Radical constructivism: knowing as dynamic adaptation of interpretations of experience¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The article describes radical constructivism, founded by Ernst von Glasersfeld and built on Piaget, in which "the learner dynamically adapts to variable interpretation of experience" and need not construct knowledge matching the real world. Knowledge's role is set by learners' cognitive needs, and shared meaning is kept only when the learner meets others' expectations. This emphasis on the individual as constructor motivated the turn to social constructivism.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Learners fit knowledge to their own experience

Constraints¶

• The article states communication under radical constructivism need not involve sharing meaning among participants

Target Learners¶

• individual learners

Target Learning Objectives¶

• adapting interpretations of experience to construct knowledge

Claims¶

Related Theories¶

• Co-constructionism requires an active individual, an active environment, and culture
• Constructivism as a theory of knowledge and learning with individualistic, social, and combined branches
• Constructivist prescriptive principles for learning environments
• Piaget's model of a conceptual scaffolding of objects, space, time, and causality frames the construction of experiential reality
• Trial constructivism as the root of constructivism (Piaget's personal constructivism)
• Constructivism learning theory: knowledge as assumption, learning as active construction, students as subjects, teachers as helpers

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Liu, C. C., & Chen, I. J. (2010). Evolution Of Constructivism. Contemporary Issues In Education Research, 3(4). https://www.cluteinstitute.com/ojs/index.php/cier