How I Believe Students Learn

The driving idea behind how I think students learn is the Constructivist theory. The guiding
principle of the Constructivist Theory states knowledge is created by an individual or collectively by
individuals, through self-discovery, research, or by interaction with peers, rather than indoctrination
from an authority figure (Eggen, 2007). Constructivist Theory is broken into two branches,
Cognitive and Social, which explain different ways in which (a) student(s) create knowledge.
Cognitive (also called Individual) Constructivism comes from the Swiss psychologist Piaget, who
found that children construct knowledge through interaction with the environment and through
personal discovery. Piagets theory focuses on the idea of schemas and how they form, adapt, and
change to accommodate cognitive dissonance. A schema is best described as a mental framework, in
which a personal groups clusters of similar things or ideas. For example, a childs schema of birds
would most likely include winged animals that fly, such as a blue jay, hawk, and sparrow. Schemas
can be thought of as an organization system within the human mind to order, classify, and connect
that which we encounter in the physical world (Eggen, 2007). There are two primary ways to expand
on an existing schema, assimilation and accommodation. To go back to the original example of a
schema, the childs framework of birds entails winged flying animals, (blue jays, hawks, sparrow) so
if that child were to see an owl, their existing bird schema would assimilate that knowledge, since it
fits the previously established knowledge. On the other hand, if that same child were to see a
penguin and be told it is a bird, they would need to accommodate that knowledge, as penguins, which
are birds, do not fly. Accommodation occurs when the new knowledge does not match the
preformed ideas one has, which leads to a cognitive dissonance. It is this dissonance that leads a
student to construct his/her own knowledge, as they will wish to resolve this conflict of ideas. It is in
this way students learn, constructing knowledge (Eggen, 2007). Accordingly, it falls upon the
teacher to cause this dissonance, spurring students on to discover and create further knowledge. In

essence, students learn individually by constructing knowledge to accommodate cognitive

dissonance.
Conversely, Social Constructivist Theory, the brainchild of the Soviet psychologist
Vygotsky, states that knowledge, while constructed, is assembled through social interaction.
Learning comes from the exchange of ideas between students, as the learners feed off and expound
upon their peers thoughts (Eggen 2007). Students work in groups and through this collective
process, develop knowledge. Vygotsky was also the founder of the idea of the Zone of Proximal
Development (ZPD). The ZPD is a representation of the learning a student is able to achieve,
stretching from what they can reasonably do themselves (the bottom of the ZPD) to what can be
attained with the assistance and guidance of a capable mentor/peer (the top of the ZPD). In this way,
a students potential for learning and construction of knowledge raises dramatically when working
alongside a peer (Morrison 2009). In this way, a struggling student receives help and a new
perspective on the material and the capable student has an opportunity to rehearse the knowledge
through teaching it. Vygotskys overall idea on learning states that it is through the social exchange
of ideas that constructs knowledge.
How This Will Affect My Teaching
There are many applications of both Constructivist theories, especially for a social studies
teacher. Following the Cognitive Constructivist theory, I would present examples of historic events
that match established schemas of my students, but contain occurrence which go against their ideas
on the topic. For example, throughout World War II, America was proclaimed the pillar and bastion
of liberty and freedom, a title which we hold dear to this day. We proudly tell the world we persist as
the embodiment of freedom and forever and always fought and will fight against tyranny and
oppression. Yet, during World War II, America placed thousands of Japanese-American citizens in
prison camps, stripping them of their rights, property and uprooting their lives. This example of
Americas destruction of liberty would clash heavily with their existing schema, a schema which

holds America as the stalwart defender of freedom and liberty. Another example of this would be the
Civil War, in that President Lincoln, whose duty was to preserve, protect, and defend the
Constitution, suspended the Constitution in the border states (Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia,
Kentucky, and Missouri) and removed the right of habeas corpus; the right to due process and
appearance before a judge. Lincoln, in attempting to preserve and protect the Constitution, violated
some of the very basic ideals it represents. These examples (hopefully) would trigger the cognitive
dissonance Piaget spoke of, forcing students to deconstruct their schemas and accommodate this new
knowledge, forming new thoughts and ideas on the world.
Additionally, following Vygotskys Social Constructivist Theory, there are numerous
instructional tools that could be used as I teacher. For example, in order to utilize the ZPD, an open
forum class discussion could be facilitated. The students would discuss/debate the topic and with
proper teacher guidance, would be able to maximize their learning in the ZPD, since they would be
receiving capable assistance from the teacher and potentially fellow classmates. Also, another
activity that could be used is a newspaper assignment; a group of students would be given a topic,
say Suleiman the Great (ruler of the Ottoman Empire, 1500s) and would need to create a
newspaper from that time period, containing pertinent articles and stories relevant to the day-today occurrences. The students would need to work collaboratively, each with their own parts of the
whole newspaper and bring it all together, collectively constructing knowledge. Those are just some
brief examples of the in-class application of the Social and Cognitive Constructivist Theories that I
feel capture the idea of the student(s) constructing their own knowledge.

References:
Eggen, P., & Kauckek, D. (2007). Educational psychology: Windows on classrooms (7th ed.). Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.
Morrison, George S. (2009). Teaching in America. 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson,
Print.