What are the features of the constructivist theory and its applications - Assignment Example

Constructivism Perhaps the most core component of the constructionist view of teaching is based upon its innate belief that there is a general level of subjectivity to the different means whereby different individuals absorb key knowledge. This is of course exhibited through the mechanism of culture and world view as each of these “constructs” have powerful effects on the means and the mechanisms whereby the knowledge or facts themselves filter down into the individuals understanding. Likewise, a key feature of such an approach is the fact that if no prior “container” exists wherein the individual can seek to categorize the new and incoming information, the constructivist approach dictates that a container will be made which is suitable to house such information within the mind, worldview, and culture of the individual in question.

Accordingly, as a means to provide a positive learning result, it is incumbent upon the educator to seek to build such a construct first prior to seeking to impart key elements of knowledge upon which a larger construct can be understood. An example of this would of course be the need for a teacher to adequately express and detail all points of vocabulary and understanding to an elementary school class prior to launching into a broad overview of a new means of understanding. Similarly, psychological constructivists are primarily interested in how people construct key internal elements of cognitive reasoning.

In other words, psychological constructivists seek to answer the question of precisely how human construct different containers within which to house information that is oftentimes otherwise viewed as somewhat absolute. On the other hand, social constructivism, as the name implies, relies heavily on the means by which constructs are built as a result of the societal constraints, culture, and norms that are present within group dynamics. Accordingly, as the text states, on the extreme end of the spectrum there is what is known as radical constructivism.

This particular type of constructivism is what can be termed as a type of relativism in which those that espouse such a view contend that there is no reality whatsoever other that what the individual establishes for themselves. Accordingly, the means by which any type of constructivism takes place lies solely within the grasp of the individual who is creating the reality (construction) for themselves. These unique and differing layers of understanding the way in which human beings classify and categorize key information is extraordinarily useful in understanding how to approach certain topics and the means by which the human mind automatically seeks to label, and file each and every piece of information using both learned technique and un-learned natural abilities to seek to make a logical understanding from what would otherwise be a seemingly endless jumble of non-related information.

Though different in their interpretation and scope, each of these approaches takes a different level of emphasis on key components of what ultimately helps make up both human reality and the learning process.