Constructivism
The terms constructivism and constructionism include a wide range of perspectives and approaches, spanning several disciplines. I cannot speak for, and do not necessarily agree with, all of these points of view and perspectives. I can attempt to distill the essence of the perspective with which I approach my work. I see constructivist and constructionist approaches as resting on several assumptions about human knowledge, experience, and behavior:
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We humans create or construct our ideas, beliefs, and knowledge. We may or may not believe that “reality” exists independently of human observation, but regardless, I believe that the universe does not “give us” reality or dictate to us how we label or interpret it. |
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Meaning, belief, knowledge, and experience depend on the contexts in which they occur and evolve, and societies and individuals vary considerably in the contexts from which they interpret meaning. We can see no way to limit these contexts. |
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No particular idea, belief, perspective, or concept occupies a privileged position of “truth” or finality. Thus, we benefit from embracing and acknowledging a wide range of beliefs and to holding beliefs tentatively, with a willingness to revising and replacing existing knowledge. |
For further information on constructivism and constructionism, I invite you to check out these links:
The Constructivist Psychology Network
Overview: A good article comparing Personal Construct Psychology, Radical Constructivism, and Social
Constructionism, by Jonathan Raskin.
Constructivist Web Sites with lots of links to other sites:
Some major figures in Constructivism and Constructionism: