1. Knowledge Construction Chapter 7

2. Constructive processes in learning and memory

3. Individual Constructivism: Storage
Influenced by

4. Individual Constructivism: Retrieval
Combining partial information with general knowledge, assumptions about the world
leads to reconstruction errors

5. Social Constructivism
Meaning is jointly constructed
two or more people at the same time
distributed cognition
by groups or cultures over time
science, literature, art

6. Organizing knowledge

7. Concepts Mental grouping of similar events, objects, ideas, or people
“Smallest units of thought”
Can be concrete (dog) or abstract (noun)
Learned through experience (dog) or direct instruction (noun)

8. Schemas & Scripts
Schema
Script
Influenced by culture

9. Theories
Integrated sets of concepts & principles to explain particular phenomena
“Naïve theories” constructed by individuals

10. Worldviews

11. Promoting effective knowledge construction

12. General Strategies
Provide opportunities for observation, experimentation
Present experts’ perspectives
Emphasize conceptual understanding
Encourage classroom dialogue
Assign authentic activities
Scaffold theory construction
Create a community of learners

13. When knowledge construction goes awry: Addressing learners’ misconceptions

14. Misconceptions
Beliefs inconsistent with accepted and well-validated explanation
world is flat (k-2)
plants “eat” soil, fertilizer (Grades 3-5)
division always leads to smaller number (Grades 9-12)
Individually, culturally constructed
Can inhibit new learning

15. Promoting Conceptual Change
Identify misconceptions before instruction begins
Look for, build on elements of truth in students’ existing understandings
Convince students that existing beliefs need revision
Motivate students to learn correct explanations
Preserve students’ self-esteem; do not ridicule them for misunderstandings
Monitor students for persistent misconceptions

16. Diversity in constructive processes

17. Factors Influencing Constructive Processes
Individual student knowledge
Student core beliefs
culture, religion
To encourage learning:
expose students to diverse perspectives
develop community of learners
accommodate students with special needs

18. The big picture

19. The Big Picture
Learners construct knowledge on their own & in collaboration with others.
Learners integrate what they learn to make generalizations.
Learners’ constructions are sometimes productive and sometimes counterproductive.