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CONSTRUCTIVISM
Constructivism is a part of cognitive revolution. Constructivist theory stress
learning in which learners are provided with the opportunity to construct the meaning
by themselves, their own sense of what was being learned by building intern
connection or relationship among ideas and facts being taught. The teachers are mere
facilitators in this theory. Constructivism primarily is a synthesis of the ideas from
philosophy, sociology and psychology. Based on the history of constructivism, in a
general sense it is a theory of learning or making meaning that individuals create their
own new understanding on the basis of an interaction between what they already
know, belief, ideas and knowledge with which they come into contact.
DEFINITION OF CONSTRUCTIVISM
Constructivism is a theory that determines how learning happens. It is one of
the useful learning in which it determines the lives of learners; try to look for their
own understanding about something that they are curious to know. The ways to seek
can be done through questioning of their knowledge and new discoveries.
Constructivism as a learning theory learns about how people learn to construct
something in their own understanding by relating the prior knowledge and new
information. Thereby learners become active creators.
Constructivism as a theory of learning emerged from the work of cognitive
psychologists such as Piaget, Vygotsky and Bruner. With the development of cultural
psychology, the two perspectives become dominant. They are individual and social
construction. Individual constructivism focuses on the construction of the meaning
inside the person while social construction focuses on the construction of meaning
among people.
TYPES OF CONSTRUCTIVISM
They are two major constructivist perspective.
1. Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Constructivism as individual perspective.
Piaget is a Swiss psychologist who describes knowledge development from a
holistic and cognitive perspective, emphasizing that there are many channels that are
used to construct understanding. Cognitive construction developed as a reaction to
behaviourist and information processing theories of learning. As the reaction to
behaviourists, since constructivism tries to help the students as active learners while
behaviourism is in opposite. In the information processing the learner perceives
stimuli encodes them into useful information then stores the information for later use
while in the constructivism tries to assimilate the previous knowledge and the new
one to be current problem solving. In this case, cognitive construction tries to make a
situation in which learning as the result of constructing based on individual
perspectives and his or her previous knowledge. The development of human
intellectual can be processed through the process of adaptation and organization.
Adaptation is a process of assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation is the way
to relate what has already known and prior experience while accommodation is to
correct the way relating to the new information. Piaget also organizes schemas to
produce the adult mind by using schemata. Schemata or prior knowledge links
organize our experience more efficiently for processing. It is important to produce the
effective problem solving. Overall, Piaget’s cognitive constructivism focuses on how
the individual processes and relates new information to information that has already
in mind.
2. Lev Vygotsky’s Social Cultural Constructivism.
Vygotsky is a Russian psychologist who introduces the constructivism through
socio-constructivist perspectives. In this case, the theory of Vygotsky emphasized in
the learning based on context through the interaction with others in social
environments in which knowledge is to be applied. Vygotsky as the expert of
constructivism in socio cultural perspective assumed that the theory came from the
theory of language, thought and mediation in social environment. Constructivists
believe that the learning occur via construction of meaning in social interaction within cultures and through language. Social Constructivism classroom is rooted from
Vygotsky’s psychological theory that knowledge is not transferred from teachers to
students but constructed in the students’ mind. It means that the social constructivism
which rooted from Vygotsky’s perspective can be applied in education field. In this
case, the focus of knowledge does not come from teacher to students but now the
students can construct by their own selves.
Here are some characteristics of social constructivism classroom:
• The goal is emphasized in collaborative meaning
• The role of teacher as a facilitator who monitors the students’ thinking
• The social interaction can occur in classroom
• The curriculum that is applied in classroom can absorb the interest of the
students and then assimilate it with their own cultures
From the characteristics of social constructivism, it is important to emphasize to the
social environment not within the individuals’ mind. Moreover, it is also important
that the teacher and peers also have the significant role in the application itself.
There are four tools for social constructivism. They are scaffolding, cognitive
apprenticeship, tutoring and cooperative learning.
1. Scaffolding is the technique to increase the students’ competence and to
reduce the teacher’s guidance.
2. Cognitive apprenticeship is the technique where the teachers’ belief about
students’ competence to show the best performance and to create the learning
situation as well as possible.
3. Tutoring is the effective technique to help the students’ learning by giving
explanation that can be done between an adult and a child or between a more
skilled child and less skilled child.
4. Cooperative learning is the learning by discussing something in group based
on their own experience.
Those are the viewpoints of individual and social constructivism. In the following are the primary propositions that characterizes constructivism from a
cognitive and social viewpoint:
• Cognitive is seen as the tool for sharing the people’s understanding about
something that they want to know then they test it.
• The goal is to assimilate the people prior knowledge and the new one in order
to construct new understanding.
BRUNER (CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY)
In this case, Jerome Bruner, one of the psychologist of constructivism who
supports the cognitive construction based on Piaget. It means that Bruner also has the
same thinking about individual constructivism that it focuses on how the individual
process occur and it relates new information to information already in the mind. The
theoretical framework of Bruner is that learning is an active process based on their
current or past knowledge. Moreover, the focus of Jerome Bruner in cognitive
constructivism is in instruction. So, in this case, the role of instructors should try and
encourage students to discover principles by themselves. The instructor and the
students should engage in active activities. There are three principles of instruction
from Bruner,
1. Instruction must be concerned with the experience and the context that make the
students willing and able to learn.
2. Instruction must be structured so that it can be easily grasped by students.
3. Instruction should be designed to facilitate exploration or fill in the gaps.
THE PRINCIPLES OF CONSTRUCTIVISM
1. Knowledge is actively constructed by the individual. It means that knowledge is seen or viewed as learning in how the learner construct the
meaning of something that can make sense to him. It makes the learner active creators.
2. Learning is both an individual and social process. We find the meaning of learning through interaction with others in natural context.
3. Learning is a self-regulated process. Individuals’ learning is determined by the inborn characteristics and external factors
that influence them.
4. Learning is an organizational process that enables people to make sense of
their world. Learning is viewed as process to relate the prior knowledge and new one by
assimilating and accommodating.
5. Cognition serves the organization of the experimental world, not the
ontological reality. Truth as viability, not validity
In doing the term ‘learning’ an individual has different ways, perspectives, life and
purpose of it. So, he or she has different results in interpreting the term ‘learning’ that
is based on his or her experience.
6. Reality represents an interpretation. To construct our understanding of the meaning of certain thing, we can’t separate with
the term interpretation.
7. Learning is a socially situated activity that is enhanced in meaningful contexts. The term ‘learning’ happens in social environments in interaction with others in
meaningful context.
8. Language plays an essential role in learning. Thinking takes place in
communication
Language is seen as the tool to connect with what has been learning with component
of language such as words, sentences, etc. then combine it in order to create the
effective communication.
9. Motivation is a key component in learning. Motivation has significant role in learning. If the learner has high motivation in
learning, he will have the better result than the learner who doesn’t.
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF LEARNING IN CONSTRUCTIVE
CLASSROOM
1. Constructed: - the students learn how to construct the meaning of things or words
through assimilating prior knowledge and new understanding.
2. Active: - by studying constructivism, it helps the students to become active creators.
3. Reflective: - the students reflect what they already know to their real life.
4. Collaborative: - constructivism as a theory of learning to construct the meaning of
certain word by discussing with the peers or others in the group discussion.
5. Inquiry based: - study of constructivism to find the solution from the problem.
6. Evolving: - evolving is the temporary way to integrate the knowledge that is already
gained to reduce validity.
COMPARISON BETWEEN TRADITIONAL AND
CONSTRUCTIVIST CLASSROOM
Traditional Classroom Constructive Classroom
- Curriculum begins with the parts of the whole. Emphasize basic skills.
- Strict adherence to fixed curriculum is highly valued.
- Materials are primarily workbooks and textbooks.
- Learning is based on repetition.
- Teachers disseminate information to students. Students are recipient of knowledge.
- Teacher’s role is directive, rooted in authority.
- Assessment through testing, correct answers.
- Knowledge is seen as inherent.
- Students work primarily alone.
- Curriculum emphasizes on big concepts, beginning with the whole and expanding to include parts
- Pursuit of the student questions and interested valued.
- Materials include primary sources of material and manipulative materials.
- Learning is interactive, building on what the student already knows.
- Teachers have a dialogue with students, helping students to construct their own knowledge.
- Teacher’s role is interactive, rooted in negotiation.
- Assessment includes student works, observation and points of review as well as tests.
- Knowledge is seen as dynamic, ever changing with our experience.
- Students work primarily in groups.
REFERENCE
Aljohani, M. (2017). Principles of “Constructivism” in Foreign Language Teaching.
Journal of Literature and Art Studies, January 2017, Vol. 7, No.1, 97-
107/2021. 12.24
Amineh, R.J and Asl, H.D. (2015). Review of Constructivism and Social
Constructivism. Journal of Social Sciences, Literature and Languages. Vol.
1(1), pp. 9-16, 30 April, 2015/ 2021.12.24
Kumar Singh, Yogesh and Ruchika Nath. Teaching of psychology. APH Publishing
Corporation: New Delhi, 2015. Print
Wijayanti, Dina Novita. "Constructivism Theory of Language Teaching and
Learning." mydreamsarea, blogger.09 December 2011
https://www.google.com/amp/s/mydreamarea.wordpress.com/2013/01/05/c
onstructivism-theory-of-language-teaching-and-learning/amp/
