THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVIST CLASSROOM 1

The Social Constructivist Classroom

Educational Psychology PSC-220-085-18SI-I

Jacquelyn Smith

Chesapeake College
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Abstract

This paper looks at social constructivism, its impact on students, and the benefit the student gains

from participating in this style of education. An examination of key figures in social

constructivism looks at what influences by other theories or reactions to other theories drove

their own educational philosophies. The role of both teachers and students in this model is

discussed. An exploration of the skills students are likely to gain in this format is delved into.

The benefits of the social constructivist classroom are also looked at.

Teachers who teach as if they value what their students think create learners.
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The Social Constructivist Classroom and Its Impact on the Student

Social constructivist classrooms provide a rich, collaborative learning environment for

both student and teacher that results in longer-term learning and better preparation for

application of knowledge. Students come away more equipped to learn independently, have a

broader understanding of different approaches to the same problem, value their education more,

and are more socially adept than peers who do not learn in social constructivist classrooms and

schools.

To understand the impact of a social constructivist classroom, we need to better

understand the origins of this philosophy and model as well as how it is applied in schools.

Social constructivism is defined as “a variety of cognitive constructivism that emphasizes the

collaborative nature of much learning” (GSI Berkeley). The onus of learning in cognitive

constructivism is placed on the student. While the teacher or professor provides the tools for the

construction of knowledge, it is the student themselves who constructs the new information into

something they understand and connect with in a meaningful way.

Jean Piaget, a proponent of cognitive constructivism, had assumed that learning could be

removed from the social context. Later educational philosophers disagreed with this. Alfie Kohn

describes constructivism thusly in “The Schools Our Children Deserve”: “Constructivism is

derived from the recognition that knowledge is constructed rather than absorbed: we form

beliefs, build theories, make order” (Kohn 132). The words he chooses to describe

constructivism do not mesh with passivity or stagnation, frequently perceived hallmarks of a

more traditional education.

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Johann Friedrich Herbart posited in 1806 that education was best served with five

steps. His five steps included an initial preparatory phase where the teacher or professor explored

with the student their past knowledge of the subject. They then connected that previous

knowledge base to what they were about to learn. This made ready the mind of the student and

prepared them to access related previous knowledge. This served not only to prepare the area of

the mind where the student was likely to store the new information, but also made the student

feel more confident as they approached this new acquisition of knowledge. Starting from a place

of competence is empowering and provides a firm foundation upon which new discoveries can

be laid securely.

The second step of his process was the presentation of the new material to the student, in

as concrete of a manner as possible. Through the connection of the old knowledge or experience

to the new knowledge and experience, the student would be able to then assimilate and associate,

generalize, and finally apply the new knowledge. Herbart’s steps were set up, “so that every

learned idea becomes a part of the functional mind and an aid to a clear, vital interpretation of

life” (Britannica, Herbart). The emphasis was on the usefulness and retention of the newly

acquired knowledge, not just the ability to produce evidence of it on a standardized test.

Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky flipped Jean Piaget’s belief that development always

precedes learning. Vygotsky believed that learning led development. He said, “Every function in

the child’s cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the

individual level; first, between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child

(intrapsychological)” (Social Development Theory). It took a long while for Vygotsky’s theories

to reach the west, but when they finally arrived in 1962, they greatly impacted the understanding

of how children learn and acquire or construct knowledge. He understood that, as Kohn puts it,
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“By thinking through the possibilities, students come up with their own ways of finding

solutions. they must invent their own procedures (Kohn, Schools, 177).” Students who divined

their own solutions to problems were likelier to fully understand and retain those solutions.

Rather than memorizing mathematical equations by rote, students came to each equation’s

solution organically, through discovery. Attaching these formulas to the thrill of discovery made

them more positively perceived and made them easier to recall.

Two facets of Vygotsky’s learning theory really resonated with educators and students

alike. The first was the concept of the role of a “more knowledgeable other”. This person could

simply be a more advanced student, a teacher or professor, a parent, a coach, or really anyone

with a deeper understanding of the subject the student was preparing to tackle. The purpose of

this person was to provide mentorship and guidance through the acquisition of the new

knowledge. Some have theorized that even a computer equipped with the right access to

information could fulfill the role of the more knowledgeable other. The student is still the

primary constructor of knowledge in the more knowledgeable other and student relationship,

while the more knowledgeable other serves to support that construction. The relationship could

be likened to that of a general contractor and inspector. The contractor constructs, with the

inspector periodically checking in to be sure the contractor is meeting the standards of code for

both their benefit and the benefit of others. When the contractor has gone awry, the inspector

must deliver the news and a recommendation for the remedy of the mistake or deviation from the

plan. The contractor course corrects and moves forward with the inspector’s seal of approval.

The second facet of Vygotsky’s social constructivist learning theory was the “zone of

proximal development”. The zone of proximal development is described as the space between

the student’s ability to learn the information on their own and the place where the student cannot
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learn without assistance. In the place where the student can learn fully independently, the content

is fairly easy to the student and they can acquire the new knowledge without assistance or

tutoring. The place where they must have assistance because the goal is too hard for them to

accomplish on their own, without guidance or support, is the opposite end of the spectrum. In

that middle zone is where real, measurable learning takes place. As the student learns more and

more, they move further from the place they started, where everything was easily acquired, and

toward the place of difficulty. This spectrum of learning has helped teachers better understand a

student’s movement toward mastery of a subject.

Jerome Bruner added another layer of support to the social constructivist classroom

model with his scaffolding approach. The idea of scaffolding is to build a solid support system

around the student, that allows the student to grow and eventually no long require that support

system, much the same way we erect monuments or buildings within a workable framework and

are eventually left with a free-standing structure. Kohn tells us of a teacher who comes to the

realization that “only by making sure she didn’t monopolize the classroom was there a real

chance for her students to talk – and therefore to learn” (Kohn, Schools 136). Instead of a role as

a lecturer, where the teacher stands at the front of the room and drones on and on (much like the

teachers Charlie Brown had in the cartoon series), they become a facilitator of discovery.

Unlike Piaget, Bruner believed that the stage of development had no bearing on what a

student could be taught, provided the support system was in place and the lessons were taught

the right way. When lessons were unattainable, students became bored and mentally tuned out.

Determining whether a student who is learning passively is bored is difficult because passive

learning often looks the same as passive disconnect. A student in a social constructivist

classroom is engaging in a continuous or intermittent social dialogue that tells the teacher or
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more knowledgeable other when the student’s engagement is suffering, allowing the teacher to

modify their approach or add in additional supports. Bruner also “championed the ‘spiral

curriculum,’ in which subjects are taught to students year after year at increasing levels of

complexity” (Britannica, Bruner).

A study on reciprocal teaching by Annemarie Palincsar and Ann Brown shed more light

on how students’ involvement in the social constructivist educational process makes them more

likely to retain and apply the information they’ve learned. Their model uses summarizing,

clarifying, questioning, and predicting as steps to develop reading skills. These activities are

“undertaken in the context of actually reading with the goal of understanding and remembering

the text content” (Palincsar & Brown 122). Their model in motion begins with groups of four

students. Each student is assigned a role corresponding to the four skills of their model. Students

then read a portion of their assigned next. They’re encouraged to jot down relevant notes or to

underline as they go to better prepare them to fulfill their task in the discussion later. When they

reach their reading goal, the summarizer relates the main points of the reading they’ve just done.

The questioner’s job is to ask questions about vague sections of the passage, unknown words, or

ask about how this might connect to other reading they’ve done. The student in the clarifying

role does their best to answer these questions. Finally, the student who is predicting will come up

with theories about where the text is likely to go next. The roles are then redistributed before

reading continues.

The reciprocal teaching model teaches the students to think on many levels. The clarifier

must be paying attention at all times to ensure that they don’t miss important plot points. The

questioner not only has to write down their own questions but anticipate what questions other

members in their group might have. The clarifier is similarly trying to anticipate what areas of
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difficulty might be for their teammates, but they are focused on the solutions to those stumbling

blocks. And the predictor is considering not only the facts of the story but the tone as well, to be

able to make a supposition about what could come next in this story. The application of this

method “led to sizable gains on criterion tests of comprehension, reliable maintenance over time,

generalization to classroom comprehension tests, transfer to novel tasks that tapped the trained

skills of summarizing, questioning, and clarifying, and improvement in standardized

comprehension scores” (Reciprocal Reading). This practiced fluidity and flexibility of thought

prepares these students well to function as more knowledgeable others in their subsequent

academic settings.

The role of a teacher in a constructivist classroom is very different from a traditional

school model. “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” (Becoming a Better University Teacher). Much like a Sherpa, the

social constructivist teacher brings the tools and implements to the social team, enabling the

learners to advance. This requires a great deal of flexibility on the part of the teacher or more

knowledgeable other. They lead “the reciprocal processes that enables participants in an

educational community to construct meanings that lead toward a common purpose about

schooling” (Senge 404). Social constructivist teachers must be able to think strategically to

formulate the best course for their class. Each class comes with many diverse learners, each

equipped with their own built in frames of reference and interests. To accommodate all of these

students takes practice, study, and much work.

The social constructivist teacher must frequently assess themselves and the student to

monitor progress and growth, course correcting as necessary to facilitate the most effective
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advancement. The teacher is a mediator, who sets structure and objectives, but allows for open

and honest discussion and reflection. The teacher must be adequately prepared for multiple

directions the lesson may take. This cannot be a teacher who knows the lesson by heart, but

nothing outside of that specific lesson. A social constructivist classroom requires a highly

qualified teacher with a broad knowledge base and a great deal of patience.

The role of a student in a social constructivist classroom is also more intensive than in a

traditional classroom. Instead of passively listening to what a lecturer has to say and occasionally

taking notes or raising their hand to answer a brief question, the student is a team member, and a

critical part of the progress toward the goal. There is no flying under the radar in this learning

environment. Students must be accountable to themselves for deliverables and honest with their

expression of their knowledge and their comfort level with that knowledge. They may struggle

with letting go of prior schema, patterns of thoughts or behavior that must be updated or thrown

out altogether to adapt to the newly acquired information. There could be a significant element of

culture shock for a student who has acclimated to a lecture-based learning structure and has to

suddenly adapt to a social constructivist classroom format. Students will work harder in a social

constructivist classroom, but the opportunities for engagement, growth, and success are so much

greater that one hopes they’d be up to the task.

The student must also get comfortable with the idea of functioning as part of a team.

Peter Senge states, “Team learning is a discipline of practices designed, over time, to get the

people of a team thinking and acting together. the team members do not need to think alike –

indeed it’s unlikely that they ever will. But through regular practice, they can learn to be

effective in concert” (Senge 73). Many learners cringe at the idea of team or group work. To

avoid team work would ill prepare students for the reality of most adult professional lives. Most
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workforces involve some aspect of team work or group projects. Students must hold themselves

accountable for their contribution level to their team and help hold their team mates accountable

as well. No one benefits from a team where one person does all of the work, while others chatter

or nap or text. The team misses out on the diversity of the frames of reference of each member

and their diverse background and viewpoint. The students who choose not to participate will

struggle with measurements of the acquisition of that skill and the student who has done the

lion’s share of the work will have taken on an unnecessary amount of stress and hard work.

Learning how to function as part of a well-functioning team is crucial for a learner in a social

constructivist classroom.

Many life skills can be acquired in the social constructivist classroom. Skills that are

necessary in many industries and professions can be developed and strengthened in this setting.

Businesses clamor regularly for diversely educated critical thinkers, but don’t seem to recognize

that the constructivist classroom is a great way to develop them. In “What Does it Mean to be

Educated”, Alfie Kohn says, “They insist that modern corporations have similar goals to

educators… but if this were really true, we would see cutting-edge companies taking the lead in

demanding a constructivist approach to instruction, where students’ questions drive the

curriculum” (Kohn, 23). Many companies offer extrinsic educational incentives like free slices of

pizza or game tokens for achievement, when what they really should be doing is offering

financial support to schools to put in place programs that develop intrinsically motivated

students, who will naturally develop critical business skills as part of their education. Some of

these critical business skills are discussion skills, presentation skills, self-management skills, and

a sense of community or a civic-mindedness that will contribute to the student being a well-

rounded individual and conscientious employee.

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Discussion skills are a vital skill in most work settings. Tact, diplomacy, and patience are

part of successful discussions and negotiations in many professional settings. Students will find

that “they may need to offer information, ask questions, or argue for a different solution” (10

Benefits) in their workplaces. Feedback is a crucial part of discussions. For students to truly

develop in these skills, they need frequent and honest feedback from their teacher. Students who

receive direct feedback from their teacher or more knowledgeable other learn over time to

process critique. Receiving feedback gracefully, processing it, and applying it to their conduct or

work habits is a critical workplace skill as well.

Participating in discussions also “gives students the chance to practice using a different

vocabulary” (10 Benefits). Teachers spend so much time in their familiar content area that they

use the language of that subject fluidly. Students who participate in discussions will get an

opportunity to wield their newly acquired vocabulary somewhere other than on an assessment.

To become truly fluent, immersive use of a language is the best approach to get there.

Even the youngest students benefit from discussions. Listening behaviors are a sign of

students overcoming egocentrism, as Piaget might characterize it. Progress becomes self-evident

when we hear students use empathetic, listening language like the language cited in “Schools

that Learn”. Examples they provide, such as, “Let’s try Shelley’s idea and see if it works,” or

“Let me show you how Gina solved the problem, and then I’ll show you how I solved it” (Senge

198) illustrate both listening skills and empathy. Hearing another student validate their ideas or

strategies would certainly be beneficial for the academic confidence of Shelley and Gina. And

every student’s recognition that other students have unique and valid ideas makes them a more

valuable teammate in a workforce later, as they’ll be likelier to reach out to their coworkers for
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collaboration on a difficult issue. Recognition that other people have different frames of

reference and come from diverse backgrounds is something more people need.

Presentation skills are incredibly important. Many Americans cite public speaking as

one of their greatest fears, sometimes even ranking it scarier than death. Carmine Gallo states

that “seventy percent of employed Americans who give presentations agree that presentation

skills are critical to their success at work” (Gallo). Despite the recognition of the crucial nature

of presentation, twenty percent of the same respondents said that they “would do almost

anything to avoid giving a presentation including pretending to be sick or asking a colleague to

give the presentation, even if it means ‘losing respect’ in the workplace” (Gallo). If only these

respondents had had the opportunity to develop their presentation skills during their formative

years in their schooling. Presentation skills are like most other skills, the more you use them, the

stronger they become. Practice truly does make perfect, or at the very least, practice will reduce

some of the anxiety centered around presenting or giving speeches. Students who play active

roles in the presentation of information in social constructivist classrooms are well prepared to

not only present their ideas with confidence, but also anticipate how these ideas might be

received by others, preparing them to address questions before they’re even asked.

Social constructivist classrooms lend themselves well toward developing intrinsic

motivation in their students. Research has indicated that tasks that require creative or conceptual

cognitive thinking don’t respond well to extrinsic motivation methods. To increase intrinsic

motivation and engagement in adults, the three most effective means are to offer people

autonomy, the time and resources to develop mastery, and a sense of purpose (25 Ways). The

goals of students are the same. They want to know that what they’re studying has value and will

benefit them, establishing a clear purpose for the learning. They want the opportunity to develop
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mastery. It does not feel good to fall short on educational goals. The feeling of falling short can

lead to resistance to study other topics in that subject, because the student associates a feeling of

frustration with it. And autonomy is something we all want in our tasks. Autonomy is the

freedom to set your own direction.

While social constructivist classrooms in public schools have to set educational goals that

line up with the mandatory state curriculum, they provide more leeway to their students on how

to get there. There’s space for tangential learning that allows students to connect the learning

task to other pieces of related information that more closely align with what they care about. A

student who is learning about the historical facts of the Civil War battles may find the appalling

medical treatments of the day to be an interesting parallel investigation. Allowing them to

explore a component of the subject that relates to the subject and their realm of interest or

previous knowledge makes them far more likely to retain the facts they must learn as part of the

curriculum. Their more knowledgeable other or teacher can bring them onto course as needed

but allowing that little bit of self-governance gives a student confidence and vastly improves

their engagement. They feel as if they are in charge of their own educational destiny.

The social-based learning model of social constructivism aids in the development of

community-minded, civic-minded students. Jean Piaget asks, “What is the best method to

make a pupil a future good citizen…? Is it simply to give him, for a certain number of hours a

year, a systematic course of ‘civic instruction’… or is it to graft such training onto the experience

of self-government in school so that the child knows by experience what an executive

committee, a general assembly, and a court are…?” (Piaget 130). A lecture about the

components of government would certainly not be as interesting as an opportunity to establish a

mock or a real government in the classroom. Students in a social constructivist classroom are far
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likelier to have been involved in the setting of rules or social contracts in their classroom. They

may have more opportunity to participate in decision-making overall. Part of making decisions

as a social group is coordination of committees, identification of goals, and votes to determine

outcomes. What better way for students to learn about government than by governing themselves

and their peers? Students who have explored the construct of government from within would be

less likely to be overwhelmed or swayed by the political machinations that sweep our nation

every two and four years.

Students who have practiced the reciprocal teaching model will empathize with their

teammate who is responsible for other roles, because they have been there themselves. The

recognition that we are all in this together is vital to the overall health of our schools, our

communities, our nation, and our world. Students who are aware of their role in the social fabric

of their world may be more inclined to participate in service learning, another opportunity for

exponential social learning and growth. In their paper entitled “Toward a Social Approach to

Learning in Community Service Learning, the authors state that, “borrowing from social

constructionist theory, the authors view society as constructed through communicative action and

view participation in society as relationally- and culturally-created and interpreted… the

perspective that students become engaged citizens through CSL [community service learning]

says much about the way that ideas are constructed about engagement and citizenship” (Cooks,

Scharrer, & Castaneda Paredes 45). Social constructivist students are more connected to their

world.

Access to technology is an asset to a social constructivist classroom. Collaborative

learning tools like Google Docs and Kahoot make learning novel and fun. Software such as

Powerschool and Canvas allow students to have ownership of their grades, giving them round
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the clock access to pending assignments, teacher feedback, and course catalogs. This ownership

contributes to that feeling of self-government or autonomy that people crave. Even the reciprocal

teaching model could work in a digital environment. Many professors at Chesapeake College use

Canvas to facilitate online discussions among their students. Skipjack provides email access to

fellow students to coordinate projects or ask questions.

There are different levels of technology access to enable social learning. Authors Jeong

and Hmelo-Silver clarify, “collaboration ‘through’ computers refers to distributed collaboration

situations in which computers are used as medium of social interaction (e.g., online forum

discussion). Collaboration ‘around’ computers, on the other hand, refers to the collaboration in

face-to-face settings around computers in which computers become the focus of interaction”

(Jeong & Hmelo-Silver 249). Teachers no longer roll in cumbersome AV carts to share a fun and

engaging video with their class. It would have hardly been worth it to bring in the cart for a three

minute video to catch the students’ attention before a lesson. Students can now use their school-

provided laptops (in schools that provide this valuable benefit), classroom tables, smart board

technology, or even their cell phones to watch the content. It is possible for students to be

physically miles apart, yet still have shared social learning experiences. The more knowledgeable

other could be on another continent, but still offer leadership, guidance, and their experience

wisdom. The social community for a learner could very well be a global community.

One perceived limitation of a social constructivist classroom is the lack of alignment with

standardized testing. “Constructivists believe that assessment should be used as a tool to enhance

both the student's learning and the teacher's understanding of student's progress. It should not be

used as an accountability tool that serves to stress or demoralise students. Types of assessment

aligned to this epistemological position include reflective journals/portfolios, case studies, group-
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based projects, presentations (verbal or poster), debates, role playing etc” (Becoming a Better

University Teacher). The measurements for a social constructivist student’s progress is much

more like the measurements the student will face as an adult in the professional world. Portfolios

are common measurement tools for artists, teachers, copywriters, and other professions. Group

presentations are used to measure in several other industries. The application of real-world

measurement to the classroom is just another way the social constructivist model better prepares

students for life.

Students who answer incorrectly in a social constructivist classroom are less likely to

hear a negative response. Their teacher or more knowledgeable other is more likely to explore

with them how they came to the conclusion. This helps the teacher find the schema that is not

working for them, allowing the teacher to work with them on adjusting that schema or replacing

it with a new one. This keeps the learning process positive and moving in a forward motion and

allows the student to grow without fear or reprimand for their venturing a hypothesis. Trust is a

crucial part of the learning process. When no one has to fear the brisk shake of a head to indicate

that they’ve failed, the students are much more likely to venture an idea. Learning should be a

brave and somewhat messy process, full of mistakes that facilitate learning and growth. The fact

that standardized testing isn’t always an ideal fit for a social constructivist classroom’s

curriculum is more an indictment of the testing itself than the educational process at hand.

In conclusion, through the implementation of ideas from scholars of education like

Herbart, Piaget, Vygotsky, Bruner, and others, a social constructivist classroom can have lasting

and meaningful impact on its students. Students in these classrooms can benefit from longer-term

learning and better preparation for application of knowledge in their adult lives. Students come

away more equipped and confidently prepared to learn independently. They have a broader
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understanding of how different approaches might apply to the same problem and are more

socially adept than peers who do not learn in social constructivist classrooms and schools.

Students leave these classrooms skilled in many areas that are critical to professional success.

They are intrinsically motivated and recognize their value and the value of others. They’re more

prepared to navigate a workforce rich in diversity and are more open to new ideas and concepts.

A social constructivism based educational philosophy benefits the student and all the people they

will come into contact with, like ripples on a pond.

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