Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
Article Title: “Cognitive and Social Constructivism: Developing Tools for an Effective
Classroom.”
This article describes the importance of both types of constructivism in the classroom,
cognitive and social, and how each utilizes distinct tools and strategies to be effective.
Constructivism itself can be defined in most schools as “the best method for teaching and
learning” (Powell, Kalina 2). Both aid in making the learning process easier to understand for
students, but cognitive constructivism focuses on the individual’s rate of development while
The cognitive constructivism process was founded by Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget’s
theory of cognitive development. His theory claims that students may be guided by teachers but
“cannot be given information… and must construct their own knowledge” (Powell, Kalina 3).
Piaget believed that humans learned by creating schemas, the basic building blocks of thought,
and through the four phases of development: the Sensorimotor stage, the preoperational stage,
the concrete operational stage, and the formal operational stage. Though based around certain
age boundaries, these phases stress the significance of individual attention for each student, and
that they discover knowledge for themselves at their own pace (Powell, Kalina 4).
On the other hand, the social constructivism approach was inspired by Russian
psychologist Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural perspective. His point of view suggests that students
comprehend most efficiently when “in social interaction and that it is an integral part of
learning” (Powell, Kalina 4). Vygotsky believed in a zone of proximal development (ZPD),
which is the particular stage when a student can grasp a challenging concept through the
assistance of teachers or fellow peers. This theory has been proven true, as students exposed to
scaffolding, or support with problem solving, have been shown to retain more information this
The article’s concluding paragraphs comment on a comparison between the two types of
constructivism and their founders. While certainly different, they have one major similarity—the
and Kalina, “Both Piaget and Vygotsky agreed that the teacher’s role was that of a facilitator and
guide, and not of a director or dictator” (7). This means the instructor should promote both an
individually and socially welcoming atmosphere matter that does not dominate the student body.
There are numerous connections between this educational journal and topics mentioned
in Chapter Two of the textbook that agree with one another. The first parallel reference is of Jean
Piaget; both the article and the textbook go into great detail of his theory of cognitive
development. In addition to the four stages, the article also refers to assimilation and
accommodation, which the book defines as “the two processes involved in adaptation”
(Woolfolk 33). The process of equilibration, or the search for balance between one’s mind and
the outside world, is stated in both texts as well (Powell, Kalina 3).
Yet another example of similarities linking this article and Chapter Two are Lev
Vygotsky and his sociocultural approach to learning. Each mentions his sponsorship of
cooperative collaboration between students and social interaction with teachers. Furthermore,
they both bring up Vygotsky’s belief that cultural tools, from material tools like computers to
psychological tools like language, “play very important roles in cognitive development”
(Woolfolk 44). He stressed that the cultural influences begotten from communication strengthen
students’ capacity to learn, and that teachers “should recognize the diversity of the class and
I believe that the main points in this article can be applied to my own future classroom
and teaching style. While Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s perspectives are mostly aimed at younger
students, this educational journal’s mentioning of cognitive and social constructivism can most
definitely pertain to high school students too. My dream as a secondary education English
teacher is to instill in adolescents a greater familiarity and fondness of reading and appreciating
I believe that the most important part of teaching is the building of a relationship of trust
between the instructor and his or her students. True, good grades and learning the course material
are important too, but I want my students to look forward to my class, know that each is special
giving my students individually based homework. For example, I could assign my class to read
any additional readings at home to prepare themselves for questions the following day. If I am
pleased with the class’ responses, they would be exempt from the quiz. This would not only
enable my students to gain self-taught knowledge and develop their reading skills, but it would
also encourage them to enjoy what they are reading without the pressure of being tested on
specific material.
choose the groups at random because I would never want to leave anyone out (I know how that
feels from personal experience,) and doing so would allow students to meet and get to know
others outside of their usual social crowds. It would also help teach the students how to
Arciero 5
cooperate and learn in a social setting with others’ ideas and suggestions. Furthermore, these
interactive activities would help augment the students’ communication skills and hopefully
psychologists made it a point that the instructor not force-feed the information, but guide the
students through it. One way in which I think I can exercise this is through giving brief
PowerPoint presentations or concise video clips. I hope to present only the main points of the
course material, instead of all the particulars. Once I establish a general idea of the concept
(whether it is how to write an essay or a poem analysis,) I can encourage the students to give me
their own thoughts. This will promote the students to speak their minds, thereby encouraging
them to have confidence in their ideas, learn how to explain their opinions, and think creatively
and intelligently.
All in all, I want to teach in a positive, encouraging manner. From personal experience, I
know the importance of compliments and constructive criticism, instead of negative criticism or
that a balanced interweaving of both approaches is best. I think that by giving some assignments
individually and others as group projects, I can use both methods to their best capacity and teach
my students how to work individually and cooperatively, thus helping them to discover and
Works Cited
Powell, Katherine C., and Cody J. Kalina. "Cognitive and Social Constructivism: Developing
Woolfolk, Anita. Educational Psychology. 11th ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson