Constructivism Piaget and Vygotsky

Constructivism is a theory -- based on observation and scientific study -- about how people learn. It says that people construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world, through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences. “Constructivism is also often misconstrued as a learning theory that compels students to "reinvent the wheel." In fact, constructivism taps into and triggers the student's innate curiosity about the world and how things work. Students do not reinvent the wheel but, rather, attempt to understand how it turns, how it functions” (2004).

Key Elements Create own knowledge Learners ask questions and explore what they know Teachers support students as they construct their knowledge Active techniques such as experiments and real world problem solving Students learn how to learn and reflect on their own experiences

Piaget is a constructivist Piaget is a constructivist. His theory is known as “cognitive constructivism”.  He believes that there are four stages of cognitive development that every child goes through, beginning at birth through adulthood. He also believes that children learn on their own through self exploration. Jean Piaget

Piaget - Key Elements of Learning Theory Children learn through hands on activities, they repeat these activities until it is learned Four stages of development: Sensorimotor: birth to 2 years (with multiple substages from 0 months - 24 months) - info received through senses. Pre-Operational: 2-7 years - children are egocentric and struggle with concept of conservation Concrete Operational: 7-11 - struggle with concepts that can not be manipulated, conservation improves Formal Operational: 11- adult - able to think outside the box From ages 3-6, logic does not exist A child is a product of his environment and will act on it. The interaction between social and physical is imperative in cognitive learning Thought drives language Development comes before learning Defines children as “lone scientists” Schema - a framework that helps one organize and interpret information

Vygotsky is also a constructivist Vygotsky is also a constructivist. He is known as a "social constructivist". Vygotsky does not assess the development of children as they pass through stages. He believes children learn by communicating with adults who should responsibly teach them how to get by in the world. He believes that adults are responsible for the development of children through interacting with them in their Zone of Proximal Development. Lev Vygotsky

Vygotsky - Key Elements of Learning Theory Children learn through social interaction Learning is a life-long process Believes that adults are the teacher Believes that children learn from interacting in conversation with adults. Language drives thought Development and learning work together through social interaction Zone of Proximal Development - distance between what a learner can do by himself and with help from others Scaffolding - support given during the learning process *No stages of development

Vygotsky vs. Piaget

Using Constructivist Methods Actual LEsson Using Constructivist Methods

English/ Language Arts Sixth Grade PreAp, On-Level, CoTeach Area of discipline English/ Language Arts Sixth Grade PreAp, On-Level, CoTeach

Objective In this Problem Based Learning Lesson, the student will work in a group to create a campaign to inspire their peers to become summer readers.

Specific Content and Competencies ELA TEKS 6.28 Students work productively with others in teams. Students are expected to participate in student led discussion by eliciting and considering suggestions from other group members and by identifying points of agreement and disagreement.

The Goal In this PBL, the student will work in a group of four and will research problems based on the lack of reading during the summer break. After which the group will come up with a campaign through a pretend advertising agency to encourage summer reading.

The Constructivist Aspect Students will use schema to come up with ideas that are appropriate for their age group. Students will use schema to simulate a company Students will use the group to acquire new ideas and balance a presentation in which their different schema produces a positive campaign regarding summer reading.

References Constructivism as a paradigm for teaching and learning. (2004). Retrieved July 22, 2015, from http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/ Duffy, T. M. and D. J. Cunningham (1996). Constructivism: Implications for the design and delivery of instruction. Handbook of research for educational communications and technology. D. H. Jonassen, ed. New York, Macmillan. Ertmer, P. and T. J. Newby (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4): 50-71. Piaget & Vygotsky: A Comparison!. Retrieved July 22, 2015, from https://www.mindmeister.com/139274374/piaget-vygotsky-a- comparison (n.d.). Retrieved July 24, 2015, from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7e/Lev_Vygotsky.jpg (n.d.). Retrieved July 24, 2015, from http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/piaget.gif Retrieved July 22, 2015, from https://psychohawks.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/theories-of-cognitive-development-jean-piaget/ Social constructivism. (2015). Retrieved July 22, 2015, from http://gsi.berkeley.edu/gsi-guide-contents/learning-theory- research/social-constructivism/