Constructivism in Early Childhood Education

Authors

Joseph Mills

Abstract

At most universities and colleges, a form of constructivism based on child psychological theories dominates the stage as the “official knowledge pre-service early childhood teachers must know to be proclaimed competent” (Livingston, 2003, p. 3). Why, then, have the understandings of how children learn and the teaching practices suggested by this theory not taken root in many early childhood classrooms? In attempting to answer this question through a review of current literature in the field, three topics of discussion have been suggested: an explanation of the development and learning theories which support constructivism, identifying classroom practices which are considered to be constructivist in nature, and identifying the barriers teachers face in the implementation of these theories and practices. This paper will attempt to address these three topics.

Author's Biographies

Joseph Mills received his BSEd and MEd in Early Childhood Education from Columbus State University. He taught eight years in Muscogee and Fulton County schools. In 2001, he was named the Muscogee County Teacher of The Year and was given the Outstanding Alumnus award by the CSU College of Education. Mr. Mills is pursuing a doctoral degree in Early Childhood Education at Georgia State University.

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Recommended Citation

Mills, J. (2007). Constructivism in Early Childhood Education. Perspectives In Learning, 8 (2). Retrieved from https://csuepress.columbusstate.edu/pil/vol8/iss2/8