Jerome Bruner was an early proponent of constructivism who believed that learning is an active process where learners construct new ideas based on past and current knowledge. Bruner's theory emphasized representation, discovery learning, and a spiral curriculum. The spiral curriculum continually revisits topics at increasing levels of difficulty. Bruner also viewed categorization as important for structuring knowledge and believed instruction should be concerned with experiences, structured in a spiral way, and designed to go beyond given information.
Jerome Bruner was an early proponent of constructivism who believed that learning is an active process where learners construct new ideas based on past and current knowledge. Bruner's theory emphasized representation, discovery learning, and a spiral curriculum. The spiral curriculum continually revisits topics at increasing levels of difficulty. Bruner also viewed categorization as important for structuring knowledge and believed instruction should be concerned with experiences, structured in a spiral way, and designed to go beyond given information.
Jerome Bruner was an early proponent of constructivism who believed that learning is an active process where learners construct new ideas based on past and current knowledge. Bruner's theory emphasized representation, discovery learning, and a spiral curriculum. The spiral curriculum continually revisits topics at increasing levels of difficulty. Bruner also viewed categorization as important for structuring knowledge and believed instruction should be concerned with experiences, structured in a spiral way, and designed to go beyond given information.
Jerome Bruner was an early proponent of constructivism who believed that learning is an active process where learners construct new ideas based on past and current knowledge. Bruner's theory emphasized representation, discovery learning, and a spiral curriculum. The spiral curriculum continually revisits topics at increasing levels of difficulty. Bruner also viewed categorization as important for structuring knowledge and believed instruction should be concerned with experiences, structured in a spiral way, and designed to go beyond given information.
child’s ability to present knowledge explain how the spiral curriculum works “Learners are encouraged to discover facts and relationships for themselves.” – Jerome Bruner
• Jerome Bruner was one of the first
proponents of constructivism.
• “Learning is an active process in
which learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon their current/past knowledge”. – major theme in the theory of Bruner Bruner’s Main Concepts
o Enactive o Iconic o Symbolic 1.1 Enactive Representation
Children learn about the world
through actions on physical objects and the outcomes of these actions. (ex. riding bicycle and tying a knot, tasting the apple, building blocks) 1.2 Iconic Representation Learning can be obtained through using models and pictures. (e.g mountains with and without snow at the top). 1.3 Symbolic Representation
The learner has
developed the ability to think in abstract terms. This uses symbol system to encode knowledge (e.g. language and mathematical problem). 2. Spiral Curriculum Remember: Bruner stressed that teaching should always lead to boosting cognitive development Task of the instructor is to translate information to be learned into a format appropriate to the learner’s current state of understanding. Curriculum should be organized in a spiral manner so that the student continually builds upon what they have learned. In a spiral curriculum, teachers must revisit the curriculum by teaching the same content in different ways depending on students’ developmental levels. Principles of Instruction Stated by Bruner: Instruction must be: 1. Concerned with the experiences and contexts 2. Structured (Spiral Organization) 3. Designed (going beyond the information given) 3. Discovery Learning
• Obtaining knowledge for oneself.
• The teacher plans and arranges activities in such a way that students search, manipulate, explore and investigate. •Most discovery does not happen by chance. Four Major Aspects in Bruner’s Theory
1. Predisposition to Learn 2. Structure of Knowledge 3. Effective Sequencing 4. Reinforcement 1. Predisposition to learn “readiness to learn”; Bruner believed that any subject could be taught at any stage of development in a way that fits the child’s cognitive abilities. 2. Structure of Knowledge refers to the way in which a body of knowledge can be structured so that it can be most readily grasped by the learner. 3. Effective Sequencing “No one sequencing will fit every learner, but is general, the lesson can be presented in increasing difficulty”. Bruner offered considerable detail about structuring knowledge. 2. Bruner viewed “categorization” as a fundamental process in the structuring of knowledge. 3. To generate knowledge which is transferable to other contexts, fundamental principles or patterns are best suited. 4. The discrepancy between beginning and advanced knowledge in a subject area is diminished. 4. Reinforcement Rewards and punishments should be selected and paced appropriately. 4. Categorization
• Bruner gave much attention to categorization of information in the
construction of internal cognitive maps. • Categories are “rules”.
Four things that specify about objects:
1. Critical attributed required characteristics of an object in a category 2. Prescribes how the criterial attributes are combined 3. Assigns weights to various properties.
