For undergraduate college students in Virginia Tech’s Psychological Foundations of Education class, students are taught various learning theories. In this interactive practice session, presenters will highlight Constructivist Learning Theory and cover three main points of interest. First, presenters will discuss the foundational framework for constructivism by providing background and history on a few of the most influential scholars. In our second area of focus, we will compare and contrast the settings of the constructivist classroom to that of the traditional classroom. Presenters will define the specific roles and responsibilities of both the constructivist teacher and student. Our last main area of focus is to explain the characteristics of both radical and social constructivism. Through this explanation, we will shed light on some of the controversy surrounding the pedagogical and epistemological ideas about constructivism. Presenters will explain and demonstrate practical and engaging strategies for guiding current and future teachers in the process of achieving a constructivist environment in their classrooms. Participants from any discipline may gain a new perspective, as well as useful strategies for future classroom use in this presentation. As a result of this session, participants should be able to: • Identify the foundational groundwork including the people who have influenced constructivist ideals. • Compare and contrast the settings of the constructivist and traditional classrooms. • List specific roles and responsibilities for both the constructivist teacher and student. • Explore resources (provided) for future research in promoting teaching strategies for constructivism. • Emphasize the importance of constructivism in an effort to have future teachers weave characteristics into the “culture” of their classes. • Consider the characteristics of both radical and social constructivism, and the controversies that lie within this learning theory
