Assessment of Constructivist Elements

Station
1

Station
2

Station
3

Station
4

Station
5

a. Learning activities examine the learners own prior conceptions and relate
them to the new knowledge

b. The environment focuses on a problem, project, question, or issue, with

various interpretative and intellectual support systems surrounding it.

c. Learners have access to resources for problem solving, such and

information banks and discussion forums.
d. Learners are able to affect the environment in some way by manipulating
something, such as constructing a product, manipulating parameters,
making decisions
e. Hypermedia and multimedia is used primarily as a medium for the learner
to construct knowledge, rather than as a medium to deliver instruction.

a. The learning process involves planning the goals, topics and relationship
among topics.

b. Learners access, transform, and translate information into knowledge

through developing new interpretations and perspectives.

c. Learners evaluate the quality and quantity of the assembled content.

d. It is the process of constructing a perspective or understanding that is

essential to learning; no meaningful construction (nor authentic activity) is
possible if all relevant information is prespecified.

1. Construction of knowledge

2. Process, not product

Created by Maggie Beers, adapted by Karen Belfer

Page 1 of 5

Station
1

Station
2

Station
3

Station
4

Station
5

a. Forums for social negotiation and mediation provide learners

opportunities to exchange perspectives and reconcile dissonant views.

b. Learners are provided with opportunities for collaboration.

c. Learners are able to reconstruct events by configuring a range of

perspectives and points of view on a subjective reality.

d. Related cases represent the real life complexity of problems.

a. Constructivist learning environments support question/issuebased, casebased, project-based, or problem-based learning.

b. Problems are interesting, relevant and engaging.

c. All the contextual factors that surround a problem are described.

d. The representation of the problem is interesting, appealing, and engaging.

e. The problem manipulation space provides a physical simulation of the

real-world task.

3. Multiple perspectives

4. Situated cognition

5. Reflexive cognition

Created by Maggie Beers, adapted by Karen Belfer

Page 2 of 5

Station
1

Station
2

Station
3

Station
4

Station
5

b. Instructors and learners examine personal beliefs, conceptions, and

personal theories about the subject matter, teaching, and learning.

c. Learners are asked to articulate their inquiry based problem solving

process.

d. Learners are encouraged to think-ON action, and think-IN action to

develop professionalism.

a. Students, instructors, and personnel who support the learning receive

appropriate training.

b. Behavioural modeling of the overt performance and cognitive modeling of

the covert cognitive processes assist learners in completing the tasks.

c. Coaching allows the learner to improve personal performance to reach a

skilled level in task completion.

d. Scaffolding provides temporary frameworks to support learning and

student performance beyond their capacities.

a. Students should be encouraged to become self-regulatory, self mediated,

and self-aware.

6. Cognitive apprenticeship

7. Process-based evaluation
a. Assessment tests the learning outcomes. Assessment of skills involves

Created by Maggie Beers, adapted by Karen Belfer

Page 3 of 5

Station
1

Station
2

Station
3

Station
4

Station
5

b. Self-regulated learners assume responsibility for setting their own goals,

determining their own strategies and monitoring their own learning.

c. Cognitive tools allow students to move beyond language to represent

what they know in ways that are more highly structured and visual.

d. Multiple perspectives are included in the evaluation process.

using the skills, not describing them verbally.

Comments
Station 1

Station 2

There were interesting topics and strategies to learn at this station. In spite of the similarities in many concepts, I have learned that
cooperation and collaboration is essential in learning as a strategic approach by constructivism. My role was to excel in the caseproblem learning, having a conference with my peers and discussing the topic to compare with other concepts my colleagues
worked on. Having a conference was a motivating and engaging experience, because it encouraged me to study more. It was one
of the tools that constructivism enhances learners to use. Using technology for a cooperative and collaborative project is essential.
The CBR is based on four approaches: retrieve similar problems, reuse proposed solutions, revise the interventions, and retain the
outcome experiences (Althoff & Aamodt , 1996). I also learned that prior experience is essential for the learner to get engaged in
this type of strategies, besides; authenticity is required so the whole experience would be motivating. In addition, in constructivism
and in case-learning strategy, it is essential to focus on the process more than the end product because we learn from our
experience of learning.
I have learned that technology is the hub of the constructivism because it uses all the contemporary innovations to facilitate
learning. CMC has expanded the resources needed by the learners [and Facilitators] to enrich their knowledge and make the
information closer than ever. CMC is the umbrella of many technologies each has a different power and different categories. The
learner may use whatever fits his/her needs to approach the information and for communication. It needs as Xin and Feenberg
(2007) mentioned, an intellectual engagement, communication and common ground, dialogue and Motivation, and group dynamics
and leadership.

Created by Maggie Beers, adapted by Karen Belfer

Page 4 of 5

Station 3

Webquests and other forum related media have developed the cooperation and collaborations between learners in more effective
ways. Webquests eliminates the need of being in one place or at one time to share the ideas or the knowledge. It is an inquiryoriented lesson format that uses the group to construct knowledge more than gathering the information from the web. Webquest
needs a structured environment such as tasks, time limit, feedback, motivation and engagment.

Station 4

Situated learning is the best effective authentic learning environment that the facilitator could offer learners under well structured
strategies. Situated learning is well reflected in this course as many of the learners having the same culture such as being teachers
and being working within the same authentic learning environment. I have learned that situated learning is a core that encircle other
constructivist tools such as technologies mediated tools and other cognitive challenges concepts like problem and case based
learning. All these techniques are complementary to each others and serve the outcome of the product, which is, learning how to
construct knowledge.
Metacognition is learning about the learning process. I honestly feel I have been challenged about metacognition because it seems
like a puzzle to me. It is difficult to explicitly recognize what has been learned as a learner. However, as an instructor, it seems
easier to see the whole picture of the learning process by evaluating the steps made in structuring the learning environment, in
evaluating the success of the learning situation, and conducting the feedback to the learners. This feedback exercise may act as an
excample of those strategies.

Station 5

Created by Maggie Beers, adapted by Karen Belfer

Page 5 of 5