WEEK NO. 12
The purpose of instruction should be to enable
Topic : Bruner’s Contructivist Theory
Jerome Bruner - was an American psychologist who made
significant contributions to human cognitive
psychology and cognitive learning theory in educational
psychology.
Theory
I. Bruner’s Main Concepts
▪️Bruner proposed having three stages for knowledge
representation.
These three phases also serve as the three modes of
knowledge representation.
A. Enactive Representation (action – based) - Children begin
to learn about these actions at a very young age. Children
describe things in terms of how they feel about them right
away.
B. Iconic Representation (image – based) - In the second
stage, models and images are used to facilitate learning. The
learner can now represent particular objects or events in
their minds using mental images.
C. Symbolic Representation (language – based) -The
learner has mastered the ability to think abstractly at this
third stage. Knowledge is encoded using a symbol system in
this.
II. Spiral Curriculum
▪️Teachers must revisit the curriculum and teach the same
material in various ways depending on the developmental
stage of the students.
A. The experiences and environments that make a student
willing and able to learn must be considered during
instruction.
B. It is important to structure instruction so that students
can easily understand it.
C.
extrapolation or to close any gaps.
III. Discovery Learning
The activities are planned and set up by the teacher to
encourage students to search, manipulate, explore, and
investigate.

Students gain new expertise in the field as well as general
problem- solving abilities like developing rules, conducting
tests, and gathering data. The majority of discoveries are not
accidental. Students must prepare beforehand. Once
students have the necessary background knowledge,
carefully planned lesson plans help them learn key concepts.
Bruner (1966) says a THEORY OF INSTRUCTION should
adress Four Major Aspects:
a. Predisposition to Learn - The concept of "readiness for
learning" was introduced by him. According to Bruner, any
subject can be taught to a child at any stage of development
in a way that accommodates their cognitive abilities.
b. Structure of Knowledge - This refers to the ways in which
a body of knowledge can be structured so that it can be
most readily grasped by the learner.
c. Effective Sequencing - Every learner will respond
differently to different sequencing, but in general, the lesson
can be delivered with increasing difficulty.
d. Reinforcement - The timing and choice of rewards and
penalties should be considered carefully. He looked into
learning motivation.
He believed that the best learning stimulus is interest in the
material. External competitive objectives like grades or class
standing didn't appeal to Bruner.
Categorization
A. Criteria Attributes
B. Combining Rule
C. Weight Assignment
D. Acceptance Limits
Several Kinds of Categories:
1. Identity categories - objects are grouped according to
their characteristics or features.
2. Equivalent categories (provide rules for combining
categories) - affective criteria, which equate objects based
on emotional responses, and functional criteria, based on
related functions, can both be used to determine
equivalence.
3. Coding systems - are classifications that aid in identifying
sensory input. Major organizational factors in higher
cognitive functioning, they are. Making assumptions based
on related categories involves going beyond immediate
sensory data. These are hierarchical arrangements of related
categories that make up a "coding system.”
Constructivism: Knowledge Construction/ Concept Learning
I. CONSTRUCTIVISM
- Constructivism is a learning theory that emphasizes the
active role of learners in building their own understanding.
A. The learner actively builds knowledge, not just passively
absorbing it.
B. Focuses on building knowledge
C. Shows that allowing students to explore and learn is a key
component of teaching.
D. The theory of knowledge known as cognitivism contends
that human beings derive knowledge and meaning from the
interaction of their experiences and ideas.
II. Two Views Constructivism
A. Individual Constructivism - further known as cognitive
constructivism. Place a focus on how each person constructs
knowledge internally
B. Social Constructivism - instead of existing solely in a
person’s mind, knowledge is first represent in a social
context and is shared with others.
III. Characteristics of Constructivism
A. Students engage in understanding.
B. Current knowledge is necessary for new learning.
C. Social interaction aids in the process of learning.
D. Within genuine learning tasks, meaning learning takes
place.
IV. Organizing Knowledge: a concept is a way of grouping or
categorizing objects or events in our mind.
A. Concepts as feature lists - learning a concept entails
becoming familiar with the distinctive qualities that
distinguish successful applications of the concept.
1. Defining feature - characteristic that appears in all cases.
2. Correlational feature - present in many instances that are
constructive but not necessary for concept membership.
B. Concepts as prototypes- a prototype is a concept or a
representation of a "typical example. It is typically formed
based on the positive experiences that students have the
most frequently.
C. Concepts as exemplars - examples of all kinds are
represented by exemplars. It enables students to understand
that a concept's example may have variability.
V. Making Concept-Learning Effective
A. Give the idea a precise definition.
B. Make the distinguishing characteristics stand out and be
very clear.
C. Give several uplifting examples.
D. Give a few negative examples
E. Give a "best example" or a model.
F. Give students the chance to distinguish between positive
and negative examples.
G. Ask students to come up with a personal example of the
concept.
IX. Schemas and Scripts
A. Schema - is a collection of knowledge about something
that is organized.
B. Script - is a model that entails a sequence of predictable
events regarding a particular activity.
X. Applying Constructivism in Facilitating Learning
A. Aim to give students a thorough understanding of a few
key concepts rather than covering so many topics quickly.
B. List several examples.
C. Offer chances for experimentation
D. Create many opportunities for worthwhile interaction
E. Have a lot of interactive activities
F. Connect your topic to actual events or situation
G. Don’t always rely on the explanation method
Presented by:
Michelle Balte
Abigael Malac