Constructivist Theories of Learning

¶ … Learning

Constructivist and cognitive theories are both aimed towards creating a productive classroom environment in which knowledge is imparted in a manner to maximize retention and assure application. This paper aims to understand the underlying patterns of both teaching approaches and comparing and contrasting their basic assumptions, in order to test their resultant feasibility.

Learning theories revolve around the best possible methods known to educators worldwide, which can assist them in creating a productive classroom environment. As the standard of education has evolved, so has the set of strategies associated with imparting knowledge in the most industrious manner. Advance teaching techniques have seeped into the stream of traditional classes and many studious professionals have put their shoulder to the door in order to discover feasible educational theories to help all students. This paper is about the comparison between two such leading educational theories: constructivism and cognitivism. It aims to identify both the differences as well as the similarities between the notions and propose them in a viable and realistic way.

In order to understand which stratagem is the best in terms of creating a fruitful class environment and taking teaching up a notch, we must first unravel the basic definitions of the said theories. The constructivist approach was stimulated by Bartlett in 1932, and it is an approach which postulates that learners learn according to their personal experiences and belief systems. What someone ultimately retains is grounded within their mental perceptions. In other words in this approach learning does not precede execution but instead it succeeds it. So, the best way to teach a student is to let them experience the intended concepts firsthand, for that would guarantee maximum retention as well as application. The basic assumptions related to constructive learning are that knowledge is procedurally constructed with the help of experience, which naturally entails that learning is a personal process for every individual and as such every individual should have the space to interpret their share of occurrences. Learning constructively happens to be an active process which remains dynamic. The dynamism is due to the fact that with each passing experience, a learner's concepts tend to grow. (Mergel, 1998)

It is largely agreed that there are four key aspects of constructivist learning. Firstly, learners construct their own interpretations so the educational process is active as opposed to passive. Secondly, new concepts are assembled upon the foundation of prior know how, this entails that learners must be able to compare and contrast newer concepts with older ones according to their personal retention capacities. Thirdly learning is augmented via social interaction; this postulate means that access to frequent social settings gives rise to a wide variety of experiences which in turn boosts effective learning. And lastly, constructivism assumes that significant learning only occurs through proper simulation oriented activities. (Cooperstein & Kocewar-Weidinger, 2004)

The application of the afore-mentioned assumptions is based on authentic activities that reinforce the content to be educated. Different situations must be given to students to find their way through and to comprehend according to the best of their abilities. Gradual development of concepts must be enacted through active reinforcement. Constructivists hence believe that creation of a zealous classroom environment abets the learning process better than any other strategy.

The next theory in question happens to be that of cognitivism. Cognitive theory entails that repetitive reinforcement is essential in enhancing the learning process and furthermore, positive feedback is equally important in encouraging the student to repeat correct responses. The cognitive perspective emphasizes imparting knowledge associated with different subject matters. The cognitive theory looks at how information travels from being received at the sensory level to being retained in the long-term memory. This simply means that after initial attention has been gained, constant rehearsal cements the concepts in the learner's mind. The focus is to grasp the student's attention through various interactive methods such as the usage of props and visual representations. So in a way cognitivism depends upon pre-prepared aesthetics to add to the classroom, as opposed to hanging all hopes on post-experience techniques. (Mergel, 1998)

There are three basic assumptions associated with cognitive theory. Firstly, great emphasis is laid upon designing an environment which is conducive to learning; this means that engaging the student's interest is considered half the work. Secondly, conceptual development ought to be carried out via sequential concept building, hence it is imperative to organize lectures and activities in a progressive manner. And thirdly, it is important to garner explicit attention to generality as opposed to individual perceptions; this should create a sense of general treatability. (Greeno, Collins, & Resnick) This basically means that the prime focal point in the cognitive approach to learning is continuous reiteration, accomplished with the help of preparing a classroom in as organized a manner and aiming to seize the student's attention at the very grass root level. Cognitive theorist propose that stimulating a learner at the onset of a lecture will help in building concepts in as organized a way as possible, which in turn will go a long way in helping them learn as well as preserve.