Constructivism

Prior to the last class, the learning theories we have covered thus far have focused on the teacher as leader and student as follower relationship, as well as objective knowledge passed from the instructor to learner.

The constructivist learning theory takes these prior ideas and shifts our way of thinking 180 degrees, to that of a focus on learning occurring in the individual, who "constructs" knowledge in their own way. Even more interesting is the concept of social constructivism, which focuses on the social aspect necessary for constructing knowledge. The presentation and readings for this class coincided with my readings of the same topic in the Intro to Instructional Design class and I found it very helpful to have the constructivism team present on this topic at the same time as I was learning about how this theory could be incorporated in to designing instructional design models, or more-so, how these concepts can be incorporated in to the design of instruction, by fostering a more critical thinking focused learning event.

Social constructivism is also a theory that paved the way for my own presentation topic of situated learning and communities of practice. Watching the class presentations as we do research on our own topic helps enhance my understanding of how all of the topics relate to one another, and even helps me gain a better understanding of my own topic.