What is Social Constructivism

The central idea of social constructivism is that human learning is constructed and knowledge is constructed through social interaction and is a shared rather than an individual experience (Vygotsky, 1978). Learn more in: Social Constructivism as a Theoretical Foundation of Cross-Cultural Mentoring for Foreign-Born Faculty

The central idea of constructivism is that human learning is constructed and that learners build new knowledge upon the foundation of previous learning. This view of learning sharply contrasts with one in which learning is the passive transmission of information from one individual to another, a view in which reception, not construction, is key. Vygotsky’s social constructivist theory can provide adult ESL students with the ability to construct their own meanings by critical thinking. Social constructivism is a learning perspective founded on the assumption that learning is focused on learners and promotes their active participation as they manage to construct their own knowledge depending on their own reality. Learn more in: Role of the Social Constructivist Theory, Andragogy, and Computer-Mediated Instruction (CMI) in Adult ESL Learning and Teaching Environments: How Students Transform Into Self-Directed Learners Through Mobile Technologies

A perspective of learning that emphasizes social cognition or learning through interaction with peers. Learn more in: Cognitive vs. Social Constructivist Learning for Research and Training on the Angoff Method

Knowledge construction that occurs by interacting and engaging with others. Learn more in: Mobile Technologies for Making Meaning in Education: Using Augmented Reality to Connect Learning

Constructivist philosophy stressing the importance of social interactions in the construction of knowledge. Learn more in: Blended Learning Primer

A learning theory. Each of us is shaped by our experiences and interactions. Each new experience or interaction is taken into our schemata and shapes our perspectives and behaviour. Learn more in: Internet Technologies and Language Teacher Education

Extends constructivism into social settings, wherein groups construct knowledge for one another, collaboratively creating a small culture of shared artifacts with shared meanings. When one is immersed within a culture like this, one is learning all the time about how to be a part of that culture, on many levels. Learn more in: Context-Free Educational Games: Open-Source and Flexible

Social constructivism recognizes that knowledge is constructed through social interaction and is a shared rather than an individual experience ( Vygotsky, 1978 ). Learn more in: Teachers as Researchers and Instructional Leaders

Social constructivism is a theory of knowledge and learning which contends that categories of knowledge and reality are actively created by social relationships and interactions. Learn more in: Designing Cross-Cultural Collaborative Online Learning

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A learning theory (attributed to Vygotsky) that suggests that human beings create ‘meaning’ from an educational experience by learning with others. Learn more in: Behave Yourself!: An Investigation of the Impact of Tutor Behaviour on the Student Experience of Online Distance-Based Learning

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Social constructivism is an educational theory of acquiring knowledge which emphasizes the importance of culture and context in and constructing knowledge. Learn more in: When Virtual Communities Click: Transforming Teacher Practice, Transforming Teachers

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Social constructivism based on the work of theorists such as Vygotsky, centres on the personal construction of knowledge through social interaction. Learn more in: Cultivation of Leadership in Higher Education Students

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A learning theory that argues effective learning is promoted by constructing knowledge in groups. Learn more in: RSS and Syndication for Educators

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Social constructivism is a theory of learning which draws heavily on the work of the Soviet psychologist Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934 AU29: The in-text citation "Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ). It suggests that learners add to and reshape their mental models of reality through social collaboration, building new understandings as they actively engage in learning experiences. Scaffolding, or guidance, is provided by teachers or more experienced peers in the learner’s zone of proximal development, that is, the zone between what a learner can achieve independently and what s/he may achieve with support. Learn more in: Communicative Networking and Linguistic Mashups on Web 2.0

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Social constructivism suggests that learners learn concepts or construct meaning about ideas through their interaction with others, with their world, and through interpretations of that world by actively constructing meaning. Learners construct knowledge or understanding as a result of active learning, thinking and doing in social contexts. Learn more in: Active Learning and Its Implementation for Teaching

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Learning theory that states that learners learn best when functioning as a social group that collaboratively constructs a shared culture of artifacts with shared meanings. Learn more in: Course Management Meets Social Networking in Moodle

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A theory of learning which argues that individuals learn through the support and collaboration of others ( Vygotsky, 1978 ). Learn more in: Publishing as Pedagogy: Reflections on Innovating in the Ivory Tower

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A theory of learning which expounds knowledge is constructed through interaction and negotiation among people under social cultural environment. Learn more in: Scaffolding Undergraduate STEM Majors: A Strategic Mentoring Program

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Sociological theory of knowledge that applies the general philosophical constructivism into the social context. According to this theory reality is constructed through human activity, knowledge is a human product and is socially and culturally constructed, individuals create meaning through their interactions with each other and with the environment they live. (Based on Wikipedia). Learn more in: Cross-Border Collaborative Learning in the Professional Development of Teachers: Case Study – Online Course for the Professional Development of Teachers in a Digital Age

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Assigns a leading role to individuals’ activity in the learning process, unlike previous educational theories mostly based on the passive and receptive role of the learner. It also recognizes the great importance of the symbol systems, such as language, logic, and mathematical systems, which are inherited by the learner as a member of a particular culture. Learn more in: Towards a Framework for Evaluating ICT-Based Materials

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Learning through social interactions between learners intended by a modification of a previous learning or reorganizing a basic structure. Learn more in: Digital and Collaborative Work: Winning Couple?

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Associated with Lev Vygotsky, the theory that all knowledge was mediated through its social or cultural context Learn more in: Pedagogy Reconsidered in a Multimodal Blended Environment

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An educational theory based on the principle that learners and teachers coconstruct knowledge through social processes. Learn more in: E-Social Constructivism and Collaborative E-Learning

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Social constructivism believe that a learner’s ability to learn relies to a large extent on what he already knows and understands, and the acquisition of knowledge should be an individually tailored process of construction. Transformative learning theory focuses upon the often necessary change that is required in a learner’s preconceptions and world view. Learn more in: The Power of Metaphor in Bringing Clarity for Learners in Learner-Centered Design

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Founded in principles of constructivism, and developed by Lev Vygotsky, social constructivism emphasises the collaborative nature of learning. Social constructivism emphasises the role of language and culture in cognitive development. Learn more in: Strategies for Next Generation Networks Architectures

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Learning and teaching is a collective process in which we are both teachers and learners at the same time and are thus better able to understand the information we have constructed by ourselves. Learn more in: Connecting Higher Education Learning Spaces in a Blended Zululand Teaching and Learning Ecology

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A learning theory that promotes the concept that learning is social and that learning occurs through building upon previous schema/experiences. Learn more in: Humanizing Online Assessment: Screencasting as a Multimedia Feedback Tool for First Generation College Students

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A theory proposed by Vygotsky that emphasizes the critical importance of the social context for cognitive development. Learn more in: Defining Quality Standards, Guidelines, and Strategies for the Delivery of Successful Online Education in a Changing Society

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As a theory of learning, social constructivism emphasizes the role of culture and socialization in the cognitive development of individuals. Growing up within a human group, the family or a professional community of practice such as professional translators, individuals acquire the cognitive tools and knowledge shared by the community. The cognitive tools individuals get from the community should allow them to construct new knowledge on the basis of knowledge previously acquired. Learn more in: Translator Education and Metacognition: Towards Student-Centered Approaches to Translator Education

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A theory of knowledge according to which learning is socially situated and knowledge is constructed through interaction with others. Learn more in: Indicators for Cooperative, Online-Based Learning and Their Role in Quality Management of Online Learning

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A theory of learning mainly associated with Vygotsky that emphasizes intrinsic learning through social interactions. Learn more in: Inside, Outside, and Off-Site: Social Constructivism in Mobile Games

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Social constructivism emphasizes the importance of culture and context in the process of knowledge construction. Learning is meant to be a social process that occurs when individuals take part in social activities. Instructional models based on this perspective stress the need for collaboration among learners and with practitioners in society. Learn more in: Computer-Mediated Communication Learning Environments: The Social Dimension

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A philosophy which argues that learning is a social activity and emphasizes that learners should be active participants in the creation of knowledge. Learn more in: Life Has Equal Worth: Inclusion in High Schools

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A theory of how social phenomena develops within cultural and specific social situations. Social constructivism is the product or artifact of each society or civilization. Learn more in: Lessons Learned from Semiotics: Social and Cultural Landmarks for Transformative Elearning

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A philosophical position which holds that knowledge is created culturally, socially and within communities. Learn more in: Caring in the Zone: Fostering Relationships in Virtual Learning Communities

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Shares most of Piaget’s views but puts more emphasis on the impact of the social context of learning. Lev Vygotsky, the proponent of social constructivist theory, stresses that social environment plays a crucial role in children’s development and acquisition of knowledge. Learn more in: Constructing Knowledge through Online Bulletin Board Discussions

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A theory in psychology which suggests that individuals are molded by the society around them, rather than being innately pre-disposed in any one direction. Learn more in: Bridging the Gulf Between the Campus and Workplace: The Role of English-Oriented Student Bodies

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A theory in which an individual acquires new knowledge through social engagements. Learn more in: Knowledge Acquisition in a Hybrid Graduate Teacher Training Program

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Constructivism is an epistemology, a learning or meaning-making theory, which offers an explanation of the nature of knowledge and how human beings learn. It maintains that individuals create or construct their own new understandings or knowledge through the interaction of what they already know and believe and the ideas, events, and activities with which they come in contact (Cannella & Reiff, 1994; Richardson, 1997). Knowledge is acquired through involvement with content instead of imitation or repetition (Kroll & LaBoskey, 1996). Learning activities in constructivist settings are characterized by active engagement, inquiry, problem solving, and collaboration with others. Rather than a dispenser of knowledge, the teacher is a guide, facilitator, and co-explorer who encourages learners to question, challenge, and formulate their own ideas, opinions, and conclusions. “Correct” answers and single interpretations are de-emphasized. http://www.ericdigests.org/1999-3/theory.htm Learn more in: Mathematics, Computer Mathematical Systems, Creativity, Art

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A theory of knowledge that argues that humans generate knowledge and meaning from an interaction between their experiences and their ideas. Learn more in: The Toolbox: Objects and Tools for Doing Mathematics

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