konstruktionismiin

Constructionism is a learning theory and epistemological stance that holds knowledge is constructed by learners through the creation of external artifacts or representations. It originated with Seymour Papert in the 1980s as an extension of constructivism, building on Piagetian ideas while emphasizing that the act of making something tangible—such as a model, program, or robot—facilitates thinking and understanding.

Core claims include that learning is active, social, and contextual; to understand, learners must externalize ideas by building artifacts that can be manipulated and reflected upon. Creating concrete artifacts helps learners externalize, test, and refine concepts, supporting deeper understanding and metacognition. Reflection on the artifact and its use encourages ownership of learning and the development of problem-solving skills.

Practice within konstruktionismi/konstruktionism emphasizes project-based learning, maker-style environments, and the use of computers and tools for hands-on creation. Methods often involve iterative cycles of design, construction, testing, and revision. The teacher acts as a facilitator, guiding inquiry, providing resources, and helping learners articulate their thinking as they work with artifacts.

Relation to other theories includes distinctions from social constructionism, which stresses knowledge as shaped by social processes and consensus, and radical constructivism, which emphasizes individual knowledge construction. Constructionism uniquely highlights the value of shared artifacts as anchors for learning and communication.

Applications and criticisms note that constructionism has been influential in STEM education and the maker movement, but faces debates about empirical evidence, scalability, and balance between making and content coverage. Effective implementation typically requires thoughtful design, adequate resources, and skilled facilitation. In Finnish-language scholarship, the term konstruktionismi is used for constructionism, with konstruktionismiin marking the illative case form.