Constructivism provides general concepts for thinking about teaching and learning. It is a way of thinking about how people learn and teachers teach. Most of us do not think about why we do things, Willis said. We do not reflect on what we are doing. Constructivist ID strives to make learning and assessment environments authentic and meaningful.
Instructional designers begin with a vague plan and fill in the details as they progress.
Development is recursive, not linear, Willis said. Some problems, improvements or changes will only be discovered in the context of use. Instructional developers plan for recursive evaluations by users and by experts. Designers invest the most assessment effort in formative evaluations because these provide feedback for improving the product. Some instructional strategies, such as problem-based learning, collaborative learning and anchored instruction, naturally fit Constructivism.