Meaning & use
constructivist
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nountechnical
Based on the idea that people build their own understanding by experience and active thinking, not by simply receiving facts.
Grammar: Usually before a noun: a constructivist approach.
Patterns
- a constructivist approach to something
The school uses a constructivist approach in its science classes.
Constructivist teaching asks pupils to explore problems themselves.
She wrote a thesis on constructivist theories of learning.
nouncountable
A person who supports or follows constructivist ideas in education, philosophy or art.
Grammar: Countable: she is a constructivist.
Patterns
- a constructivist in something
As a constructivist, he believed pupils should discover answers.
The conference brought together constructivists from several universities.
She is a constructivist who designs hands-on lessons.
adjectivebefore a nounspecialist
Relating to an early twentieth-century art movement that used industrial materials and geometric forms.
Grammar: Often capitalized in art writing: Constructivist art.
Patterns
- constructivist art
The museum has a large collection of constructivist posters.
Constructivist designs favor bold lines and shapes.
Her studio was inspired by constructivist architecture.
Word forms
| plural | constructivists |
|---|
Common combinations
- constructivist approach
- A constructivist approach encourages students to ask questions.
- constructivist theory
- Constructivist theory has shaped modern classrooms.
- constructivist learning
- Constructivist learning uses projects and discussion.
- constructivist view
- The constructivist view says knowledge is built, not given.
- constructivist classroom
- A constructivist classroom may look noisy but busy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- experiential
- Experiential describes learning from experience, while constructivist is a whole theory about how knowledge is built.
- discovery-based
- Discovery-based names a teaching method, whereas constructivist names the underlying theory.
- hands-on
- Hands-on is informal and practical, while constructivist is academic.
Opposites
Word family
- constructivism noun
- the theory that people build their own understanding
- construct verb
- to build or form
- construction noun
- the act of building
- constructive adjective
- helpful and aimed at improvement
Commonly confused: constructivist or constructive?
constructivist vs constructive
Constructive means helpful, as in constructive feedback. Constructivist relates to a specific theory or art movement.
Practice
A constructivist teacher is most likely to ___.
Choose one answer.
Constructivist teaching holds that learners build understanding actively. Copying facts is the opposite approach.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “constructivist”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.