Van Gogh

Van Gogh

Saturday, September 25, 2004

Constructivism vs. Constructionism


Here are some quotes that helped me understand the difference between these two leraning approaches:

"Constructionism--the N word as opposed to the V word--shares constructivism's connotation of learning as "building knowledge structures" irrespective of the circumstances of the learning. It then adds the idea that this happens especially felicitously in a context where the learner is consciously engaged in constructing a public entity"

Source: http://www.papert.org/articles/SituatingConstructionism.html
(retrieved on Sep. 25, 2004)
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"Constructionism differs from constructivism in that it looks more closely than other educational -isms at the idea of mental construction. It attaches special importance to the role of constructions in the world as a support for those in the head, thereby becoming less of a purely mentalist doctrine."(p.143)

"Papert's philosophy of learning and his constructionist approach rely on the computer for realization. He posits that the computer, and particularly, its future development, will change 'children's relationship with knowledge' producing a revolution comparable to that of the 'advent of printing and writing'. He imagines a machine he refers to as 'The Knowledge Machine' which would allow children a rich exploration of the world. Primitive examples of this Knowledge Machine would include 'interactive video', 'electronic books' and 'virtual reality'.

Source: http://www.cdli.ca/~elmurphy/emurphy/papert.html
(retrieved on Sep. 25, 2004)
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"The constructivist assumption in cognitive science is that knowledge is an interpretation of experience [Resnick 1991]. This assumption implies that what an individual can know is both enabled and constrained by prior experiences and interpretations. Constructivism in education is based on Piaget's doctrine that knowledge cannot be "transmitted" or "conveyed ready made" to another person [Papert 1993]. This perspective on human understanding is individualistic, implying that we each live in a world of our own making".

"A dilemma for constructionism is that, on the one hand, it postulates that our understandings of the world are essentially private - our knowledge is built upon our prior experiences. On the other hand, it is clear that people are able to build a shared understanding of the world that enables them to cooperate and communicate".

http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~ostwald/thesis/section4-2.html
(retrieved on Sep 25, 2004)


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