The Distinction Between Constructivism And Constructionism
by Terry Heick
Whereas engaged on the studying concept visible overview, I noticed I couldn’t clearly clarify the distinction between constructivism and constructionism.
So I did some research and initially didn’t discover a lot to ease my confusion.
The Distinction Between Constructivism And Constructionism
Constructivism is–kind of–the identical factor. So what’s the distinction between constructivism and constructivism?
Definition of Constructivism
Constructivism is an academic concept during which learners actively assemble their very own understanding and information by experiences and reflection on these experiences. It emphasizes the significance of learners’ prior information, social interactions, and contextual studying to construct new understanding.
Definition of Constructionism
Constructionism extends constructivist concepts by emphasizing studying by creating tangible artifacts, equivalent to fashions or tasks. It promotes the concept that learners assemble information most successfully when they’re actively concerned in making one thing that’s personally significant.
Edith Ackerman, a “Swiss-born American psychologist who explored the interactions between developmental psychology, play, studying and design. A graduate of the College of Geneva, she held everlasting or visiting positions at a number of establishments in the USA and Europe, together with the MIT Media Lab,” defined…
“What’s the distinction between Piaget’s constructivism and Papert’s “constructionism”? Past the mere play on the phrases, I feel the excellence holds, and that integrating each views can enrich our understanding of how individuals study and develop. Piaget’s constructivism gives a window into what youngsters are eager about, and capable of obtain, at totally different levels of their growth. The idea describes how youngsters’s methods of doing and pondering evolve, and beneath which circumstance youngsters usually tend to let go of—or maintain onto— their presently held views.
Papert is eager about how learners have interaction in a dialog with [their own or other people’s] artifacts…and the way these conversations facilitate the development of recent information.
Edith Ackerman, Psychologist
“Piaget means that youngsters have superb causes to not abandon their worldviews simply because another person, be it an skilled, tells them they’re improper. Papert’s constructionism, in distinction, focuses extra on the artwork of studying, or ‘studying to study’, and on the importance of creating issues in studying. Papert is eager about how learners have interaction in a dialog with [their own or other people’s] artifacts, and the way these conversations increase self-directed studying, in the end facilitating the development of recent information. He stresses the significance of instruments, media, and context in human growth. Integrating each views illuminates the processes by which people come to make sense of their expertise, step by step optimizing their interactions with the world.”
You possibly can learn the full pdf right here.
So What Is The Distinction Between Constructivism And Constructionism?
Constructivism
Principle Key Thought: How individuals study by developing their understanding and information of the world by expertise and reflection.
Influential Theorists: Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky
Key Parts Of Constructivism
1. Energetic Studying: Learners actively take part of their studying course of.
2. Data Building: Studying is about developing information fairly than simply absorbing data.
3. Prior Data: Learners construct new information primarily based on present information.
4. Social Interplay: Studying typically includes social interactions and collaboration.
5. Contextual Studying: Studying is contextual and situational.
Constructionism
Principle Ley Thought: This method extends constructivist concepts into studying by making, emphasizing the creation of tangible merchandise or artifacts.
Influential Theorist: Seymour Papert
Key Parts of Constructionism
1. Studying by Making: Data building is handiest when learners are actively concerned in making one thing tangible.
2. Venture-Primarily based Studying: Emphasis on tasks that end in a tangible artifact or product.
3. Reflection and Iteration: Learners replicate on their creations and iterate on their designs.
4. Computational Pondering: Typically includes integrating expertise and computational instruments.
5. Private Relevance: Initiatives are pushed by learners’ pursuits and private relevance.
Abstract
Constructivism: Focuses on the person’s means of developing information by experiences and reflection.
Constructionism: Emphasizes studying by creating tangible artifacts, incorporating expertise and private pursuits.
Similarities Between Constructivism and Constructionism
Identical: Energetic studying and the significance of prior information
Examples Of Constructivism
Instance 1: Studying in a Classroom
Situation: A science class is studying about ecosystems.
Exercise: The trainer units up stations with numerous ecosystems (pond, forest, desert) and supplies supplies equivalent to footage, plant samples, and soil sorts.
Constructivist Strategy: College students rotate by the stations, observe the supplies, and talk about what they discover about every ecosystem in small teams. They then create an idea map displaying how totally different ecosystem components work together.
Consequence: By lively engagement and dialogue, college students assemble an understanding of ecosystems by connecting new data with their prior information.
Instance 2: Youngster Studying
Situation: A toddler is studying about fractions.
Exercise: The kid is given a set of fraction tiles and a recipe to be halved.
Constructivist Strategy: The kid makes use of the fraction tiles to visually and bodily manipulate the elements of the recipe, experimenting with totally different combos to know how fractions work.
Consequence: By hands-on expertise, the kid understands fractional relationships by actively participating with the supplies and making use of fractions to a real-world situation.
Examples of Constructionism
Instance 1: Studying in a Classroom
Situation: A center faculty expertise class is studying about coding.
Exercise: The trainer assigns a challenge the place college students create their very own online game utilizing a programming platform like Scratch.
Constructionist Strategy: College students brainstorm recreation concepts, write the code, design characters, and construct the sport. They check their video games, get suggestions from friends, and make revisions.
Consequence: By making a tangible product (a online game), college students deepen their understanding of coding ideas, logic, and problem-solving.
Instance 2: Youngster Studying a few science matter
Situation: A toddler is eager about studying about electrical energy
Exercise: The kid is given a easy electronics package with wires, a battery, and a lightweight bulb.
Constructionist Strategy: The kid is requested to construct a fundamental circuit, experimenting with totally different connections to see what makes the sunshine bulb activate. They could additionally attempt including a change or a number of bulbs.
Consequence: By developing a working circuit, the kid learns in regards to the ideas of electrical energy, circuits, and conductivity by hands-on creation and experimentation.
