Introduction

Education is in the midst of a paradigm shift from an information processing explanation of learning to a constructivist approach to learning. Where once educators were concerned with how information was received, stored, and recalled, their attention is now focused on how knowledge is constructed within the mind of the learner. According to constructivists, knowledge is constructed through two processes -- by connecting new information to old information and by interacting with others. Good instructional design creates an environment that facilitates both processes to solve real world problems.

Jonassen, Davidson, Collins, Campbell, and Haag (1995) apply the principles of Constructivism to technology and describe Constructivism's place in distance education. They describe various technological applications that promote the social interaction necessary to help students construct knowledge. These applications include computer-mediated communication, computer-supported collaborative work, case-based learning environments, and computer-based cognitive tools. Using synchronous and asynchronous communication, hypertext based programs to promote debate, "real life" problems, and computer programs like databases and artificial intelligence, distance education learners can work together to solve problems and provide the social interaction necessary to translate educational material into meaningful experiences.

Two examples of the application of Constructivism to education provide a clearer picture of the ease with which this new approach to learning can use technology to assist learning both in the classroom and at a distance.

The Adventures of Jasper Woodbury

In the early 1990s researchers at Vanderbilt University developed a videodisk program entitled "The Adventures of Jasper Woodbury" that presents the learner with real world problems that require mathematical applications to solve. Using the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards (NCTM) for teaching math, the program presents the learner with the enough information to arrive at a correct solution to the problem presented. For instance, in one particular module, Jasper has recently purchased a boat and needs to go from point A to point B in a limited amount of time, with limited amount of money, and limited amount of fuel. Working together, students can apply mathematical solutions to get Jasper to his destination. This program provides two elements to help students construct knowledge: a reality based problem which will connect to the student's real life experience and an opportunity to work with others to discuss, debate, and resolve problems.

Constructivism, the Preservice Teacher and Distance Education

Crotty (1995) traces Constructivism to the works Piaget and Vygotsky and describes the individual and group processes incorporated into a preservice teacher education course that combined face-to-face instruction with telecommunications: "...The challenge [of Constructivist principles] becomes one of designing course requirements which required the learner to mediate and construct with the help of others." (p. 1). Students in Crotty's "School and Society" course were required to research a number of issues -- referred to by the author as a "real world curriculum" -- related to the history and philosophy of the American educational system. They were provided tools to investigate their topics through the use of database systems, e-mail communication with teachers in other states, and search vehicles to explore the World Wide Web. Students shared their technology experiences with classmates in face-to-face meetings where they received advice and encouragement from each other. Both processes vital to the Constructivist model of learning -- individual construction of meaning and social interaction -- were experienced by the preservice teachers in this class. "Distanced learning activities encouraged autonomy and independence as well as cooperation, support, self-regulated learning, and helped to make the instruction personally relevant" (p. 7).

Conclusion

Piaget's work foreshadowed the emergence of Constructivism by emphasizing the importance of interacting with the environment to strengthen and expand mental constructs. Today we have the technology to apply the principles of Constructivism to learning situations both inside and outside of the classroom and to support the two processes necessary to construct knowledge: connections to old information and social interaction. World Wide Web searching tools give the learner the opportunity to find meaningful solutions to relevant problems and computer mediated communication provides students with the ability to share and debate those findings with fellow classmates.

Crotty, T. (1995). Constructivist theory unites distance learning and teacher education. [Online] Available: gopher://gopher.acs.ohio-state.edu:70/0R0-29561-/Journals%20%26%20Newsletters/OSU%20Libraries%27%20Electronic%20Serials/DEOSNEWS/deosv5.n06

Jonassen, D., Davidson, M., Collins, M., Campbell, J., & Haag, B. (1995). Constructivism and computer-mediated communication in distance education. The American Journal of Distance Education, 9(2), 7-26.

Learning Technology Center of Vanderbilt Univerity (1992). The Adventures of Jasper Woodbury. [Online] Available: http://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/projects/funded/jasper/jasperhome.html