Constructivism and Constructionism

When most educators talk about constructivist learning theory, they are referring to the idea that learners must individually discover and transform complex information if they are to make it their own. But to a group of students and professors at M.I.T., there is another powerful way of thinking about learners constructing knowledge.

In the 1980's, Dr. Seymour Papert of M.I.T.'s Media Laboratory defined the theory called Constructionism, based on the work of Jean Piaget, John Dewey and Maria Montessori and began developing "constructionism" as a strategy for education. Constructionism is based on two different interpretations of "construction." It is grounded in the idea that people learn by actively constructing new knowledge, rather than by having information "poured" into their heads. Moreover, constructionism asserts that people learn with particular effectiveness when they are engaged in "constructing" personally meaningful artifacts (such as computer programs, animations, or robots).

Under the direction of Dr. Papert, the Epistemology and Learning Group at the MIT Media Lab examines the ways technology can employ Constructionist learning theory to encourage new ideas about learning. The group creates new "tools to think with" and explores how these tools can help encourage Constructionist learning in educational settings.

Three main themes inform the work of the group:

"Learning through Design - Our research is guided by the constructionist theory of learning. Constructionism asserts that knowledge is not simply transmitted from teacher to student, but is actively constructed by the mind of the learner. Moreover, constructionism suggests that learners are particularly likely to create new ideas when they are actively engaged in making external artifacts that they can reflect upon and share with others. In our research, we develop new technological tools to support children as designers -- for example, helping them create their own video games, robots, and simulations. The projects also probe how and what children learn through the process of designing and making.

"Learning in Communities - Much of our research focuses on the social nature of thinking, recognizing that how people think and learn is deeply influenced by the communities and cultures with which they interact. Our research projects explore how new technologies and new media can change relationships within existing communities (such as urban neighborhoods), while also encouraging the development of new types of "virtual" communities over computer networks. The projects also examine the development of communities among teachers, and the development of "communities of learning" within individual classrooms.

"Learning about Systems - Ideas about systems are important in a wide range of sciences, engineering, and social sciences. New computational media are significantly altering how researchers study and think about systems, while also making systems ideas more accessible to younger students. Our research projects probe how students think about systems concepts (such feedback and self-organization), and demonstrate new ways for students to learn about such concepts. Among the projects are several "construction kits" that allow children to create (and experiment with) animal behaviors, either on the computer screen or with LEGO "creatures." see source

I hope this Web site encourages you to read about Dr. Papert, and to explore some of the ways researchers and teachers are using Constructionist ideas to radically change the way students learn.

May, 1999
AnnMarie Thurmond
ITEC 800 Final Project

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