CHAPTER 5: Constructivist Learning Theories

CHAPTER 5: Constructivist
Learning Theories
The essence of creativity is figuring out how to

use what you already know in order to go beyond
what you already think.
- Jerome Bruner
 Constructivism lies on the
premise that learning is an
active process. When given the
proper guidance and learning
environment,learners can create
WHAT IS representations of objective
reality. Learners are not empty
CONSTRUCTIVISM? vessels to be filled up, but they
can construct knowledge when
new information is linked to
their prior knowledge.
Lesson 1: Jerome Bruner's Constructivist Theory,
Gestalt Theory, and David Ausubel's
Subsumption Theory
At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
• explain the major features of constructivism by Bruner, Gestalt,

and Ausubel;
• cite teaching implications derived from the theories; and
• digest research article on constructivism relative to teaching
Coming from the works of Piaget and Vygotsky, the constructivist theory of
learning posits that learners derive meaning and form concepts out of their
own experiences. In the process, the learners on the experience and then
create new understanding and knowledge from a new experience. If the
experience is related to a previous one, the learner revises the knowledge and
understanding and discards whatever information is deemed irrelevant. Using
questioning, exploring, and assessing, the learner constructs and reorganizes
knowledge. Therefore, the learner is an active creator of knowledge and
understanding.
Bruner's Constructivist Theory
Jerome Bruner believes that learning is an active process where

learners can create new ideas or concepts using their current or past
knowledge about things, events, or situations. Learners can select
information, transform them into new ones, add-up to them to make
decisions or create new sets of understanding.
"To perceive is to categorize, to conceptualize is to categorize, to

learn is to form categories, to make decision is to categorize."
Categorization involves perception, conceptualization, learning,
decision-making, and making inference.
Bruner (1966) emphasized four major aspects to be addressed during

the teaching and learning process.
1. Predisposition toward learning

The child's readiness to learn is an important aspect to consider in
learning concepts and skills. Love of learning should be emphasized at
an early age.
2. How a body of knowledge can be structured so that it can be most
readily grasped by the learner
Topics and concepts are effectively learned when details of such are arranged
and ordered in the context of the learner. Structures are usually arranged
from simple to its more complex form.
3. The most effective sequences in which to present material

Sequencing of presentation is a part of a teacher's innovation in teaching.
4. The nature and pacing of rewards and punishments

Rewards and punishments should be properly selected and that whenever
they are given to learners, they should know and undertand why they are
rewarded and punished.
Bruner's principles of instruction:
1. Instruction must be concerned with the experiences and contexts

that make the student willing and able to learn (readiness).
2. Instruction must be structured so that it can be easily grasped by

the student (spiral organization).
3. Instruction should be designed to facilitate extrapolation and or

fill in the gaps (going beyond the information given).
Gestalt Theory
Gestalt came from a German term that means pattern or form. Gestalt
psychology was introduced in 1912 by Wax Wertheimer. He is a German
psychologist who believed that a whole is more than just the totality of its
parts. Figure 19 list the laws of grouping derived from this theory
(Wertheimer 1918):
a. Similarity - elements that have the same or nearly similar features are
grouped together.
b. Proximity - elements that are near to each other are group together.
c. Continuity - elements that define smooth lines or even curves are also
grouped together.
d. Closure - elements that fill up missing parts to complete an
entity are group together.
Major principles of Gestalt Theory of learning (Koffka, 2013):
1. The learner should be encouraged to discover the underlying

nature of a topic or a problem.
2. Gaps, incongruities, disturbances are an essential stimulus for
learning.
3. Instruction should be based upon the laws of organization:
similarty, proximity, continuity, and closure.
Subsumption Theory
• The Subsumption Theory was developed by David Ausubel.

• The use of advanced organizers is a useful way of learning.
The Subsumption Theory presents four learning processes where a piece of new
knowledge is assimilated into an existing cognitive structure (Ausubel et al.,
1978):
1. Derivative Subsumption: a new concept learned is an example of a concept

that you have already learned before.
2. Correlative subsumption: a new concept learned is an
extension or modification of a previously learned
information.
3. Superordinate subsumption: what was learned are

specific examples of a new concept.
4. Combinatorial subsumption: a new concept is combined

with a prior known concept to enrich both concepts.
Lesson 2: Cooperative and Experiential
Learning
At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
• discuss the importance of cooperative and experiential learning to in K to

12 classroom;
• relate the features of collaborative and experiential learning to
contructivism; and
• create a teaching strategy bank anchored on collaborative and
experiential learning.
COOPERATIVE LEARNING
• Cooperative learning allows many opportunities to develop learner's

interpersonal skills.
• It would give them experience on how they can properly interact with
the others and at the same time listen and learn from their group mates.
• Cooperative learning is also a type of constructivist teaching because it
allows the creation and innovation of knowledge through group
interaction and active participation of each member.
Cooperative learning has the following features:
1. Student are actively engage thus developing in each member a

cooperative spirit.
2. Each member is challenged to give his/her best because it can
create a healthy and competitive spirit.
3. It allows learner's creativity and innovation because they
interact with people their age, peer or classmates.
4. It develops positively like open-mindedness, humility and give
and take attitude as well as listening skills.
5. It reduces pressure from work and create a positive classroom
atmosphere.
Cooperative learning usually follow three (3) stages
1. Teachers assign learner's to group.

2. Tasking is vital component of cooperative learning.
3. The working time and task collaboration should be an
active process.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
• Actual hands-on activities are still the most effective means

of learning.
• Experiences that are direct and purposeful are still the learner's
best opportunity to master a concept or a skill.
• Direct and purposeful experiences are rich experiences that the
sense bring from which ideas, concepts, generalization are
constructed (Dale, 1969).
• Realities can be brought to the classroom through the planned
activities of the teacher.
• In planning the delivery of a lesson or topic, the way
experiences are processed and used in the classroom makes it
easier for the learner to internatize what has been taught.
• They can see and feel that what is being learned is a part of
their real life situation.
• Learning by doing them is an essential element is
discovering and constructing new knowledge and
concepts.
• Contrived experiences are substitute for real things objects
or situations.
• Learner's enjoy when they take active roles in experiental
learning activities.

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CHAPTER 5: Constructivist

The essence of creativity is figuring out how to

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• explain the major features of constructivism by Bruner, Gestalt,

Jerome Bruner believes that learning is an active process where

"To perceive is to categorize, to conceptualize is to categorize, to

Bruner (1966) emphasized four major aspects to be addressed during

1. Predisposition toward learning

3. The most effective sequences in which to present material

4. The nature and pacing of rewards and punishments

1. Instruction must be concerned with the experiences and contexts

2. Instruction must be structured so that it can be easily grasped by

3. Instruction should be designed to facilitate extrapolation and or

1. The learner should be encouraged to discover the underlying

• The Subsumption Theory was developed by David Ausubel.

1. Derivative Subsumption: a new concept learned is an example of a concept

3. Superordinate subsumption: what was learned are

4. Combinatorial subsumption: a new concept is combined

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• discuss the importance of cooperative and experiential learning to in K to

• Cooperative learning allows many opportunities to develop learner's

1. Student are actively engage thus developing in each member a

1. Teachers assign learner's to group.

• Actual hands-on activities are still the most effective means

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