Constructivism and constructionism: so similar concepts that we used to mix together as one. To be able to get the difference, I have created an analogy to help me remember it. The V word is meaning and the T word is building. Constructivism (the V word) "expresses the theory that knowledge is built by the learner, not supplied by the teacher" and constructionism (the T word) "expresses the further idea that happens especially felicitously when the learner is engaged in the construction of something external or at least sharable" (Orey, 2001). This website will provide a better insight of the difference between these two theories: http://learning.media.mit.edu/content/publications/EA.Piaget%20_%20Papert.pdf. The instructional strategy Generating and Testing Hypothesis is completely related to these two theories. We will see how.
I have always related the word Hypothesis to science because it is part of the scientific method. Nevertheless, hypotheses can be created in all the subjects. To find more about how creating hypotheses can be used in every subject, check this link: http://www.netc.org/focus/strategies/gene.php. When we make an hypothesis, we are stating what will happen before we try it out. "When students generate and test hypotheses, they are engaging in complex mental processes, applying content knowledge like facts and vocabulary, and enhancing their overall understanding of the content" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p. 202). This statement demonstrate how the constructivism and the constructionism are related to this strategy.
The skills that are worked with these strategies has to do with system analysis, problem solving, historical investigation, invention, experimental inquiry, and decision making. These tasks, as Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski describe them, describe what the project-based, problem-based, and inquiry-based activities are about (2007, p. 2003). "When teachers vary the processes in their classrooms, they are following the classroom recommendation that their students be engaged in different types of hypothesis generation" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p. 204). This way, students will have a lot of opportunities to construct their learning, and build their own projects to share them with the world, just as the theories of constructivism and constructionism suggest.
References:The skills that are worked with these strategies has to do with system analysis, problem solving, historical investigation, invention, experimental inquiry, and decision making. These tasks, as Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski describe them, describe what the project-based, problem-based, and inquiry-based activities are about (2007, p. 2003). "When teachers vary the processes in their classrooms, they are following the classroom recommendation that their students be engaged in different types of hypothesis generation" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn & Malenoski, 2007, p. 204). This way, students will have a lot of opportunities to construct their learning, and build their own projects to share them with the world, just as the theories of constructivism and constructionism suggest.
Orey,
M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and
technology. Retrieved from
http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page
Pitler, H.,
Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using
technology with classroom instruction that works.
Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Hi Naida,
ReplyDeleteIn your post, you mentioned that after students have constructed their learning, they can share them with the world. This is a great way to possess ownership of their product. Although when using the constructivism theory of learning, the teacher should promote critical thinking by posing useful words or phrases that will lead the students to meaningful construction of their learning; such as analyze, predict and classify, however, he should allow the learner be the master over his learning. This is when they will be able to generate and test hypothesis using their own intellectual capacity while giving consideration to the teacher’s prompts.
Thank you for the site you recommended where the writer compared and contrasted Piaget’s constructivism and Papert’s constructionism. According to Ackermann, “Piaget’s constructivism offers a window into what children are interested in, and able to achieve, at different stages of their development. The theory describes how children’s ways of doing and thinking evolve over time, and under which circumstance children are more likely to let go of—or hold onto— their currently held views”. On the other hand, “Papert is interested in how learners engage in a conversation with [their own or other people’s] artifacts, and how these conversations boost self-directed learning, and ultimately facilitate the construction of new knowledge. He stresses the importance of tools, media, and context in human development”. That is, while Piaget’s constructivism focuses on how a child learning is progressive according to the stage of development; Papert’s constructionism on the other hand considers how a learner can construct his own knowledge from theirs or others previous ideas or creations.
I find this article quite informative.
Damilola
Reference
Ackermann, E. (n.d.). ‘Piaget’s constructivism, Papert’s constructionism: What’s the difference?’ (p. 1) Retrieved from http://learning.media.mit.edu/content/publications/EA.Piaget%20_%20Papert.pdf
Damilola:
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you about promoting critical thinking in our students and the only way we can achieve this is allowing them to generate and test their hypotheses. This way they will be able to develop critical thinking by analyzing, evaluating, classifying, and organizing the data they need to test their hypotheses. I am glad you liked that article, that is why I posted it. I found it quite interesting.
Naida