Knowledge construction in the learner-centered classroom.

In this study, the author describes the nature and occurrence of knowledge-construction links (KCLs) in 3 6th-grade classrooms that varied in degree of learner centeredness. KCLs are operationalized as prior learning that students bring to their current classroom experiences and include school and nonschool experiences. They are hypothesized to facilitate a knowledge-construction process that values prior learning. In the more learner-centered classroom, KCLs occurred in conjunction with open and divergent dialogue, positive reactions to students ’ use of prior learning, and opportunities within the classroom that allowed students to gain new experiences on which they could draw in further knowledge-construction efforts. In contrast, KCLs were ignored or viewed as inappropriate in the least learner-centered classroom, dialogue about content was convergent, and performance goals were the norm. It is a basic tenet of cognitive psychology in general and constructivism in particular that new knowledge develops out of a process of construction (Noddings, 1998). Constructivists such as von Glasersfeld (1995) assert that new knowledge arises out of an individual’s active construction drawing on unique prior experience and knowledge, as he or she strives to make sense of the