0:00
Constructivism is a theory of learning or pedagogical current that has as principal actor the student. It has a vision of the learning process as something dynamic, active and participative, in which the student builds for himself his own learning.
0:36
The role of the teacher in this current is of mediator or facilitator. It is who must bring the tools to the student so that he can build his learning. It would seem that the teacher has a passive role, but in reality requires planning experiences that move the student towards the acquisition of a new knowledge or skill and accompany it along the way.
1:05
Constructivism shares a lot of its theoretical foundation with Cognitivism, since both seek to explain the way in which the student learns in a significant way.
1:18
The most important difference that is found with Cognitivism is that the student not only integrates a new learning in his thinking structure, but gives him an interpretation of what he has lived and that makes it have a meaning for him or her. The main representatives of constructivism are Piaget, Vygotsky and Auswell.
1:50
Piaget identifies four stages of cognitive development, each of which is more complex and abstract than the previous one. He affirms that there are two simultaneous processes in cognitive development: assimilation, which is to internalize an experience and relate it to something that already exists in our mental structure,
2:17
and the accommodation, which is to modify our previous schemes to integrate what we have just learned. His theory is known as genetic constructivism. Vygotsky affirms that the social and cultural environment are key pieces for the learning process. For him, learning is more social than biological.
2:51
Its main contribution is the concept of "nearly development zone", which is the difference between the current achievement level of the student and the achievement level that he can reach. This maximum achievement level can be reached with the help of an adult or even of his own classmates.
3:14
He also defines the "andamiaje", which is to facilitate resources and direct mental processes until the student internalizes the action and finally executes it on his own. The "andamiaje" is usually done by the teacher, but his own classmates can also do it. His theory is known as "social constructivism".
3:46
The main concept of the Auswell theory is significant learning, which occurs when the student relates the new information with the previous knowledge that is already stored in their cognitive structure. For Auswell, all learning within the classroom can be located in two dimensions: learning by reception and learning by discovery.
4:15
The learning by reception occurs when the information is presented to the student in its final form, ready to be incorporated into their cognitive structure. The learning by discovery occurs when the information or content is not given to the student, but he has to discover it in order to incorporate it into his structure.
4:42
Auswell says that both dimensions can become significant. According to constructivism, learning is not given through a transfer of information from the teacher to the student, as in a traditional teaching, but through experiences created with the aim that each student builds his own learning according to his potential and context.
