Social Constructivism

Social constructivism is based on the theory that people build understanding through social interaction and culture. Social constructivism is much like social learning theories that suggest that people primarily construct knowledge from social interactions with others in their environment. In the book, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, the chapter on cooperative learning explores a teaching strategy that "...focuses on having students interact with eachother in groups in ways that enhance their learning"(Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, 2007, p. 139). After reading this chapter, the correlation between social constructivism and cooperative learning becomes very evident.

We can clearly see that cooperative learning and social constructivism are related. Social constructivism suggests that people learn through interacting with people and the environment around them. Cooperative learning is a strategy to foster this type of learning. When teachers design a cooperative learning environment, they are providing an opportunity for students to construct meaning from their interactions, both social and academic, with their fellow classmates. Students not only effectively learn content matter from this type of instruction, but they also inherit the ability to work cooperatively which is a lifelong benefit. "To be prepared for the fast-paced, virtual workplace that they will inherit, today's students need to be able to learn and produce cooperatively"(Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, 2007, p.139). We as teachers need to remember that it is not only our job to teach children curriculum content, but to also prepare students to be successful and productive members of society.

Cooperative learning is a building block of social constructivism. Using cooperative learning as an instructional strategy in the classroom is a very valuable learning tool. As we use this strategy to successfully teach content matter, we can also foster and encourage the ability to work copperatively in a variety of situations.


Reference:
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.