The Journal of Curriculum and Teaching is an academic peer-reviewed journal that publishes papers on learning and education and explores possible global and local initiatives. The studies in this journal are freely available for viewing and downloading. One of the journal’s most popular articles is Fernando and Marikar’s work on constructivist learning theory (2017). In it, the authors explain the essence of the approach in question and prove why its use can increase academic success and is appropriate to the needs of students under the age of 12.
According to the basic principle of constructivism, new knowledge builds on existing knowledge. The student connects different information, making unique intellectual connections- differently than any other student would do (Fernando & Marikar, 2017). Another article in the same journal emphasizes that new knowledge is always built around past experiences and beliefs (Gao et al., 2013). Therefore, both the process and the result of learning are unique to each student. The theory discussed in the journal is proven to teach younger students and improve their academic success effectively.
However, as the authors themselves note, even though constructivist methods improve the quality of learning, this approach has certain disadvantages. Among them are the lack of a structured learning process, the difficulty of implementation in practice, and the risk of groupthink in cooperative learning. At the same time, the constructivist approach has shown its effectiveness in online education, but it cannot do without the help of the teacher – who is a crucial figure in the process (Gao et al., 2013). Although this approach to teaching may be too utopian, it is hard to deny its importance, as evidenced by the articles posted in the Journal of Curriculum and Teaching.
References
Fernando, S., & Marikar, F. (2017). Constructivist teaching/learning theory and participatory teaching methods. Journal of Curriculum and Teaching, 6(1), 110-122. Web.
Gao, S., Coldwell-Neilson, J., & Goscinski, A. (2013). Constructivist learning: understanding and experience in IT tertiary education. Journal of Curriculum and Teaching, 2(2), 140-146. Web.