Constructivism by Chris

Constructivism is student centered learning with real life (authentic) situations and circumstances. Student-centered, learner-centered environment provide interactive, complimentary activities that enable individuals to address unique learning interest and needs, study multiple levels of complexity and deepen understanding (Hannafin & Land 1997, p. 2)


Constructivism relates to how individuals think and learn. One of it’s key components is that learning is personal – how learners view their reality is based on their own foundation of experiences, beliefs, prior knowledge, culture, and environment. So when diverse learners come together - there are many perspectives – many opinions – many answers. Rather than applying standard equations to problems involving only a single correct solution, students create unique approaches to addressing complex problems involving multiple perspectives and solution paths (Savery & Duffy 1996 p. 13). Traditional learning is concerned with one answer – the right answer (according to the teacher????)

Many programs providing open-ended questions were introduced in Chapter One such as CSILE and Model-It. Being a middle school teacher, I took specific note of Ergo Motion. We take our eighth grade students in May to Indiana Beach to ride roller coasters and associate force and motion concepts. Zoo Tycoon is one of the favorite technology applications at my school. So many kids were interested in this, that an after-school club was created. It correlated to one of the theories presented in Chapter One. According to Perkins, given opportunities to make choices and pursue individual interests, learners evolve greater responsibility for their own learning (Perkins 1993 p.12). Of course my favorite (big guess here) would be Virtual Human. I am going to be all over this one. (More residual benefits – I am stoked!!!)

In Chapter Two of Theoretical Foundations of Learning Environments, I felt validated as Brown, Collins, and Duguid argued that "knowing and doing are reciprocal – knowledge is situated and progressively developed through activity" (p.28). These “activities” are enriched in practice fields where there are no boundaries between the learner and the world; instead learning, thinking, and knowing are relations among people engaged in activity in, with and arising from the socially and culturally structured world (Lave 1997 p.29). An essential goal presented was to move from practice fields to a community - where the learner can become “a part of something larger” (p.41)

The reciprocal teaching approach and the jigsaw method was MOST interesting to me. My colleague and I are currently “constructing” an open-ended study on the problem of obesity in middle school students. As I looked over our current outline, it matched up with both of these models. I see the need to expand this beyond the classroom and the task if we wish to go beyond the practice field. After reading and further consideration, we need to consider the question of how can we as a community prevent the rise of obesity in middle school students? (Wow more residual benefits!) I certainly met the goal of this chapter “to further thinking on the characteristics of communities of practice, the advantages of learning from them, and the approaches used by educators to develop them in schools” (p.49).

Duffy, T.M & Jonassen, D.H. (1992). Constructivism: new implications for instructional technology. Duffy, T.M. & Jonassen, D.H. Constructivism and the Technology of Instruction. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.