Knowledge Construction and Technology BEGOÑA GROS University of Barcelona Spain

Changes in access to and distribution of knowledge INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY Centralised knowledge Highly evolved knowledge spread using language Non-accessible knowledge Passed from generation to generation KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY Widespread knowledge Knowledge spread in many ways Directly accessible knowledge Younger generations have knowledge that the older generations do not have

The constructivist approach ACTIVITY than content student-centered technology in activities to be carried out rather than in content to be passed on; AUTHENTICITY tasks that are realistic within a context of social change and evolution. COLLABORATIVE Learning Students engaging in collaborative tasks …than individual learning

Constructivism in Keywords (1) Activity – Authenticity – Collaboration (2) Piaget & Vygotsky (In theory & In practice) Piaget & PapertVygotsky Interaction Learning by Doing Inquiry (or Discovery) Learning Constructionism Collaboration Collaborative Learning / Learning in Context Distributed cognition Situated learning Student as: Designer / ConstructorStudent as: Researcher / Group (Community) Member Cognitive Tools Interactive environments Simulations / Microworlds Communication Tools Collaboration Tools

CONSTRUCTIVISM: A LABEL FOR MANY APPROACHES

Piaget & Vygotsky … are the two most important authors who started research into learning using the constructivist approach in the 20th century.

Piaget Domain: Developmental Psychology Focus The relationship between a person and his/her environment Main ideas All learning is the result of interaction between the person that discovers and the object of knowledge. Developmental stages: Children have different cognitive abilities depending on their developmental phase Learning takes place based on an imbalance between the knowledge that a person has and the new information he/she receives. Process: Assimilation-accommodation The result is the modifying of prior patterns of knowledge or the creation of new patterns. ( )

Piaget’s Developmental Stages

Developmental stages - 1 Sensorimotor stage (0-2) an infant's knowledge is limited to his or her sensory perceptions and motor activities Object Permanence: a child's understanding that objects continue to exist even though they cannot be seen or heard. Preoperational stage (2-7) Language development Do not yet understand concrete logic Unable to take the point of view of other people (egocentrism) Conservation

Developmental stages - 2 Concrete operational stage (7-11) Children begin thinking logically about concrete events, but have difficulty understanding abstract or hypothetical concepts. Inductive vs. deductive logic Can engage in decentration  focus on multiple parts of a problem at once Formal operational stage (11-..) Develop the ability to think about abstract concepts Skills  logical thought, deductive reasoning, systematic planning Abstract thought Problem solving

Assimilation & Accommodation: Two sides of Human Adaptation ASSIMILATION A new object fits into (assimilated) an old schema ACCOMODATION An old schema adjusts to a new object

A zebra is a mammal ASSIMILATION ACCOMODATION That’s a zebra

Assimilation - Accomodation Piaget’s perspective: A biology-inspired (developmental) perspective

Vygotsky Focus The social interaction Main ideas Man’s superior cognitive processes are possible thanks to constant interactions between tools, environment, and symbols. Tools are creations of societies throughout history. The internalization of tools and symbols takes place through mediations of the environment. ( )

The Vygotskian school …replaced Piaget’s concept of “assimilation” with that of “appropriation.” move from a biology-inspired metaphor to a socio-historical one …through immersion in culturally organized activities, the child appropriates tools, instruments, and symbols belonging to each society.

Vygotskian (Socio-Cultural) Perspective Communication technologies: a good medium for joint cooperation and construction of knowledge. Important ideas (1) Zone of proximal development (2) Situated learning (3) Distributed cognition

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) “it is the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers” Child’s actual developmental level Social partner’s developmental level Zone of proximal development Ζώνη επικείμενης ανάπτυξης

Situated learning All learning is "situated": it always takes place in a specific context Learning can only be understood within that context. Situated learning is a general theory of knowledge acquisition: In a meaningful context Through active learning

Distributed cognition Cognition is not to be found within the head only – it is distributed over other people and tools, it is distributed by placing memories, facts, or knowledge on the objects, individuals, and tools in our environment. Distributed cognition views a system as a set of representations, and models the interchange of information between these representations. These representations can be either in the mental space of the participants or external representations available in the environment.

The Role of Technology as an Aid in Constructivist Learning (a)Piagetian perspective (b)Vygotskian perspective

Constructivist Instructional approaches Piagetian perspective: learning by discovery Vygotskian perspective: learning in context and in collaboration within the learning community

Piagetian perspective (1/2) Technology as an instrument that facilitates activity and learning through discovery Students use software: As cognitive tools to analyze knowledge Gain access to information and interpret it Organize their personal knowledge and represent what others know Examples of cognitive tools are: Simulations, microworlds, modellers Databases, spreadsheets, semantic networks Tools for building hypertexts and multimedia

Piagetian perspective (2/2) Seymour Papert’s Contribution “Constructionism” emphasizing the importance of learning by doing “Microworld” a learning environment for learning by doing Logo environment for learning programming Teacher as a facilitator

Vygotskyan perspective Technology as an instrument that facilitates communication and collaborative activity Students use software: As cognitive tools to collaboratively analyze knowledge As tools for enacting peer interaction and collaboration To communicate their understanding and collaborate with peers Organize and present their group knowledge Examples of communication & collaboration tools are: Synchronous & asynchronous communication tools Social networking (Web 2.0) tools  wikis, blogs, twitter, etc. Tools for designing and deploying on the web Collaboration scripts Tools for collaborative activities, e.g. educational robotics

Table of Constructivist approaches PIAGETIAN APPROACHES (Piaget, Papert) VYGOTSKIAN APPROACHES (Vygotsky, Leontiev)  Metaphor for the learner The student as a designer, explorer The student as a researcher The student as a member of a community  Didactical approach Learning by discovery / inquiryLearning in context & through collaboration  Use of technology Cognitive tools Simulations. Microworlds, Modellers Learners’ Articulation and Expression Communication / Collaboration Tools  Working approaches Constructionism: S. Papert Logo based approach (Media-Lab) Learning based on problem-solving & projects CSCL  Teaching methods Simulation, role-playing, games, case studies, Socratic method, guided learning, scaffolding, learning by teaching, cooperative learning, collaborative learning, learning by designing

LIMITATIONS AND POSSIBILITIES OF CONSTRUCTIVIST LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Limitations – Key-Issues Content of the tasks Sequencing of the tasks Transfer of knowledge Cooperation & Collaboration

Content of the tasks Constructivists substitute tasks based on the world of knowledge for those based on the world of experience or work The problem lies in the origin of the learning tasks. What is an authentic task? When is a task motivating?

Sequencing of the tasks Key feature in the design of constructivist learning environments the ability to produce a coherent and appropriate sequence of case studies and problems to engage students in problem-solving

Transfer Constructivist theories appears to be convinced that learning in context with authentic tasks improves transfer not an easy statement to prove needs a systemic research approach this is still the greatest challenge of research in this field

Collaboration - Cooperation Collaboration two or more people are required to learn something together; what has to be learned can only be accomplished if the group works in collaboration. Cooperation cooperative learning requires a division of tasks among group members Each partner may work individually and then merge the contributions Not easy in practice… …Interacting participants need to understand each other, learn to collaborate and/or have a common understanding

Constructivism in Key-words (1) Activity – Authenticity – Collaboration (2) Piaget/Papert & Vygotsky (In theory & In practice) Piaget & PapertVygotsky Interaction Learning by Doing Discovery/Inquiry Learning Constructionism Collaboration Collaborative Learning / Learning in Context Zone of Proximal Development Distributed cognition Situated learning Student as: Designer / ConstructorStudent as: Researcher / Group (Community) Member Cognitive Tools Interactive environments Simulations / Microworlds Communication Tools Collaboration Tools

Constructivism FAQs What is the key perspective of the Constructivist approach? How is it different compared to other cognitive theories? What are the key tenets of Piaget’s perspective? What is the essence of Papert’s Constructionism? How is it related to Piaget’s classic constructivism? What is Bruner’s major contributions? What is discovery learning? What are the key tenets of Vygotsky’s perspective? What is the major difference between the Piaget and Vygotsky perspectives? What is the Zone of Proximal Development? What do we mean by scaffolding? What do we mean by ‘Situated Learning’ and ‘Distributed Cognition’? What is the importance of skill development in constructivist learning?