Workshop 3: The Role of Constructivism in the Coming Decade

Coordinator–Maria Groves Elaborator–Selwa Alkadhi Explorer–Li Fang Wang Explorer–Yaniv Oded Recorder–Robin McMullen

Some experts trace beginnings of Constructivist thought to classical antiquity and the Socratic method (Brooks, 2004) The writings of philosopher Immanuel Kant (1997; 1998) and of developmental theorist Jean Piaget (1995) provide theoretical foundations for the Constructivist philosophy A cornerstone of Constructivism is Vygotsky’s (1997) theory of the ‘zone of proximal development’ 7/3/2008 National Association of Training Executives 3

Objectivism/Positivism Transfer knowledge from outside to inside the learner Arrange conditions to promote specific goals Pre-design knowledge externally Teacher directs; learner receives Learner produces; teacher assesses Constructivism/Relativism Learner constructs own knowledge with guidance Arrange conditions to promote construction of meaning Construct knowledge internally Teacher facilitates; learner controls Learner constructs; assessment contextual 7/3/2008 National Association of Training Executives 4

Views learning as a social, collaborative endeavor (Phillips, 2006) Scaffolds learning by building on existing knowledge (Duffy & Cunningham, 1996) Acknowledges learner as an independent agent (Phillips, 2006) Focuses on learning process as well as outcomes (Reiser & Dempsy, 2007) Adapts to learners, cultures, environments, resources (Brooks, 2004) 7/3/2008 National Association of Training Executives 5

Encourages critical thinking (Brooks, 2004) Sets the stage for development of higher order cognitive skills (Brooks, 2004), i.e., analysis, synthesis, evaluation Builds collaboration skills (Duffy & Cunningham, 1996), e.g., communication, negotiation Empowers learners by giving them ownership of their learning (Brooks, 2004) 7/3/ National Association of Training Executives

Learners want and need active guidance Positioning the teacher as ‘collaborator’ deprives learners of the benefits of the teacher’s superior training and experience Collaborative learning may suffice for learners within one standard deviation of the mean; it does not well serve learners whose abilities fall in the two tails of the distribution Faster learners have limited opportunity to acquire new knowledge; they’re too busy teaching classmates what they, themselves have already learned Slower learners need help from a trained, professional teacher, not a colleague or a collaborator. 7/3/2008 National Association of Training Executives 7

Does not facilitate learning what to learn May be inadequate preparation for the real world, in which what one knows is more important than how one learned it Psychomotor skills don’t fit the model; learners must not decide for themselves how to fly an airplane or do CPR Taken to its postmodern conclusion, leaves the existence of objective reality open to question. Nevertheless, = 4 in all cases; objective reality exists and learners need a certain set of knowledge to cope with it effectively. Absence of objective assessment guarantees that Constructivism’s shortcomings cannot be empirically evaluated; the Constructivist classroom is a perpetual, undocumented experiment from which only anecdotal evidence can be gleaned 7/3/2008 National Association of Training Executives 8

Enriching the environment to facilitate each individual learner’s personal construction of the knowledge that each chooses to acquire costs money and takes time; nor is it clear that such enrichment is even possible Evolving and describing context takes time Collaboration takes time Experimentation takes time Compensating for documented shortfall in basic skills (Brooks, 2004) costs money and time Critical periods for acquiring basic skills may be missed, in which case those skills are never fully developed 7/3/ National Association of Training Executives

ObjectivismConstructivismIntegration Teacher is authorityTeacher and learner are colleagues Teacher provides information, consciously engages learners Objective standardsContextual constructs Objective standards, sensitive to context Transfer knowledgeBuild knowledgeBuild on transferred knowledge Pre-design knowledge Construct knowledge on the spot Deepen knowledge via guided exploration Teacher directsLearner controlsTeacher presents content & facilitates learner synthesis Learner producesLearner constructsLearner produces assessable evidence of mastery and construction 7/3/ National Association of Training Executives

Alesandrini, K., & Larson, L. (2002). Teachers Bridge to Constructivism. Clearing House, 75(3), 118. Brooks, J. G., Matsuoka, B. M., & Doyle, A. (2004). Constructivism as a Paradigm for Teaching and Learning. Concept to Classroom: A Series of Workshops Retrieved July 6, 2008, from Duffy, T. M., & Cunningham, D. J. (1996). Constructivism: Implications for the design and delivery of instruction. In D. J. Jonassen (Ed.), Handbook of Research of Educational Communications and Technology (pp ). New York: McMillan Library Reference USA. Kant, I. (Ed.). (1997). Critique of Practical Reason. New York: Cambridge University Press. Kant, I. (Ed.). (1998). Critique of Pure Reason. New York: Cambridge University Press. Phillips, D. (2006). The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: The Many Faces of Constructivism. Philosophy of Education: An Anthology. Piaget, J. (Ed.). (1995). Sociological Studies. New York: Routledge. Prefume, Y. (2007). Constructivism in foreign language learning. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 11(1), 5. Reiser, R., & Dempsey, J. (2007). Constructivism and Instructional Design: The Emergence of the Learning Sciences and Design Research. Columbus, OH: Pearson Education. Vygotsky, L. S., Rieber, R. W., & Hall, M. J. (1997). The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky, Vol. 4: The history of the development of higher mental functions. New York, NY, US: Plenum Press. 7/3/2008 National Association of Training Executives 11