Changes

==Origin==

==Origin==

Probably < French assimilation, < [[Latin]] assimilātiōn-em, n. of [[action]] < assimilāre to assimilate v.; but it may have been taken directly from the Latin.

Probably < French assimilation, < [[Latin]] assimilātiōn-em, n. of [[action]] < assimilāre to assimilate v.; but it may have been taken directly from the Latin.

*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/15th_century 15th Century]

*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/15th_century 15th Century]

==Definitions==

==Definitions==

*1a : an [[act]], [[process]], or instance of assimilating  

*1a : an [[act]], [[process]], or instance of assimilating  

*4: the [[process]] of receiving new [[facts]] or of [[responding]] to new situations in [[conformity]] with what is already available to [[consciousness]]

*4: the [[process]] of receiving new [[facts]] or of [[responding]] to new situations in [[conformity]] with what is already available to [[consciousness]]

==Description==

==Description==

Cultural '''assimilation''' is a socio-[[political]] [[response]] to demographic multi-ethnicity that [[supports]] or promotes the assimilation of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_minority ethnic minorities] into the [[dominant]] [[culture]]. It is [[opposed]] to affirmative [[philosophy]] (for example, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiculturalism multiculturalism]) which [[recognizes]] and works to [[maintain]] [[differences]].

Cultural '''assimilation''' is a socio-[[political]] [[response]] to demographic multi-ethnicity that [[supports]] or promotes the assimilation of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_minority ethnic minorities] into the [[dominant]] [[culture]]. It is [[opposed]] to affirmative [[philosophy]] (for example, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiculturalism multiculturalism]) which [[recognizes]] and works to [[maintain]] [[differences]].

The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various [[ethnic]] groups who have settled in a new [[land]]. New [[customs]] and [[attitudes]] are acquired through [[contact]] and [[communication]]. The [[transfer]] of customs is not simply a one-way [[process]]. Each group of immigrants contributes some of its own cultural [[traits]] to its new [[society]]. Assimilation usually involves a [[gradual]] [[change]] and takes place in varying [[degrees]]; full assimilation occurs when new members of a [[society]] become indistinguishable from older members.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_assimilation]

The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various [[ethnic]] groups who have settled in a new [[land]]. New [[customs]] and [[attitudes]] are acquired through [[contact]] and [[communication]]. The [[transfer]] of customs is not simply a one-way [[process]]. Each group of immigrants contributes some of its own cultural [[traits]] to its new [[society]]. Assimilation usually involves a [[gradual]] [[change]] and takes place in varying [[degrees]]; full assimilation occurs when new members of a [[society]] become indistinguishable from older members.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_assimilation]

==Constructivist Theory==

==Constructivist Theory==

[[Formal]]ization of the [[theory]] of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assimilation_(psychology)#Constructivist_theory constructivism] is generally attributed to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Piaget Jean Piaget], who articulated [[mechanisms]] by which [[knowledge]] is internalized by learners. He suggested that through [[processes]] of ''accommodation'' and '''assimilation''', [[individuals]] construct new [[knowledge]] from their [[experiences]]. When [[individuals]] assimilate, they incorporate the new [[experience]] into an already existing framework without changing that framework. This may occur when individuals' [[experiences]] are aligned with their internal [[representations]] of the world, but may also occur as a failure to [[change]] a faulty [[understanding]]; for example, they may not notice [[events]], may misunderstand input from others, or may [[decide]] that an [[event]] is a fluke and is therefore unimportant as [[information]] about the world. In [[contrast]], when individuals' [[experiences]] [[contradict]] their internal [[representations]], they may change their [[perceptions]] of the experiences to fit their internal representations. According to the [[theory]], accommodation is the [[process]] of reframing one's mental representation of the external world to fit new [[experiences]]. Accommodation can be [[understood]] as the [[mechanism]] by which failure leads to [[learning]]: when we [[act]] on the [[expectation]] that the world operates in one way and it violates our [[expectations]], we often fail, but by accommodating this new [[experience]] and reframing our model of the way the world works, we learn from the experience of failure, or others' failure.

[[Formal]]ization of the [[theory]] of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assimilation_(psychology)#Constructivist_theory constructivism] is generally attributed to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Piaget Jean Piaget], who articulated [[mechanisms]] by which [[knowledge]] is internalized by learners. He suggested that through [[processes]] of ''accommodation'' and '''assimilation''', [[individuals]] construct new [[knowledge]] from their [[experiences]]. When [[individuals]] assimilate, they incorporate the new [[experience]] into an already existing framework without changing that framework. This may occur when individuals' [[experiences]] are aligned with their internal [[representations]] of the world, but may also occur as a failure to [[change]] a faulty [[understanding]]; for example, they may not notice [[events]], may misunderstand input from others, or may [[decide]] that an [[event]] is a fluke and is therefore unimportant as [[information]] about the world. In [[contrast]], when individuals' [[experiences]] [[contradict]] their internal [[representations]], they may change their [[perceptions]] of the experiences to fit their internal representations. According to the [[theory]], accommodation is the [[process]] of reframing one's mental representation of the external world to fit new [[experiences]]. Accommodation can be [[understood]] as the [[mechanism]] by which failure leads to [[learning]]: when we [[act]] on the [[expectation]] that the world operates in one way and it violates our [[expectations]], we often fail, but by accommodating this new [[experience]] and reframing our model of the way the world works, we learn from the experience of failure, or others' failure.

It is important to note that [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assimilation_(psychology)#Constructivist_theory constructivism] is not a particular [[pedagogy]]. In [[fact]], constructivism is a [[theory]] describing how learning happens, regardless of whether learners are using their [[experiences]] to [[understand]] a [[lecture]] or following the instructions for building a model airplane. In both cases, the theory of constructivism suggests that learners construct [[knowledge]] out of their [[experiences]]. However, constructivism is often associated with pedagogic approaches that promote [[active]] learning, or learning by doing.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assimilation_%28psychology%29#Constructivist_learning_intervention]

It is important to note that [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assimilation_(psychology)#Constructivist_theory constructivism] is not a particular [[pedagogy]]. In [[fact]], constructivism is a [[theory]] describing how learning happens, regardless of whether learners are using their [[experiences]] to [[understand]] a [[lecture]] or following the instructions for building a model airplane. In both cases, the theory of constructivism suggests that learners construct [[knowledge]] out of their [[experiences]]. However, constructivism is often associated with pedagogic approaches that promote [[active]] learning, or learning by doing.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assimilation_%28psychology%29#Constructivist_learning_intervention]

[[Category: Sociology]]

[[Category: Sociology]]

[[Category: Psychology]]

[[Category: Psychology]]