Learning In Todays Classroom: A Constructivists View

By: Brian Wetzel

Abstract This paper intends to identify the relationship that exists between uses of educational technology and the theory of constructivist learning. It begins by examining the constructivist point of view and the belief behind it. Through the use of various examples, this paper shows the effect of constructive principles on educational technology and the effect of educational technology on constructive learning environments.

Todays classroom is full of students who want to learn. They go from classroom to classroom, teacher to teacher full of questions they want to ask. Maybe they saw something after school on the previous day; or perhaps they came across something that interested them on a normal trip to the mall during the weekend. Todays students usually come to school remembering something that they saw and they want to know more about it. Most days we experience something new and children are no different. Children are naturally more inquisitive about things and look to their teachers for answers. In this digital age, children are using technology in a variety of ways, and many of their experiences happen through various forms of technology. By using technology in the classroom, teachers are appealing to the experiences of their students and creating a learning environment that intrigues and excites their students. The Constructivist View How does one learn? This question has been asked many times, by many people. Countless people have also attempted to answer this question in several different ways. Several people would say that we learn by using our senses: touch, taste, sight, feel, and smell. However, a constructivist would say it goes much deeper than that. Jonassen (1999) says that knowledge is individually constructed, and socially co-constructed by learners based on their interpretations of experiences in the world. He continues by saying that knowledge is not transmitted from teacher to student and that when teachers create their instruction, they should provide the student with experiences that they can interpret and from which they can create knowledge. This means that even though students may be able to listen to a lecture or read from a text book, learning a new task or skill comes much easier if the student experiences the new concept in some way. Even more progress can be made by creating tasks that appeal to the

interests and the comfortable experiences of the students. Constructivists also say that true learning does not take place when a student can only simply repeat a process solely to please a teacher; knowledge is only gained when one can take what they have learned and apply it to a new situation without being prompted to do so (Jonassen et al., 1995). Because people build their own understanding of the various concepts they learn, one is forced to decide why they are learning the task in front of them. Is it to satisfy a professor, or is it because it is of special interest to the learner? This question can only be answered by the learner. Savery and Duffy (1996) appropriately say that ideally the instructional goals of the teacher align with the instructional goals of the student. Therefore, the student will take interest in the task at hand and wish to fully understand how the process works. However, this is environment is tough to achieve since many students only want to understand concepts enough to perform on a future test. They also say that in order to properly motivate the student to learn the required concept, the student must take ownership of the involved processes. This can be established in several ways, but the most common way is by simply asking the students for their input on the types of problems that interest them. This also establishes a sense of comfort for the learner increasing their engagement. The constructivist point of view has influenced teachers throughout the history of education. Creating learning activities that create meaningful learning has been a practice of most if not all teachers. Understanding that students in the twenty-first century are being raised in a digital age, teachers have utilized technology to create real-world problems and situations to develop these experiences for their students. With the advent of mobile technology, most students have access to the internet at the palm of their hand. Each day they possess the capability to create a new experience with their technology and usually desire to understand it

better. Sometimes the technology alone can create a learning environment that interests the student immediately. Having students create their learning through technology can be the one factor that sparks enough interest within the student for them to take ownership of their work. Establishing the Learning Environment Establishing a proper learning environment is crucial for teachers and students. Many times students let questions slip away because they are intimidated or afraid of teacher or class reactions. Developers of the TXT-2-LRN system incorporated a texting feature into a learning environment where students could privately ask questions by texting the professor. This puts the student back into their zone of comfort and provided them with the understanding they were seeking. It also allows the lecturer to seamlessly answer the question as if it were a part of their original plans. Students reported a much friendlier, more interesting classroom environment. Students also reported that classroom interactions were better when this type of environment was used. Through the use of this system, students relied on their familiar experiences to construct their meaning of a new concept. Even though the learning goals were most likely not learning to text on a cell phone, a learning environment was established that coincided with the students everyday habits (Scornavacca, Huff & Marshall, 2009). As Sharples (2002) points out, mobile devices, although they can be a nuisance and disrupt the flow of an entire class, can establish an environment of conversational learning. He reiterates the point that learning is easier when student(s) take control of the learning activity. He uses the example of two students working together to accomplish a common goal. While each of them is constructing their own meaning of the required task, learning is more likely to take place if they can converse with each other. They share an understanding of the learning

goals if they can each explain the points they know and the other can understand that explanation. Technology can play a key role in this because it can provide that means of conversation, whether it be through a phone conversation, email, chat room, text message, or other various mediums. Using Everyday Experiences in the Mathematics Classroom The role of technology can change across the curriculum. Take for example the writings of Carraher and Schliemann (2000) on the concept of everyday cognition. When it comes to learning mathematics, it is much better to establish an everyday understanding of various mathematical concepts rather than memorizing a step-by-step procedure. This has led to the various methods and shortcuts that are necessary to perform various mathematical computations. They later point out that many believe the best use of technology is to create a realistic situation to promote understanding of that concept in the real world. As a mathematics teacher, I have come across the desire of realism with my students. Every math teacher in the world has been asked the question, When are we going to use this in real life? Students greatly desire the real aspect of problem solving over the meaningfulness of the problem at hand. The ability to connect the dots between the problems they are solving and their everyday life can become the driving force behind their success or failure. If a student relates the concept to something they have previously experienced, then the student is more likely to excel with that particular concept. Making these connections, however, has been one of the difficulties for math teachers. Benefits of Using Technology

Utilizing educational technology resources in the classroom can also affect the everyday experiences of students outside the classroom as well. Russell and his colleagues (2004) point this out in their studies of upper elementary students using laptops in the classroom. They supplied a group of students with laptops to use during the school day on an everyday arrangement and supplied several other groups with a rotating supply of laptops that would be shared throughout the year. They found that the students who used the laptops everyday used the technology more often and for longer periods of time outside of the classroom. This does not seem unusual but what they also found was that these students were using the computers for more engaging and interactive activities. Even though student achievement was not measured during their study, it was determined that further research was necessary because of the stark contrast between classroom environments of constant laptop access and rotated laptop access. Teachers did report a more level playing field between special education students and nonspecial education students. This leads to the assumption of increased achievement among this particular group of students. While at home, students reported using their computer for educational purposes as much, and sometimes more, as for gaming or other non-educational purposes. These trends promote a constructivists beliefs because not only are students more comfortable using the computers for learning during school, they tend to use the home computer for learning because the idea of the computer as a learning device is promoted at school each day. Silvernail and Lanes (2004) study of Maines one to one laptop initiative also shows traces of constructivist principles. While individually working on networked laptops in a one to one ratio, students were researching J.R.R Tolkien. While each of them had a common learning target, they worked individually on the aspects of Tolkien that intrigued them the most. They

created their own understanding of the biographical data. With the networked laptops, they were able to quickly and easily share their understanding of Tolkiens life with the other students in the classroom. Other examples of constructivist ideals can be perceived in the use of drill and practice sites that were commonly visited by teachers and students. When accessing these types of sites, it was found that there was an increased ability for a student to develop an understanding at their own pace. There was also increased student interaction and collaboration. Constructivist theories are rooted in students creating and sharing understanding of problems and experiences. With the one to one ratio of students and laptops, this type of activity is met by more enthusiastic students and accomplished by more engaged learners. Constructivism and Distance Learning Many aspects of distance learning are formed from constructivist theories. One of the key focal points of constructivist learning is collaborating with peers on the learning activity. This is also one of the foundations of distance learning. Since most forms of distance learning pull the student away from typical classroom discussions among students, distance learning environments typically call for collaborations among students on discussion boards. Technology, namely the internet and computers, facilitate the authentic tasks and the engagement of learners in meaningful, problem-based thinking (Jonassen et al.,1995). Not only do they support the principles of collaboration to enrich learning, but the technology also creates a means of conversation to support the collaboration itself. Email, chat rooms, and discussion forms, all of which are widely used means of communication in distance learning environments, support the constructivist approach to learning. It is also worth noting, as Tam (2000) does, that distance learning is a self-guided, self-motivated form of learning. Most learners who take part in distance learning activities because something they wish to understand

is not available in their current location. They seek to create that understanding by taking the knowledge they have and combining it with the knowledge of others that are in remote locations. Tam also cites others by saying distance learning completely changes the role for teachers by making them the facilitators of activities that inspire the creation of learning for the students they service. Conclusion In conclusion, constructivism is a theory of learning that is rooted in deep research and observation. According to the constructivist belief, learners understand concepts through creating their own understanding of the learning objectives. Teachers do not necessarily provide the knowledge and pass it on to the student; but instead they provide the activity or the problembased situation that will lead the student to understanding. Constructivists also believe that students learn better not only through realistic experiences, but also through sharing those realistic experiences with others. Collaboration of ideas and understanding is essential to the social philosophies of constructive learning. Technology can enhance each of these aspects of constructive learning. Students are relating to technology more and more as they progress through the twenty-first century. Their various forms of technology can enhance the learning environment by making it more meaningful to their daily lives. It can provide a method of communication from student to student in order to provide that essential element of collaboration. As technology grows, ideally, so will their capabilities to provide a rich, meaningful, and realistic learning task for students to create thorough understanding of their learning goals.

References Carraher, D. W., & Schliemann, A. D. (2000). Lessons from everyday reasoning in mathematics education: Realism versus meaningfulness. Theoretical foundations of learning environments, 172195. Jonassen, D. (1999). Designing constructivist learning environments. Instructional-design theories and models, 2, 215239. Jonassen, D., Davidson, M., Collins, M., Campbell, J., & Haag, B. B. (1995). Constructivism and computer-mediated communication in distance education. American journal of distance education, 9, 77. Russell, M., Bebell, D., & Higgins, J. (2004). Laptop Learning: A comparison of teaching and learning in upper elementary classrooms equipped with shared carts of laptops and permanent 1:1 laptops. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 30(4), 313-330. doi:10.2190/6E7KF57M-6UY6-QAJJ Scornavacca, E., Huff, S., & Marshall, S. (2009). Mobile phones in the classroom: If you cant beat them, join them. Commun. ACM, 52(4), 142-146. doi:10.1145/1498765.1498803 Silvernail, D. L., & Lane, D. M. M. (2004). The impact of Maines one-to-one laptop program on middle school teachers and students. Maine Education Policy Research Institute (MEPRI), University of Southern Maine. Tam, M. (2000). Constructivism, instructional design, and technology: Implications for transforming distance learning. Educational Technology & Society, 3(2), 5060.