Methods of Teaching

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ASSOCIATE DEGREE IN EDUCATION/B.ED. (HONS) ELEMENTARY
Handout 5, Unit 1
Social Constructivist Learning Theory
NOTE: This is a simple version of a complex theory that you will study in the Child 
Development course. It is included here because it is a prominent theory about how chil-
dren learn. Learning theories are one of the sources that teachers use to help them make 
decisions about teaching. Because you are studying those sources of knowledge, it is 
important for you to understand what people mean when they refer to ‘learning theory’. 
Social constructivism is just one of several theories (ideas) about how people learn.
Constructivism is the belief that the human mind is active even at the time of birth. 
All children, including newborns, want to understand what they see, hear, and touch. 
Their brains are actively trying to make connections between experiences.
Their first success, usually, is recognizing their mother’s face and voice. Think of your 
own mind. Isn’t something happening there most of the time? Think of your mind 
while you are studying or trying to solve a problem in your daily life. Your mind is 
active; you are thinking. You aren’t just waiting for something to happen. The prin-
ciple here is that learning is the outcome of a mind at work trying to make sense of 
experience. Jean Piaget was the first constructivist theorist. 
Social constructivism is a theory created by the Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky 
(1896–1934). Vygotsky believed that children construct knowledge from experience, 
but he added another dimension to that theory. He believed that children learn 
through joint problem-solving experiences with someone who knows more than 
the child. He believed that children learn through interactions with other people. 
According to Vygotsky, all learning occurs through social interaction. The more 
experienced person is responsible for the child’s learning initially and then gradually 
steps back as the child assumes more and more responsibility for learning. The final 
responsibility for acquiring the knowledge and skills society views as important must 
be assumed by the child. However, other people start it with cues, prompts, models, 
explanations, demonstrations, and questions. 
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