Constructivism:
In Constructivist theory, knowledge is created by the learner from their own experience. It is not only individual--learners can create meaning together through interaction. (Ertmer, 1993) Since meaning is an interpretation of experience, the meaning that is created won’t be the same for every learner (Vrasidas, 2000). Teachers act as facilitators who engage students in authentic tasks within meaningful contexts. As the teachers facilitate, learners build their own understanding, then validate through social interaction with others (Ertmer, 1993).
My thoughts:
Constructivism is essential to distance education because it gives us the lens of an active learner instead of a passive learner, and it can support the social presence and cognitive presence from Garrison's Community of Inquiry. Traditional face-to-face courses involve a lot of passive learning: attending a lecture in a large auditorium and taking notes. A distance learner can’t just show up for class—they often need to open the module and decide for themselves how and when they will complete the lessons. In Language Matters Academy, we implemented video discussion boards so learners can engage with each other to validate their understanding of how to apply the rules of cueing to real-life words and phrases in English.
References:
Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (2013). Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism: Comparing Critical Features From an Instructional Design Perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 26(2), 43-71. https://doi.org/10.1002/piq.21143
Vrasidas, C. (2000). Constructivism versus objectivism: Implications for interaction, course design, and evaluation in distance education. International Journal of Educational Telecommunications, 6(4), 339-362.
In Constructivist theory, knowledge is created by the learner from their own experience. It is not only individual--learners can create meaning together through interaction. (Ertmer, 1993) Since meaning is an interpretation of experience, the meaning that is created won’t be the same for every learner (Vrasidas, 2000). Teachers act as facilitators who engage students in authentic tasks within meaningful contexts. As the teachers facilitate, learners build their own understanding, then validate through social interaction with others (Ertmer, 1993).
My thoughts:
Constructivism is essential to distance education because it gives us the lens of an active learner instead of a passive learner, and it can support the social presence and cognitive presence from Garrison's Community of Inquiry. Traditional face-to-face courses involve a lot of passive learning: attending a lecture in a large auditorium and taking notes. A distance learner can’t just show up for class—they often need to open the module and decide for themselves how and when they will complete the lessons. In Language Matters Academy, we implemented video discussion boards so learners can engage with each other to validate their understanding of how to apply the rules of cueing to real-life words and phrases in English.
References:
Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (2013). Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism: Comparing Critical Features From an Instructional Design Perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 26(2), 43-71. https://doi.org/10.1002/piq.21143
Vrasidas, C. (2000). Constructivism versus objectivism: Implications for interaction, course design, and evaluation in distance education. International Journal of Educational Telecommunications, 6(4), 339-362.
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