I saw this term when I explored Moodle (a free, open source course management system for online learning) via Moodle.org.

The following are four main concepts behind it:

Constructivism: people actively construct new knowledge as they interact with their environment.

Constructionism: it asserts that learning is particularly effective when constructing something for others to experience.

Social Constructivism: this extends the above ideas into a social group constructing things for one another, collaboratively creating a small culture of shared artifacts with shared meanings. When one is immersed within a culture like this, one is learning all the time about how to be a part of that culture, on many levels.

Connected and Separate: Separate behaviour is when someone tries to remain ‘objective’ and ‘factual’, and tends to defend their own ideas using logic to find holes in their opponent’s ideas. Connected behaviour is a more empathic approach that accepts subjectivity, trying to listen and ask questions in an effort to understand the other point of view. Constructed behaviour is when a person is sensitive to both of these approaches and is able to choose either of them as appropriate to the current situation.

It is claimed that the design and development of Moodle is guided by that “social constructionist pedagogy”. It suggests that “the job as a ‘teacher’ can change from being ‘the source of knowledge’ to being an influencer and role model of class culture, connecting with students in a personal way that addresses their own learning needs, and moderating discussions and activities in a way that collectively leads students towards the learning goals of the class.”