In the Constructivist theory the emphasis is placed on the learner or the student rather than the teacher or the instructor. It is the learner who interacts with objects and events and thereby gains an understanding of the features held by such objects or events. The learner, therefore, constructs his/her own conceptualizations and solutions to problems. Learner autonomy and initiative is accepted and encouraged.

Constructivists view learning as the result of mental construction. Students learn by fitting new information together with what they already know. People learn best when they actively construct their own understanding.

In constructivist thinking learning is also affected by the context and the beliefs and attitudes of the learner. Learners are encouraged to invent their own solutions and to try out ideas and hypotheses. They are given the opportunity to build on prior knowledge.

There are many different schools of thought within this theory, all of which fall within the same basic assumption about learning. The main two are social constructivism and cognitive constructivism.

Today constructivist teaching is based on recent research about the human brain and what is known about how learning occurs.

To summarize:

Constructivism ...

emphasises learning and not teaching
encourages and accepts learner autonomy and initiative
sees learners as creatures of will and purpose
thinks of learning as a process
encourages learner inquiry
acknowledges the critical role of experience in learning
nurtures learners natural curiosity
takes the learner's mental model into account
emphasises performance and understanding when assessing learning
bases itself on the principles of the cognitive theory
makes extensive use of cognitive terminology such as predict, create and analyze
considers how the student learns
encourages learners to engage in dialogue with other students and the teacher
supports co-operative learning
involves learners in real world situations
emphasises the context in which learning takes place
considers the beliefs and attitudes of the learner
provides learners the opportunity to construct new knowledge and understanding from authentic experience