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Activity 2.5

Bruner’s Constructivist Theory: Bruner (1966) based his theory on learning by discovery – information should be  organised in a spiral manner that allows the learner to re-arrange and re-assemble content to create new insights.  According to Bruner, discovery and meaningful learning enhances recall and transfer of learning. The main objective is to build upon knowledge the learner already has.  “By creating learning environments that foster the self-development of learners as they explore a situation or problem, teachers can enable learners to arrange, rearrange, and transform evidence so they can gain new insights and experience a sense of achievement in making their own discoveries.  The problem–solving strategies they develop are more transferable, as they have personal meaning and value in terms of the learner’s own purposes and intentions.” Burns, R. 1995, The Adult Learner at Work, Business & Professional Publishing, Sydney.Applying principles of Bruner’s theory: 1.      Instruction must be concerned with the experiences and context that make the learner willing and able to learn (readiness) 2.      Instruction must be structured so that it can be easily grasped by the learner (spiral organisation) 3.      Instruction should be designed to facilitate extrapolation and/or fill in the gaps (going beyond the information given) The Current Debate:There is a great deal of current debate in education fields that can be summarized into distinct views:1)      Directed InstructionPrimarily the behaviourist and cognitive learning theories2)      Constructivist Learning Characteristics of the 2 types of instruction:             Directed Instruction                           Constructivist Learning

Focus on teaching sequences of skills that begin with lower-level skills and build to higher-level skills Clearly state objectives with test items matched to them Stress more individualized work than group work Emphasise traditional teaching and assessment methods; skills worksheets, activities and tests with expected outcomes

Focus on learning through posing problems, exploring possible answers, and developing products and presentations Pursue global goals that specify general abilities such as problem-solving and research skills Stress more group work than individualized work Emphasise alternative learning and assessment methods; exploration of open-ended questions and scenarios, doing research and developing products, assessment by portfolios, performance checklists

How could you apply constructivist learning principles in an e-Learning environment? 

q     Group work (collaborative learning)? q     Scenarios, case studies?q      Enriched learning environments (multimedia e-Learning)?q      q      q

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