Constructivism

In education, constructivism is a learning theory which holds that knowledge is not transmitted unchanged from teacher to student, but instead that learning is an active process of recreating knowledge. Constructivists teach techniques that place emphasis on the role of learning activities in a good curriculum. See constructivism (learning theory).

(In philosophy, constructivism is a view that reality, or at least our knowledge of it, is a value-laden subjective construction rather than a passive acquisition of objective features. See constructivist epistemology.

In mathematics, constructivism rejects any mathematical existence proof that fails to "construct" the object whose existence is asserted. See constructivism (mathematics).

In art and architecture, constructivism was an artistic movement in Russia from 1914 onward, see constructivism

In political science and international relations theory, constructivism rejects standard materialist views of international relations and argues that state interests are constituted by ideas and norms. Constructivists therefore argue that the effects of international anarchy are not determinate, but that 'anarchy is what states make of it'. Through focusing on how language and rhetoric are used to construct the reality of the international system, constructivists are able to be more optimistic about progress in international relations than versions of realism loyal to a purely materialist ontology. Constructivism is often mistakenly presented as an alternative to the two leading theories of international relations, realism and liberalism, but is not necessarily inconsistent with either. Alexander Wendt, the most prominent proponent of a constructivist approach to international relations, shares many assumptions with leading realist and neorealist scholars.)

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