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Plain_Gillian - Reflections on Learning: How Connectivism and Constructivism Differ
More ideas on how connectivism & constructivism differ, looking at the role of personal perception in constructivism versus the role of the network in providing dynamic feedback in connectivism
Learning in Tandem: Instructional design is dead
One instructional designer's reflections on the problems in the field, including an over-reliance on systematic processes and an under-reliance on actual research
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Basically, ID as it is currently taught is just following the process, step by step. It's not rocket science. What IS rocket science (or at least a lot harder) is to figure out how to apply process with the endless number of variables that affect any learning need. This is where ID falls short. Instructional designers in too many instances are so tied to the models and the process that the variables and subtleties of good design are sacrificed.
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Call it education or instructional design...its all learning. So where do ID's fall short? To a certain extent, its following the "process" too closely. People are complex, learning is complex, motivation is complex--and no process is going to address all of these complexities. Good IDs know this and aren't afraid to go "off the reservation" when they need to. Most IDs don't.
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Main Articles: 'New Schemas for Mapping Pedagogies and Technologies', Ariadne Issue 56
Schemas for categorizing the use of pedagogies, learning theories, and technologies. For example, Table 1 maps learning theories (behaviorism, cognitive constructivism, social constructivism, and situated learning) against types of technologies. Online communication tools offer more potential for social constructivist interaction and joint construction of knowledge.
This article also suggests a way to map tool use along three dimensions:
* Individual - Social
* Information - Experience
* Passive - Active
This isn't a simple framework where a single tool always is used the same way. Blogs can be more social or more based on individual reflection, and could be at different places in that framework depending on the actual learning activities.
Connectivism_Week1
Table comparing 4 learning theories: behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, connectivism. Includes a summary of what's different about connectivism.
What is the unique idea in Connectivism?
George Siemens on how connectivism differs from constructivism and other learning theories, starting from the point that "a new idea is often an old idea in today's context."
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Connectivism is the application of network principles to define both knowledge and the process of learning. Knowledge is defined as a particular pattern of relationships and learning is defined as the creation of new connections and patterns as well as the ability to maneuver around existing networks/patterns.
Designing for Diversity Within Online Learning Environments
The author argues that constructivist learning environments where multiple perspectives are respected and there is no single "right "answer" are better for encouraging diversity. The ideas for instructional design for diversity are more theory-based than practice-based, but this has some interesting concepts.
"The major advantage of this learning model is that one of its key design goals is to encourage students to bring multiple perspectives to questions/cases/problems/issues and projects as part of their learning. This approach to learning views diversity as a strength to be exploited rather than a problem to be solved."
Social Networking: Learning Theory in Action
Exploring how social networking applications could be used to create a more social constructivist learning environment to support collaboration, creativity, and networking. (The author calls it "social learning theory" and contrasts it with "objectivist" learning, but never uses the phrase "social constructivism." Still, it seems like that's what she's describing.)
Top News - Tech encourages students' social skills
Using technology with kindergarteners and first graders to support social constructivist learning. Registration required to read the whole article.
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Well-integrated technology opens social networks for students and allows children to develop key social skills, according to two recent studies conducted by researchers at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
CARET: The Impact of Media and Technology in Schools
1998 literature review of technology in education, showing benefits of technological tools especially within constructivist learning environments.
Dynamic Learning Communities: An Alternative to Designed Instructional Systems
Contrasts the idea of open, dynamic learning communities with closed courses developed through traditional instructional systems design processes. Examines the pros and cons of DLCs and when they would be most effective. Also looks at how the role of instructional designers is changing, and proposes different ways we might define our role.
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Heretofore, instructional designers have thought they were in the business
of designing instructional systems to meet prespecified learning
objectives. But first the constructivist movement--and now communication
technologies themselves--seem to be thre atening this conception as the
sole way to support learning. People are learning without help from
designed instruction! In many settings, in fact, "natural" learning is
more prevalent than "designed" learning (Resnick, 1987).
We believe that
the situation requires a reexaminination of our core roles. Are we in
the business of designing instruction or are we in the business of
supporting valuable learning, wherever it may happen? The answer to this
question will result in either a narrow or broad interpretation of our
role and its relationship to non-instructional forms of learning. -
Our own belief is that dynamic learning communities are proper objects of
study. We should seek to understand how such communities function, how
they grow, how they can be nurtured, and how they can be replicated across
diverse settings. But nurturing is different than designing. We must
respect the integrity of the community. In time, we may come to think of
ourselves more as learning technologists than as instructional
technologists, and learning support specialists more than
instructional designers.
A Review of What Instructional Designers Do: <br>Questions Answered and Questions Not Asked
Research comparing ID models with what instructional designers actually do for their jobs. The authors conclude that ID isn't so much about following a rigid process, but about solving complex problems and making nuanced decisions.
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Results showed that, while instructional designers apparently do make use of process-based ID models, they do not spend the majority of their time working with them nor do they follow them in a rigid fashion. They also engage in a wide variety of other tasks that are not reflected in ID models.
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Rowland (1992) reported his results to be congruent with the research on expertise and indicated that expert instructional designers clearly employ a definable problem solving and decision-making process. He suggested that ID tools, unlike procedural design models, should foster a deep understanding of the system of concern and should include such characteristics as flexibility of structures and processes, a workspace for construction of problem representation, and mechanisms for making multiple links between problems and solutions. Rowland suggested that, rather than to be taught procedures or even problem-solving heuristics, novices need to develop experience in the design process and that a case-based method of teaching, providing involvement with real or realistic situations, might be the most appropriate way for new instructional designers to learn the design process.
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Half an Hour: Free Learning and Control Learning: On the So-Called Failure of Constructivist, Discovery, Problem-Based, Experiential, and Inquiry-Based Teaching
Text from Downes' presentation critiquing the Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark article. Downes goes through a number of Kirschner et al's arguments, showing the internal inconsistency, lapses of logic, and lack of evidence. Citations included.
Scaffolding and Achievement in Problem-Based and Inquiry Learning
A response to the Kirschner, Sweller, & Clark article, specifically focused on demonstrating that problem based learning and inquiry learning are highly scaffolded, not "minimally guided." Research is cited showing the effectiveness of PBL.
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Paper cited by Stephen Downes in his critique of the KS&C article against constructivism. The authors argue that project-based learning and inquiry learning are not "minimally guided instruction" as argued by KS&C, but actually use a lot of scaffolding as "just-in-time" direct instruction.
- christyinsdesign on 2007-11-13
D-Ed Reckoning: Downes responds
Stephen Downes responds to a long review of his presentation criticizing Kirschner et al. This addresses some of the inaccuracies in the review and delves deeper into what a networked theory of learning really means.
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Kirshner argues, very clearly, that non-instructivist methods result in no better learning than direct instruction, and sometimes in *less* learning, because of the 'cognitive overhead' required in self-directed methodologies.
Kirshner's argument on this point is not based on experimental data, but rather, on his theory of cognition. Specifically, he argues that short-term memory has a limited capacity, and that if some of this capacity is not available for new facts (because it is taken up 'selecting scientific principles') then the transfer of information to the student is reduced.
I respond to this argument by showing how Kirshner's theory is false. We do not 'retrieve theories' into short term memory and then 'select' from them. That is not how thinking works; that is not ow scientific thinking works. And therefore, Kirshner's argument, on these grounds, against student-directed learning, fails. -
The best mechanism for demonstrating knowledge is not likely the production of a certain set of facts on demand. Expertise in a discipline on the part of a student is something that is typically *recognized*, not measured, by people who are already experts in the field.
D-Ed Reckoning: Downes on Kirschner
Lengthy response to Downes' presentation summarizing criticisms of the Kirschner et al paper on "minimally guided instruction." There's some inaccuracies in this response, which Downes addresses in his comment. The author doesn't see that instructivist and constructivist teaching methods really differ from each other.
Free Learning and Control Learning: On the So-Called Failure of Constructivist, Discovery, Problem-Based, Experiential, and Inquiry-Based Teaching » SlideShare
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Stephen Downes presentation refuting the Kirschner, Sweller, & Clark article criticizing constructivism. Includes an introduction to connectivism. One of the fundamental flaws in the KS&C article is that it assumes that all inquiry and problem-based learning methods are "minimally guided," but these methods always include scaffolding. KS&C call scaffolding "direct instruction" and don't include that as part of constructivism.
- christyinsdesign on 2007-11-13
Half an Hour: Kirschner, Sweller, Clark (2006) - Summary
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Stephen Downes' deconstruction of a paper critical of constructivism. Further analysis of the paper will come later, but this has a few editorial comments in addition to a summary of the article's points.
- christyinsdesign on 2007-11-12
Half an Hour: Kirschner, Sweller, Clark (2006) - Readings
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Stephen Downes' extensive review of research and resources related to the Kirschner, Sweller, & Clark article criticizing constructivism and other "minimally guided instruction" techniques.
- christyinsdesign on 2007-11-12
Constructivism & ID
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The article is 10 years old, but it has some interesting perspectives on the interplay of constructivism and instructional design theory. Discusses the nature of knowledge and expertise, cooperative learning, assessment, and instructional strategies.
- christyinsdesign on 2007-10-21
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The expert/novice literature within cognitive psychology reaches
similar conclusions about the nature of expertise. Researchers
have found that expertise is
--largely intuitive and inaccessible to direct reflection (e.g.,
Bloom, 1986)
--more pattern-matching than rule-following (Suchman, 1987, Bereiter,
1991)
--more qualitative than quantitative (White & Frederiksen,
1986)
--highly context- and domain-dependent (Brandt, 1988-89).
Such a view of expertise seems also to fit the field of ID. -
The role I am advocating for analysis is fairly modest. Analysis
provides an overall framework for instruction, and provides extra
help on some tricky parts, such as identifying likely misconceptions
or previous knowledge that may undercut students' efforts to understand
the content. The role of the designer is then to design a series
of experiences-interactions or environments or products-intended
to help students learn effectively. Neither the instruction nor
the assessment of learning can be as confidently dictated as thought
to be possible in the past. But the important point to keep in
mind is that the design role is not lost in such a revised system;
the design still happens, only it's less analytical, more holistic,
more reliant on the cooperation of teachers and materials and
learners to generously fill in the gaps left gaping by the limitations
of our analytical tools. Instruction thus construed becomes much
more integrally connected to the context and the surrounding culture.
ID thus becomes more truly systemic in the the sense that
it is highly sensitive to the conditions of use.
Course Management Systems and Pedagogy
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Analysis of how CMSs like Blackboard limit pedagogy and discourage constructivism. One point is that the default organization is often by content areas rather than time, forcing an artificial structure on a syllabus that usually is divided by weeks within a semester.
- christyinsdesign on 2007-10-08
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