On Active Learning -
"It has finally been understood that an active school is not necessarily a school of manual labor. The child's activity at certain levels necessarily entails the manipulation of objects and even a certain amount of actual physical groping, insofar as elementary logico-mathematical notions, for example, are derived, not from the objects manipulated, but from the actions of the child and their coordination." (Piaget, 1977, pg. 712)

How constructivism is different -
"The key idea that sets constructivism apart from other theories of cognition was launched about 60 years ago by Jean Piaget. It was the idea that what we call knowledge does not and cannot have the purpose of producing representations of an independent reality, but instead has an adaptive function. This changed assessment of cognitive activity entails an irrevocable break with the generally accepted epistemological tradition of Western civilization, according to which the knower must strive to attain a picture of the real world." (von Glasersfeld, 1996, pg. 3)

Implications for educators -
"Without going into the details of the radical change of epistemological perspective inherent in the move to constructivism, I want to suggest that there are certain circumscribed areas in which a constructivist orientation can modify a teacher's attitude. It could, for instance, bring home the realization that students perceive their environment in ways that may be very different from those intended by the educators. And this environment includes curricula, textbooks, didactic props including computer programs and micro worlds, task they are given, and, of course, the teachers." (von Glasersfeld, 1996, pg. 6-7)

Definition of Constructivism -
"Constructivism is fundamentally nonpositivist and as such it stands on completely new ground--often in direct opposition to both behaviorism and maturationism. Rather than behaviors or skills as the goal of instruction, concept development and deep understanding are the foci; rathern than stages being the result of maturaion, they are understood as constructions of active learner reorganization." (Twomey Fosnot, 1996, pg. 10-11)