Comparing Social Constructivism In Scottish Education And The Broad General Education

There are an enormous number of theories about how people learn, assimilate and understand new information. Two of the main theories that underpin Scottish Education and the Broad General Education are Cognitive and Social Constructivism. Both theories emphasise the importance of group or co-operative learning and a progression beyond that of the archetypal classroom whereby the teacher stands at the front of the class and lectures the students. Whereas Cognitive Constructivism allows for learning to take place between the learner and the environment, Social Constructivism also argues that learning is framed through culture, social interaction and the Zone of Proximal Development whereby learning occurs through interaction with a more knowledgeable

“Teaching science is effective when students existing ideas, values and beliefs, which they bring to a lesson, are elicited, addressed and linked to their classroom experiences at the beginning of a teaching programme” (Hipkins et al 2002). It is clear that students do not arrive in class as ‘empty vessels’, and Hipkins et al argue that meaningful learning and understanding occur as a conscious process whereby new knowledge is linked to an existing foundation. If the foundation is incorrect or confused, then true understanding cannot occur; at best facts or figures are memorised in order to pass tests without any assimilation of these facts into the learners existing understanding of the subject matter. Furthermore, children with misconceptions can convince others in a group to take their perspective (Snyder and Sullivan, 1995), rendering co-operative learning a destructive rather than constructive method of teaching. Therefore, a diagnosis of the learners pre-existing knowledge is key. This will also help teachers to confront misconceptions and incorrect ideas at an early age (Littledyke

This diversity can be a challenge; covering the breadth of knowledge necessary within the given time constraints (Stephen P Day, Scottish Education). This can lead to a propensity for lecture like lesson plans which emphasise content rather than process. This fails to convey the kind of hypothesis based enquiry which is so key to every aspect of science as a whole, and ultimately diminishes learning outcomes (Armbruster et al 2009).

“By placing students at the centre of instruction, this approach shifts the focus from teaching to learning and promotes a learning environment more amenable to the metacognitive development necessary for the students to become independent and cr Therefore in order to help children develop their ideas and conceptual understandings it is essential to provide opportunities to make links between their own ideas and other alternatives (Russell & Watt, 1992). Making predictions, gathering evidence through observations and suggesting explanations based on their own interpretations of information could be opportunities to help children link their knowledge. In this way children will be assisted in developing scientific ideas which will make sense and will be connected to their everyday lives (Russell & Watt,