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.

(Jonassen, n.d)
For a more detailed description of what these qualities mean, click here, and view the
Design of Constructivist Learning Environments.

Related links:

• Constructivist Learning Environments.

http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/~elmurphy/emurphy/constructivism.html
• Constructivist Learning Design. http://www.prainbow.com/cld/cldp.html
• Constructivism, Technology, and the Future of Classroom Learning.

Fuente: http://www.accesswave.ca/~hgunn/special/papers/hypertxt/cle.html