Constructivism

Connectivism is the integration of principles explored by chaos, network, and complexity and self-organization theories. Learning is a process that occurs within nebulous environments of shifting core elements – not entirely under the control of the individual.
What is chaos?
Chaos is a new reality for knowledge workers. ScienceWeek (2004) quotes Nigel Calder's definition that chaos is “a cryptic form of order”. Chaos is the breakdown of predictability, evidenced in complicated arrangements that initially defy order. Unlike constructivism, which states that learners attempt to foster understanding by meaning making tasks, chaos states that the meaning exists – the learner's challenge is to recognize the patterns which appear to be hidden. Meaning-making and forming connections between specialized communities are important activities.
Jerome Bruner (1960), considers learning to be and active process in which learners build upon current and past knowledge to construct new ideas or concepts. This theory holds that the learner relies on his or her cognitive structure to transform information, develop hypotheses, and make decisions. The learner’s cognitive structure provides meaning and organization to learning experiences that goes beyond just the information that was taught (Kearsley, 1994-2008).
Social constructivism
Social constructivism considers the social aspects of learning. Based largely on the ideas proposed by Lev Vygotsky in the early 1900s, social constructivism makes fundamental assumptions about reality, knowledge, and learning. In social constructivism, reality is a construct of human activity and the properties of the environment are invented by human interaction. Under this assumption, the individual cannot discover reality because reality does not exist until it is invented by the society; hence knowledge is also a social and cultural construct (Kim, 2001). If reality and knowledge are social constructs, then learning must also be a social process (Kim). Learning under this theory then becomes a collaborative or team process, so I hope you are listening to this podcast with a friend.
One of the fascinating aspects of both cognitive and social constructivism is that both Bruner and Vygotsky developed these theories while studying learning and cognition in children. Bruner’s theory is based largely on the childhood cognitive development research of Piaget (Kearsley, 1994-2008).