Consider the following quote from the Schunk text on p 257: "Learning and thinking occur in the context of learners' beliefs about cognition, which differ as a function of personal, social, and cultural factors."

To what extent do both social learning and constructivist approaches agree or disagree with the Schunk quote?

Be certain to explain how your understanding of the quote. What do you believe the quote is suggesting about student learners? Justify your explanations of social learning and constructivism by drawing from (and citing) the text.

• As you construct your response, consider the role of communication skills in social learning and the constructivist approach. 

 

This latter point is what makes constructivism different from the other dominant epistemological framework, objectivism, which states that knowledge exists outside of the natural world and that the nature of education is to "discover" knowledge (Byrnes, 1998; Carswell, 2001). It is also this latter point that gives constructivism its unique position in the educational landscape.

Because knowledge is created, not discovered in an objectivist sense, constructivists place emphasis on the learner, rather than the instructor. The goal of education, then, is to provide learners with the freedom to construct knowledge by using their pre-existing awareness of the world around them. In this model, the instructor is a guide or facilitator of the learning process, not a "sage" with knowledge to pass on to learners (von Glasersfeld, 2008). Moreover, constructivists place a great emphasis on collaboration in learning because humans are social creatures and knowledge is contextual and cultural.

Step-by-step explanation

Constructivism has been seen by many practitioners as an essential model for online learning. Two examples illustrate the compatibility between constructivism and online learning. First, an active learning environment is vital in an online context. Julie Carwile (2007) notes six recommendations for encouraging active learning that are easily achieved in an online context. Learning should take place in authentic, real-world environments. Learning should involve social negotiation and mediation. Content and skills should be made relevant to the learner. Teachers serve primarily as guides and facilitators of learning, not instructors. Teachers should provide for and encourage multiple perspectives of content.