Question 1b

A. What are constructivist and a behaviourist

approach of learning?
• Constructivist is a way of thinking and using a
memory while behaviourism is an old fashion of
teaching and involve a lot of repetition without
understanding.

Differences between constructivist and

behaviourism
Behaviourism Constructivist
• Systems approach • Self-directed learning
• Systematic approach • Unstructured learning
• Teacher time for • Activities requires a
structured review is higher level of
limited thinking
• It is time consuming • Teaches students to
and students work work as a team and
individually most share ideas
time • The teacher decides
• Teaching and on what they want to
activities are teach.
prescribed

B.Charecteristics

Behaviourism Constructivist
• Emphasizes • Emphasizes
traditional teaching alternative learning
and assessment and assessment
 methods methods
• Learners only answer • Students do their
what is expected of own research to find
them to answer. answers
• Teaching methods
based on primarily
upon behaviourist
and information
processing.

1. Behaviourism determines the type of learning

whereby teachers must differentiate the different
types of learning.

2. Teachers make sure that students have all the

prerequisite skills they need to learn a new skill.

3. Technology resources were more directed towards

the whole class to facilitate teacher-directed learning
and to individualize the pace of practice.

4. Skinner view the teachers job as modifying the

behaviour of students

PRINCIPLES:

 Behaviour modification techniques in

classroom management.

 Programmed instruction.

REFERRENCES

I. Skinner –Behaviourist theories

II. Gagne-principles of learning and teaching

III. Lev Vygotsky

IV. Piaget-Cognitive Development

V. Jerome Bruner-Learning as a discovery

Changes and improvements

1.1. Guiding principles of constructivism

2. Learning is a search for meaning. Therefore, learning must start with the issues around
which students are actively trying to construct meaning.
3. Meaning requires understanding wholes as well as parts.
4. Therefore, the learning process focuses on primary concepts, not isolated facts.
5. In order to teach well, we must understand the mental models that students use to perceive
the world and the assumptions they make to support those models.
6. The purpose of learning is for an individual to construct his or her own meaning, not just
memorize the “right” answers and regurgitate someone else’s meaning

Since education is inherently interdisciplinary, the only valuable way to measure learning is to
make the assessment part of the learning process, ensuring it provides students with information
on the quality of their learning.

How Constructivism Impacts Learning

1.Curriculum–Constructivism calls for the elimination of a standardized curriculum.

• It promotes using curricula customized to the students’ prior knowledge.

• It emphasizes on problem solving

2.Instruction– educators focus on making connections between facts and fostering new
understanding in students.

• Instructors tailor their teaching strategies to student responses and encourage students
to analyze, interpret, and predict information.
• Teachers also rely heavily on open-ended questions and promote extensive dialogue
among students.

3.Assessment–Constructivism calls for the elimination of grades and standardized

testing.

• Assessment becomes part of the learning process so that students play a larger
role in judging their own progress.

1. Criticisms of behaviorism, includes the following:

• Behaviorism does not account for all kinds of learning, since it disregards the activities of
the mind.
• Behaviorism does not explain some learning–such as the recognition of new language
patterns by young children–for which there is no reinforcement mechanism.
• Research has shown that animals adapt their reinforced patterns to new information. For
instance.
 • A rat can shift its behavior to respond to changes in the layout of a maze it had previously
mastered through reinforcements

How Behaviorism Impacts Learning

• It relies only on observable behavior and describes several universal laws of behavior.
• Its positive and negative reinforcement techniques can be very effective– such as in
treatments for human disorders including autism, anxiety disorders and antisocial
behavior.
• Behaviorism is often used by teachers who reward or punish student behaviors.
• Behaviorism is often seen in contrast to constructivism
• Constructivists are more likely to allow for experimentation and exploration in the
classroom.
• In contrast to behaviorists, they feel that an understanding of the brain informs teaching.

Question 1a(mind map)

 Motivate Stimulate recall
the of prerequisites
learners state necessary
States prerequisites Present information in a
goals sequence that is most
and appropriate for the
objective types of skills being
s facilitated

Present clear
examples and
non examples BEHAVIORISM

Provide practice over

Remediation activities
exact skills indicated
and enrichment
within objectives, with
Transfer of learning activities
timely feedback.
by applying skills
within new situations

Posttests” are generally

Provide opportunities for
the learners to identify
how their newly-acquired
Provide opportunities for
skills, knowledge and
learners to summarize the
attitudes
key ideas emerging from
the learning experience.
represented by the
successful completion of
projects, with analytic
rubrics provided
throughout the experience
to guide the learners
toward success
assessing their final
projects using
Provide opportunities
analytic or holistic
rubrics. to explore the overall
learning environment
with minimal
Constructivism
instructor guidance
and intervention…

Establish a meaningful, Clearly identify access to

purposeful instructional learning
context that encompasses all
instructional strategies Early interactions within the
instructional context should
facilitate the setting of
personal goals relative to
succeeding within the
impending instructional
experience

IMPROVEMENTS /CHANGES

• Addition of new information in brainstorming

• Spelling
 • Adding new sub topics

Cooperative
learning Discussions
Active process
Projects/assign
Case Self reflection
ments
study
Collaboration
Self discovery
Problem Teaching
solving strategies /methods Interactive-
hands on
learning Real world learning
Web
projects Internal and external
Constructivism thinking
Different
Web learning environments

groupwork

Web Best practices

Uses computers
quest
Process

Conceptual change
Predict/observe/explain

Passive
Teacher -centred
Automatic responses
 ed Knowled
Centr
ge
on
Key Behaviorism Learnin
learning g
concept

Focus Permanent change in

Reinforcement behavior

Programmed learning Observed learning

Association
Testing important Observed learning
Operant behavior
Feedback given Conditioning

Stimulus response