This is number 31 in my series on learning theories. I'm working through the alphabet of psychologists and theorists, providing a brief overview of each theory, and how it can be applied in education.
Previous posts in this series are all linked below. My last post explored Donald Norman's ideas around perception and the design of every day objects. In this post, the work of Seymour Papert will feature, especially his work on learning through making, also known as constructionism.
The Theory
Not to be confused with constructivism, constructionism is a cognitive theory that relates to learning by making things. Based on the work of the computer scientist Seymour Papert, contructionism tries to bridge the gap identified between children's and adults' thinking. With his colleagues, Papert was famous for developing one of the first educational programming languages, known as LOGO. It was used to great effect as early as the 1960s so that children could learn how to programme floor robots known as Turtles. The connection between thinking and doing is exploited, and interacting with one's environment to effect change can have a profound impact on young minds. Papert sees learning by making as a means to 'shift the boundary between concrete and formal operations' (Papert, 1980, p 21). As Papert argued: 'Even the best of educational television is limited to offering quantitative improvements in the kinds of learning that existed without it. By contrast, when a child learns to program, the process of learning is transformed. It becomes more active and self-directed.' (ibid, pp 20-21). If we want children to be more engaged in their learning, we therefore need to make them more active in constructing their learning. Learning to code is more than simply 'making a computer do something'. Algorithms are much more than sets of instructions. They represent the essence of rational thinking, developing cognitive skills that will prepare the child to deal with a multitude of challenges and problems they may encounter later in life.
How it can be applied in education
The theory of contructionism is experiencing something of a revival in recent years with the emergence of maker spaces, robotics, 3D printing and other tools that can promote the making of objects. Furthermore, the new school curriculum in England now includes computer programming and algorithms for primary age children. Many schools such as Plymouth School of the Creative Arts in South West England, and Taupaki School in New Zealand have made learning through making their primary strategy. The connections between thinking and making are important, and curricula based upon this principle draws out creativity and encourages children to experiment, take risks and ask more 'what if'? questions. Talk to head teacher Dave Strudwick at PSCA or principal Stephen Lethbridge at Taupaki and they will tell you the results are astounding, with children in both schools often exceeding expectations for their phases of development.
From the simple playing in sand of reception children, right through to designing robots and helicopters in the final year of primary school, such activities can cover all curriculum subjects, and enliven lessons through problem based and project centred learning. The more children are involved in constructing their own learning through doing and making, the more connected they become with the process of learning. If children blog, or create digital maps of their school, or create imagery and manipulate it in a multitude of ways, they are experiencing their own influence on changing contexts, and can see the implications of their actions. If they are encouraged to discover and explore for themselves, they develop independent skills and learn how to apply these later when they are met with challenges.
Learning through making is a very powerful form of learning, and one of which teachers worldwide should sit up and take notice. The challenge for educators now is - how can we incorporate more learning through making, and less teaching from the front, into our lessons?
Reference
Papert, S. (1980) Mindstorms: Children, Computers and Powerful Ideas. Brighton: Harvester Press.
Previous posts in this series:
1. Anderson ACT-R Cognitive Architecture
2. Argyris Double Loop Learning
3. Bandura Social Learning Theory
4. Bruner Scaffolding Theory
5. Craik and Lockhart Levels of Processing
6. Csíkszentmihályi Flow Theory
7. Dewey Experiential Learning
8. Engeström Activity Theory
9. Ebbinghaus Learning and Forgetting Curves
10. Festinger Social Comparison Theory
11. Festinger Cognitive Dissonance Theory
12. Gardner Multiple Intelligences Theory
13. Gibson Affordances Theory
14. Gregory Visual Perception Hypothesis
15. Hase and Kenyon Heutagogy
16. Hull Drive Reduction Theory
17. Inhelder and Piaget Formal Operations Stage
18. Jung Archetypes and Synchronicity
19. Jahoda Ideal Mental Health
20. Koffka Gestalt theory
21. Köhler Insight learning
22. Kolb Experiential Learning Cycle
23. Knowles Andragogy
24. Lave Situated Learning
25. Lave and Wenger Communities of Practice
26. Maslow Hierarchy of Human Needs
27. Merizow Transformative Learning
28. Milgram Six Degrees of Separation
29. Milgram Obedience to Authority
30. Norman The design of everyday things
Photo by Steve Wheeler
Learning, making and powerful ideas by Steve Wheeler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
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