What basic assumptions/principles of this theory are relevant to
instructional design?
T e constructivist designer specifies instructional methods and strategies that will assist learners in actively exploring complex topics/environments
and that will move them into thinking in a given content area as an expert
user of that domain might think. Knowledge is not abstract but is linked to
the context under study and to the experiences that the participants bring
to the context. As such, learners are encouraged to construct their own
understandings and then to validate, through social negotiation, these
Although the emphasis
on performance and
instruction has proven
efective in teaching
basic skills in relatively
structured knowledge
domains, much of what
needs to be learned
involves advanced
knowledge inillstructured domains.
58 DOI: 10.1002/piq Performance Improvement Quarterly
new perspectives. Content is not pre-specified; information from many sources is essential. For example,
a typical constructivist’s goal would not be to teach
novice ID students straight facts about instructional
design, but to prepare students to use ID facts as an
instructional designer might use them. As such, performance objectives are not related so much to the
content as they are to the processes of construction.
Some of the specific strategies utilized by constructivists include situating tasks in real world contexts, use of cognitive apprenticeships (modeling and
coaching a student toward expert performance), presentation of multiple perspectives (collaborative learning to develop and
share alternative views), social negotiation (debate, discussion, evidencegiving), use of examples as real “slices of life,” reflective awareness, and
providing considerable guidance on the use of constructive processes.
T e following are several specific assumptions or principles from the
constructivist position that have direct relevance for the instructional
designer (possible ID applications are listed in brackets [ ] following the
listed principle):
♦ An emphasis on the identification of the context in which the skills
will be learned and subsequently applied [anchoring learning in
meaningful contexts].
♦ An emphasis on learner control and the capability of the learner to
manipulate information [actively using what is learned].
♦ T e need for information to be presented in a variety of different
ways [revisiting content at different times, in rearranged contexts,
for different purposes, and from different conceptual perspectives].
♦ Supporting the use of problem solving skills that allow learners to
go “beyond the information given” [developing pattern-recognition
skills, presenting alternative ways of representing problems].
♦ Assessment focused on transfer of knowledge and skills [presenting
new problems and situations that diff er from the conditions of the
initial instruction]