What’s the difference between constructivism and more traditional teaching and learning approaches?
Read the following statements and decide whether they show a constructivist view of learning or that of a more traditional teacher.
Constructivism Traditional
The role of the teacher is to transmit knowledge to the students.
During the lesson the student is very active.
The students come to the lesson with many preconceptions, some of which are incorrect.
Learning is like filling an empty vessel.
Learning depends upon what the teacher wants the students to learn (ie rote learning).
The student’s knowledge needs to be constructed by the student.
Generally a constructivists’ view is opposite to that of more traditional teaching which is often based on transmission theory. Learning is active as students take on a ‘Hands on, minds on’ approach.