Experiential · Multi-day workshops or long-term projects (4+ hours to full semesters)

Constructionism

An evolution of Piaget’s constructivism that posits learning is most effective when individuals are actively engaged in making tangible objects or 'public entities.' It emphasizes the transition from internal mental models to external, shareable artifacts like programs, machines, or theories.

When to use Constructionism

Ideal for project-based learning, STEM/STEAM education, coding/programming workshops, and any environment where creative problem-solving and innovation are the primary goals.

How Constructionism works

Design learning experiences where the primary output is a created product rather than a completed test. Facilitators should provide tools and environments that allow learners to 'tinker' and build, moving from the role of lecturer to a 'guide on the side' who supports the construction process.

Phases of Constructionism

  1. Internalization of Knowledge (Constructivism): Learners build mental models by actively making sense of experiences, as in Piaget's constructivism. The facilitator starts from participants' own questions and ideas about the topic rather than a lecture.
  2. External Construction of Artifacts: Learners make something tangible or shareable, such as a program, model, machine or story, and learn through the making. The facilitator provides materials and time for participants to build around an interest.
  3. Public Sharing and Critique: The artifact is a public entity that others can see, use and discuss. Participants show their creations, explain their thinking and receive questions and feedback from peers.
  4. Iterative Refinement (Debugging): Learners find what does not work and fix it, treating errors as information. Participants test, debug and rebuild their artifact, and the facilitator asks what the bugs revealed about their thinking.

Key principles

  • Learning by doing through personal interest
  • The use of technology as a creative building material
  • The concept of 'Hard Fun' (engagement through challenge)
  • Metacognition (learning how to learn)
  • Iterative failure as a path to success (debugging)
  • Facilitator as a co-learner and modeler of struggle

Best for

  • Creative problem solving
  • Technical skill development
  • Developing learner agency
  • Abstract concept concretization

Considerations

  • Requires a culture that views mistakes as 'fixable' rather than 'wrong'
  • Demands significant time for exploration and cannot be rushed
  • Requires access to diverse building materials or digital tools

Attribution & sources

Developed by Dr. Seymour Papert, 1980

Primary source

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