2. “A type of learning in which the learner forms, or
constructs, much of what he or she learns or
comprehends” (Shelly 376)
“A paradigm or worldview posits that learning is
an active, constructive process”
(“Constructivism”)
Students learn through doing the task, rather
than listening to or seeing it
They will understand the topic much better by
using critical thinking skills to complete the task
and therefore it will more efficiently teach the
students
3. “Piaget’s Stage Theory of Cognitive
Development
◦ a description of cognitive development as
four distinct stages in children” (“Stage
Theory”)
◦ Sensorimotor Stage: Ages 0-2; infant
learns through imitation using sense and
motor activities
◦ Preoperational Stage: Ages 2-6; child is
“egocentric” and begins to use “concrete
thinking” and “intuitive reasoning” (Shelley
377)
◦ Concrete Operations: Ages 7-12; child
solves problems and thinks abstractly
using logic
◦ Former Operations: Ages 12+; child thinks
abstractly and using deductive logic while
testing hypotheses
He felt children learned more as they
experienced more and then applied
their experiences to what they knew Jean Piaget by Boeree
4. “Proposed that learning is an active process”
where the learner makes new ideas based off
past knowledge (Shelley 378)
They are participatory learners
He felt that the curriculum would be best
organized “in a spiral manner so that
students continually build upon what they
already have learned” (Shelley 379)
5. Theory of the “Zone of Proximal
Development”
◦ Children worked better when in
collaboration with an
adult, whether the adult was
teaching or not
◦ “Enabled them to refine their
thinking or their performance to
make it more effective” (Atherton)
Developing a child’s language
and articulation is key to the
child’s ability to learn
Learning is “influenced
significantly by social
development” (Shelley 379)
Lev Vygotsky from “The Mozart of Psychology”
6. “Learning should engage and expand the
experiences of the learner” (Shelley 381)
He considered education to be more of a
social process than anything else
Progressive Education: “focused on educating
the whole child, physically, mentally, and
socially” (Shelley 382)
It isn’t about just lecturing and listing
facts, but the student has to actively be a part
of the learning
7. “Teachers should engage students by providing
activities that guide students and create opportunities
for discussion or for using the Socratic method of
learning” (Shelley 379)
With and without technology, the teacher would have
the student doing hands-on activities, such as using
online programs to help them solve math or reading
problems
They may also have their students construct things to
take measurements of and understand what they are
building right in front of them
Finally, teachers will teach by having the students “do”
rather than “hear or see”
8. With and without technology, students will use
critical thinking skills while analyzing a
problem
They may also create their own understanding
of a problem to help them better understand it
Students will complete a project step-by-step
and analyze each part of it
Finally, they will have their teacher available in
case they need assistance, but the more they
work on their own, the more information they
will absorb
9. I would definitely prefer Constructivism to any of the
other learning theories
It allows the students to have a lot more hands on
assignments instead of having to listen to me lecture
on-and-on every class
Constructivism allows the teacher and student to
expand their knowledge by exchanging ideas and
working to solve the problem
I think the students would be much better off by
being a more active learner and it would not only
benefit their level of interest, but also their level of
knowledge
I plan to have a lot of projects and in class activities
so that students don’t have to just constantly listen
to me talk
10. Atherton, J. S.. "Constructivism in Learning." Learning and
Teaching Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2011.
Boeree, C. George. "Personality Theories: Jean Piaget." My
Webspace Files. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2011.
"Constructivism." Learning Theories - Knowledge Base and
Webliography. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2011.
Shelly, Gary B., Glenda A. Gunter, and Randolph E. Gunter.
"Learning Theories and Educational Research." Teachers
Discovering Computers: Integrating Technology and
Digital Media in the Classroom. 6th ed. Boston, Mass.:
Course Technology, 2010. 376-382. Print.
"Stage Theory of Cognitive Development (Piaget)" Learning
Theories. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2011.
"The Mozart of Psychology: Lev Semenovich Vygotsky."
Afraid.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2011.
