BRUNER’S CONSTRUCTIVIST
THEORY
by: MARJORIE G. DEL A TORRE
JEROME SEYMOUR
BRUNER
—Born on October 1, 1915, New York,
New York, U.S.—died on June 5, 2016,
New York, New York.
—American psychologist and educator
who
developed
theories
on
perception, learning, memory, and
other aspects of cognition in young
children.
—Bruner studied at Duke University in
Durham, North Carolina (B.A., 1937),
and then at Harvard University, where
JEROME BRUNER WAS ONE OF THE
FIRST PROPONENTS OF
CONSTRUCTIVISM.
CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY
―A major theme in the theoretical framework of Bruner is that
learning is an active process in which learners construct new ideas
or concepts based upon their current/past knowledge.
―The learner selects and transforms information, constructs
hypotheses, and makes decisions, relying on a cognitive structure
to do so.
―Cognitive structure (i.e. schema, mental models) provides
meaning
and organization to experiences and allows the individual to “go
beyond the information given”.
BRUNER’S MAIN CONCEPTS
A. REPRESENTATION OF KNOWLEDGE (THE THREE MODES OF
REPRESENTATION)
B. SPIRAL CURRICULUM
C. DISCOVERY LEARNING
D. CATEGORIZATION
REPRESENTATION OF KNOWLEDGE
The Three (3) MODES OF REPRESENTATION:
A. ENACTIVE REPRESENTATION – children learn about the world
through actions on physical objects and the outcomes of their actions.
Children represent objects in terms of their immediate sensation of
them.
B. ICONIC REPRESENTATION – this second stage is when learning can
be obtained through the use of models and pictures. This allows one
to recognize objects or events.
C. SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION – in this third stage, the learner has
developed the ability to think in abstract terms. This uses symbol
SPIRAL CURRICULUM
―Bruner believed, curriculum should revisit earlier learned ideas,
expanding upon them until a child reaches a more complete
understanding of individual ideas and how they relate to one another.
―Bruner referred to this as the “spiral curriculum”, wherein ideas are
presented in repeated learning opportunities over time, and are
organized from the simple to the complex, from the general to the
specific, and are examined in relation to one another.
―Engaging information in a spiral fashion, Bruner wrote, helps children
to organize knowledge into a structure that makes it both increasingly
accessible and usable in areas beyond the immediate learning situation.
DISCOVERY LEARNING
―Discovery learning refers
knowledge for oneself.
to
obtaining
―The teacher plans and arranges activities in
such way that students search, manipulate,
explore and investigate. Most discovery and
learning do not happen by chance. Students
require background preparation.
Bruner (1966) states that a theory of
instruction should address four major
aspects:
1. Predisposition to learn – the readiness for learning.
2. Structure of knowledge – refers to the ways in which a body of
knowledge can be structured so that it can be most readily
grasped by the learner.
3. Effective sequencing – refers to the idea of revisiting basic
ideas over and over, building upon them and elaborating to the
level of full understanding and mastery.
CATEGORIZATION
Perception, conceptualization, learning, decision-making
making inferences all involved in categorization.
and
Kinds of Categories:
1. IDENTITY CATEGORIES – categories include objects based on
their attributes or features.
2. EQUIVALENT CATEGORIES – equivalence can be determined by
affective criteria, which render objects equivalent by emotional
reactions, functional criteria, based on related function.
3. CODING SYSTEMS – categories that serve to recognize sensory
input.
IMPLICATION TO EDUCATION
(PRINCIPLES)
―INSTRUCTION MUST BE CONCERNED WITH THE EXPERIENCES
AND CONTEXTS THAT MAKE THE STUDENT WILLING AND ABLE TO
LEARN (READINESS).
―INSTRUCTION MUST BE STRUCTURED SO THAT IT CAN BE EASILY
GRASPED BY THE STUDENT (SPIRAL ORGANIZATION).
―INSTRUCTION
SHOULD
BE
DESIGN
TO
FACILITATE
EXTRAPOLATION AND OR
FILL IN THE GASPS (GOING BEYOND THE INFORMATION GIVEN)