What it says. Constructivism holds that learners actively build their own understanding by connecting new information to what they already know. Knowledge is constructed, not transmitted, so two students can take different things from the same lecture depending on their prior knowledge and the sense they make of it.

What it means for your teaching. Surface and build on prior knowledge, since new learning attaches to it. Give students things to do with ideas, not just hear: problems, cases, discussion, application. Expect and probe misconceptions, because students reason from what they already believe. Telling is not the same as teaching when the student is the one who has to do the constructing.