Module 14:
Constructivism: Knowledge Construction/Concept learning
In this module, challenge yourself to attain the following
learning outcomes;
 Explain the role of constructivism in facilitating
learning
 Describe strategies to promote knowledge
construction
 Describe strategies to facilitate concept learning
INTRODUCTION:
This module discusses constructivism which was
mentioned in the previous modules in Piaget and
Bruner. It is the distillation of most of the principles of
cognitive psychologies.
ADVANCE ORGANIZER
ABSTRACTION/GENERALIZATION
So far, you have studied about both the behavioristic
and cognitive views of learning. Behaviorism focused on
the external, observable bahavior. Learning is explained
as a connectionbetween the stimulus and the response.
Reinforcement is the key to learning. Behaviorist saw
learning as a change in behavior brought about by
experience with little acknowledgement of the mental
or internal aspects of learning. On the other hand, the
cognitive view focuses on the internal processes.
Learning is an active process. Learners initiate
experiences, search for information to solve problems
and reorganize what they already know to come up
with new insights.
In the quotation above “filling up the pail” is more
linked to rote learning and behaviorism. It connotes
that teaching is dominated by the teacher and the
learners are passive receivers of knowledge. “lighting
the fire” is related to the cognitive perspective and
constructivism. It signifies that teaching involves giving
opportunities for learners to explore and discover.
Learners construct their own meaning. Learners
generate insights and are “enlightened”.
More associated with cognitive psychology than
behaviorism, constructivism focuses on knowledge
construction. You were introduced to constructivism in
Module 14 on Bruner’s theory. Just as there are
different views within cognitive psychology,
constructivism also has different “versions”.
Two views of Constructivism
Individual Constructivism. This is also called cognitive
constructivism. It emphasizes individual, internal
construction of knowledge. It is largely based on
Piaget’s theory. Proponents of this type choose child-
centered and discovery learning. They believe the
learners shoulb be allowed to discover principles
through their own exploration rather than direct
instruction by the teacher.
Social Constructivism. This view emphasizes that
“knowledge exists in a social context and is initially
shared with others instead of being represented solely
in the mind of an individual”. It is based on Vygotsky’s
theory. Here, construction of knowledge is shared by
two or more people. According to social constructivists,
the opportunity to interact and share among learners
help to shape and refine their ideas. Knowledge
construction becomes social, not individual.
Characteristics of Constructivism
Whether one takes the individual or social view of
constructivism, there are four characteristics that these
two views have in common. According to Eggen and
Kauchhak, these are;
1. Learners construct understanding. As discussed
earlier, constructivists do not view learners as
just empty vessels waiting to be filled up. They
see learners as active thinkers who interpret
new information based on what they already
know. They construct knowledge in a way that
makes sense to them.
 2. New learning depends on current
understanding. Background information is very
important. It is through the present views or
scheme that the learner has that new
information will be interpreted.
3. Learning is facilitated by social interaction.
Constructivists believe in creating a “community
of learners” within classrooms. Learning
communities help learners take responsibility
for their own learning. Learners have a lot of
opportunities to cooperate and collaborate to
solve problems and discover things. Teachers
play the role of a facilitator rather than an
expert who has all the knowledge.
4. Meaningful learning occurs within authentic
learning tasks. An authentic task is one that
involves a learning activity that involves
constructing knowledge and understanding that
is so akin to the knowledge and understanding
needed when applied in the real world.
Example, a writing activity where six-years old
prepare a checklist of things they need to do in
school is a more an authentic activity than for
them to be working only on tracing worksheets
with dotted lines.
Organizing Knowledge
Concepts. A concept is a way of grouping or
categorizing objects or events in our mind. A concept of
“teach” includes a group of tasks such as model, discuss,
illustrate, expalin, assist, etc. In your life as a student
you would learn thousands of concepts, some simple
ones, others more complicated that may take you to
learn them more gradually. The concepts you learn are
also revised as you learn more and experience more.
Concepts as Feature Lists. Learning a concept involves
learning specific features that characterize positive
instance of the concept. Included here are defining
features and correlational feature. A defining feature is
a characteristics present in ALL instances. Example, a
triangle has three sides. Having three sides is a defining
feature of a triangle because ALL triangles should have
three sides. If one doesn’t then it is not triangle. A
correlational feature is one that is present in many
positive instances but not essential for concept
membership. For example,a mother is loving. Being
loving is a feature commonly present in the concept
mother. But a mother may not be loving. So “being
loving” is only a correlational feature, not a defining
one.
Concepts as prototypes. A prototype is an idea or a
visual image of a “typical” example. It is usually formed
based on the positive instances that learners encounter
most often. For example, close your eyes now and for a
moment think of a cat. Picture in mind what it looks
like. You probably thought of an image of the common
cat we see, rather than some rare breed or species.
Once learners have their own concept prototypes, the
new examples that they see are checked against this
existing prototype.
Concepts as Exemplars. Exemplars represent a variety
of examples. It allows learners to know that an example
under a concept may have variability. Example, a
learner’s concept of vegetable may include a wide
variety of different examples like cauliflower, kangkong,
cabbage, string beans, squash, corn, potatoes. When he
encounters a new type of vegetable like “bituelas”, he
would search from the exemplars he knows and looks
for one that is more similar, like string beans.
Making Concept-learning Effective. As a future teacher,
you can help students learn concepts by doing the
following:
 Provide a clear definition of the concept
 Make the defining features very concrete and
prominent
 Give a variety of positive instances
 Give negative instances
 Cite a “best example” or prototpye
 Provide opportunity for learners to identify
positive and negative instances
 Ask learners to think of their own example of
the concept
 Point out how cconcepts can be related to each
other
Schemas and scripts. A Schema is an organized body of
knowledge about something. It is like a file of
information you hold in your mind about something.
Like a schema of what a teacher is. A script is a schema
that includes a series of predictable events about a
specific activity. Examples would include knowing the
series of steps done when we visit a doctor, or what
transpires at the beginning of the class when the
teacher arrives.
Your role as a teacher is to bring learners to construct
their own knowledge such that they have a well
organized set of concepts. Aim to make clear those
concepts tahat are still vague for them, and to pave the
way for them to overcome misconceptions. It is
important that you acquire skills on how to facilitate
concept formation and development. Constructivism
can be an excellent guide for you.

Applying Constructivism in Facilitating Learning

 Aim to make learners understand a few key

ideas in an in-depth manner, rather than taking
up so many topics superficially
 Give varied examples
 Provide opportunities for experimentation
 Provide lots of opportunities for quality
interaction
 Have lots of hands-on activities
 Relate your topic to real life situations
 Do not depend on the explanation method all
the time