CONSTRUCTIVISM:

Knowledge Construction / Concept Learning

Constructivism - is a type of learning theory that explains human learning as an active attempt to construct meaning in the world around us.

Individual Constructivism

It emphasizes individual, internal construction of knowledge

Social Constructivism

It emphasizes that “Knowledge exist in a social context and initially shared with others instead of being represented solely

in the mind of the individual

Characteristics of Constructivism

-Eggen and Kauchak

1.Learners construct understanding

2.New learning depends on current understanding

3.Learning is facilitated by social interaction

4.Meaningful learning occurs within authentic learning task

Organizing Knowledge CONCEPT-is a way of grouping or categorizing objects or events in our

mind

Concepts as feature list-learning a concept involves learning specific features that characterize positive instance of the concept

a. Defining Feature- is a characteristic present in ALL instances

b. Correlational Feature -is one that is present in many instances but not essential for

concept membership

Concepts as Prototype-is an idea or a visual image of a typical example

Concepts as Exemplars-represent a variety of examples

Making Concept-Learning Effective

1. Provide a clear definition of the concept2. Make the defining features very concrete and prominent 3. Give a variety of positive instances 4. Give negative instances 5. Cite a “ best example” or a prototype6. Provide opportunity for learners to identify positive and negative instances 7. Ask learners to think of their own example of the concept 8. Point out how concepts can be related to each other

Scheme and Script

Scheme -is an organized body of knowledgeabout something

Script- is a schema that includes a series of predictable events about a specific activity

Applying Constructivism in facilitating Learning

*Aim to make learners understand a few key ideas in an in-depth manner, rather than taking up so many topics superficially.*Give varied examples* Provide opportunities for experimentation *Provide lots of opportunities for quality interaction *Have lots of hands-on activities*Relate your topic to real life situations *Do not depend o the explanation method all the time

Adrian P. Miranda BSED-1C

Facilitating Learning