Constructivism, Education, Science, and Technology

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present a brief review of the various streams of constructivism in studies of education, society, science and technology. It is intended to present a number of answers to the question (what really is constructivism?) in the context of various disciplines from the humanities and the sciences (both natural and social). In particular the discussion will focus on four varieties of constructivism: philosophical, cybernetic, educational, and sociological constructivism.

Teaching Young Children Science: Three Key Points

“…Constructivism, as a philosophy of teaching and learning, views the learner as the main ''driver'' of his or her learning (Boudourides, 2003;Lorsbach & Tobin, 2004). This is very relevant in doing science as it offers extensive opportunities for manipulation and discovery.…”

impact of 1:1 laptops on teaching and learning : how seven secondary educators perceive technology having enhanced their teaching and their students' learning

“…Boudourides (2003) characterizes Vygotsky's emphasis on the role of the tutor and stresses that Vygotsky felt that thought development is mainly influenced and determined by language and interaction. Jorg (2009) underscores this by saying, "… we should recognize the surprising inefficiency of individual learning, of learning alone, and become more aware of the generative power of learning through social interaction as a generative process, with unexpected potentialities for the partners in that interaction" (p. 6).…”

“…He held that the development of the human intellect proceeds through adaptation, organization, and re-organization, where external events are assimilated into existing mental structures to create and accommodate new ones that are structured and organized (Boudourides, 2003). As the child matures, the mental structures and organizational schemes become more complex and are constructed by the learner as opposed to being transmitted by the educator.…”

“…As the child matures, the mental structures and organizational schemes become more complex and are constructed by the learner as opposed to being transmitted by the educator. (Boudourides, 2003).…”

“…Piaget identifies the stages of cognitive development as children mature into adults. A key facet of his approach is that, through the process of adaptation, organization, and re-organization, a person develops and constructs increasingly complex structures outside of what is being transmitted by another person or educator (Boudourides, 2003). To move from one stage of development to another, one needs a "difficulty to overcome" (Doll, 1989) or unbalancing that pushes one to engage in what he called the equilibrium-disequilibrium-re-equilibrium process that is at the heart of cognitive development and learning (Doll, 1989).…”