Social Cognitive and Constructivist Views

updated for fall, 2005

Social Cognitive Theory

Factors Influencing Observational Learning (from textbook)

* Developmental Status

* Model Prestige and Competence

* Vicarious Consequences

* Outcome Expectations

* Goal Setting

* Self-Efficacy


Reciprocal Determinism

Environment and Social Influences
* models, instruction, feedback, etc.

Self-influences
* self-efficacy, mastery orientation, fear of failure, monitoring, etc.

Behavior and Learning Outcomes
* performance, progress toward goals, achievement, etc.

Name prejudice?

Constructivism

* Learners actively construct meaning.

* broad movement within cognitive science and education


Psychological Constructivism

* also known as individual constructivism

* social component is not emphasized

* Individuals have different prior knowledge, therefore they construct different meaning from same information.

* Constructed meaning is not a copy or "isomorphic model" of input from environment.

* Self-regulated learning is an example of psychological constructivism.


Vygotsky's Social Constructism

* Individual's knowledge is co-constructed (with a teacher, parent or peer).

* Non-constructivist elements: e.g., cultural tools shape individual's knowledge and performance.


Sociological Constructivism

* Also, known as social constructionism

* Knowledge and cognition are distributed over social networks, not inside individual's heads.

* All knowledge is socially constructed. There is no absolute truth.


What is Constructed?

* isomorphic model (copy) or something else?

* individualized knowledge

* socially distributed knowledge


How is it Constructed?

* external direction (advance organizer)

* internal direction (self-regulation)

* interaction of external and internal (e.g., self-regulation may work better with advance organizers)

* collaboration


Is the World Knowable?

* Radical constructivists propose that there is no single, objective reality.

* Contrast with the position that there is a single reality, but we can only construct imperfect interpretations of it.

* Consider that we seem to genetically inherit some knowledge.


Situated Learning

* Knowledge is specific to the setting in which it is used.

* legitimate peripheral participation

* cognitive apprenticeship


Common Elements of Constructivism

* complex environments and authentic tasks

* social negotiation

* multiple representations of content

* mindful learning (metacognition)

* student-centred instruction

* Students determine learning goals.


Constructivist Teaching Models

Inquiry Learning:

  1. Present phenomenon.
  2. Teacher answers questions.
  3. Students test causal relations.
  4. Students form generalization.
  5. Teacher and students discuss thinking processes.

Problem Based Learning (PBL)

Project Based Learning: similar to problem based learning, except that a tangible product is created.

Cooperative Learning (produces learning gains of .3 to .5 SD):

Cognitive Apprenticeship


Reviewing Four Philosophies of Learning


Behaviorism

* active learner

* places causes in the environment

* emphasis on individual learning

* information has the role of prompting or cueing behavior

* teachers role is to reinforce and shape behavior

* designer analyses learning goals into specific behavioral objectives


Information Processing

* Learning critically depends on the way that information is presented (e.g. dual coding theory).

* emphasis on individual learning

* Knowledge is represented by production rules, linked concepts, memory structures (e.g. J. R. Anderson, Atkinson-Shiffrin model).

* places causes in the mind and the incoming information

* Designer analyses cognition into rules, concepts and misconceptions.

* Teacher sequences information to promote learning (e.g., massed versus spaced learning, order of examples).


Psychological Constructivism

* emphasis on individual

* places causes in the mind

* Learner actively constructs meaning and applies strategies (e.g. self-regulated learning).

* Knowledge constructed from information differs across individuals.

* Prior knowledge is critical to learning.

* Students set their own goals.

* Teachers role is to guide and facilitate, not provide direct instruction.


Social/Situated Constructivism

* Knowledge is socially constructed.

* emphasis on the social setting

* knowledge is tied to specific situations

* active learners

* places causes in the social setting

* teachers role is to establish social setting for learning