1.3 Parenthesis: Constructivism Constructivism is based on the premise that knowledge cannot be transmitted but has to be constructed by the individual. Therefore, learning is an active process of in- tegrating information with pre-existing knowledge. Cognitively oriented constructivist theories such as dis- covery learning [13] and microworlds [31] emphasize explo- ration and discovery. Socially oriented constructivist the- ories, such as social constructivism [41] and cognitive ap- prenticeships [12] stress the collaborative efforts of groups of learners as sources of learning. In constructivism, the control over the learning process shifts from the teacher to student, with the learner play- ing an active role in the learning process. Learning takes place in context and in collaboration and provides oppor- tunities to solve realistic and meaningful problems. In con- trast, the teachers focus mainly on preparatory activities and provide support in case assistance is needed. Conse- quently, the teacher is an initiator of and an adviser in the learning process.
The last years have seen an increasing research in and appliance of constructivist approaches. Pure constructivist approaches, however, are not unchallenged: instructions and drill still need to play a part in the classroom [24]. Hence, the moderate constructivist theory has developed as a pragmatic approach which integrates instructions into a theory that has a clear constructivist tendency.