LDT527: Designing Constructivist Learning Environments
Module 01: Constructivist Perspectives on Learning Theory (Part 1)
Module 1 Overview
The main focus of this course is on the design of learning environments to support learners in constructing meaning or understanding. There is no singular method or model to create constructivist learning environments. Instead, designs are dependent on the goal, task, context, and technologies a designer has available. Effective design depends on an understanding of learning from a learner-centered perspective. By starting with a core set of learning principles that reflect modern views on learning, we can select strategies and goals that are attendant to them. Moving into a more nuanced view of how learners construct understanding during learning can lead to deeper treatments of design theory and instructional design methods to support student-centered learning.
Accordingly, the goals of Module 1 and Module 2 are to expose and/or reorient you to a solid foundation of learning theory so that our design strategies can be grounded in what is known about how people learn. As such, the main text we will be reading from for Module 1 is Chapter 1 and Chapter 3 of a commissioned report by the National Research Council (NRC) called How People Learn (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000). This report summarizes the state of knowledge with regard to what educational research suggests about learning. The overall thrust of the findings points to the need for a learner-centered classroom that is focused on understanding. The report is available free of charge online.
Objectives
At the completion of this module, you will be able to do the following:
- Analyze the foundations and principles of the new science of learning.
- Distinguish between instructivist and constructivist learning principles.
- Reflect on how principles of learning theory may apply to instructional design experiences.
Refer to your Course Schedule and syllabus for assignments and due dates.
Looking Ahead
In the next module, we will be expanding on what we know about learning, focusing more centrally on sociocultural views of learning. To prepare for the readings ahead, you might briefly review Chapter 3, "Learning and Transfer," from How People Learn once again, specifically sections on context, transfer, and cultural practices, and transfer between school and everyday life.
Reference
Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (Eds.). (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. National Academy Press.