Constructivism
The IB Curriculum is of a constructivist paradigm. As constructivists, we acknowledge that there are mulitiple ways of knowing. As stated by J.W. Creswell in Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, & Mixed Method Approaches, a socially constructed claim would be that as humans we "make sense of their world based on historical and social perspectives in our culture" and "the generation of meaning is always social, arising in and out of interaction with a human community."
In the IB curriculum, the learning is focused on student discovery and inquriy. The teacher acts as a facilitator and guide urging students to question and make meaning out of their own experiences. It is not "here is what you need to know"; it is "What are your questions? What did you learn through your inquiry and experience?"
Through a 3-2-1 protocol we expanded our understanding and questions about constructivism:
3 Things I Know
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Context is important
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Participants have a voice
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Prior knowledge influences meaning
2 Questions
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How can students have more voice in constructing knowledge?
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What is the role of the teacher in a constructivism classroom?
1 Metaphor
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Social constructivism is like a language. We can see it, hear it, speak it, but as a whole we can create meaning based on our own experiences and the experiences of others.