Applying Constructivism and Objectivism Learning Theories in the Design of Educational Package Software - Essay Example

Applying Constructivism and Objectivism Learning Theories in the Design of Educational Package Software Faculty Date Abstract Technology in today’s world have taken models and theories from various fields and studies like sociology, philosophy, education, psychology and many others to develop most appropriate solution to the educational needs of learners. This paper is an effort towards understanding theories of Objectivism and Constructivism for development of design of educational package software. These two theories are mutually different from each other in approach. These contribute in understanding the philosophy of learning and education. These have advantages and disadvantages. The Objectivism is a theory based on the view that reality exist outside the mind of an individual. This does not justify the illusions, imaginations or dreams. On the other hand constructivism believes that individual constructs its own reality based on his experience. In the development of any educational program depending on constructivism theory will indicate that the program is learner centric program. The decision of adopting any theory for the design of education software program will be based on various other factors as well like background of learner, learning objectives, role of teacher and many other things. Table of Contents Abstract I. Introduction II. Theories for Designing Educational Package for Children II.i. Objectivism II.ii. Constructivism III. Comparison of the Theories IV. Criticism of the Theories V. Advantages and Disadvantages of the Theories VI. Conclusion VII. Reference I. Introduction Technology has changed the face of education in the present scenario. It has provided different kind of information on hand and on the other hand this has enabled people to get the information faster. It plays a significant role in language studies. The first section of the paper discusses two theories for designing educational packages for children. These two theories have different approach towards the learning process, reality construction and experience of any individual. Objectivism on the one hand states that knowledge and reality exist outside of the minds of individuals while on the other hand the central theme of constructivism is the individual learner and it states that individual constructs their own knowledge based on their experiences. Each of the theory has its own advantages or disadvantages and criticism. The knowledge of strengths and weakness helps in using these theories. II. Theories for Designing Educational Package for Children Computers and software today has provided not just meanings, explanations and comprehension of language but also have helped in pronunciation to a large extent which has been one challenging area of the linguistic studies. The retention in the studies has increased with the use of computer software. There are various sociological, psychological, philosophical and technical theories used to develop various educational packages and software. These theories provide a basic framework on the basis of which the educational software programs are developed. These software programs contribute to the effective learning process for the learners. Dorin, Demmin & Gabel (1990) have explained various importance of theory. Any theory is developed by the observations made over a time. It is a general explanation of these observations. It explains behaviour or the pattern of behaviour in a particular situation which helps in predicting the behaviour in the similar case. Theories can be modified time to time. It is used in various research and purpose of education and research. It is utilised in various fields and services. There are various theories for education. The educational packages for children should be based on the simple concepts of knowledge, education and learning. It should include the concepts of psychology, general sociology and computer science. The user friendliness and ease to use any particular software also adds to the learning process for children. There are two main theories discussed in this paper for the development of educational software for students. One is objectivism and another is constructivism. Each of these theories has its own strengths and weaknesses. II.i. Objectivism For the supporters of objectivism knowledge and truth is objective because these exist outside the minds of individuals. Rand (1962) states “Reality exists as an objective absolute—facts are facts, independent of mans feelings, wishes, hopes or fears.” According to Jonnassen, 1991 learners can be told about the world and they can be expected to replicate the same views, thoughts and structures in their thinking and learning process. Objectivism holds that there is a mind-independent reality that individuals are in contact with this reality through sensory perception, that they gain knowledge by processing the data of perception using reason or "non-contradictory identification," that the proper moral purpose of ones life is the pursuit of ones own happiness or "rational self-interest".1 The reality therefore can be constructed and learning process can be moulded according to the pre-existing knowledge and views. Hence for the developing a learning model an instructor would utilise the similar concept and traditional models to prepare the content, instruction modules and designs. An instructional developer who uses traditional design models analyzes the conditions which bear on the instructional system (such as content, the learner, and the instructional setting) in preparation for achieving the intended learning outcomes.2 The objectivism theory can be classified into three main categories. Extreme or Primitive Objectivism This is the natural, simple and primitive form of objectivism theory. It is based on the experience with every object. “This is the theory that every experienced object is real in itself exactly as it is experienced and independently of whether it is experienced or not--This theory is natural, but difficult to maintain because the unreal objects of illusions and dreams will not fit into the same spatio-temporal system as that required by the real objects of veridical experience.” (Montague, 1925) Moderate or Common-Sense Objectivism This is the second type of Objectivism theory. According to this theory any individual can experience real objects without losing. The individuals are independent for what they experience .This follows a common sense theory. The unreal objects of illusions and dreams are limited to the individuals experiencing them. It is practically strong theory as it clearly divides and defines the real experience to the unreal experiences. It restricts unrealities to the consciousness of individuals who have experienced them and who are the only one getting affected by these. The selective relativity to the individuals on the grounds of unreal objects and their experience make this theory theoretically weak. The weakness becomes clear in the situation in which one individual observes the way in which the objects of another individual display their relativity to the latter. It leads to the theories of Dualism or of Subjectivism according to either of which all the objects of direct perception are regarded as inside the mind of the perceiver because of their relativity to his situation and condition. (Montague, 1925) Relativistic or New Objectivism It agrees with the certain core values of the objectivism as it emphasises on the importance of reason, acceptance of reality and supports individualisms, self interest and other factors. It also differs with certain core values of objectivism. The differences differ among various neo-objectivists. “This theory agrees with traditional Phenomenalism and with Relativistic Pragmatism in asserting that no object is real in itself or apart from an actual or potential perceptual context of experience-- It differs from the other forms of relativism in explaining the relativity of perceptual experience in physical rather than psychical terms--The so-called "veridical" parallelism of the tracks of a railway is objectively real in a certain context.” (Montague, 1925) II.ii. Constructivism In this theory constructivists believe that learners and individuals construct their own knowledge. They actively participate in the learning process. They have their autonomy to choose what they want to learn and they reflect what they learn in any learning process. Individuals will be actively engaged in the learning process by involving themselves with the contents, methods, course designs or interactivity. Instructors can direct them to desired results by creating interest among them. Constructivists, on the other hand, believe that knowledge and truth are constructed by the learner and do not exist outside of his mind (Duffy & Jonassen, 1992). 3 It focuses on the realistic approaches to solve the real world problems. The instructor acts as a facilitator and strategy developer who develops and implements the strategies for its students. Instructor analyses these strategies time to time to change it according to the needs and requirements. He stress on conceptual clarity of the individuals and prepares the content accordingly. He ensures that the instructional goals and objectives are achieved in the learning process. In the constructivist theory evaluation is a self analysis tool. It helps learner to benchmark himself against set goal. It focuses on offering tools and learning environment through which learner will be able to interpret the perspective in the world. It is a learner centric approach which stress on preparing learner for the world. The learning process is controlled by learner rather than the instructor who acts as a facilitator. There are several models for the constructive theory. All models utilize the following concepts, as these are central to the constructivist instructional design (Wilson & Cole, 1991): 4 Learning is embedded in a rich authentic problem-solving environment; Authentic versus academic contexts for learning are provided; Provisions for learner control are incorporated; Errors are used as a mechanism to provide feedback on learners’ understanding; and Learning is embedded in social experience. III. Comparison of the Theories Objectivism and constructivism theories have their own strengths and weaknesses. However these theories offer totally different from each other. Objectivism on the one hand does not focus on learner and is dependent on the instructors’ perspective. Instructor decides on the content, instruction design and method totally based on his own perspective. The focus on the learner is least as the theory states that reality can be constructed and learning can be moulded. The potential problem of adopting objectivism as a referent for educational activities is that the focus is not on the learner as much as it is on aspects of the milieu in which learning is assumed to be embedded. From a constructivist perspective, the learner becomes the central part of all decisions and concerns. It is the learner who has to learn, not only about the substantive content of the science curriculum, but also about the milieu.5 (Tobin 1993) On the other hand the learner focus approach makes constructive theory more applicable and acceptable. It is due to its learner centric approach. The instructor acts as a facilitator of the learning process of learner. The focus of the theory if learner and his ability to construct his own reality and meanings of their experiences. The literature on debate between objectivist and constructivist instructional design models points to the fundamental philosophical differences between these two instructional design models (e.g., Bednar, Cunningham, Duffy & Perry, 1995; Dick, 1995; Rowland, 1995)6 IV. Criticism of the Theories There have been several criticisms to each of the theories mentioned above. However objectivism has gained more criticism than constructivism. The theory of Objectivism does not clearly describe the illusions, imaginations or dreams of any individual because these are not real objects hence they do not have any objectivity. It fails in recognising absolute system of physical existence. In a life of an individual imaginary and unreal thing also exist and their existence can not be ignored. This theory is good for the enforcement of common law and developing common attitude and views towards certain things in our society. On the other hand constructive theory is weak in its approach as it focuses on the individual learner’s experience. Now within a social system to have a common law or to reach to a common decision many people need to decide together. In such cases where decisions have to be taken for a group of people it is essential to have a common understanding. This common understanding can not be developed within the framework of constructivism. For instance if people start thinking on their own ways for how to walk on the road it might lead to a situation where no one will e able to reach to his destination. On the other hand the same theory is good because learner is able to interpret multiple realities. (Schuman, 1996) Learner has better opportunity to enhance his /her learning skills and develop analytical approach. These kinds of situation or environments are highly effective for the innovations and development of new ideas and technologies. V. Advantages and Disadvantages of the Theories Each theory has certain level of advantages and disadvantages. Students in a class need to develop certain level of basic learning to understand the things at higher level. For instance each student in any class must learn how to start computers for any software based learning program. In such case following the objectivist model and providing student instructions based on the existing knowledge of instructor will be more effective. On the other hand once they have this level of knowledge and basic understanding of software and programs let them explore the system and develop their own understanding will be effective and helpful in their experience and knowledge building. "...information processing models have spawned the computer model of the mind as an information processor. Constructivism has added that this information processor must be seen as not just shuffling data, but wielding it flexibly during learning -- making hypotheses, testing tentative interpretations, and so on." (Perkins, 1991, p.21 in Schwier, 1998) It can be said that no theory is perfect for any particular learning process. To design any educational program the program designers need to take care of all the learning needs of the learners. Learning needs of the learners can be the deciding factor for the instructor and program designer think about which theory can be applicable where. In any cases Constructive theory is better than any other theory as it has learner at the centre of its theory. But there are particular situations where objectivism can do better for the learners. Instructors need to identify these areas and develop their module on the basis of that. Any educational package software will be effective and successful if it is focused on the learning and education needs of the target users. The first criterion for this is learning process should be based on the real world environments. It should be authentic, culturally relevant and properly structured. The software should be user friendly and the content should be relevant to the learner. The information should be arranged in a way that it is understandable and easy to retrieve. Educational software package can have number of features which can make it more interactive and effective for the learner. The use of graphics, voice and various animation tools will make it more interactive for the users. Learners’ background, cultural setup, educational setup and other factors should be considered before developing any educational software. The socio-cultural differences, attitudinal differences and perceptional differences among teachers and students are challenging factors for the teachers to use effective teaching techniques and respecting all the differences at the same time. A student of Saudi Arabia may feel offended by the graphics in which people from different sexes are sitting together while it will be a normal thing for student from US. A student with no knowledge and background of computers may find the program useless as he does not have even the basic skills. Hence for that situation introductory sessions would be required to make students acquainted with the basic computers skills. The assessment process should be such that it adds on the experience of the learners and helps them in self analysis and improvement. The emphasis should be on creating an environment of self assessment and analysis with which students should feel motivated and encouraged to improve themselves. All the efforts should be in the direction on making students self regulatory and self aware for their skill development. Teachers and faculty should work as a facilitator rather than instructors in the class. They should encourage students to get involve in the learning process and educate themselves. VI. Conclusion Technology on one hand has provided an effective means to learn and develop one’s skills. It requires proper introduction and facilitator, who can support the computer, based learning process. Objectivism and constructivism each has its own strengths and weaknesses and are mutually different from each other even in basic approach. Objectivism on one hand emphasizes on the realities existing in the society and focuses on the providing the same to the individuals to develop social reality and knowledge which is existing outside of learners mind. On the other hand constructivist believe that the knowledge and reality is constructed by the learners experience and do not exist outside the mind of learners. These are totally contrast approaches. But each of this approach can be useful in particular situation and conditions based on the learners learning needs. Each of the theory can be included for developing software educational program. The developers need to first know their target audience, their background educational requirements and objectives of the software educational program on the basis of which they can decide which theory will be most appropriate for the educational package. VII. Reference Constructivism in Education. Contributors: Jerry Gale - editor, Leslie P. Steffe - editor. Publisher: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Place of Publication: Hillsdale, NJ. Publication Year: 1995 The Ways of Knowing: Or, the Methods of Philosophy. Contributors: Wm. Pepperell Montague - author. Publisher: G. Allen & Unwin. Place of Publication: London. Publication Year: 1925 Doolittle, Constructivism and Online Education , retrieved on 26 October 2006 from http://edpsychserver.ed.vt.edu/workshops/tohe1999/text/doo2.doc Fosnot, C. T. (Ed.), Constructivism: Theory, perspective, and practice, New York: Teachers College Press Gale, Constructivism in education (pp. 17-39). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Hegel, G. W. (1807/1949). The phenomenology of mind (J.B. Baillie, Trans.). London The Practice of Constructivism in Science Education. Contributors: Kenneth Tobin - editor. Publisher: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Place of Publication: Hillsdale, NJ. Publication Year: 1993. Page Number: 218 Moallem, Applying Constructivist and Objectivist Learning Theories in the Design of A Web-Based Course: Implications for Practice, retrieved on 26 October 2006 from http://www.ifets.info/journals/4_3/moallem.html Objectivism (Ayn Rand) retrieved on 28 October 2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Objectivism_(Ayn_Rand) Rand, Anny, Introducing Objectivism retrieved on 28 October 2006 from http://www.freedomworks.org/informed/history_template.php?issue_id=1038 Schwier, R. A. (1995). Issues in emerging interactive technologies. In G.J. Anglin (Ed.), Instructional technology: Past, present and future. (2nd ed., pp. 119-127)., Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, Inc. Wilkinson. G.L. (Ed.) (1995). Constructivism, objectivism, and isd. IT forum discussion, April 12 to August 21, 1995. [On-line]. Retrevied on 28 October 2006 from http://itech1.coe.uga.edu/itforum/extra4/disc-ex4.html Dorin, H., Demmin, P. E., Gabel, D. (1990). Chemistry: The study of matter. (3rd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc. Jonassen, D. H. (1991) Objectivism versus constructivism: do we need a new philosophical paradigm? Educational Technology Research and Development, 39 (3), 5-14. Read More