Cultural misunderstandings happen. Being aware of meanings we have constructed about ourselves and others is important to recognize as a learner. What do we miss when we are unaware of stereotypes about people who are different than we are? Bias? How do we understand ourselves and others? Can we have confidence that we really know/understand what is going on in any given situation?
Write a 2-4 page analysis discussing elements of social and constructivist learning and the everyday life we lead as citizens. How do we teach each other about who we are and what we need? Create a dialogue that addresses social issues and uses these theories to propose solutions.
Constructivism has Vygotskii as one cornerstone of social learning and Piaget as another but there are more aspects to this very philosophical idea about learning. Adherents to this theory believe that meaning is co-constructed between learners. One end of a constructivist continuum suggests that there is no learning or knowledge that is free from meanings attached by the learner. As a young woman who grew up in a very blue collar household, my first experience with professional dress expectations felt like cosplay. No one in my family or the families of my friends had office jobs. Acquiring a wardrobe that met the expectations of the office I worked in was, in my mind, pricey and awkward. I had never worn heels before my first day as a counselor in a professional office.
The learning process and memories have a relationship with the knowledge being gained and the context where learning. Sound complicated? It is somewhat. We have to work to reflect on all the lenses we have in entering a situation where we are to formally learn. At its heart, constructivism wants us to understand that there are layers to consider: Is the learning relevant to the learner? What social, economic, or cultural characteristics facilitate learning? What tools are available for learners? What in the environment is germane or pertinent to the learning? Constructivist educators strive to make learning authentic (via discovery or experimentation), complex (think: problems to solve), represented in diverse ways (using multiple senses), and centered on the learner.
Cite at least three references from the reading material.
https://www.exploratorium.edu/education/ifi/constructivist-learning
http://www.ucdoer.ie/index.php/Education_Theory/Constructivism_and_Social_Constructivism
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