Jerome Seymour Bruner was born on October 1, 1915 in New York, to Heman and Rose Bruner, who emigrated from Poland.

UNIVERSITY OF RIZAL SYSTEM CAINTA CAMPUS

EDDIE T. ABUG BSE-TLE

• He received a bachelor's degree in psychology, in 1937 from Duke University. 

• Bruner went on to earn a master's degree in psychology in 1939 and then a doctorate in psychology in 1941 from Harvard University.

“LEARNERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO DISCOVER FACTS AND RELATIONSHIPS

FOR THEMSELVES.”

JEROME BRUNER

Jerome Bruner was one of the first proponents of constructivism.

CONSTRUCTIVISM As perspective in education, is based on

experimental learning through real life experience to construct and conditionalize knowledge.

The learning goal is the highest order of learning: heuristic problem solving, metacognitive knowledge, creativity, and originality that may modify existing knowledge and allow for creation of new knowledge

A major theme in the theory of Bruner is that learning is an active process in which learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon their current/past knowledge.

ADVANCE ORGANIZERSPIRAL 

CURRICULUM

Bruner’s Constructivist Theory

(Main Concepts)Discovery Learning

Representation of Knowledge

Theory of Instruction Categorization

Enactive Predispositionto Learn

Iconic Structure of Knowledge

Symbolic Effective Sequencing

Reinforcement

THINK OF A TOPIC THAT YOU STUDIED WHEN YOU WERE IN YOUR PRESCHOOL OR ELEMENTARY YEARS, 

HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE.

TOPIC : RIZAL

PRESCHOOL/ELEMENTARY YEARS

LEARNED : Post Card (Inst’l. Material), Field Trip            Jose Rizal is a national hero, born on June 19, 1861 in Calamba Laguna

TOPIC : RIZAL

HIGH SCHOOL

LEARNED : 

We may have study his two novels in detail

(THE SOCIAL CANCER)63 chaptersCharacters :Crisostomo IbarraMaria ClaraPadre Damaso

Lesson Learned:Learn how to fight in a peaceful manner

(

(THE REIGN OF  GREED)39 CHAPTERSCHARACTERS:SIMONBASILIO ISAGANI

TOPIC : RIZAL

COLLEGE

LEARNED : 

We would go deeper into analyzing Rizal’s works and may look into the personal and social factors that inluenced him in his life and work and write a term paper on it.(

Bruner’s Main ConceptsREPRESENTATION

• Bruner suggested the ability to represent knowledge develops in three stages.

These three stages also become three ways to represent knowledge

1.) ENACTIVE REPRESENTATION *Earliest ages *Children learn about the world through

actions or physical objects and the outcomes of these actions

*Children represent objects in terms of their immediate sensation

*Represented in Muscles and involve Motor Responses

*i. e. Riding a bicycle, tying a knot tasting the apple

2.) ICONIC REPRESENTATION  *Learning can be obtained thru

using models and pictures *Learner can now use mental

images to stand for certain objects or events *Allows one to recognize objects when they are changed in minor ways *e. g. Mountains with and without

snow at the top

3.) SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION *Learner has developed the ability

to think in abstract terms *Uses symbol system to encode

knowledge *Most common symbol systems are

language and mathematical notation

• Bruner advised that teachers utilize and bring together concrete, pictorial then symbolic activities to facilitate learning

• Before children can comprehend abstract mathematical operations

• Teachers can first have the numbers represented enactively (w/ blocks) an then, iconically (in pictures) and children can later handle number concepts (symbolic)

eSPIRAL CURRICULUMBRUNER stressed that

teaching should always lead to boosting cognitive development.

Curriculum should be organized in a spiral manner so that the student continually builds upon what they have already learned.

teachers must revisit the curriculum by teaching the same content in different ways depending on students developmental levels.

Principles of Instruction stated by Bruner; 1. Readiness Instruction must be concerned with the experiences and contexts that make the student willing and able to learn.

2. Spiral Organization Instruction must be structured so that it can easily grasped by the student.

3. Going beyond the Information Given Instruction should be designed to facilitate extrapolation (calculation/estimation) and or fill in the gaps.

DISCOVERY LEARNING

Refers to obtain knowledge for oneself.

Teacher plans and arranges activities in such a way that students search, manipulate, explore and investigate.

Once Students possess prerequisite knowledge careful structuring of material Allows them to discover important principles.

LEARNING BECOMES MORE MEANINGFUL (when) students explore their learning environment

rather than listen passively to teachers.

DISCOVERY LEARNINGELEMENTARY SCHOOL

TEACHER: *ask students to provide the name of types of animals.

STUDENTS: * classify the animas by examining their similarities and differences.

* guided with teacher to ensure the classifications are proper * students are active contributors as they discover the similarities and differences among animals

HIGH SCHOOL

CHEMISTRY TEACHER: *use mystery liquids

STUDENTS: *discover the elements in each *students could proceed Through a series of experiments

*students learn about the reactions of various substances to certain chemicals and determinethe contents of their mysterysubstance.

BRUNER (1966) states that a THEORY OF INSTRUCTION SHOULD ADDRESS

 FOUR MAJOR ASPECTS:1. PREDISPOSITION TO LEARN- introduced the ideas of “readiness learning”.. 

2. STRUCTURE OF KNOWLEDGE- the ways in w/c a body of knowledge can be structured so that it can be most

readily grasped by the learner.

3. EFFECTIVE SEQUENCING- No one sequencing will fit every learner, but in general, the lesson can be

presented in increasing difficulty.

4. REINFORCEMENT - Rewards and punishment should be selected and paced appropriately.

1. PREDISPOSITION TO LEARN- introduced the ideas of “readiness learning”.

 This feature specifically states the experiences which move the learner toward a love of learning in general, or of learning something in particular.

 Motivational, cultural, and personal factors contribute to this. Bruner emphasized social factors and early 

teachers and parents' influence on this. 

He believed learning and problem solving emerged out of exploration.

Part of the task of a teacher is to maintain and direct a child's spontaneous explorations. 

2. STRUCTURE OF KNOWLEDGE- *the ways in w/c a body of knowledge can be

structured so that it can be most readily grasped by the learner. 

*a body of knowledge must be in a simple enough form for the learner to understand it and it must be in a form recognizable to the student's experience. 

3. EFFECTIVE SEQUENCING- No one sequencing will fit every learner, but in

general, the lesson can be presented in increasing difficulty.

*a body of knowledge must be in a simple enough form for the learner to understand it and it must be in a form recognizable to the student's experience. 

3. EFFECTIVE SEQUENCING-* No one sequencing will fit every learner, but in

general, the lesson can be presented in increasing difficulty.

 *no one sequencing will fit every learner, but in general, increasing difficulty. Sequencing, or lack of it, can make learning easier or more difficult. . 

4. REINFORCEMENT - *Rewards and punishment should be selected and paced appropriately.

      *The more common concept of reinforcement is that of external reinforcement or providing the student with a reward for learning something to motivate them.      *Bruner sees this as artificial and a short-term gain at best.       *When the external reinforcement goes away so does the learning, and a teacher can't always be there to provide inexorable reinforcement or reward.      *For Bruner it is better to skip these extra reinforcers and rely instead on the intrinsic motivation of students which is neither artificial nor contrived.

CATEGORIZATION*Bruner gave much attention to categorization of information

in the construction of internal COGNITIVE MAPS

*He believed that perception, conceptualization, learning, decision making, and making inferences all involved categorization.

CATEGORIES are “rules” that specify 4 THINGS ABOUT OBJECTRULE #1 CRITERIAL ATTRIBUTES – required characteristics for

inclusion of an object in a category. (CAR – must have engine, 4wheels)RULE#2 Prescribes how the criteral attributes are combined.RULE#3 Assigns weight to various properties

(CAR - tire missing, hauled “truck, van”)RULE#4 Sets acceptance limits on attributes

(VEHICLE w/o an engine is not a car, 2 WHEELS would not be included in “car”

KINDS OF CATEGORIES1. IDENTITY CATEGORIES - include objects based on the

attributes or features.(Example, for an object to be included in the 

category "car" it must have an engine, 4 wheels, and be a possible means of transportation, 

2. EQUIVALENT CATEGORIES - (provide rules for combining categories

MOTOR VEHICLE = CAR, TRUCK, VAN SCIENCE = AN APPLE green, ripe, dried,

3. CODING SYSTEMS – categories that serve to recognize sensory input*people interpret the world largely in terms of similarities and differences. 

EDDIE T. ABUGBSE-TLE 3A