constructionism

Constructionism is an educational theory holding that people learn best by actively making things—building models, writing programs, creating artifacts—rather than passively absorbing information.

Associated with mathematician Seymour Papert, it emphasizes hands-on projects as vehicles for understanding: The robotics class follows a constructionism approach.

Not to be confused with constructivism, the broader theory that learners construct knowledge through experience, or social constructionism, which examines how social phenomena are created through shared understanding.