Module 14
Constructivism: Knowledge Construction/Concept Learning
Objectives:
1. Explain the role of constructivism in facilitating
learning.
2. Describe strategies that promote knowledge
learning.
3. Describe strategies to facilitate concept learning.
CONSTRUCTIVISM
- focuses on knowledge construction
- a theory of knowledge that argues that human
generate knowledge and meaning from an
interaction between their experiences and their
ideas
VIEWS OF CONSTRUCTIVISM
A. Individual Constructivism
- also called cognitive constructivism
- emphasizes individual, internal construction of
knowledge based on Piaget’s theory
B. Social Constructivism
- emphasizes that “knowledge exits in social
context and is initially shared with others instead of
being represented solely in the mind of an
individual”
- based on Vygotsky’s theory
- knowledge construction becomes social, not
individual
CHARACTERISTICS OF CONSTRUCTIVISM
1. Learners construct understanding.
Sees learners as active thinkers who
interpret new information based on what
they already know, constructing knowledge
in a way that make sense to them.
2. New learning depends on current
understanding.
Learners interpret new information through
the present views or scheme that they
have.
3. Learning is facilitated by social interaction.
Believes in creating a “community of
learners” within classrooms.
4. Meaningful learning occurs within authentic
learning tasks.
Involves constructing knowledge and
understanding that is so akin to the
knowledge and understanding needed
when applied in the real world.
ORGANIZING KNOWLEDGE
CONCEPT – is a way of grouping or categorizing
objects or events in our mind.
 Concepts as Feature Lists
Defining Feature – a characteristic present
in ALL instances.
Correlational Feature – a characteristic
that is present in many positive instances
but not essential for concept membership.
 Concepts as Prototypes
A prototype is an idea or a visual image of
a “typical” example. It is usually formed
based on the positive instances that
learners encounter most often.
 Concepts as Exemplars
Exemplars represent a variety of examples.
It allows learners to know that an example
under a concept may have a variability.
Making Concept-Learning Effective
 Provide a clear definition of the concept
 Make the defining features very concrete
and prominent
 Give a variety of positive instances
 Give negative instances
 Cite a “best example” or a prototype
 Provide opportunity for learners to identify
positive and negative instances
 Ask learners to think of their own example
of the concept
 Point out how concepts can be related to
each other
SCHEMA – an organized body of knowledge about
something. It is like a file of information you hold in
your mind about something.
SCRIPT – is a schema that includes a series of
predictable events about a specific activity.
Example:
SCHEMA : A schema of what a teacher is
SCRIPT : Knowing what transpires at the beginning
of the class when a teacher arrives.
Applying Constructivism in Facilitating
Learning
 Aim to make learners understand a few key
ideas in an in-depth manner, rather than
taking up so many topics superficially.
 Give varied examples
 Provide opportunities for experimentation
 Provide lots of opportunities for quality
interaction
 Have lots of hands-on activities
 Relate your topic to real life situations
 Do not depend on the explanation method
all the time
Prepared By:
Hadjiamen, Johayma M.
Morano, Rayette Joyce G.