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Week 1 - Part 3

For part 3 of week 1 assignments, we are to choose from one of the ID articles posted by one of our classmates and write a blog reflecting on what we have learned from the three readings.  I choose the article posted by my classmate Justine Randle, written by Loren Brown, titled "Constructivism Learning Environment and Defining the Online Learning Community."  Brown's main point is that the constructivist theory creates an effective learning environment in online communities as it nurtures and allows students to self-discover, reflect, and evaluate their own learning.  Also because of teachers in online learning environments act more as guides and coaches, the constructivist learning theory is a better fit.

From the article I choose for week 1, titled "A constructivist approach to online college learning. The Internet and Higher Education."  In this article by Rovai (2004), I discovered the term "backward design model."  Wiggins (1998) describes that in the backward design model, the instructor should contemplate what he/she expects the students to remember in 1 or 2 years after the completion of the course.  Wiggins also mentions that the instructor needs to consider what expectations agencies, society, and professional organizations expect from the learner in the future.  Rovai too mentions how the instructor's role will change to that of a tutor, just like Brown mentions in his article.

In the article by Savery and Duffy (2001), the authors discuss the links between the constructivist theory and the instructional design and the practice of teaching.  This article also elaborates on the "eight instructional principles for the design of a constructivist learning environment."  According to the authors, the interaction between learners and the environment is the core concept of constructivism.

All these articles had the same topic in mind, constructivism.   Because I do not have a teaching background, unlike many of my peers in this program, at times I have felt like I was trying to catch up when it come to learning theories. After reading these papers, I feel I have a better understand of the constructivist theory, I can see why these authors see a connection between this theory and online learning.

References

Brown, L. (2014). Constructivist Learning Environments and Defining the Online Learning Community. I-manager’s Journal on School Educational Technology, 9(4), 1-6.

Rovai, A. P. (2004). A constructivist approach to online college learning. The Internet and Higher Education, 7(2), 79-93.

Savery, R. & Duffy, T.  (2001).  Problem-Based Learning: An instructional model and its constructivist framework.  (Research Report No. 16-01).

Available at: http://works.bepress.com/john_savery/4/
Wiggins, G. P. (1998).  Educative assessment:  Designing assessments to inform student performance.  San Francisco:  Jossey-Bass.

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