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CONTENT AND PEDAGODY FOR MOTHER TONGUE:
CONSTRUCTIVIST LEARNING THEORIES IN TEACHING MTB-MLE
Constructivist Learning Theory
What is meant by constructivism? The term refers to the idea that learners construct knowledge for themselves- each
learner individually (and socially) constructs meaning-as he or she learns. Does it actually make any difference in our
everyday work whether deep down we consider knowledge to be about some “real” world independent of us, or whether we consider
knowledge to be of our own making?
“Constructivism” has been a byword in education for generations, applied both to learning theory and epistemology-both on how
people learn and the nature of knowledge. We do not need to adhere if it is simply a new fad, but we need to think about our work in
relation to theories of learning and knowledge. So we need to ask: what is constructivism, what does it have to tell us that this is new
and relevant, and how do we apply it to the universe of MTBMLE? As they say, it will not take rocket science to understand and employ
constructivism. There is nothing dramatically new in constructivism: the core ideas expressed by it have been clearly enunciated by
John Dewey among others.
Constructivist’s perspective of language acquisition is generally centered on brain development. Hung (1965) in Schickedanz (1993)
provides a summary of Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development and how children construct knowledge and acquire a language.
Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky are two most recognized pillars of constructivist learning theory. Both puts high premium on how
children acquire and construct meaning, however, unlike, the behaviorists, both Piaget and Vygotsky do not view children as empty
vessels (tabula rasa) waiting to be filled by an expert and learned adult. Constructivists argue that children are preformed to learn and
acquire language as they go through different developmental stages.
Jean Piaget (1896-1980) argues that children are active learners who construct meaning from their environment. Piaget is the
proponent of cognitive developmental theory that explains the interconnectedness of knowledge acquisition and language acquisition
through qualitative changes of their mental processes as they develop (Crystal, 1987; Schickendanz, 1993; Vasta et al 1999). He views
with their environment through developmental states.
According to Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, children go through four stages of mental growth. His thesis is
concerned with not only how children gain information, but also with the nature of intelligence.
The phases of Piaget's development are as follows:
Sensorimotor Stage: Birth to 2 year-old
In this stage, knowledge of the world is limited. It is only based on immediate physical interactions and experiences. The child
is using motor activities. Children acquire object permanence (knowing an object exists when it is out of sight), in this stage. Mobility
allows the child to begin developing new intellectual abilities. Language as a symbolic ability is developed at the end of this stage.
 Pre-Operational Stage: Ages 2 to 7
In this stage, the child's knowledge is dominated by the external world. The child only focuses on one aspect of something at a
time. Thinking is done in a non-logical, non-reversible manner (lack of the ability to perform a mental operation and then reverse one's
thinking to return to the starting point). Egocentric thinking (believing that everyone views the world as I do) predominates.
 Concrete Operational Stage: Ages 7 to 11
In this stage, intelligence is demonstrated through logical and systematic manipulation of concrete objects. Operational thinking
(reversibility) develops. Egocentric thought diminishes
 Formal Operational Stage: Ages 12 and Up
In this stage, intelligence is demonstrated through the logical use of abstract concepts. The abilities to generate abstract
propositions and hypotheses and to predict possible outcomes are evident. Problems are approached in a systematic way. Formal logical
systems can be acquired. However, Cook and Cook (2005) maintain, many people do not still think formally during adulthood.

Lev Vygotsky’s emphasized that private speech, of children talking to themselves, for turning shared knowledge into personal
knowledge (Slavin, 1997). Vygotsky proposed that children incorporate the speech of others and then use that speech to help
themselves solve problems (Slavin, 1997). Vygotsky’s theories implies that cognitive development and the ability to use thought to
control one’s own actions require first a mastery of cultural communication systems and then learning to use these systems to regulate
one’s own thought processes (Slavin, Crystal, 1987).
The work of Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) has become the foundation of much research and theory in cognitive development as well.
Vygotsky has developed a socio-cultural approach to cognitive development. He developed his theories at around the same time as Piaget
was starting to develop his theories
Concerning internal speech (egocentric speech in Piaget's view), Vygotsky's view is that children can use their own internal
speech to direct their own behavior in much the same way that their parents’ speech once directed it. This transition reflects the
Vygotsky´s theme of development as a process of internalization. Therefore, unlike Piaget, Vygotsky views egocentric speech as a
transition from social speech to internalized thoughts or inner speech. For Vygotsky egocentric speech is a transition between the child's
acquiring language in a social communicative context, and attempting to internalize it as an inner speech (i.e., thoughts).
Vygotsky theory was based upon the idea that a learner's environment plays a pivotal role in his/her learning development. According
to Vygotsky the learning process actually involves three key themes: culture, language, and the “zone of proximal development”.
 Culture
Not everyone learns the same way and at the same pace, and a learner’s experience can vary from another. This is due to the diversity
in culture, resources, and physical circumstances. In sociocultural learning, these are taken into account, which results in differing
developmental routes. This goes to say that if a learner does not get the necessary social environment to develop, cognition does not
develop as well. However, it’s also based on an individual’s participation in culturally organized activities. When learners take part in
societal activities and draw from these experiences, they acquire new knowledge and initiatives to help navigate the world around them.
 Language and Symbols
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According to Vygotsky, language plays a central part and is one of the most important tools in learning. It is through words and symbols
communicated during social interactions that first form concepts and meanings. While a language’s primary use is for communication, it
elevates into what he calls “inner speech” or an internal monologue once internalization happens. This is when an individual adopts
external influences and creates his/her own sense of self through the acquired values and beliefs. This guides us in making decisions and
controlling our behavior before taking any action.
 Zone of Proximal Development
The Zone of Proximal Development, or ZPD, is defined as “the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by
independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem-solving under adult guidance, or in
collaboration with more capable peers” (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 86). Simply put, these are tasks that individuals can carry out with the help
of someone more experienced, but not yet by themselves. This means that an individual can almost do these tasks unaided and are close
to perfecting them. The main idea of the theory is that the ways people interact with others and the culture they live in shape their
mental abilities. Vygotsky believed that parents, relatives, peers and society all have an important role in forming higher levels of
functioning.
Schema Theory of Learning
Schema theory of learning is a cognitivist learning theory introduced through the works of British Psychologist Sir Frederic
Bartlett and was further developed primarily in the 1970s by American educational psychologists Richard Anderson and David
Rumelhart. Schema theory describes how an individual's network of experience and prior knowledge is essential in forming new
knowledge. Schema Theory of Learning has been used for decades as an essential theoretical framework in areas of Education. Thus,
MTB-MLE was anchored in this constructivist theory.
Definition
Schema Theory of Learning defines the human mind as a network of mental schema, frames, or cognitive constructs. Schema
or schemata are networks of associations that constitute the formation of concepts for someone. In other words, Schemas are categories
of information stored in a person's long-term memory. It can contain groups of linked memories, ideas, or words. This grouping of things
acts as a cognitive shortcut, making storing new things in one's long-term memory and retrieving them much quicker and more efficient.
One's current schemata are the principal determiner of what one will learn through subsequent experiences.
Schema theory describes how people group associated memories and things. Much like the way someone puts all his holiday
photos into one album or files all your bank statements into the same folder, schemata contain similar things. This fact also makes schema
different from person to person.
David Rumelhart coined Schemata as the building block of cognition. He termed that schemata represent all levels of our
experience and abstraction; thus, schemata are our knowledge. For him, our generic understanding is embedded in schemata. For him,
schema theory plays a significant role in learning. Thus, it is our job as teachers to give information to our students and give it to them
in a context that will allow them to process and remember it easier. (Fullbrook, 2020).
David Anderson's work focuses on the theory of scheme learning in areas of Education. He believes that for a learning process
to be successful, it is crucial to understand how students learn and put the content into the context of the learner's prior experience and
knowledge. He believes in the importance of the top-down process, where teachers present topics in a context that will be familiar to
students to understand a concept better. He believes that if we give students ideas that they do not have prior experience about, learning
won't be successful because they cannot connect it to the schemes they have in mind in the beginning. Top-down processing refers to
one's preexisting knowledge (schemata) being used to make sense of the new information.
Scheme Theory of Learning also applies in three critical areas of learning:
1. Motor learning - It was shown that developing a motor schema has resulted in better performance in children when learning
a motor task.
2. Reading comprehension - schema theory is often used to assist second language learning since it usually involves reading
3.
many texts in the target language. Failure to activate a good schema when reading a text has resulted in insufficient
comprehension. Various methods
have been proposed for dealing with this issue, including giving students texts in their first language on certain topics they will
later read in the target language.
Mathematical problem solving - Research conducted showed that 3rd-graders taught to use schemata to solve
mathematical problems formulated in words performed better than their peers who were taught to solve them in four steps.
Guide posts that are laid out for us to consider:
1. Learning they say is from womb to tomb, from cradle to grave, and from navel to gravel. Learning is not just pure absorption
process of what is transferred directly from one vessel to another. Hence, it is a process of learning by doing wherein the
active engagement of the learner in the process makes it an effective one.
2. Learning is a web process, as a learner is engaged in learning, in the process of it all, implicitly, the learner also learns other
concepts of procedures related to what is being learned explicitly.
3. Taking it from John Dewey’s reflective activity, learning is a mental process that involves actual doing and reflective action.
Reflective action gives the learner a chance to note the significance and connection of the whole process.
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Comprehension Questions:
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How do learners learn in a constructivist approach to teaching and learning?
What do you think are the gains of adopting a constructivist learning theory in classroom instruction?
Can you think of any challenges/encountered by teachers in implementing a constructivist approach in curriculum and pedagogy?
Prepared by;
MELODY C. MORALES, LPT
Instructor