Constructivist Developmental Theory Research

Constructivist Development TheoryJune 2007The constructivist school of thought has been very influential in the field of cognitive maturement and has had a particular damp on deepening understanding of child tuition . The constructivist increase hypothesis attempts to explain how fellowship is constructed in the minds of individuals throughout their matureness from childhood into adulthood and has its foundation during the era when the behaviourist lay on maturement and development was being advanced . The behaviouristic school of thought proposed that children learn as a put in of conditioning behavior and modeling from external stimulus . Constructivists , on the other hand , posit that encyclopedism is best when children ar equal to construct their sustain knowledge based on the unique and rich experiences t hey atomic number 18 overt to . Learning is and then an active process for learners (Bencze , 2005 ) who are able to construct their own meaning of world through processes of examination and experimentation . The behaviorists had presented learners in a very passive subprogram simply functioning as vessels in which t each(prenominal)ers deposit facts and responding solo as stimulated by some external crowd (Newell , Shaw Simon , 1958 The approach mould forward by the constructivists therefore came in opposition to the behaviorist school of thoughtWithin the constructivist school of thought there have been several(prenominal) theorists that have put forward specific aspects of the opening in an effort to describe how development takes place . The two near prominent theorists that have been noted in the constructivist face pack are Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky . Vygotsky s friendly learning theory emphasizes the social character of learning and stresses the importance of the social environment in facilitating d! evelopment . Vygotsky proposed that it is based on social fundamental fundamental interaction that individuals are able to interact with and create new knowledge (Riddle Dabbagh , 1999 .

Vygotsky is said to be responsible for instructional methods such as cooperative learning cooperative projects , scaffolding and discovery learning (Slavin , 2000Vygotsky s ferocity on the importance of social interaction of children with their peers , adults and others in their environment accounts for the development of cooperative learning practices . Cooperative learning emphasizes group-related activities that serve interaction among members . Vygotsky also put forward the ideas of a Zone of proximal Development which simply suggests that learning is optimal once the experiences are within the child s zone of proximal development . The emphasis is on the role that adults and other peers croupe have on facilitating learning experiences by providing the needed sum of assistance . From this the plan of scaffolding learning was developed hold refers to the role that a teacher or peers play in helping to facilitate learning (Slavin , 2000 ,. 261 . More grandly Vygotsky s theory emphasizes self-regulated learning where a child takes responsibility for their own cognitive developmentPiaget has also contributed important ideas to the development of constructivist theory . Piaget s theory proposes that each child is actively involved in constructing his own reality . Piaget maintains that children are natural with a naturally inquisitive temperament , desiring to discover and interact with their environment . Reflexes form...If you want to get a full essay, beau monde it on our website: OrderEs! say.net

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