# Constructionism > [!quote] From wikipedia: > Constructionist learning is the creation by learners of mental models to understand the world around them. Constructionism advocates student-centered, discovery learning where students use what they already know, to acquire more knowledge. Students learn through participation in project-based learning where they make connections between different ideas and areas of knowledge facilitated by the teacher through coaching rather than using lectures or step-by-step guidance. Further, constructionism holds that learning can happen most effectively when people are active in making tangible objects in the real world. In this sense, constructionism is connected with experiential learning and builds on [[Jean Piaget]]'s epistemological theory of [[Constructivism]]. > [!ai]+ Claude > Here is a brief overview of Jean Piaget's constructivism and how Seymour Papert's constructionism extends it: > > Jean Piaget was a influential developmental psychologist who developed a theory of knowledge called constructivism. The key ideas of constructivism are: > > - Children actively construct their understanding of the world through their experiences and interactions. Knowledge is not just passively received. > > - Cognitive development occurs in distinct stages marked by qualitative differences in how children think and reason. These stages are sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. > > - Learning is an active process that requires acting on and making sense of the environment. Children build or 'construct' schema through the processes of assimilation and accommodation. > > Seymour Papert built upon Piaget's constructivism with his theory of constructionism. The key ideas of constructionism are: > > - Children construct mental models to understand the world around them. Constructionism emphasises the importance of tangible constructions in the world as a support for those mental models. > > - Knowledge is gained through the active construction of artifacts that are personally meaningful. Papert advocated for instruction through student-directed projects. > > - Constructionism focuses on learning through designing, creating, programming, and debugging. It highlights that knowledge is gained through the process of constructing an artifact. > > So in summary, Piaget's constructivism focuses on schema construction and developmental stages. Papert's constructionism extends this by emphasising the construction of meaningful public artifacts to support learning. > [!quote] [[Seymour Papert]]'s definition out of "CONSTRUCTIONISM: A NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR ELEMENTARY SCIENCE EDUCATION" > The word constructionism is a mnemonic for two aspects of the theory of science education underlying this project. From constructivist theories of psychology we take a view of learning as a reconstruction rather than as a transmission of knowledge. Then we extend the idea of manipulative materials to the idea that learning is most effective when part of an activity the learner experiences as constructing a meaningful product > [!ai]+ Claude (prompted with Papert's full text of "CONSTRUCTIONISM: A NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR ELEMENTARY SCIENCE EDUCATION") Here is a detailed description of constructionism: > > Constructionism is a learning theory developed by Seymour Papert and colleagues that emphasizes learning through constructing meaningful projects. It builds on constructivist theories of learning, which hold that people construct knowledge through active experience rather than passively receiving it. > > The key principles of constructionism are: > > - Learning is most effective when constructing something for a real-world purpose, like creating an art work, building a machine, writing a computer program, or formulating a research report. > > - Learning involves active reconstruction of knowledge rather than just transmission from teacher to student. Students build new understandings on top of their existing knowledge. > > - Learning works best when students learn to use knowledge in ways that are personally meaningful, not just to complete exercises. When students "appropriate" knowledge for their own ends, they learn more deeply. > > - Constructionism integrates both cognitive and social/emotional aspects of learning. It goes beyond thinking skills to consider how students' interests, relationships, and emotions shape learning. > > - Knowledge construction works best when supported by a community of learners, not in isolation. Dialogue with others enhances the process. > > In summary, constructionism emphasizes learning by actively creating meaningful artifacts in a social context, appropriating knowledge for authentic purposes, and integrating cognitive and affective dimensions of learning. Asking claude again, this time to use only the text itself. > [!ai]+ Claude > Constructionism is defined in the proposal as a synthesis of two key ideas: > > 1. The constructivist theory of learning, which holds that knowledge is actively constructed by learners, not passively transmitted to them. > > 2. The idea that learning is particularly effective when it is embedded in constructing something meaningful - like an art work, a machine, a computer program, or a research report. > > Some key ways constructionism is being applied in this project: > > - Focusing on hands-on learning through projects: Students will learn by actively constructing things with Lego materials, programming computers, conducting experiments, etc. > > - Choosing topics that allow meaning-making: Information science, motion science, and color science were selected as topics that lend themselves to constructing meaningful artifacts. > > - Emphasizing students appropriating knowledge for themselves: The goal is for students to make science and technology their own by using them for personal purposes and interests. > > - Integrating cognitive and social/emotional aspects: Constructionism incorporates both thinking skills and students' relationships, emotions, and identities into the learning process. > > - Situating learning in a social context: Learning is supported by a community, through collaboration and dialogue. The teacher trains students as "apprentices." > > - Designing flexible learning environments: The intention is to allow students to learn in different styles, not enforce one rigid way of thinking. > > - Developing new programming languages: This will allow students to create and control computational objects relevant to the science topics. > > In summary, constructionism is being applied by focusing on students actively constructing artifacts and knowledge in a social, flexible, and personally meaningful way. The technologies and topics are designed to enable this type of engaged learning. ## See also - [[Seymour Papert]] - [[Education]] - [[Pedagogy]] - [[Psychology]] - [[BOOK - Mindstorms - Seymour A Papert]] - [[RWISE - 2023-08-06 - Interview With Audrey Watters About ‘Teaching Machines’]]