Karina Zanrosso

ETEC 530 66A

June 23, 2016
Knowledge and Constructivism

Upon reflection of this course so far, I am brought back to my original thoughts on

knowledge, constructivism, and learning. As stated in one of my first posts on knowledge, and
later confirmed through readings and discussion with peers-it is difficult to define knowledge
with its many complex layers. However, in looking at how it is acquired and retained, as well as
the different types of knowledge that exist, we better our ability to understand it. As outlined in
Pritchards text, we know that truth and belief are essential in possessing knowledge. We also
learn that there is a certain value placed on knowledge. As educators, we must recognize that
knowledge, constructivism and learning are all interconnected. Perhaps the most important
thing to remember as educators is that learning itself is a process and that the construction of
meaning for students requires experience, relevance, and engagement.

When considering constructivism from a pedagogical standpoint, I am reminded of

something that resonated with me from Fosnots work, and that is the task of the educator is
not to dispense knowledge, but to provide students with opportunities and incentive to build it
up (Fosnot, 2013). Such opportunities are those that encourage students to be active
participants in their own learning, opportunities that foster inquiry and collaboration and also
that spark curiosity. The process of learning using constructivism encourages a reflective and
adaptive process in which students construct, share, and navigate through meanings. And with
these opportunities to build knowledge, students must also be provided with a variety of
opportunities to show their learning; assessment for and as learning is key and also needs to be
personal and adaptive in nature. We know that knowledge itself is adaptive, and within
constructivism it is seen as an adaptation rather than a representation. We also know that
environment plays a role in this adaptive learning process, as does perception. As explored in
Pritchards text, A great deal of our knowledge of the world is gained via perception
(Pritchard, 2014). What we can know about the world is largely based on how we experience it
on a daily basis; therefore knowledge is relative and must be seen as a complex and non-linear
process. As educators, this is important to recognize and draw attention to the fact that each
student will naturally bring a different perspective to the classroom, and these differences can
help in the active process of collaborative meaning making.

In education, we often hear about the role of the teacher as facilitator vs. the traditional
version as the sage on the stage. As facilitators, it is important to recognize that learning is
not the result of development; learning is development (Fosnot, 2013). This notion suggests
that learning takes place as students create their own questions, engage in dialogue with their
peers, reflect, and most of all, make mistakes and work through challenges. As learners
struggle to make meaning, progressive structural shifts in perspective are constructed-in a
sense big ideas. These big ideas are learner-constructed (Fosnot, 2013). Through this
struggle students are able to engage and connect what they are learning to what they already
know and believe to be true. Since this is different for each student, the dialogue they engage in
helps create shared meaning, addresses the idea of other minds and acknowledges the fact that
learning is both an individual and social process. Fortunately, we are seeing a definite positive
shift in education in terms of recognizing the learning process; more value is being placed on the
process itself and on developing the skills needed for students to be active, inquisitive and
reflective in nature.
References:

Fosnot, C.T. (2013). Constructivism: Theory, perspectives, and practice, 2nd Ed. Teachers
College Press.

Pritchard, D. (2014). What is this thing called knowledge? London: Routledge.