Thought Paper 3: Constructivism: A learning experience, rather than a mind to be filled

Mary Sikkes

University of British Columbia

ETEC 512-64B (Applications of Learning Theories to the Analysis of Instructional Settings)

Master of Educational Technology, University of British Columbia

Contact: tsikkes@sd54.bc.ca
 Constructivism bases a childs knowledge acquisition on experiential environments,

allowing relevant and meaningful learning from each new experience. Von Glasersfeld (2008)

asserts, " to assess the truth of your knowledge you would have to know what you come to

know before you come to know it" (p. 37). To have a realistic and true understanding of what

we are learning, we need prior knowledge and an understanding of what we are about to learn

before we learn it. This idea would assume that we can learn all we need to know based on facts

received from a dominant knowledge source (Gulati, 2008). Unfortunately, as we have seen

through the example of racist and prejudice views worldwide, facts provided by a dominant

source are not true from the perspective and experience of all people.

As a person develops and gains new experiences, (s)he builds upon prior knowledge and

experience, gaining a deeper, even new, understanding of the world. A realization that past

knowledges may cease to be true is likely as one develops; however, that realization cannot

emerge until new experiences and learning take place. From a constructivist perspective,

learning and the communication of ideas or concepts does not happen through a transfer of

knowledge between teacher and student, but through learning experiences acquired both

individually and socially; " it appears that knowledge is not a transferable commodity and

communication not a conveyance" (von Glasersfeld, 2008, p. 48). Rather than talking at

students and attempting to fill their minds with fact-based knowledge, educators must provide

students with the opportunity to explore new situations, allowing for critical thinking, analysis,

questioning/hypothesizing, and evaluation in order to play an active role in the learning process.

In doing this, students are able to construct their own understanding of the world they live in.
 References:

Gulati, S. (2008). Compulsory participation in online discussions: Is this constructivism or

normalization of learning? Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 45(2),
183-192.

von Glasersfeld, E. (2008). Learning as constructive activity. AntiMatters, 2(3), 33-49.