532: How People Learn 3: Learning Theory Mash Up Revised

Learning Theory Mash-up

Cognitivism	Constructivism
Cognitivism is based on the mental processes of how people think, perceive, remember, learn, problem solve, and direct attention to a stimulus.  This is essentially how an individual integrates new knowledge into their existing schemas, or background knowledge.	Constructivism is how individuals generate knowledge and meaning from an interaction between their experiences and ideas.  They make accommodations by learning from failure and incorporate new experiences into already existing schemas.
Connectivism (Mash in some Connectivism as well, per the recommendation of Matt Hard) Students will build knowledge through networking and pattern recognition. The learning emphasizes the role of social and cultural context.   Learning can come from connecting specialized sets of information.  It can come from something outside of the knowledge base of the learner.  Learners game make connections through connecting to a game or simulation.
Motivation For Learning
The learner has to give the attention to the teacher.  The learner must be interested in what the teacher is presenting and the learner must put forth effort in paying attention.	The motivation is strongly dependent on the learner’s confidence in his or her’s potential for learning.  The learner’s feeling of competence and belief in his or her’s potential to solve new problems are acquired from previous experience of mastery of problems in the past.
The learner is motivated through the choice of his/her own decision-making.  The learner chooses what to learn and is held responsible for currency of information.  Learner choice is often given in quest-based learning.
Role of the Learner
The learner is an active participant in his or her’s own learning process.  The learner engages in mental planning, goal setting, and organizational strategies.	The learner has an active role in his or her own learning.  The learner is responsible for constructing his or her own understanding of the content.
Decision-making is itself is a learning process.  Learners may choose what to learn and information is ever changing. What is true today may not be true tomorrow.  The learner practices and reflects.  Learners can work together or against each other in games such as MMORPGs.
Role of the Teacher
The teacher acts as a facilitator and a designer.  The teacher facilitates by organizing the information in an optimal way and designs by using advanced techniques to help learners acquire new information.	The teacher acts as a facilitator.  The facilitator asks instead of tells, supports from the back, provides guidelines, has continuous dialogue with the learner, and creates an environment for the learn to arrive at his or her own conclusions.
The teacher models and demonstrates.  The teacher can model and demonstrate how to play a game and then allow the learner to build a network of connections.
Learning Environment
The instruction and environment should foster ways to learn to organize new information into existing knowledge in memory, be based on learners’ existing schema, and use strategies such as framing, mnemonics, analogies, concept mapping, and advanced organizers.	The instruction and environment should challenge students with tasks that refer to skills and knowledge just beyond their current level of mastery.  Instructional approaches may include reciprocal teaching, a jigsaw classroom, or structured controversies.
Connectivism is considered the digital age’s learning theory.  With technology’s effect on people, how they learn, and how they communicate, the information is always changing.  Staying current with up to date knowledge is critical to connectivism.  This is part of the learning process.  The learning can take place outside of the traditional classroom or home.  There should be communication and collaboration between the learner and online databases, other learners, or experts.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitivism_(psychology)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connectivism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructivism_(philosophy_of_education)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_theory_(education)

I believe that there has to be a balance of Cognitivism and Constructivism.  I think, especially in the primary grades, there has to be a greater amount of time spent on front loading students and building that background knowledge.  

What sort of balance do you think there should be?

What kind of activities can you think of to boost student confidence and build motivation?

What kind of resources can we use to help our students make connections outside of their own knowledge bases?  Can we give them the tools to make those connections and construct their own knowledge?