The Constructivist Theory of teaching is based on the belief that learning occurs when learners are actively engaged in the process of meaning and knowledge construction. In Piaget’s research of the development of a child’s brain, he theorized that assimilation and accommodation require an active learner, not a passive one, because problem solving skills must be discovered, not taught. Researchers since Piaget have developed a Constructivist Theory of teaching and learning, stating that learning occurs when students can make meaning of the information. Although traditional teaching still works for certain subjects, science requires a more constructivist approach. Research shows that students who are actively engaged in their learning and can make meaning of the lesson being taught by relating it to their experiences, are going to take away more from their education.
Active engagement is essential to overcome student preconceptions (Bransford et al., 2000). Even the youngest children come to school with preconceived ideas about how the world works (e.g. Piaget’s “schema”). One example of this is the “flat earth” concept of young children. They cannot imagine a spherical earth because they cannot see it; only when the child reaches the formal operational stage can he or she begin to think hypothetically or abstractly. Preconceived ideas occur because from infancy, a child’s brain is designed to focus on certain types of environmental stimuli such as language (phonetics, semantics), object movement and properties, and quantity. Piaget pointed this out when he examined the child’s development of object permanence (Kohler, 2008). At first, the infant believes that mother disappears when she covers her face in the game of peek-a-boo. After many trials, however, he or she learns that mother is only hiding, and she is still there all the time. Engaging in multiple tries is a hallmark of constructivism (Bransford et al., 2000)
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Engagement motivates students to be self-directed learners (Banilower et al., 2010). Science instruction that poses an everyday question then scaffolds students into solving the problem on their own is more likely to appeal to children than a formal didactic lecture, even if followed by a laboratory period to confirm experimentally what has already been taught formally. Stimulating curiosity about the world around them helps students examine their own ideas about the subject by bringing them to consciousness, a meta-cognitive skill (Bransford et al., 2010). Active participation in a lesson that is inquiry-based is more likely to lead to expanded science learning than other methods (Slavin et al., 2014). However, it is important for teachers to provide the materials needed to fully examine the question. If sufficient materials are not available so that each student cannot explore scientific principles individually, dividing into small groups or even presenting the lesson to the entire class can be beneficial as long as the teacher lets the students lead as much as possible (Plakitsi, 2013). Self-directed learning is a characteristic of constructivism.
Engagement in learning also promotes the development of conceptual frameworks and deep knowledge (Bransford et al., 2010). Memorizing a set of facts is not sufficient; it is necessary for students to relate facts to their prior knowledge in order to create both broad concepts and deep understanding. For example, a student might learn the difference between liquid and solid water, and that rain is liquid while sleet is solid. These facts would not, however, allow the student to comprehend the relationship between rain and sleet, why one occurs when it’s cold and the other when it’s warm, or the concepts of liquid and solid in the context of other substances (Chaipichit, Jantharajit, & Chookhampaeng, 2015).
The teacher-led, student-passive style of instruction is not appropriate for science learning in the elementary grades because it does not help students gain a true understanding of science concepts. Without this understanding, children will not develop their problem-solving abilities, nor will they be able to apply what they have learned to other contexts. Active engagement is essential because it overcomes student preconceptions, motivates students to be self-directed learners, and promotes the development of conceptual frameworks and deep knowledge.
- Banilower, E., Cohen, K., Pasley, J., & Weiss, I. (2010). Effective science instruction: What does research tell us? Second edition. Portsmouth, NH: RMC Research Corporation, Center on Instruction. Retrieved on January 31, 2017 from http://www.centeroninstruction.org/
- Bransford, J., & National Research Council, (U.S.). (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. Accessed on February 2, 2017 from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/
- Chaipichit, D., Jantharajit, N., & Chookhampaeng, S. (2015). Development of Learning Management Model Based on Constructivist Theory and Reasoning Strategies for Enhancing the Critical Thinking of Secondary Students. Educational Research And Reviews, 10(16), 2324-2330. Accessed on February 2, 2017 from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com
- Kohler, R. (2008). Jean Piaget. London, [England]: Bloomsbury Academic. Accessed on February 5, 2017 from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/
- Plakitsi, K. (2013). Activity Theory in Formal and Informal Science Education. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. Accessed on February 5, 2017 from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com
- Slavin, R. E., Lake, C., Hanley, P., & Thurston, A. (2014). Experimental evaluations of elementary science programs: A best‐evidence synthesis. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 51(7), 870-901.
