Reframing Constructivism For Better Authentic Teaching And Learning

Abstract

This literature-based study examines the use of constructivist approaches on students and lecturers. After comparing constructivist approaches to teaching to the behaviorist and cognitive approaches, the study argues that constructivist approaches develop positive effects on both students and teachers. The use of constructivist approaches in classrooms assists students in their academic performance and achievement of good results.  For teachers, they do not need to come up with a lot of content as a big part of the content rises naturally during in-class discussions, but they need to understand the social and cultural background of students to reduce educational inequalities. This study also highlights a number of challenges for the use of constructivist approaches to teaching that include lecturers’ attitude towards the use of constructivism, the need to develop new instructional strategies, and the lack of training. This article ends by recommending teachers' training programs to be ready to equip teachers with these strategies and skills that will lead active and engaging classes. As students are always the focus of the educational process, the emphasis on student-centered learning is constructivism’s best gift to the nonstop movement of educational reform.