Bonnie Collins and Bryan Ouellette
 While
Baines and Staley’s stance that having
the teacher as a facilitator is an effective
method for instruction, their criticism of
constructivism is far too simplistic.
 Research
does indicate that using
constructivist methods in isolation is not
effective; however, it does not mean that all
constructivist ideas and methods are
“mindless” or “hegemonic”.
 Using
any theoretical methodology in
isolation would not be effective because
variety of teaching methods, assessment,
and instruction is the most effective.
 Below
are some of the most famous
constructivist thinkers and their theories
 John
Dewey (Social Activism Theory)
 Albert Bandura (Social Cognitive)
 Lev Vygotsky (Scaffolding Theory)
 With
research, it is clear that very little
information from these theories promote the
use of consistent teacher directed
instruction.
 The
following slides will provide brief
information that demonstrates some of the
useful elements of constructivism.
 Individual
growth
comes from social
experiences
 Promotes
hands-on
activities connected
to real world issues
 Curriculum
should
connect directly to
students’ interests
 Learning
comes
from interactions
 Students
learn
from actions and
observations
 Students
learn
through models
(teachers and
students)
 Adults
support
learning through
scaffolding, or
helping children
build on what they
already know.

Although Baines and Stanley make the point that
consistent use of constructivist methods can lead to
overuse of directed instruction, they fail to see
some of the useful constructivist ideas.
Social interaction
 Hands-on learning
 Modelled learning
 Scaffolding

There needs to be a balance of methodologies used