proceedings of Student Mobility and ICT: Can E-LEARNING

To sum up:
• learning by example / demonstration and learning by being told by the teacher;
• traditional teacher and content-focused approach, learners as passive receptors;
• the learners depend on their teacher, who selects the sources, decides pace and judges the
students’ performance; knowledge is static and objective;
• from the learner`s perspective: „she taught me… ”;
• from the teacher’s perspective: cover the syllabus and be in control;
• this approach does not lead to deeper understanding.
The constructivist approach
The constructivist approach is associated with psychologists like Piaget. He argues that people
have to be active learners and construct knowledge themselves. Knowledge is seen as more subjective,
dynamic and expanding rather than objective and static. The main tasks here are processing and
understanding of information, and making sense of the surrounding world. The learner has a clear
responsibility for his/her own learning. Constructivism calls for participation at all levels and moves
responsibility and empowerment down the hierarchy, thereby flattening it.
If a constructivist approach is chosen, the course design will look different, with less-predefined
texts, more freedom for the learner to select different sources of information, and authentic problems or
cases to solve. Typical features for constructivist teaching are that teachers encourage and accept student
autonomy and initiative. Students are asked to elaborate on their understanding of concepts before teachers
give “the correct” understanding, if at all. Self-directed learning skills are part of the curriculum. Problembased
learning and resource-based learning are important in this setting. When choosing electronic media
here, the Internet is an obvious choice. Furthermore, searchable databases, online libraries and other online
resources are important (Bjørke & Holt, 2005).
To sum up:
• learning by constructing meaning;
• people have to be active learners and construct knowledge themselves;
• knowledge is more subjective and dynamic;
• problem-based learning;
• main task: processing and understanding of information;
• the learner has a clear responsibility for his own learning;
• from the learner`s perspective: „I made sense of… ”;
• the teacher changes from „Sage on the Stage” to „Guide on the Side”.
The social constructivist approach
Social constructivism is associated with psychologists like Vygotsky, and takes the constructivist
approach a step further, implying that the student must join a knowledge-generating community; a
community of practice, and in collaboration with others solve real (authentic) problems as part of their
study. Many teachers think this approach is the most appropriate for e-learning, because it gives an answer
to the challenges of the “information age” and it exploits the technology better than the other options. The
time and pacing will be seen as less relevant than in the case of instructional studies. The tasks will be
processing and assessing knowledge and generating and co-constructing new knowledge.
The learners as a community are an important learning resource in itself. Students may in
collaboration drive lessons; suggest shifts in instructional strategies and, to some extent, change content.
Students are asked to engage in dialogue with the teacher as well as with one another, and to engage in
experiences that might engender contradictions to their initial hypothesis. The idea of “communities of
practice” where peers help peers learn is crucial in social constructivist learning (Bjørke & Holt, 2005).
To sum up:
• learning by joining a knowledge-generation community;
• the student collaborates with others to solve real problems as part of their study;
Conference proceedings of Student Mobility and ICT: Can E-LEARNING overcome barriers of Life-Long learning?” 110