Sharon Kowalsky
September 27, 2010
IST663 – Integrating Motivation and Information Literacy
Assignment #2 – Teaching/Learning Technique

Constructivism

A constructivist approach to learning creates an environment wherein students are as responsible for learning as their teachers are for providing information. This approach requires “learners to draw from their own knowledge and experience and to learn by doing through direct, hands-on engagement in the learning process in real or stimulated situations” (Small, 2005). This learner-centric technique emphasizes that the role of the teacher is to act as a guide, allowing for each student to experience learning through individual discovery.
Influenced greatly by Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, constructivism is founded on the idea that “humans must ‘construct’ their own knowledge. Individuals build their knowledge through their experiences that enable them to build ‘mental models’ of the world” (Savolainen et al, 2004). What this means in a K-12 classroom is that students would continually rely on their existing knowledge to advance those concepts that are currently taught. Savolainen et al. go on to state that “information is not a pill an individual can swallow in order to become informed, but a plastic substance that can be shaped in many ways.” The student is an active participant who must continually exercise cognitive reasoning in order to process information and make sense of the surrounding world. The student is able to progress to understanding more of the world through guidance provided by the teacher. This greatly encourages higher-order thinking that, in turn, allows for a much more social approach to learning than the traditional teacher-as-lecturer classroom environment would suggest. Collaborating with peers, especially through group work, enables each student to be the teacher and to learn from others’ experiences.
As it relates specifically to teaching 21st Century Skills, constructivism supports the American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) stance that “students are more likely to be successful in developing the skills and dispositions of learning when they are given opportunities to construct their own understanding and develop skills through guided practice” (2009). The 21st Century Skills themselves are innately based in “inquiry and critical thinking” (Gordon, 2010). Each of the Common Beliefs set forth by the AASL are supported by creating a constructivist learning environment. For example, the AASL Common Belief that “ethical behavior in the use of information must be taught” is certainly something most school librarians believe and will, in turn, try to impart said ethical behavior onto their students (2009). They will not, in most cases, specifically instruct what that ethical behavior may be for each resource; what is true for one website is true for them all. Ideally students will be able to take the knowledge they have learned and apply the same principles to every resource they may be exposed to.
The advantage to using constructivism in the classroom, specifically in the library, is that it so greatly mirrors those standards and beliefs that the AASL has already put forth. This higher, critical thinking environment often gives way to learning that can be applied in the students’ lives outside of the classroom (Gordon, 2010). This technique also engages students’ curiosity by encouraging group work and collaborative projects. Integration of technology is also effective as it allows students to draw on knowledge of previous lessons in order to put together a cohesive, unifying project. As an example, Steele suggests, “instead of repeatedly having children work word problems to learn how to make change for a dollar, constructivist theory suggests it is better to give children real money to use at a classroom or school store for practice” (2005).

On the other hand, constructivism, “is not a method that lends itself to quick and easy implementation” (Lincoln 2001). Lincoln suggests that it might be easier to find constructivism principles in existing lessons than to fully adopt a constructivist model since it requires much time on both the part of the teacher and the students. Additionally, a student with learning disabilities “has difficulty with processing skill such as memory, visual perception, auditory perception or thinking” which greatly inhibits the success a teacher may find with using constructivist techniques alone to engage the student (Steele, 2005).

When motivating students, however, constructivism might be quite useful in the classroom. Using Cognitive Evaluation Theory (CET), it is clear that both teachers and students might find constructivist environments fulfilling and effective. CET, presented by Deci and Ryan, “argues that interpersonal events and structures (e.g., rewards, communications, feedback) that conduce toward feelings of competence during action can enhance intrinsic motivation for that action” (Deci et al. 2000). Because constructivism relies so heavily on the students’ own engagement of instruction, any positive feelings felt towards learning can be attributed both to the classroom experience and to the students’ effort itself. This, in turn, helps to create a standard of intrinsic motivation that self-perpetuates a continued positive response in the student. CET further states that positive and negative feedback may have great influences on a students’ perceived ability; constructive learning environments wherein the instructor allows each of the students to engage in discussion and instruction creates an equal environment that allows for the most positive learning experience and gives the student control. As Deci and Ryan discuss “choice and opportunity for self direction…appear to enhance intrinsic motivation, as they afford a greater sense of autonomy” (2000). The practice of constructivism allows the student control not only over their learning environment, but the subject matter and task at hand as well. With this technique, students are partners in their own educational process and the classroom can be tailored to fit their individual needs.

Consider the example noted when teaching students to correctly identify handling money and making change. A hands-on approach is always considered best as it allows for students to rely on their existing knowledge and experiences in order to derive new knowledge. With this in mind, an example as to how to properly execute a lesson using constructivism in a school library would be to focus on the 21st Century Skills set forth by the AASL and ensure that students are able to use prior knowledge to build additional skills. Where a traditional middle-school lesson might involve having students read a book, write a report, and present their report to the class, a constructivist approach would be much more hands-on. A 7th grade English class reading Letters from Rifka, for example, would use clues in the book to trace the path Rifka’s family traveled on Google Earth. They would also use their knowledge from history class to determine what events made it difficult for the family to travel, including the rise of pogroms in Russia and the early stages of Communist parties throughout Europe. They would then be able to use the tools learned in each of their classes to present a picture of what it was like for Rifka and her family to travel across Europe and gain entrance into the United States using Microsoft Power Point. The constructivist approach increases the chances that the students remember the lesson, but it also increases their cognitive reasoning as it relates to both English and history classes.

Constructivism, as a whole, asks that teachers allow students to become part of their own education. It relies on intrinsic motivation to help ensure that students continually gain new knowledge by synthesizing previous experiences and building on past lessons. With this in mind, consider the following questions: Have you used constructivism (knowingly or unknowingly) in previous instructional situations? How might you use constructivism in a lesson? Can you think of a way to best assess the success for a lesson executed with a constructivism approach? As a student, how do you think that you would personally perform in a constructivist classroom?


Resources
American Association of School Librarians. (2009). Standards for the 21st-century learner in action. Chicago, IL: American Association of School Librarians.
Deci, E. & Ryan, R. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and new definitions. Contemporary Educational Psychology 25, 54-67.

Gordon, C. A. (2010). The culture of inquiry in school libraries. School Libraries Worldwide, 16(1), 71-88.
Lincoln, M. (2001). Constructivist learning with primary sources. Book Report, 20(3), 12-14.

Savolainen, R., Talja, S. & Tuominen, K. (2004). “Isms” in information science: Constructivism, collectivism, and constructionism. Journal of documentation, 61(1), 79-101.
Small, R. V. (2005). Designing digital literacy programs with IM-PACT. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.

Steele, M. M. (2005). Teaching students with learning disabilities: Constructivism or Behaviorism? Current Issues in Education, 8(10). Retrieved September 20, 2010 from http://cie.ed.asu.edu/volume8/number10/