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Constructivist Learning Environments (CLE) |
| Description |
Modern constructivist learning environments are technology-based in which learners are engaged in meaningful interactions. Emphasis is on learners who interpret and construct meaning based on their own experiences and interactions. Therefore, if educators are to adopt a constructivist approach, they are now challenged to adapt and change instructional design strategies to actively engage learners in meaningful projects and activities that promote exploration, experimentation, construction, collaboration, and reflection of what these learners are studying.
The concept of constructivism emphasizes the student as being the
“active learner”, playing a central role in mediating and controlling learning
(Jonassen, 1999). Emphasis needs to be on student-centered
learning that promotes ownership of the learning experience. Greening
(1998) suggests, “where ownership occurs, active learning and regard for
students’ prior constructions follow quite naturally” (p. 25). The
Internet, World Wide Web, and hypermedia application programs, all hypertext
based environments, are very quickly transforming how information is stored
and retrieved and how learners collectively communicate, access, contribute,
and create information and resources. Forsyth (1993) indicates that
the growing demand and use of cognitive tools in education is “placing
students and technology, rather than instructors and curriculum at the
center of educational practice”, and that “learners will increasingly demand
that the technology relate to their real world needs” (p.24).
| Design |
Constructivist learning environments support project-based curriculum
as an alternative to traditional teaching practices. There is a need
for those educators involved with the design and implementation of hypertext
learning programs and applications to be philosophically aware and appropriately
trained in their effective use. Spiro, Feltovich, Jacobson, and Coulson
(1991) state that too much of the development of hypertext learning applications
is driven by intuition and the technology itself, and that there is a need
for theory to drive the application. Technology-based projects are showing
that theory can effectively guide educational practice, but educational
theory must be clear in the design of the environment.
| Real world problems |
Jonassen (1998) believes that learners should be presented with interesting,
relevant, and meaningful problems to solve. These real world problems
should not be overly defined, but rather ill-structured, in order to allow
students to seek out a solution to the problem. There is no single
right answer or single solution for a problem using this approach.
Constructivist learning environments must be designed to engage the learner
in complex thinking exercises that require reasoning and investigation
of the problem to be undertaken. Student must construct their own
ideas to make sense out of the situation. Suchman (1987) refers to
this as knowledge being constructed and understood by the learner.
Effective searching on the Internet is a practical way to access resources
and build on prior learnings. Greening (1998) suggests, “there should
be purpose behind the initial activity such that experiences are given
value” (p.31).
| Presenting the task |
Presenting the task or activity to the student in a meaningful context
is an important design consideration. The initial presentation of
the problem must be appealing, interesting, and engaging for the learner
to “buy into” the problem. When presenting complex problems, several
tools may seem useful to aid the learner to see the problem in a different
light. This allows the learner to see the complex relationships that
exists with the problem. Interactive multimedia, simulations, demonstrations
and hypermedia programs can assist and help the student to better understand
the problem in its complexity. Learners can manipulate, investigate,
and make connections to better understand the topic being studied.
Cognitive tools can be used to offer a different point of view of a problem,
and educators must be aware of their effective usage to avoid simplifying
the problem.
| The environment |
Learning environments require manipulation space that provides learners
a sufficient area to research, experiment, and pose hypotheses with the
problem (Jonassen, 1999). Active engagement with the problem
gives ownership of the problem to the learner. Some complex
problems require related cases to be made available for the learner to
have access to so that students can make comparisons with the current problem.
The Internet, for example, provides quick immediate access to a multitude
of resources. Jonassen refers to this as gaining multiple perspectives
that allow learners different approaches to the problem, especially if
the learner has inadequate prior knowledge. Simple concepts presented
in this manner allow the learner to construct their own understanding and
build on their limited knowledge of the presented problem. Educators
and designers must incorporate the concept of “manipulation space” when
considering instructional technology activities.
| Resources |
When designing learning environments, educators must also know what resources and information the learner will require in their endeavor to solve the problem they are studying. Jonassen (1999) refers to “information banks” that includes resources like text documents, computers, World Wide Web access, hypermedia applications, animation, sound devices, and other technological devices that are accessible to the learner to solve the problem or project. Instructional design of these resources must be organized in a meaningful way that supports the learner and offers them the advantages of these networked environments. The World Wide Web and hypermedia are fast becoming powerful tools and resources for information storage and retrieving. Hypermedia, for example, offers learners flexibility in their pursuit of information. “Constructivist learning environments provide learner selectable information when it is needed to support meaningful activity by the learner” (Jonassen. 1999, p.199). Strommen and Lincoln (1992), indicate that computer technology supports cognitive processes due to its immediacy in obtaining information.
The enormity and complexity of the World Wide Web offers the learner
a useful interface to resources and information, but it must be molded
to fit the requirements to be effective in a constructivist learning environment.
Winograd and Flores (1986) suggest that the goal is to support the constructivist
activities of the learner so that an effort at building understanding using
cognitive tools becomes transparent or ready at hand. Further to
this point, Greening (1998) indicates that computer based tools need to
be used appropriately by learners for the desired learning outcomes; otherwise
they may not be used for their intended purpose.
| Collaboration |
Design of constructivist learning environments is important in enabling
the effective use of collaboration. Learners share information to
collaboratively construct socially shared knowledge (Jonassen, 1999).
Applications such as computer conferencing, chat lines, newsgroups, and
bulletin boards promote conversation and collaboration and assist meaningful
learning. The use of these tools helps facilitate discussion and
sharing of ideas amongst learners when they are addressing the same goals.
“Successful student to student communication in the constructivist sense
results in peers being identified as resources rather than competitors"
(Strommen and Lincoln, 1992).
| So, how will we know if students are engaging in meaningful learning? |
David Jonassen suggests that any technology must allow students to be engaged in meaningful learning. He refers to the qualities that must be used as guidelines when designing CLE's. The following diagram identifies these qualities and how they are interconnected.
For a more detailed description of what these qualities mean, click
here, and view the Design
of Constructivist Learning Environments.
| Related links: |
Back to Hypertext Learning Environment
Back
to Constructivist Learning in a Hypertext Environment |