Social Constructivist Perspectives on Teaching & Learning Research context of social constructivism...
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Transcript of Social Constructivist Perspectives on Teaching & Learning Research context of social constructivism...
Social Constructivist Perspectives on Teaching & Learning
Research context of social constructivism Mechanisms accounting for learning
Sociocognitive conflict theory of Piaget Sociocultural theory of Vygotsky
Analyses of social constructivism Institutional analyses Interpersonal analyses Discursive analyses
Application to contemporary education Acquiring expertise across domains Assessment Providing meaningful education for all children Educational reform
Social Constructivism: The acquisition of intellectual skills through social interaction(Think: Vygotsky, Socially Distributed Cognition)
Social Constructivist Perspectives on Teaching & Learning
Research context of social constructivism Mechanisms accounting for learning
Sociocognitive conflict theory of Piaget Sociocultural theory of Vygotsky
Analyses of social constructivism Institutional analyses Interpersonal analyses Discursive analyses
Application to contemporary education Acquiring expertise across domains Assessment Providing meaningful education for all children Educational reform
Situating Sociocultural Theory Behaviorism
Learning. Differential strengthening of bonds between situations and actions (S R)
Teaching. Shaping the responses of the learner (e.g. demonstration, reinforcement)
Task Analysis. Determine component parts, drill on prerequisite skills before advanced materials
Direct Instruction. Teacher controls pace, sequence, and content of lesson
Problems with Behaviorism Works for teaching facts, not higher order cognitive skills Does not result in the flexibility necessary for transfer of
skills to occur Offers no explanation of the mechanisms that account for
learning
Situating Sociocultural Theory Computational Theory of Mind
Meaning-making. Cognitive structures (e.g., schemata, proposition networks) represent knowledge in memory& underlie problem-solving & transfer.
Constructivism. Cognitive structures seen as individually constructed in the process of interpreting (representing) experiences.
Notion of “Constructivism”
Minimal constructivism
Radicalconstructivism
Individual constructs knowledge via mental
representations; issue is whether or not they are
accurate
Knowledge develops via dialogue w/others; hence, no such thing as objective
knowledge
Situating Sociocultural Theory Why social constructivism?
Modeling the mental processing of a given task (i.e. think-aloud activities) improves students’ performance.
Success of reciprocal teaching – students engage in reading comprehension strategies (predicting, questioning, summarizing, clarifying) in groups
o Provided evidence of relationship between quality of social interaction & nature of learning that occurred
Research on collaboration – collective knowledge, multiple understandings (representations), distributed cognitive work
Awareness of role of language production in promoting learning (explaining ones thinking leads to deeper processing)
What is social constructivism? The idea that thought, language, and knowledge are ‘not just
influenced by social factors but are social phenomena’o Cognition is a collaborative process
o Thought is internalized discourse
o Development is internalization of socially shared activities/ processes
SocialConstructivism =
Socially DistributedCognition
Social Constructivist Perspectives on Teaching & Learning
Research context of social constructivism Mechanisms accounting for learning
Sociocognitive conflict theory of Piaget Sociocultural theory of Vygotsky
Analyses of social constructivism Institutional analyses Interpersonal analyses Discursive analyses
Application to contemporary education Acquiring expertise across domains Assessment Providing meaningful education for all children Educational reform
Mechanisms for LearningSociocognitive Conflict Theory of Piaget Cognitive conflict created by social interaction drives
intellectual development Contradiction between the learner’s existing understanding
& current experiences leads to disequilibration Disequilibration “forces the subject to go beyond his current
state and strike out in new directions” (Paiget)
Among peers, there is mutual control over the interaction, therefore…
Social interaction between equals is more likely to lead to cognitive development
Caveats: verbal interaction is key to the co-construction of meaning May be unproductive if interaction is sparse May be unproductive if social structure allows passive compliance Social status strongly shapes what cognitive change happens.
Mechanisms for LearningSociocultural Theory of Vygotsky “The social dimension of consciousness is primary in time and in
fact. The individual dimension of consciousness is derivative and secondary.” (Vygotsky)
Higher mental functioning has its origins in social interaction An individual’s cognitive structures & processes emerge from their
interactions with others (not just information passed around) Focus typically on interaction between people of varying levels of
expertise (zone of proximal development) Development seen as the result of learning, not its precondition
(*cough cough Piaget cough*) There is no generic development that is independent of
communities & their practices (*cough cough Piaget cough*) Human action, on both the social and individual planes, is mediated
by tools & signs (semiotics) These tools & signs (a) facilitate co-construction of knowledge, and
(b) are internalized to aid future independent activity Learning (& Development) – result from a complex interplay of
mediational tools, the individual, and the social world
Summing Up Social Constructivism The individual is thoroughly social – Separating the
individual from social influences is not possible
Learning is culturally & contextually specific – the sociocultural contexts in which teaching & learning occur are critical to learning itself
Cognition is not separate from social, motivational, emotional, and identity processes
The study of generalization (transfer) is the study of processes not personal/situational attributes
Social Constructivist Perspectives on Teaching & Learning
Research context of social constructivism Mechanisms accounting for learning
Sociocognitive conflict theory of Piaget Sociocultural theory of Vygotsky
Analyses of social constructivism Institutional analyses Interpersonal analyses Discursive analyses
Application to contemporary education Acquiring expertise across domains Assessment Providing meaningful education for all children Educational reform
Institutional Analysis of Social Constructivist Perspective
What does this theory mean for the culture of schooling? Schools must be reconsidered in terms of…
different teaching methods (yes, of course) different cultural systems, representing different
educational, social, & communicative norms & priorities
EXAMPLE: The value placed on co-construction of meaning CHALLENGE: Difficulty of creating a context in Western
European schools where an intersubjective attitude prevails (rather than privileging of individual success, knowledge display, competition)
Interpersonal Analysis of Social Constructivist PerspectiveWhat does this theory mean for classroom culture? Learning as a Social Enterprise Emphasis on collaborative student work Teacher as scaffold (guide on the side) Shared ownership of the learning – negotiation of shared
meaning (rather than division of labor) through: All members of group work on same part of the problem at the
same time Members externalize their thinking, both right & wrong Members negotiate to agreement before moving forward As instruction moves forward, regulative activity is transferred
from teacher to students (e.g. revoicing)
Caveats: social relations drastically impact collaboration (hence, learning) teachers must socialize students into new ways of treating peers
as intellectual partners
Discursive Analysis of Social Constructivist Perspective
What does this theory mean for student interaction? Discourse is the primary symbolic, mediational tool for
cognitive development Research demonstrates that discourse/interaction is
conducive to learning; however, the benefits depend on the type of talk
Talk that is interpretive (generated in the service of analysis or explanations) is better than than talk that is merely descriptive
Teachers need to seed the conversation with new and/or alternatives for students to consider – to push students’ individual & joint thinking
The structure of the group activity matters: o Responsibility should be shared
o Expertise should be distributed
o Needs an ethos for building on preceding ideas
Social Constructivist Perspectives on Teaching & Learning
Research context of social constructivism Mechanisms accounting for learning
Sociocognitive conflict theory of Piaget Sociocultural theory of Vygotsky
Analyses of social constructivism Institutional analyses Interpersonal analyses Discursive analyses
Application to contemporary education Acquiring expertise across domains Assessment Providing meaningful education for all children Educational reform
Application of Social Constructivism to EducationAcquiring Expertise Expertise construed as facility in practices valued within a
particular community of practice (rather than merely the construction of knowledge structures in memory)
Hence, classroom are designed to capture important practices valued in the relevant domain community, not just domain ‘facts’
Assessment = Dynamic Assessment Performance of the learner is mediated/guided by the
teacher to determine the learner’s potential to profit from assistance or instruction.
A prospective measure of performance, revealing developing abilities not just already matured ones & predicting future independent success
Application of Social Constructivism to EducationProviding Meaningful Education for All children Why schools have failed to serve all children:
Discontinuities between home culture & school culture Mismatched communicative practices between
non-mainstream children & mainstream teachers, resulting in miscommunication
Internalization of negative stereotypes by minority students who may find schools to be a site for opposition & resistance
Relational issues, such as failure to attain mutual trust or shared sense of identity between teachers & students
These explanations are both descriptive of current state of schools & prescriptive for teaching.
X
Activity
Take a close look at Dotty Herd’s classroom in the film.
Briefly analyze her classroom from a social constructivist perspective. What does/not
work? Explain.
X
Interpersonal Analysis of Social Constructivist PerspectiveInterpersonal Analysis
What does this theory mean for classroom culture? Emphasis on collaborative student work
Activity
Social constructivist
classroomTraditional classroom
Student-centered activity
Independent Seat Work 0% 40%
Student presentations 15% 0%
Pair/small-group work 55% 1%
Teacher-centered activity
Directive 0% 29%
Facilitative 29% 0%
Several different forms but all share some common features Students work in small groups or teams Students are responsible not only for their own
learning but for one another’s learning as well
Example Models of Cooperative Learning Student Team Learning Jigsaw
Structuring Collaborative Learning Activities
Team Rewards Students in team receive rewards if they meet some
designated learning goal Teams are not in competition with one another All teams can earn reward
Individual Accountability Team’s success depends on the individual learning of all
team members Team members explain concepts to one another Ensure that each member of group is up to speed
Equal Opportunities Students contribute to their teams by improving over
their own past performances Ensures that all skill levels are equally challenged and
equally valued
Student Team Learning
Usually used in courses where text is central
1. Class is divided into teams of 6-10
2. Whole class reads the target text (entirely)
3. Each student chooses a topic to become expert on
4. Students who choose the same topic meet to form an expert group
5. Expert groups research topic & collaborate to develop a shared understanding
6. Students return to their teams to teach what they learned to their teammates
• Students can only learn topics other than the one they chose via listening to peers, so teammates are motivated to support one another’s work.
Jigsaw Method
Compared to traditional (individual desk work) instruction, cooperative learning wins out 61% of the time
Effects vary depending on particular methods used Group goals & individual accountability are crucial! Equal benefits to students of all ability levels Students express greater liking for their peers in
general as a result – important when classroom is ethnically diverse
Increases students’ self esteem & self-concept Other general outcomes: liking school, development
of peer norms in favor of doing well academically, feelings of self-efficacy, cooperativeness, & altruism ..
Research Shows…