From Behaviorist to Constructivist Teaching

Friel, Holly

Scheurman, G. (1998). From Behaviorist to Constructivist Teaching. Social Education, 62(1), 6-9. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/docview/210642352?accountid=10361

Summary:

This article provides concise explanations of theoretical frameworks for behaviorism and constructivism, including the main proponents, rationales, and practical applications of these concepts in the classroom.  To explain behaviorism, the author references contributions from B.F. Skinner and Noam Chomsky.  The main tenets of behaviorism are: “1) knowledge is a possession of ‘truths’ that reside outside the knower, and 2) learning is the process of acquiring those truths.” In a behaviorist-informed classroom, the teacher is the transmitter or manager of the acquisition of knowledge.  In regards to constructivism, the author references Jean Piaget (for cognitive constructivism) and Lev Vygotsky (for social constructivism). The main idea behind constructivism is that “knowledge is created by people and influenced by their values and culture.” In a constructivist classroom, the teacher is the facilitator or collaborator that pushes students to come up with their own solutions and formulate their own interpretations of information.

Review:

This article is an excellent, brief introduction to behaviorism and constructivism.  The article mentions the applications of these theories in the social sciences, but the main points are applicable to educators in any classroom. This article also contains a great “Matrix of Teaching and Learning Approaches,” illustrating the different roles of a teacher on the behaviorist to constructivist spectrum: Transmitter, Manager, Facilitator, Collaborator. (See below for the matrix.)