Constructivist Learning

Constructivist learning is primarily centered around the student and makes them begin to take ownership of their own learning. They begin to learn new ideas through lessons that are designed to challenge them overtly and not just spoon feed them the new information. The students work in a structured and supportive environment with their peers to investigate the solutions to problems or answers to questions, which really personalizes their learning experience. This is a great way to ensure the students are internalizing the new information and processing it in a way that will make sense to them at the moment, as well as in the future.

In the video, there was an ongoing lesson about the lighting of a light bulb with high school physics students. As the one teacher from Saugus, MA pointed out, this was a lesson he had taught many times in five minutes, but the new information may not have been learned correctly nor retained for future use. The idea of implementing the constructivist style of learning in a science setting is a smart way to handle this type of because already the idea of hands on learning has been implemented through experiments. The students are able to focus on their “individual” constructivist learning through the small group lab work because they have been asked to answer a question through “discovery” (Moreno, p. 299). Another aspect of constructivist learning in this scenario was clearly that of guided discovery (Moreno, p. 300). The teachers in all of the scenarios were not giving direct answers rather they were asking more questions in return of the students to force them to think even deeper to try to make sense of the new knowledge. The experiment also clearly demonstrated John Dewey’s contribution to the constructivist theory in the teacher remained the outsider promoting “inquiry based learning” (Moreno, p. 300). The teachers remained ever involved in the small group discussions to ensure the students remained on the right track to reaching their learning goals. By forcing the students to work on solving this problem in small groups it gave them a sense of being safe to explore their own feelings, as well as encouraged them to open up socially to their peers. This is a bonus in constructivist learning because the social aspect of this learning theory is at the heart of its success. The video also showcased instances when the students were talking through their own mistakes and generating new ideas to correct those mistakes. This is an aspect of constructivism identified by Moreno wherein she states group work enhances understanding “because [the students] are encouraged to clarify and organize their own ideas, elaborate on what they know, discover flaws in their reasoning, and entertain alternative perspectives that may be as valid as their own” (p. 302).

I think being a school library media specialist (SLMS) would lend itself well to using the constructivist theory of learning because much of what is taught in the library setting could be construed as research or experimenting. The use of small groups to answer research questions and develop information seeking skills is completely appropriate in that using each other to come up with efficient ideas is great. The students will be able to develop skills in their groups to use in their content area classes and they can work on the social development skills in the mean time. If the kids are working on an independent project for a class they would still be able to pick the brains of a classmate to make sure they are on the right track and being the SLMS, I would not necessarily have to give the answer to the student straight up. There is a way to encourage the constructivist learning by asking the student pointed questions to keep them on the right track.

Socio-cognitive learning is probably not something I would focus heavily on when developing lessons or curricula. It has strengths in that it helps the students develop a positive attitude about their own capabilities in learning and also helps them set learning goals. These are good building blocks for a successful educational journey. If this theory were to be used, it is a good idea to focus on helping the students develop their self-regulation skills and make sure they are continuously moving in the right direction, which is feeling good about their accomplishments.

Moreno, R. (2010). Educational psychology. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.