Constructivism is a theory of knowledge that assumes knowledge is constructed in the mind of the individual based on their experiences. Specifically, it is a theory of teaching and learning that says students learn new concepts in math through connecting them to previous knowledge structures. The theory has its roots in developmental psychology and was developed by thinkers like Piaget, Vygotsky, Bruner, and Dewey who were interested in how knowledge develops and grows in the mind of the individual. According to constructivism, the role of the teacher is to guide students and facilitate discovery, while the role of students is to actively participate in and take responsibility for their own learning.

2. WHAT IS CONSTRUCTIVISM?
•THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE, ASSUMES THAT “KNOWLEDGE, NO MATTER HOW IT BE
DEFINED, IS IN THE HEADS OF PEOPLE, AND THAT THE THINKING SUBJECT HAS NO
ALTERNATIVE BUT TO CONSTRUCT WHAT HE OR SHE KNOWS ON THE BASIS OF HIS OR
HER OWN EXPERIENCE”1
•SPECIFICALLY, WE WILL VIEW CONSTRUCTIVISM AS A THEORY OF TEACHING AND
LEARNING IN MATH CLASSROOMS
•NEW, SPECIFIC DEFINITION: CONSTRUCTIVISM DICTATES THAT STUDENTS
LEARN NEW MATH CONCEPTS THOUGH PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE
STRUCTURES.

4. HISTORY AND BASES OF CONSTRUCTIVISM
CONSTRUCTIVISM

5. THE HISTORY OF CONSTUCTIVISM
•CONSTRUCTIVISM HAS ITS ROOTS IN PSYCHOLOGY, AND IS CONCEIVED IN THE POST-
MODERNIST ERA.
•CONSTRUCTIVISM IS DEVELOPED BECAUSE OF THE INTEREST OF DEVELOPMENTAL
PSYCHOLOGISTS IN THE IDEA OF HOW DOES KNOWLEDGE GROW.
•IN THIS CENTURY, JEAN PIAGET AND JOHN DEWEY DEVELOPED THEORIES OF CHILDHOOD
DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION, WHAT WE NEW CALL PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION, THAT
LED TO THE EVOLUTION OF CONSTRUCTIVISM.

6. BASES OF CONSTRUCTIVISM
• CONSTRUCTIVISM IS BASICALLY A THEORY, BASED ON OBSERVATION AND SCIENTIFIC STUDY ABOUT
HOW PEOPLE LEARN.
• IN THE CLASSROOM, THE CONSTRUCTIVIST VIEW OF LEARNING CAN POINT TOWARDS A NUMBER OF
DIFFERENT TEACHING PRACTICES.
• CONSTRUCTIVIST TEACHERS ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO CONSTANTLY ASSESS HOW THE ACTIVITY IS
HELPING THEM GAIN UNDERSTANDING.

9. PRECURSORS
CONSTRUCTIVISM

10. JEAN PIAGET
•CONSTRUCTIVISM IS DEVELOPED BECAUSE OF THE INTEREST OF DEVELOPMENTAL
PSYCHOLOGISTS IN THE IDEA OF HOW DOES KNOWLEDGE GROW. AMONGST THE FIRST
TO TRY TO FIND AN ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION WAS THE SWISS DEVELOPMENTAL
PSYCHOLOGIST JEAN PIAGET (AUGUST 9, 1896 - SEPTEMBER 16 1980), WHO HAS ALSO
COME TO BE KNOWN AS THE FATHER OF CONSTRUCTIVISM.

11. LEV VYGOTSKY
•ANOTHER MAIN CONTRIBUTOR TO CONSTRUCTIVISM WAS THE RUSSIAN
PSYCHOLOGIST LEV VYGOTSKY (1896-1934). UNLIKE PIAGET, WHO BELIEVED CHILDREN
LEARN FROM THEIR ENVIRONMENT, VYGOTSKY BELIEVED THAT EARLY DEVELOPMENT
OCCURS THROUGH PARENTAL INSTRUCTION AND INTERACTION WITH THE SOCIAL
ENVIRONMENT.

12. JEROME BRUNER
•JEROME BRUNER (1915 – 2016) WAS AMONGST THE FIRST TO APPLY CONSTRUCTIVISM
AS A THEORY FOR LEARNING. IN BRUNER’S THEORY, THE MAIN THEME IS THAT PEOPLE
LEARN BY CONSTRUCTING NEW IDEAS AND CONCEPTS BY INTERPRETING THEM
THROUGH COMPARISON WITH PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE THAT IS AN IDEA PREVALENT IN
PIAGET’S THEORY.

13. JOHN DEWEY
•JOHN DEWEY (1859-1952). HE BELIEVED THAT LEARNING CAME FROM EXPERIENCES IN
WHICH THE LEARNER WAS PLACED IN A SITUATION WHERE HE/SHE HAD TO “DRAW OUT
EXPERIENCES THAT HAVE MEANING AND IMPORTANCE.

14. TEACHER AND STUDENT ROLE
CONSTUCTIVISM

15. ROLE OF THE TEACHER
•CONSTRUCTIVIST TEACHERS DO NOT TAKE THE ROLE OF THE "SAGE ON THE STAGE."
INSTEAD, TEACHERS ACT AS A "GUIDE ON THE SIDE" PROVIDING STUDENTS WITH
OPPORTUNITIES TO TEST THE ADEQUACY OF THEIR CURRENT UNDERSTANDINGS

17. •CONSIDER THE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCES STUDENTS BRING TO CLASS
•‘DISCOVERY’ IS FACILITATED BY PROVIDING THE NECESSARY RESOURCES
•KNOWLEDGE IS ACTIVELY CONSTRUCTED & LEARNING IS PRESENTED AS A PROCESS OF
ACTIVE DISCOVERY
•PROVIDE ASSISTANCE WITH ASSIMILATION OF NEW AND OLD KNOWLEDGE
•LEARNING PROGRAMME SHOULD BE SUFFICIENTLY FLEXIBLE TO PERMIT DEVELOPMENT
ALONG LINES OF STUDENT ENQUIRY
•EACH STUDENT WILL INTERPRET INFORMATION IN DIFFERENT WAYS
•PRESENT AUTHENTIC TASKS TO CONTEXTUALIZE LEARNING THROUGH REAL-WORLD,
CASE-BASED LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
•SUPPORT COLLABORATION IN CONSTRUCTING KNOWLEDGE, NOT COMPETITION

18. ROLE OF THE STUDENT
•THE EXPECTATION WITHIN A CONSTRUCTIVIST-LEARNING ENVIRONMENT IS THAT THE
STUDENTS PLAYS A MORE ACTIVE ROLE IN, AND ACCEPTS MORE RESPONSIBILITY FOR
THEIR OWN LEARNING.

20. •THE ROLE OF THE STUDENT TO ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN THEIR OWN EDUCATION
•ONE IMPORTANT ASPECT OF CONTROLLING THEIR OWN LEARNING PROCESS IS
REFLECTING ON THEIR EXPERIENCES
•STUDENTS BEGIN THEIR STUDY WITH PRE-CONCEIVED NOTIONS
•STUDENTS ARE VERY RELUCTANT TO GIVE UP THEIR ESTABLISHED SCHEMA/IDEA & MAY
REJECT NEW INFORMATION THAT CHALLENGES PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
•STUDENTS NEED TO KNOW HOW TO LEARN OR CHANGE THEIR THINKING/LEARNING
STYLE
•FOR STUDENTS TO LEARN THEY NEED TO RECEIVE DIFFERENT 'LENSES' TO SEE THINGS IN
NEW WAYS.
•IN SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM TUTORS AND PEERS PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN LEARNING

21. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
CONSTRUCTIVISM

22. ADVANTAGES
• IT ENGAGES LEARNERS TO BE PART OF THE LEARNING PROCESS.
• THE STUDENT SHARES IN THE RESPONSIBILITY OF LEARNING AND THE EDUCATION PROCESS AND NOT ONLY ON
THE TEACHER.
• MEMBERS ARE ENGAGED IN THE PURSUIT OF “INTELLECTUALITY” AND THE DESIRE TO LEARN GROWS WITHIN
THE INDIVIDUALS.
• ENCOURAGES TEAMWORK SKILLS.
• CONSTRUCTIVISM ENCOURAGES THE EDUCATORS TO BUILD ACCOMMODATIONS DUE TO DIFFERENT
INTELLIGENCES.
• CONSTRUCTIVISM ENCOURAGES DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT

23. DISADVANTAGES
• TIME CONSUMING.
• SOME SAY RESULTS ARE INEFFICIENT.
• STUDENTS FORM SUBJECTIVE IDEAS ABOUT WHAT THEY LEARN.
• IT RELIES ON THE NOTION THAT THE LEARNER IS OR WILL BE ABLE TO SELF-MANAGE, AND MATURE ENOUGH
TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON HIS EDUCATIONAL PROCESS.

24. CONSTUCTIVIST EXERCISES
CONSTUCTIVISM

25. CONCLUSION
CONSTRUCTIVISM

26. CONSTRUCTIVIST LEARNING THEORY HAS BROUGHT THE ISSUE OF ACTIVE, INDIVIDUAL
LEARNING TO THE FOREFRONT OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH. ACCORDING TO
CONSTRUCTIVIST, TREATING ALL STUDENTS THE SAME HAS INHIBITED TRUE LEARNING.
TREATING STUDENTS AS INDIVIDUALS AND ALLOWING THEM TO CREATE SITUATIONS
THAT ARE MEANINGFUL TO THEIR PARTICULAR STYLE OF LEARNING WILL INCREASE
STUDENT MOTIVATION AND ALLOW EACH LEARNER TO GAIN INFORMATION AND
EXPERIENCE THAT IS MEANINGFUL TO THEM.

27. EVALUATION
CONSTUCTIVISM