In the realm of learning theories, constructivism is linked to and developed from cognitivism – shifting the focus from passive absorption to active construction of knowledge. Essentially, constructivism is the theory that learners construct knowledge themselves rather than just passively taking in information.
Let’s delve into the core principles of this important theory.
Constructing knowledge and meaning
Piaget’s exploration of how individuals construct knowledge and meaning laid the foundation for constructivism. Questions about the role of prior knowledge and the influence of social interaction in learning and development found their answers in this theory.
Principles of constructivism
Constructivism lays down a few essential principles for learning design:
- Active and engaging learning: No more monotonous lectures. Constructivism advocates for active learner involvement and steers away from passive information absorption.
- Situated learning: Knowledge should find a place in real-world contexts. This is about demonstrating the relevance of learning to the individual’s own life.
- Collaborative learning: It’s time to team up! Constructivism emphasises collaboration over isolation for building new knowledge – interacting with others enables us to cement what we have learned.
Facilitators over instructors
In the constructivist approach, educators take on the role of facilitators rather than instructors. This encourages an ongoing dialogue with learners, recognising learning as an active and constructive process.
What does this mean for elearning then? This means we should design learning programmes which include elements of discussion among peers. Whether in-person or online, we need to provide opportunities for learners to collaboratively solve problems and discover solutions.
So, let’s look at an example of how this could work in practice:
Example: Continuous improvement revolution
Consider a scenario where a large training organisation wants to share a small team’s continuous improvement (CI) expertise with its entire staff. The innovative but small team is overwhelmed with requests, and they don’t have enough time to help every other function to improve.
The Solution: building blocks of knowledge
The company develops an online suite featuring nuggets of CI wisdom accessible to an unlimited number of employees. Each of these building blocks of basic knowledge encourages individuals to apply CI techniques to their work, complemented by real-life stories of CI problem-solving.
At key points in the learning journey, employees could also attend short workshops with the experts in-person. These events will spark discussions on applying techniques to real problems, creating memorable ‘aha’ moments and adding cement to the building blocks of knowledge they’ve already built up. Following the workshops, participants can then join an online CI community to continue conversations and collaborative problem-solving.
The science behind the strategy
Constructivism values social interaction and collaboration. By taking part in engaging discussions with experts and peers, learners are encouraged to share perspectives and co-construct knowledge. Workshops become social hubs where learners can reflect on past problem-solving which connects experiences with new knowledge.
In the world of constructivism, it’s not just about receiving information; it’s about actively constructing knowledge – an incremental process that builds understanding one step at a time.
Here’s to a learning journey marked by engagement, collaboration and practical application!
Explore more
Discover the secrets to designing impactful and engaging elearning experiences by leveraging the science of learning, in our guide: Creating impactful elearning – The art and science of evidence-based elearning design.
Delve into the world of evidence-based elearning and discover expert commentary from renowned thought leader Dr. Philippa Hardman.