Week Three

How well supported does your personal theory feel? What research could you do in order to support your theory? What methods would you employ?

I feel my personal theory aligns with social constructivism which is well supported by research. The goal of instruction is not to ensure that learners know the facts but rather they interpret information in a meaningful way by using discourse. According to Jonassen (1991) constructivist learning environments are most effective for advance level knowledge acquisition in the process of negotiation and dialogue. Learners learn to articulate their own understanding by discussing with peers and instructors.

peer-learning/peer-instruction is a significant consideration in online learning. I have realized this importance through my personal learning experience since I got in to this program. Without peer-instruction I would not have been successful in this program. Boud et al. (1999) refer to peer-learning as the use of teaching and learning strategies in which students learn with and from each other without intervention of a teacher. It is essential to design peer-instruction activities appropriately that encourages students to deepen their understanding of contents, take ownership of their own learning, enhance meta-cognitive skills, and increase motivation (Topping, 2003).

In a study on improving historical knowledge and cognition through Second Life avatar role play, Warren and Wakefield (2010) stated that “LTCA theory helped to augment student learning experience through more active communication and increased content sharing among students to build a social learning community” (p. 563). McKinley and Champagne (2013) found that online discussion has the potential to increase critical thinking skills, leading to activity success. Cohort-based online learning increases members satisfaction and reduce attrition (Lamb, Johnson, & Smith (2010). I completely agree with this statement as a student of cohort-based online learning program.

The instructional method for social constructivism should assist learners in an environment that will help actively think complex topic. The learner are encouraged to construct their own understandings and then to validate, through social negotiation. The strategies utilized by constructivists include situating tasks in real world contexts. Use of cognitive apprenticeships, collaborative learning, social negotiation are good example of social constructivism methods. It is necessary to provide the environment of community, collaboration, and content for successful online learning.

Reference

McKinley, J. and Champagne, D.J. (2013). Promoting school based cohorts in distance/onloine learning. Creative Education, 4(8A): 9-11.

Warren, S.J. and Wakefield, J.S. (2010). Learning and teaching as communicative actions: Social media as educational tool. Knowledge Management & E-Learning: An International Journal, 3, 17-39.