3 Review(s)

Constructivism is a theory of knowledge, based on observation and scientific study of how people learn. It states that people construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world, through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences. When we encounter something new, we have to reconcile it with our previous ideas and experiences, either changing what we believe, or discarding the new information as irrelevant. In any case, we are active creators of our own knowledge. Because all learning is filtered through our pre-existing knowledge, constructivists suggest that learning is more effective when a student is actively engaged in the learning process rather than attempting to receive knowledge passively.