Nifty Google feature

Another nice thing about Google is that you can ask it to define anything by entering define: (x). I did this for constructivism, e.g. define: constructivism, hoping that this deus ex machina (search engine) would finally shed a definitive light on this educational mumbo-jumbo term.

I still want to hear from constructivist what qualifies as "constructivism". Is reading a textbook on physics and learning, say, about Newton's laws a constructivist activity?

In any event, this is what popped up from the search [edited for brevity]:

Definitions of Constructivism on the Web:

A theory of learning and knowing that holds that learning is an active process of knowledge construction in which learners build on prior knowledge and experience to shape meaning and construct new knowledge. (Lambert & Walker, 1995.)
www.nifl.gov/lincs/collections/eff/eff_glossary.html


Theory suggesting that students learn by constructing their own knowledge, especially through hands-on exploration. It emphasizes that the context in which an idea is presented, as well as student attitude and behavior, affects learning. Students learn by incorporating new information into what they already know.
www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/misc/glossary.htm


A theory about knowledge and learning which asserts that learners construct their own understanding of the world around them. Constructivist teaching is student-centered and attempts to create learning contexts in which students actively grapple with big issues and questions instead of being passive recipients of "teacher knowledge."
www.nsrfharmony.org/glossary.html


a theory wherein learning is seen as an active process of knowledge construction; experience combined with reflection and social interaction allows the learner to build on prior knowledge and create their own understanding of ideas and concepts. For an introduction, with further links, see for example Ryder or Chen.
musgrave.cqu.edu.au/clp/clpsite/glossary.htm


Learning is what changes your current worldview. It builds on what you already think you know. A teacher who knows where you're coming from has a better shot at positioning new learning to have impact.
www.internettime.com/itimegroup/eglossary.htm


The approach to knowledge based on the idea that there is no passive way to obtain knowledge. The observer is always an active participant. Rosen's Modeling Relation captures this very well especially as developed in detail in Anticipatory Systems. Subjectivity is recognized and incorporated in any knowledge seeking activity. The "reality" we can achieved is always a construct, no matter how strongly it is grounded in sensory "data". Data by itself, without interpretation via the modeling relation is useless. [Don Mikulecky, Dec. 20, 2000]
www.vcu.edu/complex/glossary.htm


a school of psychology which holds that learning occurs because personal knowledge is constructed by an active and self-regulated learner who solves problems by deriving meaning from experience and the context in which that experience takes place.
www.ittheory.com/glossary.htm


The central idea of constructivism is that people construct knowledge (as opposed to knowledge being transmitted into their minds). Most people do not have a problem with this because most agree that students "interpret" their experiences in class and try to make sense of them, particularly when grappling with scientific concepts (as opposed to rote memorization of terms). Thus, the problem or difficulty is not typically with constructivism per se but with: recognizing the difference between when students are "constructing" knowledge vs. simply absorbing and regurgitating, and what constructivism implies about the types of teaching methodologies one should use.
www.esu.edu/master/glossary.html


A new-fangled educational theory where "truth" is believed to be a "social construction." Thus, it believes that children should be taught to construct "truth", and they should do so in groups (that's the "social" part). This peculiar philosophy has heavily influenced the new educational system, with it's emphasis on "self-learning" and group-learning, and a heavy reduction in direct classroom instruction.
www.mredcopac.org/glossary.htm


theory of learning that focuses on allowing students to make meaning for themselves through active learning experiences.
user.mc.net/~kwentz/eduspeak.html


Approach that views knowledge as an active process of subjectively building a system of meanings. Based on "autonomous individuals constructing their own knowledge based on their own experiences." (See Moore & Kearsley (1996) p. 204)
https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/public/faculty/DEGlossary.shtml


School of human learning which believes in the need to identify current learning prior to constructing new meaning. Knowledge is seen as a mental construct that is built on and added to. Learners create an image of what the world is like and how it operates and they adapt and transform their understanding of new experiences in light of what they already '‘know'’. This theory of learning has consequences for teaching and learning strategies. It means that trainers must recognize how a learner already sees the world, and how that learner believes it to operate. New information presented to the learner will be modified by what the learner already knows and believes. By starting 'where the learner is at’, that is, engaging prior knowledge with present learning, the trainer assists the students to build on her understanding of the world and its workings.
www.neiu.edu/~dbehrlic/hrd408/glossary.htm


The idea that individuals actively construct their own knowledge, rather than passively absorbing it from others.
syrce.org/Glossary.php3