Constructivism

• Knowledge is constructed

• Learning is active

• Truth is unknowable

• Constructivism is a product of the
  Circularity of our cognition and being and the architecture of life.

The terms Constructionism and constructivism are often, but should not be, used interchangeably. Constructionism is an approach to learning that was developed by Papert; the approach was greatly influenced by his work with Piaget, but it is very different

Constructivism opposes the philosophy of objectivism, embracing the belief that a human can come to know the truth about the natural world not mediated by scientific approximations with different degrees of validity and accuracy

Radical Constructivism

Ernst von Glasersfeld developed radical constructivism by coupling Piaget’s theory of learning and philosophical viewpoint about the nature of knowledge with Kant’s rejection of an objective reality independent of human perception or reason. Radical constructivism does not view knowledge as an attempt to generate ideas that match an independent, objective reality. Instead, theories and knowledge about the world, as generated by our senses and reason, either fit within the constraints of whatever reality may exist and, thus, are viable or do not and are not viable. As a theory of education, radical constructivism emphasizes the experiences of the learner, differences between learners and the importance of uncertainty

Understanding and acting are seen by radical constructivists not as dualistic processes, but “circularly conjoined”.