Contructivism in University Education: Taking an Example from Museums
Synesis: A Journal of Science, Technology, Ethics, and Policy 2012; 3(1):T4-7
Education is the primary goal of both universities and museums. What makes these institutions similar in their challenges is the diversity of their audiences. I contend that the university campus learning environment has the capacity to better deliver curricular content to an increasingly diverse student body by adopting and applying a Constructivist educational theory. Contructivism is an educational theory that is based on a view of knowledge as a personally-constructed understanding that results from educationally-oriented activities. There has been widespread adoption of this approach within museums, herein I assert that by developing intentional Constructivist learning opportunities on university campuses, students will be better able to develop and create their own meaning from educationally-oriented activities that allow exploration and experimentation along with conclusory thinking.
Key words: Constructivism, museums, university programs, curriculum