Constructivism vs Behaviorism vs Cognitivism Behaviorism behavior B

Constructivism (vs. Behaviorism vs. Cognitivism ) Behaviorism (behavior) B. F. Skinner – Skinner Boxes (classical cond. ) Ivan Pavlov - Dogs (operant conditioning) classroom- behavior analysis, direct instruction Cognitivism (cognitive) Gestalt psychology (pattern, configuration) classroom- teacher structures learning activities to build intelligence & cognitive/metacognitive development

Constructivism “Learning is an active, contextualized process of constructing knowledge rather than acquiring it. Knowledge is constructed based on personal experiences and hypotheses of the environment. Learners continuously test these hypotheses through social negotiation. Each person has a different interpretation and construction of knowledge process. The learner is not a blank slate (tabula rasa) but brings past experiences and cultural factors to a situation. ” -Learning-Theories. com -The learner constructs knowledge from personal experience. -A theory of learning (not a pedagogy)

CONSTRUCTIVISTS Kolb – Experiential Learning Montessori – “Education is a natural process spontaneously carried out by the human individual, and is acquired not by listening to words but by experiences upon the environment…. Teachers can only help

Application & Issues in the Classroom -Relax current climate of control by policymakers -Teacher as mediator, not expert. -Assessing student knowledge can be problematic. -Knowledge can not be defined as a set of objective facts. -Students may not always be willing to work in collaborative groupings.

Constructivism Today Then vs. Now Note: The Parallel Curriculum, p 39 -40. “Students must attend and perceive the new content in the learning environment, and they must Student make a connection between prior knowledge and this new content. ” Teacher Content

Bibliography � � � Learning Theories Knowledgebase (2012, September). Constructivism at Learning. Theories. com. Retrieved September 25 th, 2012 from http: //www. learningtheories. com/constructivism. html Baker, E. ; Mc. Gaw, B. & Peterson P (Eds) (2007) International Encyclopaedia of Education 3 rd Edition, Oxford: Elsevier ( print) Sjoberg, Sven. Constructivism and learning. University of Oslo, Norway. Hein, George. Constructivist Learning Theory. The Museum and the Needs of People CECA (International Committee of Museum Educators) Conference Jerusalem Israel, October 1991. Tomlinson, Et al. The Parallel Curriculum. 2 nd Edition. 2009. Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks, CA. Print.