Principles of Constructivism

Previous to our class discussion,my idea of constructivist learning was much like Cathy's. In Dr. Jones' class we learned that one major theory of how people attain knowledge is through constructivism. In constructivist learning, everybody learns something, but people may not learn the same thing. We also learned that knowledge is attained through the individual creating meaning from their own experiences. After our readings and class discussion I now see that constructivist learning is a bit more involved, not so easily defined and can exist in varying degrees.
Phillips describes constructivism as existing in various forms and in different degrees along one of three axes. One axis describes the learner's role in the construction of knowledge. The spectrum in which the individual constructs knowledge ranges from active to passive. Another axis depicts the Learning Theory version of constructivism. At one end of the axis the learner is the focus of how knowledge is constructed and at the other end of the spectrum is the public discipline; or how a body of knowledge comes to be. The third axis reflects how knowledge is created. One end of this axis shows the human as the creator of knowledge and the opposite end of the spectrum depicts nature as the instructor where knowledge is only discovered in nature and is not made. It is at this end of the spectrum that one is on longer a constructivist.
As a future early childhood teacher, I feel it is important to understand constructivism, it's principles, and to have an idea of the different types and varying degrees that exist. As teachers, we will be more immediately concerned with how the individual attains knowledge as opposed to how a public discipline comes to be. I feel that because each individual brings to the classroom with him/her unique experiences, ideas and diverse backgrounds, knowledge is constucted differently by each individual. These many different experiences shape their perception and affect how they view things. Because of these different experiences, children tend to construct their own meanings of things and look for familiarities in which to construct relationships. This goes along with learners as constructivist. Teachers should consider this when setting up their learning environments and in choosing methods to present materials. In constructivism, teaching is not telling; nor is learning rote memorization. Teachers must present concepts through learning activities that actively engage students and require them to question, problem solve and collaborate with peers. In this learning theory, the teacher plays the role of facilitator that encourages students to explore, challenge and formulate their own ideas while students create their own meanings and construct their own knowledge. Some types of activities in constructivist instruction are group projects and hands-on activities. Teachers should challenge themselves to develop activities that provide students with direct purposeful experiences and promote critical thinking. These activities may be more difficult to plan and more time intensive, but I feel are more effective and will lead to greater understanding, construction and retention of knowledge. As future early childhood educators, it will be important for us to take into consideration these principles of constructivist thinking when considering our students and how they learn and our roles as teachers.