Social Constructivism is theory about how students learn posed by Vygotsky. It is related to the theory of constructivism and has many aspects in common such as:
Going further, however, social constructivism emphasizes the necessity of collaboration for learning to occur. According to Vygotsky, language and culture are critical to cognitive development. (GSI Teaching & Resource Center, 2018) In fact he “posits that learner construction of knowledge is the product of social interaction, interpretation and understanding (Vygotsky, 1962). As the creation of knowledge cannot be separated from the social environment in which it is formed, learning is viewed as a process of active knowledge construction (Woolfolk, 1993)” (Adams, 2006) Furthermore, because of the nature of language, “knowledge constructs are formed first on an inter-psychological level (between people) before becoming internalized or existing intra-psychologically (Daniels, 2001).” (Adams, 2006) This theory recognizes three major components of social learning: (David, 2014)
Social Constructivism also strongly advocates that experience is crucial to the student construction of true understanding. Vygotsky distinguished “between the genuine or 'scientific' concepts learned as a result of schooling and the 'everyday' or 'spontaneous' concepts learned by the child elsewhere." (Wertsch, 1985, p. 102). The link between formal and informal concepts, according to Vygotsky, takes place through the use of the psychological tool of language.” (Jones & Brader-Araje, 2002) Language is the mitigator between the known and the unknown and the main powerful tool wielded by learners to construct understanding together about experiences. Without language students would not be able to move from thinking of concrete experiences to higher order abstract thinking. (Jones & Brader-Araje, 2002) “According to Vygotsky, language serves as a psychological tool that causes a fundamental change in mental functions.” (Jones & Brader-Araje, 2002)
Going further, however, social constructivism emphasizes the necessity of collaboration for learning to occur. According to Vygotsky, language and culture are critical to cognitive development. (GSI Teaching & Resource Center, 2018) In fact he “posits that learner construction of knowledge is the product of social interaction, interpretation and understanding (Vygotsky, 1962). As the creation of knowledge cannot be separated from the social environment in which it is formed, learning is viewed as a process of active knowledge construction (Woolfolk, 1993)” (Adams, 2006) Furthermore, because of the nature of language, “knowledge constructs are formed first on an inter-psychological level (between people) before becoming internalized or existing intra-psychologically (Daniels, 2001).” (Adams, 2006)
This theory recognizes three major components of social learning: (David, 2014)
Social Constructivism also strongly advocates that experience is crucial to the student construction of true understanding. Vygotsky distinguished “between the genuine or 'scientific' concepts learned as a result of schooling and the 'everyday' or 'spontaneous' concepts learned by the child elsewhere." (Wertsch, 1985, p. 102). The link between formal and informal concepts, according to Vygotsky, takes place through the use of the psychological tool of language.” (Jones & Brader-Araje, 2002) Language is the mitigator between the known and the unknown and the main powerful tool wielded by learners to construct understanding together about experiences. Without language students would not be able to move from thinking of concrete experiences to higher order abstract thinking. (Jones & Brader-Araje, 2002) “According to Vygotsky, language serves as a psychological tool that causes a fundamental change in mental functions.” (Jones & Brader-Araje, 2002) Adams suggests a number of principles of Social Constructivism:
He summarizes that “the most obvious reform required then is the devising of more open-ended tasks that require students to think critically, solve complex problems and apply their knowledge in and to their own world (Shepard, 2000). “ (Adams, 2006) Which mirrors what is recommend by the NRC: An important stage of inquiry and of student science learning is the oral and written discourse that focuses the attention of students on how they know what they know and how their knowledge connects to larger ideas, other domains, and the word beyond the classroom. . . . Using a collaborative group structure, teachers encourage interdependency among group members, assisting students to work together in small groups so that all participate in sharing data and in developing group reports. (National Research Council, 1996, p.36) (Jones & Brader-Araje, 2002) Some practical classroom suggestions can be found in the Social Constructivism section of University College Dublin’s Constructivism and Social Constructivism in the Classroom.
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AuthorPhenomenal Science Leadership Team Archives
February 2022
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