Constructivism The Search for Truth Viability

Grounding Assumptions Learning is an active process of constructing knowledge rather than acquiring it. Instruction is primarily a process of supporting construction rather than communicating knowledge

Epistemology (Knowing) Each of us can know only what we have personally constructed. We cannot “know” in any complete sense what someone else has constructed.

Validity Not “How well does this knowledge, understanding, explanation match ‘reality?’” i.e. Truth But “How does this knowledge, understanding, explanation affect my view of the world or my commitments to it?” i.e. Viability

Communication/Meaning Seek compatibility, lack of contradiction. Probe to find where or if our understandings begin to diverge. Implications –Do not assume we must have common meaning, rather seek to grasp different views. –Do not seek to transmit knowledge, rather seek to understand and challenge learners’ thinking.

Constructivism is not Constructivism Individual Cognitive emphasizes the constructive activity of the individual as he or she tries to make sense of the world. Sociocultural emphasizes the socially and culturally situated context of cognition; learning is acculturation.

Comparison Table