Constructivism and
Educational Technology
Ugur Baslanti
Ginnopaoli Kelley
Madeline Ortiz-Rodríguez
EME 5054: Foundations of Ed. Tech.
October 1st, 2002
Behaviorism and Learning
(Antecedent)
Stimulus
Response
(Consequence)
•Learning is a change of observable behavior due to
experience.
•Learning is accomplished by doing, experience, trial
and error. (Skinner, 1938)
Behaviorism and
Educational Technology
(Antecedent)
Stimulus
Response
(Consequence)
•Teaching machines give immediate feedback to
students.
•Use of tutorials, and drill and practice SW.
•Use of media: TV, films, newspapers, …
Cognitive Theory and Learning
Stimulus
Psychological
Process
Response
Prior Knowledge
•Learning is changing mental representations. It is to
construct meaning about the world and themselves.
•Learning is accomplished by the cognitive processes:
Information Processing, Symbol Manipulation (Visual
Literacy) and Knowledge Construction.
Cognitive Theory and
Educational Technology
Stimulus
Psychological
Process
Response
Prior Knowledge
•Use of intelligent tutor systems, expert systems,
interactive multimedia environments, virtual reality.
•Technology is used to go beyond direct instruction.
Metaphors of the Mind
Mind as a computer:
-- Knowledge is a
matter of storage and
retrieval.
Mind as a brain:
-- Knowledge is a function
of distributed connections
and network activations.
Constructivists:
Historical Predecessors
Vico Giambattista
Jean Jaques Rousseau
John Dewey
Jerome Brunner
Historical Predecessors
Vico Giambattista
(1668 - 1744) Italian
 “… to know means to
know how to make”
 Getting away from
memorization and
recitation
Reference: http://www.connix.com/~gapinton/
Historical Predecessors
Jean Jaques Rousseau
(1712-1778) born in
Switzerland and died in
France.
 “emphasized learning by
doing”
 Teachers should present
problems that stimulate
curiosity and promote
learning.
Reference: http://www.wabash.edu/Rousseau/
Historical Predecessors
John Dewey (1859-1952)
American
 “… education is not
preparation for life it is life
itself …”
 Focus on inquiry-based
learning
 Teachers as providers of
tools, materials, appliances,…
 Teachers will guide the
learning process.
Reference: http://www.siu.edu/~deweyctr/
Historical Predecessors
Jerome Bruner (1915- )
American
Theory of Instruction: predisposition,
structured knowledge, sequence, and
pacing rewards and punishments.
Instructional methods:
Discovery Learning, Inquiry,
Experimentation, Observation,
Interviewing, Literature search,
Summarizing, Defense of opinion
References: http://www.massey.ac.nz/~i75202/lect14/lect1499.htm,
http://tip.psychology.org/bruner.html
Historical Predecessors
Alfred North Whitehead
(1861 to 1947) born in UK
and died in US
 Education is being able to
use knowledge.
Reference: http://www-groups.dcs.stand.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Whitehead.html
Constructivism
How does it
fit in?
Constructivism
• Content, activity and learning
is seen as a whole.
• Learning is an active process
that occurs by:
 testing a hypothesis,
gathering and sharing
information, and solving a
problem.
• “… learning … is a process of
active cognitive
reorganization.”
• “… learning … is a process of
acculturation …
Constructivists:
Two Schools of Thought
Cognitive
constructivism:
Jean Piaget
Ernst von Glasersfeld
Lev S. Vygosky
Barbara Rogoff
Socio-Cultural
constructivism:
Cognitive Constructivist
Jean Piaget (1896-1980) Swiss
• Learning is adaptation
accomplished by:
 Acculturation
 Assimilation
 Equilibrium
• Information is organized into
interrelated ideas or schemas
Reference: http://www.indiana.edu/~intell/piaget.html
Cognitive Constructivist
Ernst von Glasersfeld
• Radical Constructivism
 Our subjective
experiences interact
with our previous
knowledge to
construct new
knowledge.
Reference: http://www.oikos.org/vonen.htm
Socio-cultural Constructivist
Lev Semenovich Vygotsky
• Zone of proximal
development (Zo-ped)
• Mediators of human actions
in order to construct
meaning
 Technological tools
 Psychological tools
• Importance of culture and
historical experience
• Experience of others
1897-1933
Reference: http://www.massey.ac.nz/~i75202/lect17/lect1799.htm
Socio-cultural Constructivist
Barbara Rogoff
• “.. learning requires the
active involvement of the
learner”
• importance of collaborative
learning
• developing learning
communities
Reference:
http://www.newswise.com/articles/2001/10/LEARN2.UCS.html
Students
• Will develop cultural understanding so that they
can:
 communicate adequately
 develop collaborative skills
 develop content knowledge
The Instructor
 Is viewed as a guide, manager, coach or tutor.
 Help students develop thinking and reasoning skills:
 Problem solving
 Metacognition
 Critical thinking
 Challenge learning by asking questions such as:
 Why?
 What do you mean?
 How do you know that’s true?
 Avoid giving the answer or opinion.
Constructivism and
Educational Technology
• Technology as:
 “a tool for the learner.”
 “an integral part of the
cognitive activity.”
 Mindtools*
* Jonassen, David H. (2000). Computers as Mindtools for Schools: Engaging
Critical Thinking. (2nd. Ed.) NJ: Merrill.
Assessment
• Tests generated by student’s learning:
 Multiple choice, essays, short answer
•
•
•
•
•
Peer and self-evaluation
Portfolios
Performance Assessment
Authentic Assessment
Dynamic Assessment
Compatibility
• Seeking compatibility in order to:
 understand others point of view
 understand learner’s thinking
 map knowledge
Mind as Rhizome
• Knowledge cannot be organized as a global system.
• The mind is dynamic, constantly changing.
• Thinking takes place through connections and
interactions.
Metaphors we teach by
•
•
•
•
•
•
All knowledge is constructed.
Multiple perspectives can be constructed.
Learning should occur in contexts to which it is related.
Learning is mediated by tools and signs.
Learning is inherently social-dialogical activity.
Learners are distributed, multidimensional participants in
a socio-cultural process.
• Knowing how we know is the ultimate human
accomplishment.
Instructional Methods
• Discovery Learning
• Zone of Proximal
Development
• Scaffolding
• Cognitive Apprenticeship
• Coaching
• Context is a Dynamic
Whole
• Learner Control
 Not teacher-control
 Not computer-control
• Assessment
• Collaborative Learning
• Computers and Media
To conclude …
“The end of human activity is not
rest, but rather richer and better
human activity.”
Rorty (1991), p. 172
Duffy, T.M. and Cunningham, R. J. Constructivism: Implications for the
design and delivery of Instruction. In: Jonnasen, D. (Ed.) Handbook of
research for educational communications and technology (170-198).