Learning Theory Statement - Social Constructivism

The social constructivism theory underpins my lesson plans as reflected in the collaborative
nature of the planned activities, the scaffolding throughout the lessons and the provision of
an authentic learning context.
The collaborative and reciprocal nature of social constructivism is an effective means for
children to build their understanding and expand their knowledge (Madrid & Kantor, 2007).
My lesson plans give students many opportunities to share knowledge and work together to
achieve a common goal, drawing on the social aspect of learning. For example, the students’
have to share information on animal relationships in order to learn about all three
relationships studied in the lesson, they also have to work together to create their final
project. The opportunity for rich discussion between teacher and students is also provided
throughout the lessons.
The social constructivist theory highlights the role of the teacher in extending the student’s
zone of proximal development, this is done through appropriate scaffolding eventually
allowing students to accomplish tasks independently (Marsh, Clarke & Pittaway, 2014).
Scaffolding can be seen in the overall layout of my three science lessons. Students begin with
limited knowledge on the topic and are provided with examples from the teacher and specific
instruction to build understanding. Eventually student groups are able to use their
understanding developed throughout the lessons to independently create a final product in
the form of a news report on the local frog population.
According to the social constructivist theory, an authentic context is highly valued as a means
to engage students in learning (Pritchard & Woollard, 2013). As mentioned previously, the
scaffolding of learning eventually leads to the students visiting the local pond and filming a
news report to save the frogs, demonstrating their understanding of the biology concepts.
Students are given the opportunity to get out into their own community and apply what they
have learnt in class in a real life scenario, an authentic context.
Learning Theory Statement - Social Constructivism

References

Madrid, S., & Kantor, R. (2007). Social Constructivism. In R. S. New, & M. Cochran
(Eds.), Early childhood education: an international encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, CA:
Praeger. Retrieved from
http://ipacez.nd.edu.au/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry
/abceceduc/social_constructivism/0?institutionId=1939

Marsh, C. J., Clarke, M., & Pittaway, S. (2014). Marsh’s becoming a teacher (6th ed.).
Melbourne, Vic: Pearson Australia.

Pritchard, A., & Woollard, J. (2013). Psychology for the classroom: Constructivism and social
learning. Florence: Routledge Ltd. doi 10.4324/9780203855171