Constructivism and Critical Pedagogy in Teaching

 

Constructivism and Critical Pedagogy

 

Constructivism: Definition and Features

Constructivism is comparatively a new approach in teaching. It is the advanced method after behaviourist approach. There are two major approaches in constructivism; cognitive constructivism and social constructivism. Jean Piaget, Vygotsky, Jerom S Bruner, Noam Chomsky are the major propagators of constructivism. In India, Jithu Krishnamoorthy is being considered a practitioner of this approach. Out of them Piaget and Bruner belong to cognitive constructivism and others are of social constructivism,

Constructivism is a philosophy of learning developed on the principles that,

·       learning is reflecting on personal experiences

·       learner constructs own understanding of the world where learner live in

·       learner has the capacity to construct knowledge from the social context

·       Learning is the process of adjusting mental reproductions to accommodate new experiences

Constructivism has different facets like philosophical, pedagogical, technological, psychological and the like. In teaching, “Constructivism is the theory that says learners construct knowledge rather than just passively take in information.” Constructivism explains that knowledge is not something to be poured in but to be constructed. 

What is the learning procedure according to constructivism? We can understand it from the following procedures;  

·       All learners continuously experience the world

·       The learners always reflect upon those experiences

·       Based on their own reflections, the learners incorporate new information into their pre-existing knowledge. This is the process of knowledge construction

·       This new knowledge associate with the existing knowledge

·       Constructivist learning environments emphasize knowledge construction instead of knowledge reproduction 

According to constructivism, learning is an active process to be carried out by the learner. A teacher need not be ‘lecture’ the content. Teacher is a facilitator or stage setter in constructivism. Learner will engage in the leaning process as per her/his capacity.

There are some key elements in constructivist approach of teaching. They are;

·       Knowledge is to be constructed and not to be poured in.

·       People learn to learn, as they learn. Acquiring knowledge means learning to learn.

·       Learning is an active process. Learners are not passive listeners in classrooms.

·       Learning is a social activity.

·       Learning is contextual. Teachers has to set suitable contexts for effective learning

·       Knowledge acquisition depends up on personal cognitive capacities

·       Learning exists in the mind and reflects through cognitive and social actions

·       Motivation is a key to learning. Readiness to learn is a necessity

Characteristic features of Constructivism

There are many specific elements and principles of constructivism that form its features. Let’s discuss them. (www.wgu.edu)

• Knowledge is to be constructed. Knowledge is built upon another knowledge that the learners already possess. A learner takes pieces of information and put them together in his own unique way. His way of building something will be different from another one’s method. The student’s previous knowledge, experiences, beliefs, and insights are important factors in learning.
• Learners are not passive listeners. In constructivist method, learners are learning to learn, as they learn. Learning involves constructing meaning and systems of meaning. For example, if a learner learns the chronological order of events in the Indian freedom movement, the learner learns years and events and along with that he also learns what is chronology and also what is significance of chronological order in studying a movement.
• Learning is an active process. Learning involves sensory input to construct meaning. The learner needs to do something in order to learn, it’s not a passive activity. Learners need to engage in the world so they are actively involved in their own learning and development. Learner can’t just sit and expect to be told things and learn, you need to engage in discussions, reading, activities, etc. (www.wgu.edu)
• Learning is through social activities and it is contextual. Family, teachers, neighbours, peers, and acquaintances impact on learning. One will not effectively learn in isolation. Progressive education recognizes that social interaction is key to learning and they use conversation, interaction, and group applications to help students retain their knowledge. Though knowledge is personal, it has social applicability
• Knowledge acquisition depends on personal uniqueness. Constructivism is based on learner’s own experiences and interactions. Each person will have their own prior knowledge and experiences to bring to the table. So, the way and things people learn and gain from education will all be very different. 
• Learning exists in the mind. Hands-on experiences and physical actions are necessary for learning. Engaging the mind is key to successful learning. Mental experiences are needed for retaining knowledge.
• Motivation is key to learning. Learning will not be effective if the learner is unmotivated. Without motivation, it’s difficult for learners to reach into their past experience and make connections for new learning.

Disadvantages of Constructivism

One of the major disadvantages of constructivism is that the learner may not become able to contextualize learning at all time.  Learner may fail to form abstractions and transfer knowledge and skills in new situations (Merrill, 1991) There is possibility for confusion and even frustration in learning tasks. Other disadvantages are that the knowledge that construct by learner may not be factual, teachers may not get opportunities to transact knowledge properly, learners are being deprived form the effective learning, learners do not always actively construct meaning and building an appropriate knowledge structure and possibility of dullness in learning process.

 

Constructivism is the presently practicing approach mostly in school level education. The approach made teaching learning tasks activity oriented. Though there have some demerits, the approach is acknowledged as effective by pedagogical experts. 

 

Get a brief explanation from this link

 https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/5783378581439316796/8144029602228316210

 

 

Critical Pedagogy

Critical pedagogy is a teaching approach. It is proposed by the famous educational philosopher Paulo Friere. Critical pedagogy is introduced for developing critical consciousness or critical awareness in the learner.  Critical consciousness is ability to critically perceive the causes of social, political and economic oppression and to take action against the oppressive elements of society.

          Critical pedagogy is defined as an education methodology that seeks to increase student awareness of the hidden curriculum’s inequalities and multiple form of oppression that exist in the society, and encourage them to take step towards creating a more democratic and equitable society. Friere explained this pedagogical approach in his book ‘pedagogy of the oppressed”

              The aim of Freir’s critical pedagogy is to restore to marginalized groups their stolen ‘voice’, to enable them recognize identify, and give their name the things in the world.

Characteristics of critical pedagogy

1.                   Critical pedagogy enables student to question and challenge domination, the beliefs and practices that dominate

2.                   Critical pedagogy is based on the presumption that all education is pedagogy

3.                   It provides the learner with tools to better themselves and define the world

4.                   Its approach is issue based or problem based

5.                   It provides the learner with the tools to analyse critically how and on whose benefit the knowledge is constructed

6.                   Critical pedagogy transforms the learner from objects to subjects

7.                   It aims to create a more egalitarian and just society

8.                   It transforms the learner from the role of passive listener to active participants

9.                   Critical pedagogy argues for an approach to education that is rooted in the experiences of marginalized peoples

10.                It is focused on dialogue instead of a one-way transmission of knowledge

11.                It envisages a transformed world, i.e., a more democratic, more just and more egalitarian world

12.                Critical pedagogy needs to create new forms of knowledge through its emphasis on breaking down disciplinary boundaries and creating new spaces where knowledge can be produced

Critical pedagogy is a teaching philosophy that asks teachers to encourage students to critique constructions of power and oppression. It is rooted in critical theory, which involves becoming aware of and questioning the societal conditions. In critical pedagogy, a teacher uses his or her own enlightenment to encourage students to question and challenge inequalities that exist in different facets of society where he lives.

Critical pedagogy primarily supports for thinking critically and challenging social structures. Critical pedagogy encourages students to challenge their own beliefs, break free of damaging social narratives, and think independently.

In critical pedagogy, assessment and evaluation will be with different strategies.   Assessments are not about finding the right answer, but are instead about critical thinking skills. Process oriented evaluation is suggested in critical pedagogy.  It is a cyclic process – teacher to learner – learner to learner- and learner to teacher. Learning is not a one-way process in critical pedagogy.

Concluding Thoughts

Implementing critical pedagogy has different ways in different subjects, and what techniques or strategies or tactics function for one class may not work for another. Often, this will involve finding common bonds between subjects as the critical approach is not confined to only one area of education and culture. Critical pedagogy is an effective tool in the hand of teacher to make his or her children active leaners in classrooms.