Dear Olabisi,

I'd suggest some articles on similation and gaming methodology. Simulations are a great source to encourage team work, creativity, negotiations and solving- problem situations. Hope you'll find them useful.

best,

Laura

Chapter Students Perceptions of Gain in Telematic Simulation

Data Simulation and Gaming as the future’s language of language l...

Data Student perceptions of gain in telematic simulation (1)

Olabisi,

The late David Jonassen's work in problem based learning is a great source.  He has many peer-reviewed articles and books than can guide your thought process.  SOme seminal work are as follows

Dear Olabisi,

I'd suggest some articles on similation and gaming methodology. Simulations are a great source to encourage team work, creativity, negotiations and solving- problem situations. Hope you'll find them useful.

best,

Laura

Chapter Students Perceptions of Gain in Telematic Simulation

Data Simulation and Gaming as the future’s language of language l...

Data Student perceptions of gain in telematic simulation (1)

If you want to look at knowledge building, Scardamalia & Bereiter have written extensively about it. See ...

Scardamalia, M., & Bereiter, C. (2003). Knowledge Building. In J. W. Guthrie (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Education, Second Edition (pp. 1370-1373). New York: Macmillan Reference, USA. Available: http://www.ikit.org/resources.html

Scardamalia, M., & Bereiter, C. (2000). Schools as Knowledge-Building Organizations [Electronic version]. In D. P. Keating & C. Hertzman (Eds.), Developmental Health and the Wealth of Nations: Social, Biological, and Educational Dynamics (pp. 274-289). New York: Guilford.

Scardamalia, M., & Bereiter, C. (2006). Knowledge Building: Theory, Pedagogy, and Technology [Online]. In R. K. Sawyer (Ed.), Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences (pp. 97-118). New York: Cambridge University Press. Available: http://ikit.org/fulltext/2006_KBTheory.pdf

I have written about Knowledge Building as well in my book Education for a Knowledge Society (http://tinyurl.com/m6x7kap), but I would not claim that I was authoritative as Scardamalia & Bereiter.

http://ikit.org/fulltext/2006_KBTheory.pdf

http://www.ikit.org/resources.html

http://tinyurl.com/m6x7kap

According to the constructivist viewpoint “learning is problem-solving based on personal discovery, and the learner is intrinsically motivated” (Cooper, 1993, p. 17). However, it should be noted that more broadly constructivism represents a philosophical paradigm and therefore has a wider application than solely within the context of learning as described here. The terms constructionism and constructivism are frequently used interchangeably (Quinn-Patton, 2002); however, Crotty (1998, p. 58) distinguishes between them, as follows: constructivism refers to the “meaning-making activity of the individual mind”, whereas constructionism focuses on “the collective generation [and transmission] of meaning”. Further reading that may help with making the link...

Dochy, F., Segers, M., Van den Bossche, P., & Gijbels, D. (2003). Effects of problem-based learning: a meta-analysis. Learning and Instruction, 13(5), 533-568.

Savery, J.R., & Duffy, T.M. (1995). Problem based learning: An instructional model and its constructivist framework. Educational Technology, 35(5), 31-38.

Swan, K., Garrison, D.R., & Richardson, J. (2009). A constructivist approach to online learning: The community of inquiry framework. In C.R. Payne (Ed.), Information technology in and constructivism in higher education: Progressive learning framework. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

Cooper, P.A. (1993). Paradigm shifts in designed instruction: From behaviorism to cognitivism to constructivism. Educational Technology, 33(2), 12-18.

Crotty, M. (1998). The foundations of social research: Meaning and perspective in the research process. London: Sage Publications Ltd.

Patton, M.Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed.). London: Sage Publications Limited.

This paper criticizes constructivism in a interesting way. It is about minimum guided learning versus completely guided learning. It is also about learning by problem solving and by worked out examples.

Clark (2012) Putting Students on the Path to Learn

http://www.aft.org//sites/default/files/periodicals/Clark.pdf 

Colleagues, thanks very much for a very wide range of material that combines the very strong original (should I also say seminal?) work (Jonassen, Savery, Duffy, Garrison) in the field with the equally exciting more recent offerings.

Jennifer, the constructivism/constructionism distinction is new to me, but certainly worth considering.

Don, I had previously downloaded your 'Journey to Knowledge-Building' , so it will be there alongside Scardamalia and Bereiter.

Laura, I cant say I have paid much attention to simulations as a problem-solving strategy in the past, so your work is a good stepping stone to get into that area.

Nelson, I really appreciate your bringing Richard Clark back into focus. Actually, other aspects of the Learner Support System that I am looking at will, hopefully, seek to address some of the issues he and co-writers raise.

Thanks again, all.

Olabisi

Olabisi, Francisco Alvarez suggestion is fantastic. 

I also would recommend that you read about Cognitive Load Theory, specifically how they recommend students should transition from worked out problems into problem solving. 

I am not against constructivism as you can see in the abstract of a paper I wrote in portuguese which can be found at

 https://www.academia.edu/6597221/Aprendizagem_completamente_dirigida_versus_aprendizagem_minimamente_dirigida_uma_solu%C3%A7%C3%A3o_conciliat%C3%B3ria                                                                                                                                                                               Abstract

Which teaching methodology produces a more efficient learning: the teaching methodology in which learning is completely guided or the methodology in which learning is minimally guided, as occurs in constructivism? We begin this article by presenting three arguments against minimally guided learning. It is shown then that in spite of these three arguments against all kinds of teaching in which learning is minimally guided, this type of teaching becomes, as the student increases his level of expertise, a more efficient methodology than the completely guided teaching. This effect is known as the Expertise Reversal Effect. As this effect explains the proven successful use of the transition from the “worked out examples methodology” to the “problem solving methodology”, we propose, also due to this effect, that it will be equally beneficial for learning, to use a transition between two broader methodologies: the gradual transition from completely guided learning to minimally guided learning. The use of this gradual transition of methodologies proposed here will enable constructivism to fully realize its methodological potential.

Nelson's suggestion about cognitive load theory is excellent. A good paper on this is ...

Kirschner, Paul A. (2002). Cognitive load theory: Implications of cognitive load theory on the design of learning, Learning and Instruction. 

From the article:

"According to [cognitive load] theory, the limitations of working memory can be circumvented by coding multiple elements of information as one element in cognitive schem- ata, by automating rules, and by using more than one presentation modality. " (p. 1)

Olabisi

You have some great references here...:-)  May I ask what LMS (if any) are you thinking of using as the foundation for your design?

I worked with Jonassen on creating the second iteration of an ASK system using case based reasoning.  In his original project description, he discusses the role of cognition in the system as well as the purpose behind the design with regards to the intended audience.  We only presented the work and never really wrote a publication on the design before he passed.  The design used Moodle ....not sure if this also helps.

I tried to tackle part of this in my dissertation, "Exploring the narrative-oriented qualities of the learner's encounter with unfamiliarity"

http://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4708&context=etd

Camille, my focus at this time is not really what LMS to use, and I don't think it is necessary to approach the design with a particular tool in mind at this stage. My focus now is to try to conceptualize the system in terms of the learning skills required by students who would need to fall back on their own resources whether individually or collectively to manage their learning experiences in a distributed online environment.

My own view is that there is a significant skills deficit to be addressed in various aspects of the learning enterprise,  not only at the cognitive, but also at the meta-cognitive level. So I am trying to draw on my own past practice as well as input from the literature etc to unearth, refine, organize the capabilities that I think learners should develop.

Of course, the various Moodle tools lend themselves to building such a system to make it accessible to learners, so I suppose I am working with a 'Moodle in my head'.

Jonathan, I don't know if anything I have just said fits in with the work you are doing, but I found the title of your dissertation very interesting. Will certainly explore.

I appreciate the reminders from several colleagues to keep the space open to embrace the three main theoretical bases for learning - behaviourism, cognitivism and constructivism.

Thanks.

You may also be interested in the article:

yPBL: An Active, Collaborative and Project-Based Learning Methodology in the Domain of Software Engineering

Ernesto Exposito

Journal Journal of Integrated Design and Process Science

Publisher IOS Press

ISSN 1092-0617 (Print)

1875-8959 (Online)

Subject Computer Science

Issue Volume 18, Number 2 / 2014

Pages 77-95

DOI 10.3233/jid-2013-0014

I am currently working with this topic and directing my work toward problem based learning and integration of technology.

Hello Olabisi,

Good afternoon to you.

I have two publications on constructivism and to some extent PBL. Another is under review, and one accepted for publication. The links to the published one are provided below:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260767063_Improving_Curriculum_Design_and_Development_A_Case_Study_from_the_University_of_Guyana

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260332690_Curriculum_Review_Analysis_of_a_Spanish_Translation_Course_Curriculum_from_the_University_of_Guyana

In addition to this, a good book that I have used, and to which I can personally attest, is Biggs and Tang's (2011) book on "Teaching for Quality Learning at University". Their focus is on Constructive Alignment, created by Professor John Biggs. It deals with both constructivism and PBL.

You can download the book here: http://en.booksee.org/book/1459681

I hope this helps.

Warm Wishes,

Kerwin.

Article Improving Curriculum Design and Development: A Case Study fr...

Book Curriculum Review: Analysis of a Spanish Translation Course ...

Hello, Olabisi.

I have not done any practical work in the areas you mentioned but as a functionary of education, these notions are I encounter almost always. I think constructivism is basically a teaching paradigm (theory) based on observation and scientific study -- about how people learn.

It suggests that people construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world, through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences. When we encounter something new, we have to reconcile it with our previous ideas and experience, maybe changing what we believe, or maybe discarding the new information as irrelevant. In any case, we are active creators of our own knowledge. To do this, we must ask questions, explore, and assess what we know.

In the classroom, the constructivist view of learning can point towards a number of different teaching practices. In the most general sense, it usually means encouraging students to use active techniques (experiments, real-world problem solving) to create more knowledge and then to reflect on and talk about what they are doing and how their understanding is changing. The teacher makes sure she understands the students' preexisting conceptions, and guides the activity to address them and then build on them. 

Conversely, problem-solving, to me is a teaching strategy (technique), an ongoing activity which allows learners to discover knowledge at their own pace. It sometimes entails overcoming obstacles by generating hypo-theses, testing those predictions, and arriving at satisfactory solutions.

Problem-solving involves three basic functions: Seeking information; Generating new knowledge and Making decisions.

In fact, problem-solving is, and should be, a very real part of the curriculum. It presupposes that students can take on some of the responsibility for their own learning and can take personal action to solve problems, resolve conflicts, discuss alternatives, and focus on thinking as a vital element of the curriculum. It provides students with opportunities to use their newly acquired knowledge in meaningful, real-life activities and assists them in working at higher levels of thinking.

Maybe, the only thin line between them would be that through constructivism, learners can solve practical problems and vice versa. All the best 

Krupnik-Guttlieb (1995) in his Masters dissertation on the topic concerning INTEGRATION OF MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE, he highlighted the constructivism and problem solving approach in relation to integration. You can get something to lead you in further documents.