Constructivism: how do we construct our reality?

Philosophers and scientists have long wondered how we perceive reality and how we acquire knowledge. In this article we are going to talk about one of the positions that answers these questions: constructivism. Constructivist theory gives us an interesting vision when it comes to dealing with the study of psychology.

Before talking about constructivism per se, we have to review its history to understand where this position comes from. Seeking simplicity in the exposition, we are going to try to present it following two different routes: the background on the acquisition of knowledge and the background on the perception of reality.

How do we acquire knowledge?

The pillar of constructivism is that knowledge is based (constructed) on other knowledge.

Where do our ideas and mental representations come from? The classic theories that explain this question are grouped into two currents: empiricism and nativism.

Empiricism is based on the premise that all our knowledge comes from experience.. Even the smallest and simplest idea would be given by our environment, and then be captured by our brain and learned.

The assumption of this position is that knowledge is completely outside the subject and passes into his mind.: it can come from others or from reality itself, which the subject would copy. Empiricism is a theory very consistent with common sense and has inspired psychological currents, such as behaviorism.

Nativism is born because empiricism seems insufficient. Although we could accept that a good part of the knowledge we have acquired from abroad, it is no less true that we are born with certain dispositions, such as the ability to relate using sophisticated language.

So, innatism is based on the postulate that there is knowledge or programming that is not acquired through experience. This knowledge – or programming – would be, for example, those that are very necessary to organize our experience (categories of space, time, number…).

The problem that nativism poses to us is that it falls short when it comes to explaining how this knowledge arises or why it appears at different times, and above all why individual differences exist. Constructivism seeks to solve this problem, along with the problems that empiricism also seems to present..

Constructivism is based on the principle that the acquisition of knowledge is the result of a continuous interaction between reality and the subject.. The individual is like an intuitive scientist, collecting data about his reality and creating interpretations about his environment. These interpretations would help us create our own world and use it as a basis for the following interpretations.

How do we perceive reality?

In general, there are three types of constructivism: cognitive, social and radical.

This has also been one of the big questions, and a multitude of possible solutions have emerged for it. The most intuitive answer and one of the first that history shows us is realism.. From this position it is thought that we receive an exact copy of reality, what we see, hear and touch is exactly what we perceive; and all individuals perceive it the same.

Realism soon fell under its own weight, many philosophers realized that the senses did not perceive reality perfectly. Descartes and Hume even went so far as to say that it was possible that there was no reality behind the senses. Here appears another of the possible solutions, the senses give us an imprecise reflection of reality. We no longer observe reality directly, this premise says that what we see is a shadow of reality.

Even so, we can observe some deficiencies in this last explanation. For example, although we all have the same senses, we do not all perceive the same thing in the same situation. It seems that the shadow of reality changes depending on the individual who looks at it.. This is where constructivism tells us that our perception is not just a reflection, it is something more complex.

Constructivist theory tells us that the senses provide us with information about reality, but this is too chaotic for our brain.. Therefore, to process this information, the brain has to structure it, and to do so it categorizes all this unstructured information into concepts and interpretations. With this statement, reality becomes something inaccessible to us.

Main exponents of constructivism

As pointed out in an article published in Sophia, the origin of constructivism can be found in the positions of Vico and Kant raised already in the 18th century. In fact, it can even be observed in some ancient thinkers such as Xenophanes, Heraclitus, Gorgias, Protagoras.

However, the authors who gave rise to constructivist theory in cognitive psychology were Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky during the second half of the 20th century.

Now, although both shared the essential principle of constructivism – that human beings play an active role in the creation of knowledge – They both had different approaches..

On the one hand, Jean Piaget focused on the construction of the cognitive schemes that a person configures in relation to their environment.

On the other hand, Lev Vygotsky focused on studying the influence that the environment and the social environment had on the internal construction that people generated, and that of course that influenced their behavior. That is why this author’s approach is what is known as socio-cultural constructivism.

Constructivism and socioconstructivism

In summary, We can understand constructivism as an epistemological postulate. In which we are active agents of our perception, we do not receive a literal copy of the world.

It is we, through our perceptions, who shape the world within us, but also outside.. Now, if each of us is an active person who constructs our reality, how is it possible that all people have a very similar vision of reality?

To find the answer to this, we can turn to the psychologist Vygotsky and his socio-constructivist theory based on culture. Although each person builds their own world, we are all born into a society and culture that guides us..

Being born immersed in a culture, it not only guides our interpretations, but we also borrow a multitude of constructions from it. One piece of evidence in favor of this is that our constructions of reality are more similar to those of people in our culture than to those of people from distant countries.

Constructivism in education

Constructivism is taken into account both as an educational theory and as a postulate of the philosophy of education.

In the educational context, constructivism seeks to generate the necessary conditions (based on different techniques, tools, strategies) for students to build their own knowledge. The primary purpose of all this is for the student to be able to solve problems using her mental schemes.

In this way, constructivism seeks to encourage students to be an active part of the learning process. And, in this way, they do not remain mere passive spectators to the information they receive.

That said, constructivism as a pedagogical approach assumes the following principles:

The student plays an active role in the learning processwhere he himself builds and elaborates his own knowledge based on the information received. Therefore, educators must provide the necessary tools so that students can learn in a simple and active way.The educator takes a backseat, although he serves as a guide to the student, he prioritizes the latter’s learning processThe individual understands the world based on his or her own mental schemas, which are influenced by past experiences. That is to say, two people will have a different perspective on a given situationsince this will depend on one’s own mental structure and past experiences. Learning and knowledge can be facilitated, however, It is each student who constructs and reconstructs his or her learning experience..

Training methodology

Dorys Ortiz, in her article Constructivism as a theory and teaching method, points out that the teaching methodology from this approach must meet several characteristics, among which the following stand out:

Take into account the context: The knowledge imparted must be particular and global. The context must be taken into account and a balance must be created between it and the theoretical content of the classes.Consider prior learning: The teacher in charge must keep in mind the topics that have already been reviewed to identify what knowledge the students already have, and thus use them to promote the construction of new knowledge.Privilege the activity: The teacher must motivate his students to participate in class. From this approach, students are active agents in their learning processes. Therefore, the teaching methodology does not focus on the transmission of a discourse, but on the construction of new meanings.Promote dialogue: Teaching must be disruptive, unbalancing. You should pose questions that generate dialogues and debates among students.Use the workshop and laboratory: Constructivism challenges the teacher to use the laboratory with the aim of creating a space for exploration where students have contact with various materials that facilitate the construction of new knowledge.Privilege inductive thinking: The teacher begins the presentation of the content and encourages his students to generalize what they have learned. That is, it goes from the particular to the general. Thus, the sequence of work, according to Ortiz, is as follows: present a fact, analyze it, look for relationships and factors involved and, finally, generalize.

Teaching from constructivism requires the use of techniques and resources that allow students to develop multiple activities. This in order to promote the association of ideas and the construction of knowledge.

Criticisms of constructivism

Constructivism is an approach that has its defenders and retractors, so it is not exempt from criticism. Some of them are:

As a thesis points out, authors such as Paul A. Kirschner, John Sweller and RE Clark argue that people do not initially have the schemes to “learn by doing.” For his part, the philosopher of science Mario Bunge, defender of realism, states that «pedagogical constructivism is not only false. It is also harmful because “denies objective truth, eliminates criticism and debate, and makes teachers dispensable.”.In your article A critical view of constructivism, Roberto Bueno Cuadra points out one of the main criticisms made of this approach: if knowledge in a…