Tertiary teaching in New Zealand/Educational culture in New Zealand/How do people learn?/Constructivism

Constructivism


The constructivist approach could be summed up in this way:


 * 1) People learn what they need as they need it
 * 2) Knowledge is more useful if it is constructed from experience with the environment
 * 3) The most important part of the environment is other people

This is how most learning is done outside of learning institutions.

Constructivists believe that knowledge is constructed by learners through an active, mental process of development; learners are the builders and creators of meaning and knowledge.

The pathway to this view began with understandings of the social context of learning and what the learner brings to the process. The learner is seen as having actively involved in the process, rather than a passive recipient of wisdom. That requires the teacher to take on the role of facilitator, creating an environment for learning and enabling collaboration between learners.

Wikipedia has an excellent page on Constructivism. It is well worth reading.