Overview

How do we learn? Is it by reward and punishment (Pavlov’s dog)? Or by building our own understanding (Lego)? Different theories offer different answers.

Core Idea

Constructivism: Learners don’t just passively receive information; they actively construct knowledge based on their experiences. You can’t just pour knowledge into a student’s head like water into a bucket.

Formal Definition (if applicable)

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD): The difference between what a learner can do without help and what they can do with help. Teaching should happen in this “sweet spot” (Vygotsky).

Intuition

  • Behaviorism: Training a dog. Sit -> Treat. (Drill and kill).
  • Cognitivism: Computer processing. Input -> Process -> Output. (Memory strategies).
  • Constructivism: A science experiment. Trying things out and seeing what happens.

Examples

  • Scaffolding: Giving a student a lot of help at first, then slowly taking it away (like training wheels).
  • Social Learning: Watching a YouTube video to learn how to fix a sink (Bandura).

Common Misconceptions

  • “Learning Styles (Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic) are real.” (Research shows this is a myth. Good teaching uses all modes.)
  • “You either get it or you don’t.” (Growth Mindset: Intelligence can be developed.)
  • Metacognition: Thinking about thinking.
  • Andragogy: The art of teaching adults (vs. Pedagogy for children).
  • Bloom’s Taxonomy: A hierarchy of learning objectives (Remember -> Understand -> Apply -> Analyze -> Evaluate -> Create).

Applications

  • Classroom Management: Using rewards (Behaviorism).
  • Lesson Planning: Designing hands-on activities (Constructivism).
  • EdTech: Adaptive learning software.

Criticism / Limitations

Behaviorism ignores internal mental states. Constructivism can be inefficient for beginners who need direct instruction.

Further Reading

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