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Constructivism and Learning Mathematics in a Grade 5 Classroom

Anne Harbottle
University of British Columbia

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Constructivism and Learning Mathematics in a Grade 5 Classroom

While teaching may be the opposite of learning, it is a binary relationship that develops in a
search for meaning. The teacher affects the students learning. Constructivism is a philosophy
of learning, which proposes that by reflecting upon our experiences we come to understand our
world. An expansion of Constructivism philosophy now incorporates theories in teaching,
education, and knowledge. Constructivism has become educations version of the grand unified
theory. (Matthews, 2000) I have chosen to create an overview of the constructivist styles that
resonate with me in my classroom when teaching grade 5 mathematics (math) to demonstrate my
understanding of Constructivism and its incorporation within my learning experience.
Overview of Constructivism
Constructivism began in developmental psychology with Jean Paige, who stated,
Knowledge is actively constructed by the learner not passively received from the environment.
(Dougiamas, 1998) This is the base upon which all constructivist theory stands. Students must
be actively involved in their learning and active involvement in their learning requires prior
knowledge. (Dougiamas, 1998) It is the learners existing ideas [which] are all important in
responding to and making sense of, stimuli. The learner makes sense of experiences by actively
constructing meaning, (So, 2002) which is commonly referred to as trivial constructivism.
Ernst von Glaserfeld built-upon Piagets principle conclusion of trivial constructivism.
He stated that the function of cognition is adaptive and serves the subjects organization of the
experimental world, not the discovery of an objective ontological reality (Matthews, 2000,
Johnson, n.d.). In other words, a students understanding of a concept is their own creation based
on their experiences and prior knowledge. Radical constructivism, does not deny an objective
reality, but simply stated that we have no way of knowing what that reality might be

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(Dougiamas, 1998). According to von Glaserfeld, good teachers must understand that there are
many ways to solve a problem and that just lecturing a student will not lead to understanding.
(Boudourides, 2003) A teacher must have an adequate model of the conceptual network within
which the student assimilates what he or she is being told. (Boudourides, 2003)
Lev Vygotsky expanded upon Paigets theory by looking at how society or social
interaction aided a students knowledge or learning. (Dougiamas, 1998) His social
constructivism differed from Paigets trivial constructivism because he believed that a students
mind is inherently social in nature and so speech moves from communicative social to inner
egocentric. (Boudourides, 2003) There are three main relations when learning socially:
(1)
(2)

each person socially-mediates their learning;

learning can be distributed throughout the group and be more than what one

(3)

person can possess; and,

Social interaction over time can strengthen learning. (Dougiamas, 1998)

In addition, Vygotsky stated that dialogue is a significant way in which groups or an individual
student can understand a concept change. (Boudourides, 2003)
Consequently, a constructivist sees learning as a dynamic and social process in which
learners actively construct [personal] meaning from their experiences in connection with their
prior understanding and the social setting. (So, 2002) From this, a teacher may identify three
main roles a student must portray in order to learn:
(1)
(2)

the active learner - knowledge and understanding is actively acquired;

the social learner - knowledge and understanding is socially constructed;

(3)

and,
The creative learner - Knowledge and understanding is personally or
uniquely created or recreated. (Perkins, 1999)

Implications for Teaching Math

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Driver and Oldham created a teaching sequence that helps students learn in a
constructivist environment. The Driver-Oldham model has five phases:
(1) Orientation Phase - Students are motivated to learn a topic;
(2) Elicitation Phase Students make their ideas explicit through discussions, creation of
posters or writing;
(3) Restructuring Phase Teacher and student clarify and exchange views through
discussion, promote conceptual conflict through demonstrations and exchange ideas
and evaluate alternative ideas;
(4) Application phase Students use their new ideas in familiar and novel settings; and,
(5) Review Phase Students are to reflect on how their ideas have changed. (Sunal, n.d.)
Haylock identified five forms of mental activity that promote mathematical understanding
which I feel work in conjunction with the Driver-Oldham model. The five mental activities are:
(1) Constructing relationships students make connections to prior experiences or
knowledge, which fits into the Orientation phase;
(2) Extending and applying mathematical knowledge the teacher encourages students to
set themselves a challenge, which fits into the Elicitation phase;
(3) Reflecting about the experience use discussions to explain ideas tried and refined,
which fits into the Restructuring phase or Elicitation phase;
(4) Articulating what one knows students given time to summarize what has been
learned and to ask questions, which fits into Application or Review stage;
(5) Making mathematical knowledge ones own personal reflection time, which is the
Review stage. (2007)
In addition, Wakefield mentions three basic principles that guide constructivist teachers as they
prepare to teach math (2001) and to:
(1) Encourage children to think student should not memorize math rules but discuss their
learning;
(2) Encourage children to think about thinking conceptualize how they got their answer;
and,

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(3) Encourage representations of thinking represent their thinking using pictures, numbers
and words. (2001)
A constructivist mathematics class is one in which students are actively thinking about their
thinking. The learning experience is not one of the rote memorization of math rules. Students
are engaged in learning that uses their prior knowledge and experiences to help create and further
their knowledge on mathematical concepts. Students are asked to apply their thinking and given
time to construct their own meaning. Then, they are asked to discuss this thinking and represent
it with pictures, numbers and words. Personal reflection on their learning is essential for the
students to make the learning their own.
An Example of Applying Constructivist Teaching in Math Class
An example of constructivist teaching may be seen in my word problem unit using the
Driver- Oldham phases along with mentioning the Haylock mental activities.
Orientation Phase
In order to motivate the students to learn about the topic, I use a real-life math problem
that can be demonstrated in front of the class. Using food seems to aid in their motivation. For
example, Jeff (a student in the class who would be at the front of the room) has a bag of candy.
In the bag, he has 10 pieces of candy and, in reality; he would have a bag with ten pieces of
candy. Jeff would like to share the candy with his 3 friends. In the demonstration, Jeff would
pick 3 of his friends to come up to the front of the classroom with him. How many candies does
each person get? I would not ask for the answer but, I would ask the class if this has ever
happened to them or can they connect this to an experience in their past. Also, I would post a
written version of the question on the SMART board behind them. The aim would be for

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students to connect to past experiences with both the present situation and word problems to
form Constructing relationships.
Elicitation Phase
The students would be instructed to each figure-out an answer and to explain how they
got it. They would write their answer on their individual white board using pictures, numbers
and words to explain their thinking. Then, they would share their answer to the person beside
them. As the teacher, my job is not to make sure the students get the right answer but to ask
questions in order for them to understand how they came to that answer. For example, by asking
if you could answer the problem a different way? Is there a quicker or faster way to solve that
problem? Are there any words that would help you figure-out how to get the answer? The class,
as a whole, would discuss and review any math vocabulary that needed to be addressed so that
we would extend and apply mathematical knowledge activity.
Restructuring and Application phase
To accomplish both of these phases the students would participate in what I call Math
Circles, which are based on the concepts of Literature Circles in English. Students are given a
math word problem and asked to solve the math problem on the math circle discussion sheet. On
the sheet, they are prompted to identify words that helped them solve the problem. They are
asked to show how they got their answer using pictures numbers and words. They also are asked
to reflect upon the problem itself. Was it hard or easy and why? Then, the students are put into
mixed-ability groups and asked to share their answers to all the questions and to explain how
they got them. Naturally, the group discussion attempts to discover the right answer; however,
many times there are multiple ways to get to that same answer. As the teacher, I ask questions
such as, which way did you understand the most? Was one way quicker than another? Students

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are to evaluate their own answer and decide if they might change the way they solve the problem
and explain how. The math circles are repeated many times throughout the unit using different
word problems. Students begin to create the word problems they want to have others try and
solve. During math circles, students are engaged in the mental activities of extending and
applying math knowledge, reflecting about the experience and articulating what one knows.
Moreover, it starts to make math knowledge their own experience.
Review Stage
In the review stage, I have been able to incorporate technology or e-learning. Students
are asked to reflect upon what they have learned about how to solve word problems using the
class mini iPad app called Explain Everything.

Using this app, students record their

explanation and take pictures of previous math circle sheets or problems. They also may type
text to accompany their recorded information. The app enables them to express their learning
creatively in any way they wish, which enables them to make the mathematical knowledge their
own. They may upload these learning reflections to the class blog, where other classmates or
parents may view them and learn from or add to the students learning by way of continued online discussions.
Consequently, my math circles unit uses constructivism in teaching and incorporates
many aspects of constructivist learning. Students are actively engaged in the learning process.
In not lecturing the students on the rules about how to get the answer, the students are actively
constructing their learning in order to get an answer and using their prior knowledge and
experiences to help them understand the math concept. Giving the students time to interact with
their peers makes them become social learners. The group discussions allow a student to use
their groups understanding to better their own, which is paramount in social constructivism and

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often overlooked in many math classes. Finally, the time used by the students both during and at
the end reflecting upon their learning enables them to be a creative learner as Perkins suggested.

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References
Boudourides, M. (2003). Constructivism, education, science and technology. Canadian Journal
of Learning and Technology. Retrieved from http://cjlt.ca/index.php/cjlt/issue/view/83
Dougiamas, M. (1998). A journey into constructivism. Retrieved from http://www.
immagic.com/eLibrary/ARCHIVES/GENERAL/MOODLE/M981100D.pdf
Haylock, D. (2007). Key concepts in teaching primary mathematics. London, UK: Sage
Publications Inc.
Johnson, P. (n.d.) Constructivism: a short summary. Retrieved from https://www.
google.ca/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=
constructivism%20a%20short%20summary
Matthews, M. (2000). Constructivism in science and mathematics education. Retrieved from
http://educa.univpm.it/inglese/matthews.html
Perkins, D. (1999). The many faces of constructivism. Educational Leadership,57(3), 6-11.
So, W. (2002). Constructivist teaching in primary science. Asia-Pacific Forum on Science
Learning and Teaching. 3(1), Article 1. Retrieved from http://www.ied.edu.hk/apfslt/v3_
issue1/sowm/index.htm#contents
Sunal, D. (n.d.). The learning cycle: A comparison of models of strategies for conceptual
reconstruction: A review of the literature. Retrieved from http//astlc.ua.edu/Science
InElem&MiddlesSchool/565LearningCycle-ComparingModels.htm
Wakefield, A. (2001). Teaching young children to think about math. Principal, 80(5), 26-29.