The constructivist view of instructional design is learning by doing. In other words, active learning is the hearth of constructivists’ instructional design process. For this reason, the theory is interested in the active process during learning activities (Isman, 2011). As I have mentioned before, I have been an English teacher in South Korea for three and a half years and I have taught adult learners during that time. At that time, I was using a blended adult classroom where I would use face-to-face teaching but I was also using other means of learning such as online programs in which helped assist the adult learners of my class in memorizing certain English words that pertained to the lessons that I had taught in class. There are some strengths and weaknesses when an online program is based on constructivist theory of learning. First of all, since the adult learners were learning English as a second language, it is imperative that the language is actively used. Unlike a lot of courses of learning, obtaining a second language requires a lot of practice, repetition, and maintaining those new habits. It is not one of those courses of learning in which one would feel it was like riding a bike. If it is not constantly used, it dies and the skills become useless. It requires the learner to pick up the behavior of speaking another language in order to learn another language.
The main weakness of the constructivist theory of learning is that it does not always explain why a learner learns a new rule within language learning and it does not always show how to use it in everyday life, like constructive learning does. For some learners, this could cause a lot of confusion and frustration for the learner and increase the risk of them quitting an online course entirely. For example, I am presently an online Korean language learner. One time, I took an online course over in Korea in hopes of learning Korean. Instead, I grew very frustrated because nothing could be explained to me at all. I had hardly an understanding of why Korean is being used in such a way and I nearly failed the course. The instructor depended heavily on constructivist theory of learning in which the theory goes that the second language learner will learn best if they learn the same way a baby learns their mother tongue. However, it ignores the fact that all second language learners go through a much deeper process than a baby does in order to obtain another language. Babies do not have to worry about filtering new words through their original language, which is the reason why babies obtain their mother tongue relatively fast. This is why it is best not to depend on constructivism in online-learning instruction but also have a blend of other theories in which helps balance out the lack that an online course might have. The learning theory of Cognitivism just might do the trick for it allows the online-learner to obtain a better understanding of what they are using so that when they do use it, they will understand and remember it better. Constructivism is very much like when people believe that the best way to learn how to swim is to be thrown into a pool while cognitivism explains the process of swimming to a person in which helps build their confidence as well as an understanding on how not to drown. Combine the two theory helps create the learning experience for the new swimmer.
I believe that it is important to have a blend of theories, such as a course with behaviorism- constructivism -cognitivism blend, in an e- course. During teaching and learning activities, the learner can be active and use cognitive, constructivist or behaviorist learning to construct new knowledge (Isman, 2011). For example, if I were to make an ESL course online, I would make sure to have an online environment in which the students are connected with each other weekly within their journey of learning a second language, such as Adobe virtual meetings or Skype conference calls. At the same time, I would also like to implement within the course itself a way to obtain resources that help explain the grammar rules as well as answer frequently asked questions about learning English as a second language. I would also add videos and podcasts as well as sample sentences that are recorded so students can practice these new words in the comfort of their own home. I would also like to design and create games and activities online while providing other resources that help implement use of the second language in order for them to obtain these new habits and behaviors. There is no right theory to go by. However, there are many theories to use in order to cater to the many varieties of learners. And it is important for the educator to think about the many ways to reach to students by providing as many avenues of learning as possible.
Bibliography
Isman, A. (2011, January). Instructional Design in Education: New Model. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 10(1), 136-142. Retrieved May 28, 2016, from http://www.tojet.net
The main weakness of the constructivist theory of learning is that it does not always explain why a learner learns a new rule within language learning and it does not always show how to use it in everyday life, like constructive learning does. For some learners, this could cause a lot of confusion and frustration for the learner and increase the risk of them quitting an online course entirely. For example, I am presently an online Korean language learner. One time, I took an online course over in Korea in hopes of learning Korean. Instead, I grew very frustrated because nothing could be explained to me at all. I had hardly an understanding of why Korean is being used in such a way and I nearly failed the course. The instructor depended heavily on constructivist theory of learning in which the theory goes that the second language learner will learn best if they learn the same way a baby learns their mother tongue. However, it ignores the fact that all second language learners go through a much deeper process than a baby does in order to obtain another language. Babies do not have to worry about filtering new words through their original language, which is the reason why babies obtain their mother tongue relatively fast. This is why it is best not to depend on constructivism in online-learning instruction but also have a blend of other theories in which helps balance out the lack that an online course might have. The learning theory of Cognitivism just might do the trick for it allows the online-learner to obtain a better understanding of what they are using so that when they do use it, they will understand and remember it better. Constructivism is very much like when people believe that the best way to learn how to swim is to be thrown into a pool while cognitivism explains the process of swimming to a person in which helps build their confidence as well as an understanding on how not to drown. Combine the two theory helps create the learning experience for the new swimmer.
I believe that it is important to have a blend of theories, such as a course with behaviorism- constructivism -cognitivism blend, in an e- course. During teaching and learning activities, the learner can be active and use cognitive, constructivist or behaviorist learning to construct new knowledge (Isman, 2011). For example, if I were to make an ESL course online, I would make sure to have an online environment in which the students are connected with each other weekly within their journey of learning a second language, such as Adobe virtual meetings or Skype conference calls. At the same time, I would also like to implement within the course itself a way to obtain resources that help explain the grammar rules as well as answer frequently asked questions about learning English as a second language. I would also add videos and podcasts as well as sample sentences that are recorded so students can practice these new words in the comfort of their own home. I would also like to design and create games and activities online while providing other resources that help implement use of the second language in order for them to obtain these new habits and behaviors. There is no right theory to go by. However, there are many theories to use in order to cater to the many varieties of learners. And it is important for the educator to think about the many ways to reach to students by providing as many avenues of learning as possible.
Bibliography
Isman, A. (2011, January). Instructional Design in Education: New Model. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 10(1), 136-142. Retrieved May 28, 2016, from http://www.tojet.net