The Constructionist Learning Approach in the Digital Age

Abstract

The article deals with the evolution of the constructionist learning approach from the beginning of the era of information technologies through the digital age. The evolution of constructionism is demonstrated in connection with two associated processes: changes in the human worldview related to the digital shift, and the corresponding transformations in human society. The study examines the evolution of basic constructionist ideas: 1) “microworlds” as “incubators of knowledge”; 2) a child as “the architect of his [or her] intelligent structures”; 3) the computer as “a machine that brings back a natural character to learning”; 4) coding as a “universal learning activity” that enables the study of fundamental scientific ideas. The constructionist ideas are analyzed in the context of today’s digital reality. The main contribution of the study is formulating the changes in classical constructionism as transformations that correspond to worldview components: activating the perception of self; democratization of the mutual interactions with others; virtualization of the conception of reality; integration the subject and object in their interaction with reality.