Artifact: ETEC 530 Concept Map – Constructivism By James Chen

In ETEC 530: Constructivist Strategies for E-Learning, students were asked to keep a concept map (cmap) of key learning points throughout the modules. I decided to use my cmap to represent my learning in this course because

• Cmaps are graphic organizers that illustrate a person’s knowledge on a particular subject (Novak & Canas, 2006);
• Cmaps enable learners to make new connections between key concepts; and
• Most importantly, cmaps afford a constructivist approach to teaching and learning.

This cmap is a collection of key learning points I gathered from ETEC 530. Most concepts are abstract ideas, and with the support of a concept map I was able to see the relationships between the various concepts. From building the concept map, I realized that technology has transformed the traditional method of knowledge construction and dissemination. The main difference between traditional versus computer mediated learning is concept manipulation. For example, the affordances offered by the concept mapping software CmapTools developed by the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition enabled me to freely add, edit, move, connect, delete and share the concepts I learned about Constructivism.

A common practice throughout the MET program was peer assessment and feedback. Students in this course were encouraged to share and provide feedback to each other’s cmaps. Through this scaffolding process, I was able to review what others in the class had learned by examining the connections they had made. In turn, they were able to examine what I had learned and provide feedback that would further reshape my understanding on the subject.

The following points elaborate my understanding of Constructivism (C’ism) based on the concept map I have created (Chen, 2012) for ETEC 530:

• C’ism as a philosophy situates knowledge as subjective and not absolute.
• The origins of C’ism can be traced back to the works by psychologists such as Jean Piaget (Stages of Cognitive Development) and Lev Vygotsky (Zone of Proximal Development).
• C’ism as a sociological phenomenon denotes scientific knowledge as a social construct.
• Constructivism enables learners to engage in conceptual change (assimilation and accommodation), active learning (orientation, elicitation, restructuring of ideas, application of ideas, and review), knowledge construction (representation, reflection, elaboration, metacognition, investigation, collaboration, scaffolding, and analysis) and communities of practice (situated cognition, cognitive apprenticeship, case-based learning, problem-based learning, project-based learning, and computer mediated communication).
  • Meta-cognition and collaboration promote self-monitoring skills which determine the amount of learning as learners manage their time and negotiate for meaning.
  • Communities of practice afford constructivist pedagogy in terms of meaning-making, ownership, creativity, inter-activity,  knowledge-building, and student-centered learning.
  • In situated cognition, meaning is constructed through authentic experiences and is made up of affect-indexing linguistic markers that foster teacher-student cooperativeness, shared discourse membership, and interdependence.
  • Through cognitive apprenticeship, the learner is provided with affordances such as coaching, scaffolding, and modeling to foster professional behavior and cognition.
  • As well, case-based learning emphasizes decision-making skills by placing students in the role of various characters.
  • Problem-based learning emphasizes ownership of student learning by helping learners set individualized learning goals.
  • Project-based learning also emphasizes student ownership but focuses on learning through project presentation.
    • In particular, WebQuests (quests designed by instructors) help  students gain the skills to induce and deduce, construct support and abstraction, compare and classify, and analyze errors and perspectives.
    • As well, web projects (projects designed by students) help students gain the skills to plan, brainstorm, and build teams and trust.
  • Through computer mediated communication, tools such as SMARTBoards, wikis, open source software, discussion forums, Google+, and other Web 2.0 tools help students achieve communication and common ground, dialogue and motivation, intellectual engagement, as well as group dynamics and leadership.
    • To achieve communication and common ground, students need to contribute to discourse by rejecting, accepting, and presenting arguments and repairing any misunderstandings.
    • To achieve dialogue and motivation, activities need to promote questioning and scaffolding at the learner’s zone of proximal development.
    • To achieve intellectual engagement, activities need to include examples and definition of terms so that learners can engage in the elaboration of arguments, application of concepts, and the critiquing of views.
    • To achieve group dynamics and leadership, considerations in activity design must include meta-functions (meta-commenting, weaving and delegating), contextualizing functions (setting agenda, opening discussions, referring, and setting norms), as well as monitoring functions (assessing, prompting and recognition).

By stepping back and examining the MET program as a whole, I now realize that almost all the activities in the learning modules of each course reflect the constructivist pedagogy in some way. The program makes extensive use of the affordances offered by information and communications technology such as the Internet to scaffold learning and provide ownership to create meaning for each student. The field of Educational Technology is in itself a representation of theory and practice.

The particular set of skills I gained from this assignment includes:

• Creating and using concept maps to enhance learning
• Designing lessons based on constructivist pedagogy

References

Chen, J. (2012). Concept map – Constructivism [PDF document]. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Available at  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-1WCu6cC_MyV2dCTXAyYk9ZbzQ/edit?usp=sharing

Novak, J. D., & Canas, A. J. (2006). The theory underlying concept maps and how to construct them. Retrieved from http://cmap.ihmc.us/Publications/ResearchPapers/TheoryUnderlyingConceptMaps.pdf