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Here is my blog for FET 5601. I will try to keep all of my Moodle postings here as well as keep a track of my study as I progress through this course.

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Sunday, April 13, 2008

Design and development: Constructivism and Objectivism

Which is which? What really is constructivism and what is Objectivism? When I look at the table below from the course readings I can see that both are very valid in my classroom but I often lean towards the constructivist approach. Why? I guess that I have learned that students prefer to invent. I think that it is easier to take the objectivist approach as the learning can be more closely controlled by the teacher. 


When learners are given the freedom to construct that doesn't mean that the teacher can just sit back and let it all happen. I believe that the facilitator needs to have a very clear understanding of the learning goals so that they can lead to learners or point them in the direction that the learning needs to take. 



In my teaching and learning context I see that objectivism is more suited to thematic learning in which the teacher controls the learning and the outcomes. The key factor is the use of a static sequence of learning tasks that need to be completed according to a range of pre-determined criterion referenced assessment. 

Constructivism is suited to inquiry learning which is learner centered and focuses on the student producing an artifact, experiencing a situated learning or learning in collaboration. It's not so much about what the students have learned, it's more about where the learning will go next. What will the learners' action be as a result of this learning? The IBO describes this as enabling the learner to develop "enduring understandings".

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