Contructing knowledge is an action. Von Glasersfeld explains that you do not "gain" or "acquire" knowledge because these are terms that are too passive for explaining the act of increasing ones knowledge. He explains that the way that people increase their knowledge is through constructing it, and not through receiving it from someone else. Meaning that they experiment and find contradictions and through this process they find meaning or construct knowledge. Also, since knowledge is constructed it must be built on what we already know. So it is important to recognize that knowledge is built on or seen through our previous understanding.
As a teacher who believes in constructivism I would try to be aware of the way students learn. This would include giving the students plenty of opportunities to experiment in different mathematical contexts. I would try to help them find their way to various contradictions allowing them to revise and construct around these problems. Another part of being aware of the way students learn would be to understand the importance of knowing what the students have already learned. Since they will only build on what they have previously learned it is important that the way the teacher teaches is compatible with their current knowledge.
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thanks for your thoughts. I especially enjoyed how clear your explanation of constructing knowledge was. Straight to the point. I also agree with your teaching methods of giving the students plenty of opportunities to experiment in different mathematical contexts.
ReplyDeleteYour thoughts about constructivism and knowing your students is a very good point. When you believe in constructivism, it is necessary to provide your students with different experiences for them to learn from and you appear to be very aware of that fact and exposing your students.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it is possible to be aware of the way students learn. From a constructionist point of view, I think even teachers perceive things based on their past experiences. As a result, depending on the teacher, he/she would think the students learned in different ways.
"Constructing" does not necessarily imply experimentation or attempts to find contradictions. It also doesn't mean that we choose not to receive knowledge from others. von Glasersfeld's point is that it is not possible to receive knowledge from others, even if we wanted to. This is because whatever they say or do to convey that knowledge is interpreted by us based on what we already know. We use our preexisting knowledge to decide what they mean. Thus, it is not possible for us to "objectively" listen to someone else, or even to have an "objective" experience. Every experience we have is inevitably interpreted by us based on how we think the world works and what we think is true. Because we are always interpreting our experiences, and because our interpretations of that experience become what we know, we are always "constructing" what we know.
ReplyDeleteYour paragraphs are very clear and easy to understand. I think the ways in which you would implement constructivism are great and it's easy to understand how they tie in with constructivism. I especially liked the idea of making sure, as a teacher, that you are familiar with what the level the students are at, because this would allow you to help them construct mathematical knowledge in a proper way.
ReplyDeleteI agree! the students need to experience math from many different facets. I think it would be hard as a teacher however to accommodate knowledge that every student has to help them learn in a classroom but i like your thinking.
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