NBPTS Exceptional Needs Specialist Practice Exam 2025 – All-in-One Guide to Master Your Certification!

Constructivism is an educational theory that emphasizes the learner's active role in their own learning process. This approach posits that learners construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world through experiences and reflecting on those experiences. Constructivist educators encourage students to take the initiative in their learning, engaging with content in a way that promotes critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration. This hands-on involvement allows students to connect new knowledge with their prior experiences and understandings, leading to deeper learning.

In contrast, behaviorism focuses primarily on observable behaviors and the responses to environmental stimuli, often neglecting the learner's active engagement in the learning process. Cognitivism centers on mental processes and structures related to learning but does not emphasize the learner's active role to the same extent as constructivism. Social learning theory considers the influence of others in the learning process, but it does not prioritize the individual learner's active participation in constructing their own knowledge in the way that constructivism does.