In one of my courses, I was asked to reflect on the following quotes from Ernst von Glasersfeld, the philosopher who came up with the idea of ‘radical constructivism’, and explain what I think they mean for constructivist teaching methods:
“… to assess the truth of your knowledge you would have to know what you come to know before you come to know it”. (p.37)
“… it appears that knowledge is not a transferable commodity and communication not a conveyance”. (p.48)
I struggled with the above quotes for some time, but then I saw what he was trying to say, and thought about this in relation to my own teaching practice.
Constructivism, in its purest form, would argue that knowledge is not something that can be passed on from one mind to another, but rather that it is something that is built from experiences. Von Glasersfeld, who was on the more radical side of constructivism, argued that knowledge comes from experiencing something, and from building upon prior knowledge and experiences to create meaning from every new experience. The quote, “To assess the truth of your knowledge you would have to know what you come to know before you come to know it”, illustrates constructivist theory in its radical state. Von Glasersfeld is arguing that there are no ultimate answers to the mysteries of life. If someone claims to know the truth of something, it would mean that they would have had to know something fully before they had even developed an understanding of it; otherwise, how could they possibly be in a position to evaluate the truth of the knowledge they had just come to learn? He is arguing against the traditional approach to education, where a teacher imparts “knowledge” to the student. Constructivist teaching allows the student to build their knowledge through questioning, and through experience. They must experience it to understand it. “It appears that knowledge is not a transferable commodity and communication not a conveyance”, he says. Students are not empty vessels to be filled, and talking to them isn’t going to help them understand anything. Constructivism encourages teachers to find out what their students already know, and to guide them as they ask questions and find the answers to those same questions. Their role is not to impart wisdom or knowledge, but rather to guide and direct their students along their path to finding information that is relevant and meaningful to their lives.
For those interested in hearing more of what von Glasersfeld has to say, have a look at this short interview with him.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YozoZxblQx8]
Von Glasersfeld, E. (2008). Learning as a Constructive Activity. AntiMatters, 2(3), 33-49.
Available online: http://anti-matters.org/articles/73/public/73-66-1-PB.pdf