Subject: Constructivism and flexible learning
From: Andrew Wallace (awallace@csu.edu.au)
Date: Wed 19 Jan 2000 - 23:23:39 MET
Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 09:23:39 +1100 Subject: Constructivism and flexible learning From: "Andrew Wallace" <awallace@csu.edu.au>
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It is good to see Ausi respondents! I would suggest that flexible delivery
offers the potential to support constructivist learning, simply because the
choice available to the students is enhanced i.e. the student determines the
ways and speed by which they work through the course materials. In that way
the learner not only controls the pace of learning, but in a very real
sense, also imposes metacognitive principles upon the resultant learning,
supporting constructivist learning.
There are however some concerns. Flexible learning environments may or may
not promote the interchange of ideas between the students which promotes the
construction of new levels of understanding. Further, the materials may
contain approaches which one might suggest are rather limiting, and thus
impede the control which a learner might bring to bear over the subject
matter.
At the end of the day, flexible learning is no more or less appropriate to
constructivist approaches to learning than are the traditional classroom
practices with which we are all familiar. Flexible delivery is thus no more
or less constructivist in nature than other potential means by which
teaching and learning are supported. It all depends upon the nature of the
tasks, and the way that these tasks are approached and undertaken by
students.
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||
|| ANDREW R. WALLACE.
|| Senior Lecturer in Education,
|| Charles Sturt University.
|| PO Box 588, WAGGA WAGGA NSW. 2650.
|| Phone +61 2 6933 2375. Fax: +61 2 6933 2888.
||
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