EDU 531: Facilitating Learner-Centered Teaching

Student’s Activity Sheet #16

Name: Class number: _______

____________________________________________________________ Date:
Section: ____________ _______________
Schedule:______________________________________

Lesson Title: Jerome Bruner’s Constructivist Theory Materials:

Student Activity Sheet
Lesson Objectives: At the end of the lesson, you should be able to: References:
1. explain the major features of constructivism, and Bulusan, F. [Link]. Facilitating
2. cite teaching implications derived from constructivism. Learner-Centered Teaching, 2019
[Link]

Productivity Tip:
Be Braver, and Stronger to Chase your Dreams.

A. LESSON PREVIEW/REVIEW
1) Introduction/Review (2 mins)

Hi, Guys! Happy learning! Today, we will discover the world of constructivism. You will have a chance
to examine how learner-centered teaching is constructive in nature. Likewise, you will develop your own
methodologies in teaching active learning classes, for these will serve a key part of your journey to
becoming skillful facilitators. Exciting, isn’t it? Let’s get ready, c’mon, let’s begin!

2) Activity 1: What I Know Chart, part 1 (3 mins)

Before we delve on our lesson, answer the queries below and let’s assess your knowledge on the
following concepts. Do this in three (3) minutes. Ready? You may start now!

What I Know Questions: What I Learned (Activity 4)

1. When can you say that a lesson
adheres the principle of
constructivism?.

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 EDU 531: Facilitating Learner-Centered Teaching
Student’s Activity Sheet #16

Name: Class number: _______

____________________________________________________________ Date:
Section: ____________ _______________
Schedule:______________________________________

2. What are Bruner’s principles of

instruction?

B. MAIN LESSON

1) Activity 2: Content Notes (13 mins)

Alright! So, let’s start to read and analyze your content notes. Use the 10 minutes for this. Happy learni

Constructivism is ‘an approach to learning that holds that people actively construct or make their own
knowledge and that reality is determined by the experiences of the learner’ (Elliott et al., 2000, p. 256).

In elaborating constructivists’ ideas Arends (1998) states that constructivism believes in personal construction of
meaning by the learner through experience, and that meaning is influenced by the interaction of prior knowledge
and new events.

Bruner's Theory on Constructivism

Bruner's theory on constructivism encompasses the idea of learning as an active process wherein those
learning are able to form new ideas based on what their current knowledge is as well as their past knowledge.
A cognitive structure is defined as the mental processes which offer the learner the ability to organize
experiences and derive meaning from them. These cognitive structures allow the learner to push past the
given information in constructing their new concepts.

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 EDU 531: Facilitating Learner-Centered Teaching
Student’s Activity Sheet #16

Name: Class number: _______

____________________________________________________________ Date:
Section: ____________ _______________
Schedule:______________________________________

The learner, often a child, will take pieces of their past knowledge and experiences and organize them to make
sense of what they know, then base further concepts and solve additional problems based upon a combination
of what they already processed and what they think should be processed next.
What are the principles of constructivism?

1. Learning is an active process.

The second notion is that learning is an active rather than a passive process.

The passive view of teaching views the learner as ‘an empty vessel’ to be filled with knowledge,
whereas constructivism states that learners construct meaning only through active engagement with
the world (such as experiments or real-world problem solving). Information may be passively received,
but understanding cannot be, for it must come from making meaningful connections between prior
knowledge, new knowledge, and the processes involved in learning.

2. All knowledge is socially constructed.

Learning is a social activity - it is something we do together, in interaction with each other, rather than
an abstract concept (Dewey, 1938). For example, Vygotsky (1978), believed that community plays a
central role in the process of "making meaning." For Vygotsky, the environment in which children grow
up will influence how they think and what they think about.

Thus, all teaching and learning is a matter of sharing and negotiating socially constituted knowledge.

3. All knowledge is personal.

Each individual learner has a distinctive point of view, based on existing knowledge and values. This
means that same lesson, teaching or activity may result in different learning by each pupil, as their
subjective interpretations differ.

4. Learning exists in the mind.

The constructivist theory posits that knowledge can only exist within the human mind, and that it does
not have to match any real world reality (Driscoll, 2000). Learners will be constantly trying to develop
their own individual mental model of the real world from their perceptions of that world.

As they perceive each new experience, learners will continually update their own mental models to
reflect the new information, and will, therefore, construct their own interpretation of reality.

5. Constructivist approaches to teaching.

This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION

 EDU 531: Facilitating Learner-Centered Teaching
Student’s Activity Sheet #16

Name: Class number: _______

____________________________________________________________ Date:
Section: ____________ _______________
Schedule:______________________________________

Constructivist learning theory underpins a variety of student-centered teaching methods and techniques
which contrast with traditional education, whereby knowledge is simply passively transmitted by
teachers to students.

What is the role of the teacher in a constructivist classroom?

The primary responsibility of the teacher is to create a collaborative problem-solving environment where
students become active participants in their own learning.

 From this perspective, a teacher acts as a facilitator of learning rather than an instructor.

 The teacher makes sure he/she understands the students' preexisting conceptions, and guides the
activity to address them and then build on them (Oliver, 2000).

 Scaffolding is a key feature of effective teaching, where the adult continually adjusts the level of his or
her help in response to the learner's level of performance.

 In the classroom, scaffolding can include modeling a skill, providing hints or cues, and adapting
material or activity (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009).

What are the features of a constructivist classroom?

Tam (2000) lists the following four basic characteristics of constructivist learning environments, which must be
considered when implementing constructivist teaching strategies:

 Knowledge will be shared between teachers and students.

 Teachers and students will share authority.

 The teacher's role is one of a facilitator or guide.

 Learning groups will consist of small numbers of heterogeneous students.

Traditional Classroom Constructivist Classroom

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 EDU 531: Facilitating Learner-Centered Teaching
Student’s Activity Sheet #16

Name: Class number: _______

____________________________________________________________ Date:
Section: ____________ _______________
Schedule:______________________________________

Strict adherence to a fixed curriculum is highly Pursuit of student questions and interests is valued.
valued.

Learning is based on repetition. Learning is interactive, building on what the student

already knows.

Teacher-centered. Student-centered.

Teachers disseminate information to students; Teachers have a dialogue with students, helping
students are recipients of knowledge (passive students construct their own knowledge (active
learning). learning).

Teacher's role is directive, rooted in authority. Teacher's role is interactive, rooted in negotiation.

Students work primarily alone (competitive). Students work primarily in groups (cooperative).

Activity 3: Skill-building Activities

A. Let’s Do This!

How does constructivism become a learner-centered approach in 21st century classroom?

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This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION

 EDU 531: Facilitating Learner-Centered Teaching
Student’s Activity Sheet #16

Name: Class number: _______

____________________________________________________________ Date:
Section: ____________ _______________
Schedule:______________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

B. Describe a classroom activity where you apply constructivism as an approach. Indicate your answers
on the space provided below.

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2) Activity 4: What I Know Chart, part 2 (2 mins)

That was amazing! Congratulations! Now, go back again to the questions in the What I Know Chart
from Activity 1 and answer the third column of the chart (What I Learned). Write the things you have
learned from today’s lesson. You are only given 2 minutes for this. Ready? Begin!

If you are done with Activity 4, you may proceed with Activity 5.

2) Activity 5: Check for Understanding (5 mins)

Discuss the following items.

1. What makes active learning constructive in nature?

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2. Why there is a shift from traditional teaching approach to constructivist approach?

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This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION

 EDU 531: Facilitating Learner-Centered Teaching
Student’s Activity Sheet #16

Name: Class number: _______

____________________________________________________________ Date:
Section: ____________ _______________
Schedule:______________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

C. LESSON WRAP-UP

1) Activity 6: Thinking about Learning (5 mins)

A. Work Tracker
Finally, you made it. Congratulations for you are done with this session! Let’s track your progress now,
by shading the session number you just completed.

B. Think about your Learning

It’s time to share your thoughts through writing and expressing your ideas into words. Let’s check your
understanding and see how well you understood our lesson by having this activity called, MY
LEARNING DIARY. You need to explain in 2-3 sentences new things that you have learned from the
discussion.

My Learning Diary

This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION

 EDU 531: Facilitating Learner-Centered Teaching
Student’s Activity Sheet #16

Name: Class number: _______

____________________________________________________________ Date:
Section: ____________ _______________
Schedule:______________________________________

This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION