THE KEY PEDAGOGICAL STRATEGIES FOR ALL TEACHERS ARE INSTRUCTIVISM AND CONSTRUCTIVISM,

BUT WHAT ARE THEY, AND WHY SHOULD WE CHOOSE ONE OR THE OTHER?
SANJNA VIJ HAS SOME ANSWERS.

At opposite ends of the educational theory existing ideas on the basis of materials/ to Invent, ‘To understand is to discover,
spectrum, instructivism – or direct instruc­ activities presented to them (experience).’ or reconstruct by rediscovery, and such
tion – involves the teacher-directed delivery So what is the constructivist view of conditions must be complied with if in the
of a planned curriculum, with the teacher learning, what are the characteristics of a future individuals are to be formed who
making the decisions about the content and constructivist classroom and what kinds of are capable of production and creativity
sequence of the learning, while constructiv­ behaviour can you expect to observe in it? and not simply repetition.’
ism sees the teacher step back to allow a The shift from a teacher-centred As a result of observation and scientific
student-directed, discovery-based approach instructivist to a learner-centred instruc­ study about how people learn, constructiv­
to learning, with the student making the tive approach demands a change in our ist theory explains that we construct our
decisions, with guidance from their teacher, teaching and in the way we reflect on our understanding and knowledge of the world
about the next steps in their learning as teaching practice. through experience. When we encounter
they develop their knowledge and skills. Whether we realise it or not, in our something new, we have to reconcile it
Constructivism proposes that stu­ teaching all of us have operated as con­ with our previous ideas and experiences.
dents learn best as they make sense of structivists in some way, but the educa­ Twomey Fosnot in Enquiring Teachers,
the world, with the teacher as a guide to tional thinkers who described the con­ Enquiring Learners defines constructivism
help them along the way. India’s National structivist approach are Jean Piaget and by reference to four principles:
Curriculum Framework 2005 requires John Dewey. According to Dewey, knowl­ ❙❙ learning depends on what we already
that teachers have an in-depth knowledge edge and skill develops only in situations know
of constructivist approaches. According in which learners have meaningful expe­ ❙❙ new ideas occur as we adapt and change
to the National Curriculum Framework, riences. From a specifically psychological our old ideas
‘Constructing meaning is learning.... and child development perspective, Piaget ❙❙ learning involves the development of
Learners actively construct their own explains that the basis of learning is dis­ ideas rather than mechanically accumu­
knowledge by connecting new ideas to covery. As he puts it in To Understand is lating facts, and

8  teacher volume 9, number 3, 2015 © Australian Council for Educational Research 2015
❙❙ meaningful learning occurs through enable them to generate new ideas and As teachers, we inevitably introduce
rethinking old ideas and coming to new understandings, and integrate these into schemas as a plan or a structure that pro­
conclusions where new ideas conflict their growing body of knowledge and skill. vides students with an organised frame­
with old ideas. work to accommodate knowledge. The
In essence, we all learn by using our Scaffolding point of scaffolding from a constructivist
experiences, prior knowledge and percep­ The key roles for teachers as facilitators to perspective is not to impose our schema on
tions within our physical and interpersonal support students in constructivist learning them, since if it is not meaningful for them
environments to construct knowledge and environment are: it is unlikely to be useful, but to assist them
meaning. ❙❙ modelling in building or extending their own schema
An effective constructivist classroom, ❙❙ coaching, and by scaffolding around their existing expe­
then, consists of learner-centred activities ❙❙ scaffolding. rience and understanding.
in which knowledge is not a thing that While instructivism and constructiv­
can be simply transmitted by the teacher ism are at opposite ends of the educational Schemas and bananas
to student but is constructed as the student theory spectrum, modelling and coaching When students construct their own
enquires, explores, questions, debates, both imply actions by the teacher that schema, drawing on their own experience
applies and reflects upon what they know provide instruction, so the teacher in the and understanding, supported by their
and can do. constructivist classroom will often be pro­ teacher’s experience of and understand­
The student in the learner-centred class­ viding models of knowledge and skills. The ing about them as learners, they are more
room is an active learner, while the teacher teacher as guide, as guide implies, is assist­ likely to learn.
facilitates their learning by providing ing the student as they create their learning Consider, for example, the following
opportunities for learning characterised journey. facts about bananas.
by active engagement, problem solving, Scaffolding, however, is a more complex Category: fruit
collaboration with others and inquiry. teaching behaviour. We all create mental Type: tropical
In the constructivist classroom the schemas by which to organise, store and Maturation identifiers: skin can be
teacher as guide directs and facilitates recall information. peeled when ripe; colour indicates degrees
learning. Thus, the teacher’s main focus The broader our schema, the more we of ripeness – green is unripe, yellow is ripe,
is on asking questions that will guide stu­ are able to learn and the more easily we dark brown or black is over ripe; taste
dents to develop their own understanding, are able to do so. indicates degrees of ripeness – starchy and

© Australian Council for Educational Research 2015 teaching & learning  9

 As teachers, we must be ­ itter is unripe, sweet is ripe, fermented is
b students’ construction of knowledge and
mindful of our students over ripe; texture indicates degrees of ripe­ skills through meaningful understanding.
ness – hard, firm flesh is unripe, slightly Constructivist classrooms are charac­
current schemas that enable firm flesh that is easy to slice, break or terised by a democratic environment where
them to organise and mash is ripe, mushy flesh is over ripe. learning activities are varied, interactive
accommodate their growing If we have never seen or tasted a banana and student centred. They are structured
it is unlikely that we will care about or to enable students to engage in hypoth­
conceptual understanding, understand these banana facts. As a conse­ esising, active problem solving, meaning­
knowledge and skills. quence, we would be unlikely to remember ful inquiry and action to enable inquiry,
them. In reading the facts, though, you will imaginative creation, invention and test­
inadvertently have drawn on your experi­ ing, interaction and personal reflection.
ence of bananas. Your experience of ripe, The goal of constructivist teachers is to
unripe, or overripe bananas informs your create and maintain a democratic class­
schema and it’s this schema that helps you room environment that provides meaning­
remember the facts. ful learning experiences for autonomous
learners.
Active co-construction of learning In a traditional classroom, an invis­
The expectation within a constructivist ible and imposing, at times, impenetrable,
learning environment is that students play barrier between student and teacher exists
an active role in, and take responsibility through power and practice. In a construc­
for, their learning. A key issue, of course, is tivist classroom, by contrast, teacher and
how we as teachers address a pre-existing student share responsibility and decision
curriculum. making to support active and autonomous
Teachers using both instructivist and learning.
constructivist approaches inevitably use According to Audrey Gray in
assessments, formal and informal, to Constructivist Teaching and Learning, in
identify where their students are in their the constructivist classroom:
learning, and then design learning activi­ ❙❙ students are actively involved
ties that are appropriate to those learners ❙❙ the environment is democratic
at the identified particular stages. ❙❙ activities are interactive and student-
For the constructivist teacher, a pre- centred, and
existing curriculum is a given, but the ❙❙ the teacher facilitates a process of learn­
teaching decisions they take as they pro­ ing in which students are encouraged to
vide opportunities for learning character­ be responsible and autonomous.
ised by active engagement, problem solv­
ing, collaboration with others and inquiry, Cooperative learning
and as they scaffold their students’ learn­ Learning in the constructivist classroom
ing are inevitably shaped into particular tends to involve students working col­
classroom events. laboratively in groups, with an emphasis
The curriculum, in essence, provides on social and communication skills, and
a formalised schema for the teacher, who the exchange of ideas, but this is a typical
then particularises it to enable students but not an essential characteristic of the
to adapt from their existing framework constructivist classroom. Nevertheless, the
of knowledge and skills to accommodate cooperative approaches typically seen in
further knowledge and skills. constructivist classrooms are unlike those
found in most instructivist classrooms in
Flexibility which students are typically instructed en
The constructivist teacher operates flex­ masse by their teacher and then work indi­
ibly and creatively to incorporate students’ vidually on set material.
predicted schema, experiences and oppor­ The experimentation, research, role
tune ‘teachable moments’ as they scaffold play, field trips and the like in ­constructivist

10  teacher volume 9, number 3, 2015 © Australian Council for Educational Research 2015
classrooms that provide opportunities for The construction of knowledge calls not aspects of the curriculum will determine
students to build their knowledge and only for time to reflect but also time to whether an instructivist or constructivist
skills through inquiry, imaginative crea­ practise explaining. The many opportu­ approach suits best.
tion, invention and testing, interaction and nities to explain what they’re doing help Instructivism and constructivism are
personal reflection typically invite coop­ them understand what they are learning. exclusive in the sense that if we decide that
erative approaches. They also mesh neatly 4. Adapt the curriculum to match your a direct instruction approach is appropriate
with online learning tools such as discus­ students’ current schema and develop­ at a particular time we will not be maintain­
sion forums, wikis and blogs. mental abilities. Start your preparation ing a constructivist classroom, but instruc­
by identifying the kinds of activities you tivism and constructivism are not exclusive
Principles of the constructivist predict will most likely be developmen­ in the sense that we can only choose one
approach tally appropriate for them. Most high- approach as the be all and end all.
Jacqueline Grennon Brooks and Martin school students, for example, would find The point is that, as teachers, we must
Brooks in their book, In Search of the preparation of a film script or a legal be mindful of our students current sche­
Understanding: The case for constructiv- brief more engaging and relevant than mas that enable them to organise and
ist classrooms, identify several principles the report format they mastered in sixth accommodate their growing conceptual
underpinning the constructivist approach. grade. Role plays are also interesting understanding, knowledge and skills, and
1. Pose genuine problems that are or will ways for students to present information. that we make pedagogical choices, instruc­
be relevant to the students. Questions 5. Assess student learning in the context tivist or constructivist, that enable them to
and activities you develop with and for of your teaching. The key pedagogical build and extending their schema by scaf­
your students should be of relevance to shift is to understand that assessment folding around their existing experience
their current schema and developmental does not simply measure your students’ and understanding. T
abilities. knowledge and skills, although good
2. Structure learning around essential con­ assessment certainly does that, but also Dr Sanjna Vij is an Assistant Professor
cepts in the curriculum. Students under­ identifies how much and what kind of at Amity Institute of Education in New
stand and make meaning by breaking help a student needs to be successful. Delhi.
wholes into parts. For example, young The shift to a constructivist approach
story writers can approach the concept of depends on reliable assessment. While REFERENCES
telling a story through discovery activi­ there remains a place for quantitative Brooks, J.G. & and Brooks, M.G. (1993).
ties. These might include creating a class assessments that enable teachers to iden­ In Search of Understanding: The case for
library of illustrated storybooks, a visit tify students’ understanding of concepts constructivist classrooms. Alexandria,
by a storyteller, discussion of students’ and misconception, knowledgeability VA: Association for Supervision and
schemas addressing concepts and experi­ and gaps in knowledge, and levels of Curriculum Development.
ences of ‘story’ and so on. Depending on skill, assessments that are open, crea­ Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and
your students’ prior learning, you might tive, learner friendly, continuous and Education. New York: Macmillan.
introduce narrative sequencing through comprehensive are a vital part of the Fosnot, T.C. (1989). Enquiring Teachers,
visuals, provide students with oppor­ constructivist classroom. This is because Enquiring Learners: A constructiv-
tunities to rearrange parts of a known the key behaviour in such a classroom ist approach for teaching. New York:
story or even digitised video material is the co-construction of knowledge Teachers College Press.
they have referred to in the past. by teacher and student, and it is only Gray, A. (2007). Constructivist Teaching
3. Be aware that students’ points of view through open and detailed assessment and Learning, SSTA Research Centre
are windows into their reasoning. that the constructivist teacher can Report #97-07 Available at http:// sask-
Learning through self-construction may understand the student’s progress and schoolboards.ca/order.htm
feel threatening for some students, par­ ensuing next steps in learning. National Council of Educational
ticularly if they have been schooled on Research and Training. (2005). National
a diet of direct instruction, and many The instructivist and constructivist Curriculum Framework 2005. Available
students struggle to analyse and articu­ choice at http://www.ncert.nic.in/rightside/links/
late that analysis in group discussions. Our pedagogical choices as teachers range pdf/framework/english/nf2005.pdf.
Remember that it might take time for between instructivism and constructivism, Piaget, J. (1973). To Understand is to
students to articulate their points of and the ways we might decide to proceed Invent. New York: Grossman.
view, and that they need different kinds at various times, in various situations, for
of opportunity to elaborate and explain. various students and addressing various Photo © Igor Stevanovic – Shutterstock

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