Overview

You can’t just “download” knowledge into a student’s brain like a file. They have to build it themselves. Constructivism says that learning is an active process of building (constructing) meaning from experience.

Core Idea

The core idea is Active Building. Knowledge isn’t a thing you get; it’s a thing you make.

Formal Definition

A theory of learning that argues that humans construct knowledge and meaning from their experiences. Key Figures: Jean Piaget (Cognitive Constructivism) and Lev Vygotsky (Social Constructivism).

Intuition

  • Lego: You can give a kid a finished Lego castle (Traditional Teaching). Or you can give them the bricks and let them build it (Constructivism). They understand the castle better if they built it.
  • The Map: You don’t learn a city by looking at a map. You learn it by getting lost and finding your way back.

Examples

  • Math: Instead of memorizing $3 \times 4 = 12$, the student arranges 3 rows of 4 buttons and counts them. They “discover” multiplication.
  • Science: Doing an experiment to see why oil floats on water, rather than reading about density in a textbook.

Common Misconceptions

  • The teacher does nothing: No, the teacher is the “Facilitator.” They guide the student.
  • There is no truth: Radical Constructivism says reality is subjective. But most educators just mean that learning is subjective.
  • Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD): The sweet spot. Things the student can’t do alone, but can do with help. (Vygotsky).
  • Scaffolding: The support the teacher gives (hints, clues) to help the student climb to the next level.

Applications

  • Inquiry-Based Learning: Starting with a question (“Why is the sky blue?”) and letting students research the answer.

Criticism / Limitations

  • Efficiency: It takes a long time to “discover” everything. Sometimes it’s faster to just tell the student the answer (Direct Instruction). You don’t want a medical student to “construct” their own theory of surgery.

Further Reading

  • Piaget, Jean. The Psychology of the Child.
  • Vygotsky, Lev. Mind in Society.