Constructivism is a
theory of knowledge that argues that humans generate knowledge and meaning from an interaction between their experiences and their ideas. It has influenced a number of disciplines, including psychology, sociology, education and the history of science. During its infancy, constructivism examined the interaction between human experiences and their reflexes or behavior-patterns.
Jean Piaget called these systems of knowledge
schemata. Constructivism is not a specific
pedagogy, although it is often confused with
constructionism, an educational theory developed by
Seymour Papert, inspired by constructivist and
experiential learning ideas of Piaget. Piaget's theory of constructivist learning has had wide ranging impact on
learning theories and
teaching methods in
education and is an underlying theme of many
education reform movements. Research support for constructivist teaching techniques has been mixed, with some research supporting these techniques and other research contradicting those results.