Constructivist theory or constructivism is a learning model that empowers students to learn through their own classroom-guided experiences and reflect upon those experiences. Let’s talk more about this learning model today, and how visual thinking and learning tools can support this type of learning.
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Constructivist Learning and Teaching in the Classroom
Constructivist theory is based largely on the idea that students construct new knowledge from their experiences. This theory supports the idea that learners are makers of meaning and knowledge, meaning they need to be actively engaged in information and the process of learning in order to develop knowledge.1 In this type of classroom, because students need to be actively engaged in their own learning, the process is more democratic and student-centered. Teachers take on the role of facilitator, rather than lecturer or guide.
As I mentioned in my past post titled “Moving from Experts to Guides – Help Students Learn for Today and Tomorrow,” I talked about how role of educators and teachers in the classroom has transformed into more of a guide or facilitator of learning who is there to remove obstacles to learning. Under the constructivism model, teachers are present to foster critical thinking and create independent learners who develop their own understanding of new knowledge.2 So as guides in the classroom applying Constructivist theory, what tools can help you support this type of active student learning?
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Inspiration, Kidspiration and Webspiration Classroom As Constructivist Learning Tools
As a founding member of the Constructivist Consortium3, Inspiration Software believes in supporting students by helping them learn to learn and empowering them to embrace their own learning styles. Teaching students to understand how they learn and how to apply those learning techniques to all aspects of what they need to learn enables lifelong learning. Inspiration®, Kidspiration® and Webspiration Classroom™ service can all be used to help students:
- Learn to Think Critically and Develop New Knowledge
Visual thinking methodologies coupled with our visual thinking tools help students think critically and expand their knowledge. Studies have shown that visual thinking and learning strategies can improve comprehension and retention of new material taught in the classroom.
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In the posts titled “Visual Learning Develops Critical Thinking” and “Use Visual Thinking to Facilitate Critical Thinking,” I talk about how this learning strategy can help students become critical thinkers.
- - Enhance Creative Thinking
Webbing and mapping techniques have been used for years as a way to enhance creativity and help students pre-write and plan, jumpstarting projects and written work. In my past posts titled “Shift the Paradigm of Blank Page Syndrome” and “Jumpstart Structured Thinking With Templates,” I talk about how Inspiration gives students the ability to work creatively, create and organize ideas from scratch or from a template.
- - Engage in Personally Meaningful Projects
Webbing and mapping techniques have been used for years as ways to enhance creativity, help students pre-write and plan, and jumpstart projects and written work. Embellishing documents and adding images, symbol shapes, colors and various types of connecting links students internalize the information and discover meaning.
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In one of my favorite posts titled “How Do We Encourage Students to be Advocates of Their Own Learning,” I discuss the PBL model and how it can effectively engage students, their interests and learning to generate student-guided learning similar to the constructivist model.
- - Participate in Collaborative and Cooperative Learning
Webspiration Classroom helps students work together to develop group projects, build off each others’ content and knowledge, as well as learn from each other. In addition, the comment and chat functions in the Collaboration Panel help students interact and communicate while working on the same task.
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Read my past post titled “Collaboration on the Forefront of K-12 Technology” to learn how Webspiration Classroom supports collaborative learning through its Collaboration Panel and student-teacher work flow features. In addition, Webspiration Classroom allows students and teachers to work through the entire writing process, which includes publishing. I invite you to read more about this in my post titled “Take Process Writing to the Webspiration Classroom.”
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Incorporate Visual Learning Tools in the Classroom for a Constructivist Model
So, when you’re working to inspire students to become independent learners who learn through their own classroom-guided experiences in order to become critical thinkers, keep visual thinking and learning in mind. These tools can help your students learn to think critically, enhance creative thinking, engage in meaningful projects and participate in collaborative and cooperative learning.
How are you incorporating constructivism into the classroom? Thanks for stopping by!
Mona Westhaver
President and Co-founder, Inspiration Software
- Bashutski, B. “Constructivist Teaching and Learning.” Saskatchewan School Boards Association ». Web. 09 June 2011. <http://saskschoolboards.ca/research/instruction/97-07.htm>. [↩]
- “Constructivism (learning Theory).” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 09 June 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructivism_(learning_theory)>. [↩]
- “The Constructivist Consortium – Members.” Constructivist Consortium – Home. Web. 09 June 2011. <http://constructivistconsortium.org/members.html>. [↩]
