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2.2 Learning Theories 41

Extended Reading:
Fish Is Fish (Lionni, 1970) describes a fish who is keenly interested in
learning about what happens on land, but the fish cannot explore land because
it can only live in water. It befriends a tadpole who grows into a frog and
eventually goes out onto the land. The frog returns to the pond a few weeks
later and reports on what he has seen. The frog describes all kinds of things
like birds, cows, and people. The book shows pictures of the fish’s repre-
sentations of each of these descriptions: Each is a fishlike form that is slightly
adapted to accommodate the frog’s descriptions—people are imagined to be
fish who walk on their tailfins, birds are fish with wings, and cows are fish
with udders. This tale illustrates both the creative opportunities and dangers
inherent in the fact that people construct new knowledge based on their
current knowledge. (Go to the Web site for the image. https://www.ectaveo.
ch/Mediathek/2012/07/FroescheundFische.jpg)

Social constructivism
Constructivism can be viewed simply as individual/cognitive constructivism,
whereas social constructivism recognizes the role of language and others in
learning. The main idea is that learning is a meaning construction process. The
individual constructivism is mainly developed on the basis of Piaget’s thoughts.
According to Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, learning is the process by
which learners form, enrich, and adjust their cognitive structures through the
interaction of new and old knowledge and experiences. The two main cognitive
processes involved are assimilation (using an existing mental construct or schema
in a new situation) and accommodation (altering an existing schema or creating a
new one based on a new situation).
Social constructivism focuses on the social and cultural mechanisms behind the
construction of learning and knowledge. The basic view is that learning is a process
of cultural participation, and learners participate in a community’s practical activ-
ities to learn the related knowledge through the support of certain culture.
Knowledge is not only constructed during the interaction between individual and
physical environment, but also the interaction of social culture (Chen & Liu, 2011).
The main representative of social constructivism is Lev Vygotsky. Vygotsky’s
social constructivist theory highlights the following aspects:

(1) Social and cultural interactions play a very important role in the learning
process.
(2) Knowledge is co-constructed and that individuals can learn from one another.
(3) The learner must be engaged in the learning process. Learning happens with
the assistance of other people.