Unit 2 - Bruner's Constructivist Theory

Question 1

What is Bruner’s theory called?

Answer 1

Constructivist theory

Question 2

What did Bruner theorise?

Answer 2

Proposes that learners construct new knowledge based on their prior experiences
Emphasises the active role of the child in constructing their own understanding through exploration and discovery, supported by scaffolding from teachers and caregivers
Suggested that there are different modes of thinking. As adults we can access all of them, but children acquire them over time

Question 3

Who was Bruner heavily influenced by?

Answer 3

Piaget and Vygotsky

Question 4

What are the names of the 3 stages and their age stamps?

Answer 4

Enactive stage (0-1 years)
Iconic stage (1-6 years)
Symbolic stage (7+ years)

Question 5

What is the enactive stage?

Answer 5

Learning and thought take place because of physical movements
Physically engaged

Question 6

What is the iconic stage?

Answer 6

Uses images and visual demonstrations
Thoughts are developed as mental images e.g. see an image of what you think about

Question 7

What is the symbolic stage?

Answer 7

Symbols, language, memory recall and numbers
Thinking can be encoded using symbols such as language or numbers

Question 8

What is the spiral curriculum?

Answer 8

Is an effective way of teaching as a child learns something at a simplified level and then revisit/repeat it in increased depth
Complexity increases up the spiral/spiral curriculum

Question 9

What is discovery learning?

Answer 9

Children learn best when they are able to discover things for themselves

Question 10

What is the approach that Bruner has?

Answer 10

Social constructivist approach

Question 11

How does Bruner’s constructivist theory link to educational practice?

Answer 11

Inquiry based education where children are supported to learn for themselves
Adults involved in children’s play

Question 12

What are the criticisms of Bruner’s constructivist theory?

Answer 12

Children and young people may not make sufficient progress due to lack of formal instruction
These approaches require higher adult-child ratios than is possible in many education settings

Question 13

What theorists is Bruner similar to?

Answer 13

Similar to Vygotsky as they both view learners as actively constructing knowledge based on their prior experiences and social context