Social Constructivism Theory Of Active Learning

In the past decades, education was thought of as a jacket that suits all students regardless of their age, gender, multiple intelligences, cultural background, skills or interests. Innovative scholars have noticed that generations develop and grow differently than their predecessors; considering the era of technological revolution they were born in and the evolution that is happening daily. Recently, active learning has received a notable attention and it is often presented and perceived as a profound change from the traditional teaching. Many educators argue that students learn more in an active learning environment than they do in a passive one. Active learning has attracted strong supporters among scholars looking for alternatives to

Learners replace or adapt their prior knowledge and understanding with deeper and levels of understanding. Hence, skilled teaching is active, providing learning environments, opportunities, interactions, tasks and instruction that promote deep learning. The theory of social constructivism assures that learning happens mainly through social interaction with others, such as the teacher or a learner’s colleagues. One influential social constructivist, Lev Vygotsky (1896–1934), defined the zone of proximal development (ZPD). It is the area lying between what the learner can achieve with the teachers’ guidance and what they can achieve independently focusing primarily on activities. By scaffolding tasks, providing instruction and support that challenges the learner based on their abilities, and through providing good feedback using assessment for learning, students develop deeper levels of understanding by the teacher’s help. Active learning is also persistent with other theories of learning: Learning should be compatible and positioned within a meaningful context. This idea was developed by the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau and influenced several educators in the early 20th century such as John Dewey and Maria Montessori. It led to discovery and inquiry-based learning models. The major conclusion here is that humans learn best when they can see the purpose of what they learn and connect it to the real world. Moreover, learning is a developmental experience for children; therefore, it should be age-appropriate, although development level and age are not always related. Active learning is concerned with actual understanding rather than learning facts, which students can then apply to different situations. It is this understanding and problem solving approach that reputable corporates look for. In addition, active