Knowledge is not something that is 'taught'. The concept of Piaget's constructivism

When I was in university, I learned that "education is all the activities that promote development".

Learning theories that establish individual learning are considered to be defined by the differences in how this "development" is perceived, and have changed according to the definition of "knowledge".

The previous "behaviorism" perceived "development" as the "amount of knowledge".

This time, I will explain how the learning theory called "constructivism" perceives development and defines learning.

What is constructivism?

Constructivism defines knowledge as "something that each individual constructs for themselves". In this learning theory, "qualitative change" in the way of understanding things is perceived as "development".

Learners are not unilaterally taught knowledge by teachers, but rather actively assemble understanding by looking at the subject of learning, and it is assumed that many qualitative changes occur during the learning process. Simply put, it can also be called a theory of "conceptual change".

Representative theorist: Piaget

Piaget is cited as a representative theorist of constructivism. Piaget considered development to be a "qualitative change in the way of learning" and thought that it develops with age.

He also held a view of learning where the learner actively constructs knowledge by looking at the "real thing" that is the subject of learning.

Assimilation and accommodation

Among the concepts of Piaget's theory are "assimilation" and "accommodation".

"Assimilation" is the process by which learners understand phenomena in the real world through their existing concepts. "Accommodation" is the process by which the concepts themselves change when the phenomena can no longer be explained by the concepts one holds.

In other words, a characteristic of this theory is that it perceives learning as the learner actively engaging with the subject of learning (assimilation) and updating their own thoughts and concepts (accommodation).

For example, suppose there is a task of looking at two containers of different shapes and determining which one has a larger volume. Students who have the concept through assimilation that the one with the higher water level has a larger volume will likely predict the beaker on the left.

Then, the water from the two containers is actually transferred to containers of the same size to measure the capacity. Then, it is found that the two containers have the same volume.

The concept that the one with the higher water level has a larger volume can no longer explain the phenomenon, so accommodation is performed and a conceptual change occurs.

Questions about constructivism

Piaget's representative constructivism is based on the premise that learners actively learn the subject matter themselves and construct knowledge. However, is it possible for a learner to learn all subject matter on their own?

Furthermore, when attempting to bring this theory into the school setting, learners end up tackling the understanding of the subject alone, and the significance and role of the teacher are not incorporated.

It was Vygotsky who criticized this learning theory of Piaget and proposed a new learning theory, which can be said to be the center of modern school education. Please see this article for details.

The learning theory that was prevalent before the rise of constructivism is 'behaviorism'. Please see this article for details.

□ Why not put this theory into practice in the classroom?

I am writing practical articles on how to utilize the 'constructivism' mentioned by Piaget and Vygotsky for building a class in the new school year. These are activities where students talk about their own values with each other and create an atmosphere in the classroom where it is 'okay to be different'.

In terms of Vygotsky's ZPD concept, this is the first step toward intentionally designing moments where students become 'mediators' for one another.

◾️ Can be used in the first homeroom period | Designing an atmosphere of a 'classroom where it is okay to be different' with a values game [Includes cards and worksheets]

Verbalizing the 'values' within each individual student and creating an 'atmosphere' in the classroom where these can be shared with others. An initial mechanism for opening the class.

◾️ Introducing others | An initial mechanism for fostering a culture of storytelling

Generating storytelling, dialogue, and empathy from the structure of introducing others. The first step in creating an 'atmosphere of relationships'.

◾️ One way of thinking that teachers who are troubled by a 'class that won't move even when told' should let go of right now

'Reverse-engineered classroom management' that redesigns the meaning of daily activities from the vision of 'what kind of class do I want to create'.