As evident in the example of Mr Gina and Miss Van, despite criticisms, both men’s work and the extensive research

According to Harasim (2017), constructivism is a theory that focuses on children’s learning and personal experiences that assist children in their academic growth. The constructivist theory involves engaging learning, collaborative learning, group work and play based learning. This theoretical perspective promotes communication within the classroom environment, which is an essential skill for children’s further studies and future career (Fosnot, 2013). Jean Piaget constructed this theory in the hope that there was an answer to how children acquire knowledge. Two key components that construct Piaget’s theory are assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation is responsible for an individual incorporating new thoughts and ideas into old ones,

Constructivist learning is theory based on how individuals learn and gain knowledge. Pritchard and Woollard (2010, p. 5) explain that the constructivist view of learning is the idea that students form meaning based on the information they have previously learnt. Each student will then construct this knowledge based on their interpretation of the lesson, their previous knowledge and understandings. Dobozy (2016) identifies two views of constructivism, cognitive constructivism is the idea that learning is an internalised process of constructing information and understanding; whereas social constructivism views internalisation as an occurance after learning and meaning is formed socially, and that social communication is vital for constructing knowledge. The fact that the classroom is a socially setting at teacher needs to understand the important role that social constructivism plays and the impact on student’s learning.

Teachers that are well established in their careers are used to the traditional methods of teaching and fear to adopt new methods of teaching which see the child as ‘an empty vessel’ in which the teacher must fill the student with their own knowledge. (McCarthy, 2006, page 27). Constructivist learning requires a considerable amount of responsibility and effective classroom management from the class teacher. For constructivist learning to take place effectively, it depends on how we as teachers engage with the students and by providing enough learning opportunities for effective learning outcomes. (McCarthy, 2006). Constructivist learning requires time and effective planning to have a successful outcome. There are many advantages to using constructivist pedagogy in the classroom. Constructivist learning allows the child to construct his or her own knowledge rather than just simply being told their knowledge. Teachers can encourage constructivist learning through the use of thought provoking questions to promote critical thinking and for children to ‘become problem solvers and perhaps, more important problem finders.’ (Brook,1999, page 103). Using constructivist methods in the classroom is useful as the children can enjoy the learning experience and learn much more as they are actively involved in constructing their own knowledge. (Thirteen

Constructivism was derived from the idea that a common instructional format and the strategies to teach that format are ineffective because learning is individualistic and students need to construct knowledge with goals and minimal information (Kirschner, Sweller, & Clark, 2006). Constructivism’s roots came from Socrates’ dialogues, where he asked his students direct questions. The foundation of constructivist education was shaped by Piaget and Dewey’s Progressive Education, and Vygotsky’s theories.

The constructivism philosophy is a learning theory that is well-defined as a student’s acquisition of new knowledge founded on the student’s prior knowledge and experience. Students are perceived as automatic learners who begin to shape their knowledge in reply to contact with stimuli experienced within their environment. In return, a comprehension is developed in stages by the student’s continuous involvement. Constructivism calls into question the method of instructional strategies that are considered traditional. The constructivist theory also suggests that a student’s learning should be reliable, and that learning needs to meet real world educational

Constructivist teaching has made a huge impact on the teaching world. While, there are some that are unsure of this style of teaching there are others that enjoy it. Constructivist teaching allows the students to be their own teacher and discover topics and themes for themselves. Before students become their own teacher, the actual teacher has to put certain things in place. For starters, the teacher has to allow his or her class to have that type of environment; lots of planning should take place, the teacher should ask probing questions, and the teacher needs to make sure that the students have prior knowledge of the content.

Both Vygotsky and Piaget’s theories about how children develop cognitively, directly relate to a constructivist view of learning.

Being a child in a room full of other personalities can be very difficult; especially if that child is an introvert. There are a lot of different ways a teacher can help a child that is shy or quiet, and one way is cooperative learning. Cooperative learning changes the student and teacher roles in the classroom. It allows class interactions, individually/ group accountability, and a way for student to improve their social skills. There are some disadvantages such as a particular individual taking over the group, students not getting along, and some students letting others do all of the work. There are pros and cons to this instructional strategy, but the pros definitely outweigh the cons, in my opinion. In this paper, I’ll be talking about the benefits of cooperative learning, why it is important to use in the classroom, the disadvantages.

Constructivism is one of the three learning theories developed to help explain the way children learn in the classroom. The scientist Jean Piaget and psychologist Lev Vygotsky were the theorists who developed constructivism. (Pass, 2004) Teachers today use these ideas, some use them at different times in their classrooms and others have used them combined into the same lesson. Constructivism can help students understand and retain the information they learn in the classroom. Piaget made detailed studies of cognition in children, these tests revealed that children have different cognitive abilities. According to Piaget, children are born with a very basic mental structure on where all learning and knowledge is based. Vygotsky believes that young children are actively involved in their own learning and the development of new understandings/schema. Vygotsky interpretation of interaction with peers is a good way to increase strategies and developing skills. Vygotsky came up with the idea of the zone of proximal development. He suggests that teachers who use cooperative learning exercises with students who struggle in school, the students tend to do better with the zone of proximal development. Teachers assist students by constructing the way of learning in the classroom, a learning that will support them throughout school and in the student’s futures.

Constructivism encourages the learner to be active regarding how they learn, take information and concluding it to their understanding instead of being a passive learner (Piaget, 2016).

Teaching is a profession that is considered to be a rewarding challenging and complex role. An effective teacher does not simply teach knowledge their students and instead aims to arm students with the knowledge, skills, understanding and attitudes that will prepare students for life-long learning. The constructivist theories developed by Piaget and Vygotsky have impacted on the way that teachers teach and this has changed the approach of teaching to place a greater importance on the teacher instead to act as a facilitator of learning in an open, constructivist environment and providing students with the tools to challenge themselves to develop both academically and personally. The education of students within classrooms