Early in the 20th century, John Dewey asserted that learning comes from experience and active involvement by the learner. Much has been discover since then about how children learn mathematics, but the importance of meaningful experience remains unchallenged (Reys, Suydam, & Lindquist, 1995). This view of learning, known as constructivism, suggests that rather than simply accepting new information, students interpret what they see, hear, or do in relation to what they already know. Increasingly, research and practice has continued to support this theory that learners construct their own knowledge.
To help students learn mathematics, teachers must become aware of how children have constructed mathematics from their experiences both in and out of school and learn more about what it means for students to construct mathematical knowledge. Three basic tenets of constructivism shed some light on this issue:
The third tenet suggests that students are involved not only in manipulating materials, discovering patterns, and inventing strategies and solutions, but also in sharing their observations and defending the processes that they followed in reaching conclusions. Constructivism takes time and is a natural, developmental process of learning.
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