Unit 4: Construcitvism | Murphisms Learning

Unit 4: Constructivism

From learners building on prior knowledge to learners building new ideas, Constructivism is the next learner-centric learning theory.

John F. Dewey (1859 - 1952) ------------------- Promoted real-world relevance, as learning environments and the rest of a learner's life were not siloed Believed learning through active participation Emphasized teacher/facilitators guided the the learning process, not be the source of it (Brau, 2022; John Dewey, 2025)

Lev S. Vygotsky (1896 - 1934) ------------------- Believed learning occurs through experience and social interactions (not interaction with content) Emphasized the learners role in active participation in learning Developed the Zone of Proximal Development Contributed to the concept of "scaffolding" (Hicks, 2025; Lev Vygostsky 2025)

Jean W. F. Piaget (1896 - 1980) ------------------- Believed learners create knowledge through experience and ideas Emphasized learners knowledge was shaped through interaction Developed cognitivist constructivism; understanding through assimilation and accommodation (Hicks, 2025; Jean Piaget, 2025)

Jerome S. Bruner (1915 - 2016) ------------------- Developed the concept of "scaffolding" Believed in self-directed learning and guided exploration Emphasized intrinsic drive for problem solving Showed interconnectivity between experience, perception, and cognitive processes Develop the Spiral Curriculum (Hicks, 2025; Jerome Bruner, 2025)

John M. Keller (1938 - ) ------------------- Identified a gap in consideration for creating learning experiences and learner motivation Developed the ARCS Model for motivational learning instruction (Pappas, 2024)

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Implications On Instructional (Learning) Design

Design and develop a learning experience that a facilitator can implement.
Create a learning experience that:

Begins with real-world, open questions or scenarios (McLeod, 2025)
Brainstorm or reflect on what the learners already know (McLeod, 2025; University of Buffalo, 2024)
Has an interactive, exploratory environment that is hands-on and socially interactive, to include role-playing or real-world problem solving with small groups using raw data (McLeod, 2025; Pappas, 2024; Walden University, 2024)
Has a reflective assessment, including journalling, rubric-based self-assessment, or peer feedback (Walden University, 2024)
Creates cognitive dissonance through challenging the learners (University of Buffalo, 2024)
Provides strategic scaffolding, focusing on the Zone of Proximal Development, and the use of questioning for the educator to support the learners (McLeod, 2025; Walden University, 2024)
Encourages the learners to reflect on old knowledge compared to knew knowledge and demonstrate what they have learned (University of Buffalo, 2024)
Creates a psychologically safe environment that allows learners to feel comfortable asking questions and remain honest in self-reflection, provides positive feedback, and promotes a growth mindset (Sandler, 2023)

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Strengths and Limitations: Military (Marine Corps)

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Strengths
The Marine Corps
incorporates social
learning in some of its
current training and
education courses
(Department of the
Navy, 2020).

Marine Corps culture emphasizes peer support and self-reflection (Department of the Navy, 2013) while promoting social interaction (Department of the Navy, 2020).

Constructivism affords learners greater autonomy (Olusegan, 2015), which is beneficial for adult learners.

Working with groups from diverse backgrounds offers opportunities to engage with varied perspectives and levels of experience.

Challenges
Confirmation Bias can lead
to learners processing
information to support their
own beliefs (Casad, 2025).

Can be a much more
intensive approach for
educators (Brau, 2022).

Difficult to incorporate an evaluation metric that measure reflection (Brau, 2022).

Facilitators adopt a more passive role as guides rather than as providers of knowledge.

Focusing on the learners own experiences can lead to learners creating their own reality (Allen, 2022).

When the learner has false pre-existing knowledge, that can negatively impact the quality of ideas contributed to the group (Allen, 2022).

Artificial Intelligence Disclosure
I used Grammarly as a thought partner to assist with organization, spellchecking, and editing for clarity. All final ideas, content, and analysis are my own. I used Gemini to generate graphics throughout my website.

Prev: Unit 3: Cognitivism

Next...Unit 5: Connectivism

Click Here for References and Resources

Allen, A. (2022). An Introduction to Constructivism: Its Theoretical Roots and Impact on Contemporary Education. Journal of Learning Design and Leadership, 1(1), 7-8

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Bates, A. W. (2022). 2.5 Constructivism. Pressbooks.bccampus.ca. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/teachinginadigitalagev3m/chapter/section-3-4-constructivism/

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Brau, B. (2022). Constructivism. Education Research. https://open.byu.edu/education_research/constructivismy

Berkely Graduates Division. (n.d.). Social Constructivism. https://gsi.berkeley.edu/gsi-guide-contents/learning-theory-research/social-constructivism/

Casad, B.J., & Leubering, J.E. (2025). Confirmation bias. In Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/confirmation-bias

Department of the Navy. (2013, February 22. Combat and operational stress control program. (Marine Corps Order 5351.1). https://www.marines.mil/News/Publications/MCPEL/Electronic-Library-Display/Article/900217/mco-53511/

Department of the Navy. (2020). Learning. (MCDP 7). https://www.marines.mil/News/Publications/MCPEL/Electronic-Library-Display/Article/2129863/mcdp-7/

Department of the Navy. (2023). Marine Corps Total Fitess Strategic Plan. https://www.manpower.marines.mil/Portals/236/Documents/MF/Marine%20Corps%20Total%20Fitness%20Strategic%20Plan_October%202023.pdf?ver=9qboidiWpkPqobBWTpbCuA%3D%3D

Google. (2025). Gemini. https://gemini.google.com/app

Hicks. M. (2025, November). Unit 4 Constructivism Resource (1105025). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmw2g5SYUX8

Jean Piaget. (2025, November 1). Wikipedia. Retrieved November 9, 2025 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Piaget

Jerome Bruner (2025, June 12). Wikipedia. Retrieved November 9, 2025 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_Bruner

John Dewey. (2025, November 9). Wikipedia. Retrieved November 9, 2025 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dewey

Lev Vygosky. (2025, October 23). Wikipedia. Retrieved November 9, 2025 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Vygotsky

McLeod, S. (2023, September 29). Extrinsic Vs. Intrinsic Motivation: What's the Difference? . Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/zone-of-proximal-development.html

McLeod, S. (2024, February 1). Zygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development and Scaffolding Theory. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/zone-of-proximal-development.html

McLeod, S. (2025, March 31). Constructivism Learning Theory & Philosophy of Education. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/constructivism.html

Nickerson, C. (2024, February 14). Social Constructivism Theory Definition and Examples. SimplyPsychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/social-constructionism.html

Olusegun, S. (2015). Constructivism learning theory: A paradigm for teaching and learning. IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education, 5(6), 66-70

Pappas, C. (2024, February 1) A Guide to Vygtosky's Zone of Proximal Development and Scaffolding. SimplyPsychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/zone-of-proximal-development.html

Peck, D. (2022, June 28). The ARCS model of motivation by John Keller. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQnWcWorJjg

PHILO-notes. (2020, September 11). What is social constructivism? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cckbw8dTsfY

PHILO-notes. (2021, September 1). What is constructivism? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Y2sU18vWb4

Pink, D. (2009, July). The puzzle of motivation. [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_the_puzzle_of_motivation

Sandler, G. & Howell, S. (2023, May 31). 7 Ways of Creating Psychological Safety for Students. ISTE. https://iste.org/blog/7-ways-of-creating-psychological-safety-for-students

Sharp Cookie. (2021, October 23). Zone of proximal development and scaffolding explained! [Video]. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aofSkZsy6IY

The Impact of Constructivist Learning Theory on Modern Education. (2024). Mastersoft.ai. https://www.mastersoft.ai/blog/impact-of-constructivist-learning-theory-on-modern-education

University of Buffalo. (2024). Constructivism. University of Buffalo. https://www.buffalo.edu/catt/teach/develop/theory/constructivism.html

Walden University. (2024). Six principles of constructivist learning. Walkden University https://www.waldenu.edu/online-masters-programs/ms-in-education/resource/six-principles-of-constructivist-learning

Unit 4: Constructivism

From learners building on prior knowledge to learners building new ideas, Constructivism is the next learner-centric learning theory.

Implications On Instructional (Learning) Design

Design and develop a learning experience that a facilitator can implement. Create a learning experience that:

Begins with real-world, open questions or scenarios (McLeod, 2025)

Brainstorm or reflect on what the learners already know (McLeod, 2025; University of Buffalo, 2024)

Has an interactive, exploratory environment that is hands-on and socially interactive, to include role-playing or real-world problem solving with small groups using raw data (McLeod, 2025; Pappas, 2024; Walden University, 2024)

Has a reflective assessment, including journalling, rubric-based self-assessment, or peer feedback (Walden University, 2024)

Creates cognitive dissonance through challenging the learners (University of Buffalo, 2024)

Provides strategic scaffolding, focusing on the Zone of Proximal Development, and the use of questioning for the educator to support the learners (McLeod, 2025; Walden University, 2024)

Encourages the learners to reflect on old knowledge compared to knew knowledge and demonstrate what they have learned (University of Buffalo, 2024)

Creates a psychologically safe environment that allows learners to feel comfortable asking questions and remain honest in self-reflection, provides positive feedback, and promotes a growth mindset (Sandler, 2023)

Strengths and Limitations: Military (Marine Corps)

Artificial Intelligence Disclosure I used Grammarly as a thought partner to assist with organization, spellchecking, and editing for clarity. All final ideas, content, and analysis are my own. I used Gemini to generate graphics throughout my website.

Click Here for References and Resources

Design and develop a learning experience that a facilitator can implement.
Create a learning experience that:

Artificial Intelligence Disclosure
I used Grammarly as a thought partner to assist with organization, spellchecking, and editing for clarity. All final ideas, content, and analysis are my own. I used Gemini to generate graphics throughout my website.