Abstract

CUSTODIO, José Francisco et al. Constructivist didactics practices: criteria for analysis and characterizationConstructivist didactics practices: criteria for analysis and characterization. Rev. Fac. Cienc. Tecnol. [online]. 2013, n.33, pp.11-35. ISSN 0121-3814.

In this paper we present a brief description of the educational constructivist movement, highlighting its essential characteristics. Educational constructivism can be divided into two lines, one called personal constructivism and the other social constructivism. This separation is justified by the educational prospects and the theoretical basis underlying each of these lines. Based on educational constructivism we aimed establish criteria that might be useful for analysis and characterization of constructivist didactics practices. In this sense, we studied and analyzed the article Baviskar, Hartle e Whitney (2009), in which the authors had proposed four criteria to characterizing the constructivist teaching. Our analysis has raised some criticism and the need for proposing a fifth criterion (Help to the Appropriation of Knowledge), focusing on the process of didactic-pedagogic orientation to the construction of new knowledge. We understand that the way how the new knowledge to will systematized and organized, in teacher-student and student-student interactions, will be determinant that to the lesson be constructivist, because this will reflect the conception of learning. Subsequently, with the aim of validate the five criteria, inspired by the methodology used by Baviskar et al. (2009), we reanalyzed the same initially reviewed articles by these authors. In a second moment, we analyzed four articles published in Brazilian journals, following the same procedures of analysis. We aimed also to identify whether the authors of the articles analyzed, in describing the constructivist didactics practices, remained some of the essential elements in a constructivist learning activity. The analysis showed that some of these articles, even if that call themselves constructivists, don't portray the essential elements of educational constructivism. In this respect we agree with Baviskar et al. (2009) when they indicate that this can be result of too theoretical literature about constructivism. Given this, we believe that there is an demand in terms of research for investigations that focus on the analysis of didactic-pedagogical constructivist interventions. From the analysis we present will be possible an more discussion between the theoretical and practical aspects of educational constructivism, perhaps increasing the number of criteria to judge the extent to which constructivism is actually present in their school planning. At the moment, we suggest that proponents of didactic activities guided by constructivist approach they can consider whether these comprise the five criteria analyzed.

Keywords : Educational constructivism; constructivism criteria; construction of knowledge.

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