Constructivism and Open Learning Environment

In Jonassen's Constructivist Learning Environment, the use of criteria of evaluation in some college classes, teachers can construct their pedagogy more efficiently in delivering their curricula. In this discussion, I would like to share some views in Constructivist Learning Environment theory, which includes goals in reasoning, critical thinking, and use of knowledge materials.

In a Journalism class I attended, students started with discussing today’s top news story, and given or chosen a category such as international, local, business, etc. When they are telling the news, the teacher help to improve their story telling in organizing the information, describing the story according to 5 W’s and H (Who, What, Where, When, Why and How). This enhances each writer’s ability as a prelude to active brainstorming session in writing assignments. In addition, the teacher's lecture takes a part then students start to write their stories or journals based on their homework and teacher reviews and coach providing feedback or commenting. Besides all of these activities or learning, they are also introduced to use current technology or software to layout their story and share with others. This class has contained with some of points from Jonassen's CLE; providing related cases and resources, activity, coaching with feedback, reflective questions, motivational prompts, hints and helps.

As a thought, in college today, faculty and students focus on dedicated subject area in depth with class projects. The nature of art classes is creating new forms or art using their own or existing tools and current technology, such as, painting, digital imaging, multimedia design, sculpture. The graphic arts classes I have taken are learner-centered, where students bring in their own concepts, and start from there they find tools to learn visual communication skills, artistic skills, and technical skills to develop their own art pieces. In OLEs, teachers provide support with technological tools and technical resources, which is crucial to guide students’ learning. Thus, Scaffolding is a necessary element in OLE to support students' learning. The four elements would include: Conceptual scaffolding would help students' brainstorming stagy, metacognitive scaffolding would help students' critical thinking, procedural scaffolding would help students' ability to process their learning and applying tools and skills, strategic scaffolding would guide students' idea or concept enrichment.

In Constructivist and Open Ended Learning Environment, mapping and constructing process or strategy of teaching and learning can be more flexible as we apply new technology. It is in the hands of teacher who paved the way to the student’s success by using preferring methods and tools in today’s learning environment. A good model of instructional design for class in general would be balance between constructivist and Open Ended Learning depending on the subject.