(IMAESCII516) Article Review 4: 'Constructivism and connectivism in education technology: Active, situated, authentic, experiential, and anchored learning' (2018)
Article Reviewed:
Mattar, J. (2018). El constructivismo
y el conectivismo en tecnología educativa: El aprendizaje activo, situado,
auténtico, experiencial y anclado. RIED. Revista
Iberoamericana de Educación a Distancia, 21(2), 201-217. doi:https://doi.org/10.5944/ried.21.2.20055
One of the key strengths of this paper
is the attempt to provide further details on the definitions of two important
education philosophies – constructivist and connectivist learning theories based
on empirical search and review of existing materials published.
As constructivist learning theories emphasized on the importance of putting the learner at the heart of learning process, the paper listed some constructivist theories that can be applied in online education:
Situated cognition – knowledge and learning are generated where a learner can interact with different social structures that influence their thinking and behaviour to generate meaning;
Active learning – activities are culturally and consciously designed for learners who important stakeholders in the learning process;
Experiential learning – authentic learners’ experience at work constitute an important part of the learning process;
Anchored learning – incorporating ‘big-picture thinking’ to deeply understand and solve deep-seated problems from multiple lenses; and
Authentic learning – incorporating an authentic, relevant and real approach to designing tasks, lessons and assessments
On the other hand, connectivist theories are those that refer to
activities that goes beyond the learner’s personal learning activities. As digital
technologies have taken place, interactions and learning processes also occur
in these various platforms. These include massive open online courses (MOOCs) that
many argue would still need ‘social presence’ by learners and facilitators.
As the paper is drawn from review of existing articles, it did not fully elaborate using more empirical observations on how these theories have impacted teaching and learning. I hoped that it would be more interesting to validate these with actual learning experiences where these theories have been applied and manifested.
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