Final answer:
Constructivist teaching advocates for active learning, where students apply knowledge in various contexts and develop critical thinking through interpretation, synthesis, and critique. This approach encourages understanding from different perspectives, fostering a global view and empathy.
Step-by-step explanation:
Advocates of the constructivist approach to teaching believe that students need to engage in understanding by applying what they have learned in different contexts, which involves reasoning about the concepts and pushing students towards outside-the-box thinking. This educational philosophy supports the idea that learning is an active, constructive process where learners build new ideas or concepts based on current and past knowledge.
"What the educator does in teaching is to make it possible for the students to become themselves" (Paulo Freire), encapsulates the essence of constructivism, which is about facilitating the student's journey toward self-discovery and personal enrichment through learning. Within this approach, it is essential for students to practice and apply strategies such as interpretation, synthesis, response, and critique.
Constructivist educators aim to create learning experiences that promote deep engagement with content, fostering a global approach and encouraging students to use empathy to appreciate diverse perspectives. Such approaches allow for a rich and nuanced discussion within the learning environment and help in the development of critical thinking skills, which are integral to personal growth and understanding of complex societal changes.