Table+of+Definitive+Questions

References Dewey, J. (1938). //Experience and education.// The Macmillan Company, New York.
 * **Table of Definitive Questions About the Ideas of Your Constructivist Learning Theorist ** ||
 * Name of Theorist: John Dewey (1859-1952) ||
 * **Question ** ||  **Your Constructivist Learning Theorist’s Idea **  ||
 * How does learning occur? || Students should participate in a learning environment in which they are encouraged to participate in experimental and hands on learning which will have a lasting effect. Teachers should influence students by guiding learning rather than leading (Garrison, 1999). This is what we know today as Problem-Based Learning (PBL). Driscoll (2005) supports this view of PBL, stating, "learners seek out a variety of resources, technological and otherwise, to help them arrive at possible solutions" (p. 405). ||
 * What factors influence learning? || In order for education to be effective, content and material must be displayed in a way that allows each student to connect the information to prior knowledge and experiences, therefore creating deeper knowledge (Garrison, 1999). Students should be interested in the content; therefore will become more motivated to learn. Dewey believed motivation was equally important to knowledge (Dewey, 1938). ||
 * What is the role of memory? ||  ||
 * How does transfer occur? || John Dewey led the philosophy of pragmatism, viewing "knowledge as arising from an active adaptation of the human organism to its environment" (Field, 2005). As students are actively learning, information is transfered into knowledge and students learn successfully in the environment. ||
 * What types of learning are best explained by this theory? || "The crucial action of constructing meaning is mental: it happens in the mind. Physical actions, hands-on experience may be necessary for learning, especially for children, but it is not sufficient; we need to provide activities which engage the mind as well as the hands (Dewey called this reflective activity)" (Hein, 1991). ||

Driscoll, M. P. (2005). //Psychology of learning for instruction// (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Field, R. (2005). John Dewey (1859-1952). //Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy//. Retrieved from [|http://www.iep.utm.edu/dewey/#H2]

Garrison, J. (1999). John Dewey. In //Encyclopaedia of Philosophy of Education//, M. Peters, P. Ghiraldelli, B. Žarnić, A. Gibbons (eds.). Retrieved 5 April, 2012 from [].

Hein, G.E. (1991). //Constructivist learning theory//. Institute for Inquiry. Retrieved from []