CONSTRUCTIVISM and

CRITICAL THEORY
Presented by:

May-Ann B. Lim
 • What is constructivism?

• What are the principles of constructivism

theory?

LEARNING • The three main types of constructivism.

OBJECTIVES • Role of the teacher in a constructivist

classroom.
 HISTORY OF
CONSTRUCTIVIST
THEORY by JEAN PIAGET
• The psychological roots of constructivism
began with the developmental work of Jean
Piaget (1896–1980)

• Developed a theory of genetic epistemology

that analogized the development of the mind to
evolutionary biological development and
highlighted the adaptive function of cognition.
 HISTORY OF
CONSTRUCTIVIST
THEORY by LEV
VYGOTSKY
• The Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky's (1896–
1934) relevance to constructivism derives from his
theories about language, thought, and their
mediation by society.

• He devised the notion of the ZONE OF PROXIMAL

DEVELOPMENT to reflect on the potential of this
difference.
 HISTORY OF
CONSTRUCTIVIST
THEORY by JOHN DEWEY

•  often referred to as the philosophical founder

of constructivism.

• In Dewey’s opinion, educators need to provide

students with experiences that are immediately
valuable and better enable them to contribute
to society (University College Dublin, n.d.). 
 HISTORY OF
CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY
by JEROME BRUNER

• Was one of the proponents of

constructivism.

• The major theme in the theory of

Bruner is that learning is an active
process in which learners construct new
ideas or concepts based upon their
current/past knowledge.
 HISTORY OF • Was a constructivist.

CONSTRUCTIVIS • She believed that children

endeavoured to construct their

T by intellect and want to naturally

acquire skills that lead to
MARIA independence.

MONTESSORI
 CONSTRUCTIVISM

A theory in education that recognizes learners construct new

understandings and knowledge, integrating with what they already know.

Includes knowledge gained prior to entering school.

CORE PRINCIPLES OF CONSTRUCTIVISM THEORY
Knowledge is constructed rather
than innate, or passively
absorbed.
According to
constructivism,
knowledge is not
something that can be
simply transmitted
from teacher to
student; instead,
individuals actively
construct their own
understanding of the
world through their
experiences and
interactions.
Social interaction Learning is context-
Learning is an active Prior knowledge dependent.
shapes new learning. plays a key role.
process.
This means that they Individuals bring their Learning Is a social Constructivists
must be involved in existing knowledge activity – it is emphasize that
problem-solving, and experiences to something we do learning is situated
experimentation, and bear on new situations together, in interaction within a specific
exploration, rather and use this prior with each other, rather context, and that the
than simply receiving knowledge to than an abstract meaning and
information passively. construct new concept. significance of
understandings. knowledge can vary
depending on the
context in which it is
learned.
STRANDS OF CONSTRUCTIVISM
 Cognitive Constructivism – associated with work of Piaget.

 Social Constructivism – associated with work of Lev Vygotsky.

 Radical Constructivism – associated with work of Ernst von Glasersfeld.

MAJOR ROLES OF FACILITATORS IN A
CONSTRUCTIVIST CLASSROOM

Modeling - involves an expert performing a task so that students

can observe and build a conceptual model of the processes that are
required to accomplish it. 

Coaching - consists of observing students while they carry out a

task and offering hints, scaffolding, feedback, modeling, reminders,
and new tasks aimed at bringing their performance closer to expert
performance. 

Scaffolding - refers to the supports the teacher provides to help the

student carry out the task. These supports can take either the forms
of suggestions or help.
 • Whilst most commonly linked to the original
members and subsequent followers of the Frankfurt
School, the term critical theory has come to
represent a range of evolving critical perspectives
which offer diverse meanings and interpretations.
CRITICAL • Critical theories generally share a social and cultural

THEORY analysis with an activist component based largely on

the critique of oppressive and dominant economic
and political forces, they have a desire for social
justice and equality, and a need to represent
marginalized perspectives (Tripathi, 2008).
 • Ingram and Simon-Ingram (1991) describe
early critical theory as a form of utopian
philosophy rooted in German idealism and
cultural criticism combining Freudian and
CRITICAL Marxist ideas. Critical theorists seek to
THINKING challenge and destabilize knowledge which is

THEORY seen as definitive and unitary.

CRITICAL THEORY

Habermas (1971), a ‘second generation’ theorist of the Frankfurt

School, defines three forms of interconnected knowledge:

 Instrumental knowledge corresponds to technical human

interests that are associated with work, labor or production.

 Practical knowledge refers to interpretive ways of knowing

through which everyday social activities are given meaning.

 Emancipatory knowledge is articulated in terms of power,

control and emancipation.
 CRITICAL THEORY
• Critical theory challenges what is frequently taken for granted socially and culturally;
asking questions of things that are otherwise considered to be common sense or self-evident.

• According to McCarthy (1991), suggests critical theory frequently emphasizes the practical
over the theoretical. In an attempt to establish an analytical framework, Friesen (2008)
proposes a number of key stages to adopting a critical approach:

 Identifying ideas or claims that are presented as obvious, inevitable, or matter-of-fact in

dominant bodies or sources of knowledge

 Scrutinizing these ideas or claims in the context provided in other more marginal knowledge
forms or sources

 Revealing through this scrutiny that behind dominant claims and ideas lay one or more
politically charged and often contradictory ways of understanding the issue or phenomenon in
question

 Using this underlying conflict as the basis for developing alternative forms of understanding
and point to concrete possibilities for action.
 Reference:

https://philonotes.com/2023/04/what-is-constructivism

https://educationaltechnology.net/constructivist-learning-theory/

https://www.simplypsychology.org/constructivism.html

https://helpfulprofessor.com/constructivism/

https://edtechbooks.org/studentguide/constructivism