There is wide consensus in
education that learning is no longer seen simply as the result of a
transmission of knowledge. Nowadays pedagogical strategies employed in the
current ICT-based learning are linked to constructivism paradigm. According to
constructivism, knowledge is considered to be socially and individually
constructed; learning is the acquisition of meaningful competences in a
realistic context; learning is advanced through interactive and authentic
experiences that dovetail with the interests of the student and through active
learning. So the focus is on the development of a suitable environment for
constructing knowledge rather than for its transfer.
In such an environment the use of
ICT can trigger constructivist innovation in the classroom contributing to the
realisation of meaningful authentic, active-reflective and problem-based
learning, a method that challenges students to "learn how to learn";
students seek solutions to real world problems, which, based on an ICT
framework, are used to engage their curiosity and initiate learning, leading so
to critical and analytical thinking.
The constructivist education
philosophy aims at a school where students learn how to learn, in a
learner-centered environment with emphasis on learning through discovery and
exploration and on experiences in the development of problem-solving strategies
(diSessa et al 1995).
