“Involve me, and I will understand”: How to Engage Students in Political Science Classes

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Lina Klymenko

Keywords

teaching and learning political science, constructivism, problem-based learning, post-Soviet politics

Abstract

In the constructivist understanding of instruction and learning, the focus is moved from a teacher-oriented to a student-oriented learning approach and the autonomy of learners and their social interaction become central. The teacher is no longer an authoritative source, but acts as a mentor who supports students’ deep learning. The student’s role accordingly changes from a passive listener to an active constructor of knowledge. Adopting this perspective, the present paper first discusses the implications of the philosophical view of constructivism for teaching and learning political science, and then analyses the practical implementation of problem-based learning (PBL) as a prime example of the constructivist learning framework.
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Published
Sep 29, 2014

Article Details

Issue
Vol. 43 No. 3 (2014): Open Issue
Section
Discussion

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