C for Constructivism

In ETEC 530, Constructivist Strategies for E-Learning, we studied the constructivist’s principles and the strategies used to best implement these principles in an e-learning environment.  Therefore, the course was designed accordingly to these principles; the Community of Practice (CofP) in Vista was built so students could develop their learning progressively, at their own pace, through collaboration with peers.

Some of the elements found in constructivism are: orientation, elicitation, restructuring of ideas, applications of ideas and review.

• Orientation: reflecting on previous knowledge prior to making decisions and categorizing this new information.
• Elicitation: questioning what is already known.
• Restructuring of ideas: processing the information.
• Applications of ideas: manipulating concepts prior to producing.
• Review: reflecting on the process individually and in group.

At the end of this course, I had to build a concept map (cmap) on Constructivism in which I cumulated the concepts I had learned through my reading in the course and made the proper connections between these concepts.

Chosen Artifacts

The artifacts I chose to discuss are related to my own online teaching environment. The first paper examines an issue in one of my courses where constructivism was not incorporated; it also examines how it should be integrated.  In the final paper, I presented a lesson plan based on constructivist principles that embodied the CIM, POE and CCM models.

Artifact #1: Online Teaching and Constructivism: Reflecting on a High School Online Course

Artifact #2: Writing a Narrative Text: A Constructivist Lesson Plan

Context

These projects were required by the course but at the time I thought they were well-timed since I was also questioning the design of one of the online courses I was teaching.

Reason

I chose these artifacts because they helped me review and improve one of the courses I was teaching.  Indeed, by giving me a better understanding of the principles of constructivism and how these principles were missing in the course’s design, I was later able to make the appropriate changes.

Discussion

When reflecting on a high school course I was teaching, I realized it was not representative of the constructivist approach I would have liked my courses to be designed around.  In fact, it was not challenging students at all in a collaborative learning environment, which I found extremely disappointing. The constructivism approach, where my students would be totally responsible for their learning growth while collaborating with peers, I knew was the approach that would allow them to acquire the skills they will need to face this 21^stcentury.  I was quick to realize that some changes needed to be done in the way the course was designed and organized.

Further, the constructivist environment should promote the students’ expansion of critical thinking skills by allowing them to confront others’ thoughts in a CofP when working hands-on on Problem-Based Learning (PBL) projects, where situated learning is happening (Lave & Wenger, 1991).  The multiple perspectives arising in such an authentic learning situation will  allow students to be active learners (think-ON action and think-IN action).

Reflection

The major problem I faced while analysing the situation was that once a course is designed a certain way, it is challenging to try to change it.  Actually, moving a single element of an already built online course may have an impact on what follows.  Moreover, the integration of new educational technologies that will enhance learning and the development of students’ multiple skills may also be useful to make differentiations between students.

The diversity of students’ learning styles that are represented in the schools may have been challenging to address in the past.  Using the constructivist strategies to enhance students’ learning may resolve some of these challenges.  Therefore, it may help students to advance according to their learning styles and abilities by allowing them to take charge their own learning progress.  Later, focusing on the process instead of on the product may result in a different way for students to envision how their learning process should occur.

Clearly, students have to become independent thinkers. This may happen if they can make connections between new concepts and authentic real life situations, in which case they can build new knowledge on previous one. In counterpart, teachers’ role is to facilitate students learning beyond their capacities (see Appendix D in the Artifact #2 called Set Criteria Rubric on Constructivist Elements in a Lesson Plan).

In sum, the development of these artifacts has provided me with the knowledge I needed to feel comfortable with the idea of progressively changing/transforming some parts of my courses to include constructivist principles.

References

Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation. Cambridge England, New York: Cambridge University Press.