Deeper Self-Directed Learning for the 21st Century and Beyond

In this chapter, self-directed learning (SDL) and the competency to transfer knowledge between different contexts are positioned as essential competencies for the 21st century. Being able to transfer knowledge, especially between different contexts, has increasingly been indicated as essential competency for the 21st century. Transfer of knowledge and skills has however been neglected in SDL research. It is therefore argued that students should be deeper self-directed learners, who can take responsibility for their learning to obtain transferable competencies. Learners should be able to apply their knowledge and SDL skills to new and unknown situations in order to succeed in the 21st century and beyond. Social constructivist theory is suggested as theoretical basis for deeper self-directed learning (DSDL). In this chapter, the concept of DSDL will be defined, and various competencies associated with DSDL will be discussed. Finally, suggestions will be made to develop DSDL in education.

7. Social Constructivism

This chapter examines the social constructivist theory of IR. It first discusses the rise of social constructivism and why it has established itself as an important approach in IR. It then considers constructivism as social theory, and more specifically as both a meta-theory about the nature of the social world and as a set of substantial theories of IR. Several examples of constructivist IR theory are presented, followed by reflections on the strengths and weaknesses of the constructivist approach. The chapter proceeds by exploring constructivist theories of international relations, focusing on cultures of anarchy, norms of International Society, the power of international organizations, a constructivist approach to European cooperation, and domestic formation of identity and norms. The chapter concludes with an analysis of some of the major criticisms of constructivism and by emphasizing internal debates within constructivism.

Pengembangan Student Worksheet Model MORE Berbasis Teori Konstruktivistik Sosial Vygotsky di MAN 1 Pontianak

This study aims to develop student worksheets of good quality and effectiveness to improve students' knowledge competencies. The student worksheet developed refers to the MORE (Model-Observe-Reflect-Explain) learning model based on Vygotsky's social constructivist theory. This development research refers to the steps developed by Thiagarajan, namely the 4-D development model. Data collection techniques in this study using interviews, observation, and tests. The analysis technique used is descriptive quantitative. The empirical test of increasing knowledge competence uses the pre-experimental method with one group pretest posttest design. Data on knowledge competency improvement were analyzed using the paried sample t test. The subjects of this study were students of class X IPS 1 at MAN 1 Pontianak. The results of this study are as follows. First, the MORE student worksheet model based on Vygotsky's social constructivist theory has a very good quality. Second, the MORE student worksheet model based on Vygotsky's social constructivist theory is effective for use in history learning.

Context Matters in Gifted Education

Bruce M. Shore’s research contributions in gifted education have focused on three contexts that impact how giftedness is understood and the instructional environments that serve gifted learners’ educational needs. This article describes these contributions and provides selected examples plus a more complete Supplemental Online bibliography. First, giftedness benefits from being conceptualized in terms of theories that address the development of expertise. Featured expert–gifted parallels include interconnectedness of knowledge, metacognitive processes, perspective taking, active learner roles, affinity for novelty and complexity, and task representation and planning. Illustrative research is described from preschool age through higher education, including connections to creativity research. Second, gifted education benefits when guided by social-constructivist theory of education and its expression in inquiry-based instruction. Examples include building upon learner interests, question asking, collaborative inquiry, and active learner roles. Desirable specific instructional practices are framed by the above theories and by being considered in the contexts of widely recommended and best practices with their research support. Third, gifted education, at all levels including higher education and teacher education, needs to be an integral part of the context of general education. Most specific gifted education practices also work in general education, including learning high-level skills within subject matter. Nineteen examples are cited about how gifted education contributes to the quality of general education.

Learning to teach mathematics with robots: Developing the ‘T’ in technological pedagogical content knowledge

A multiple case study was conducted to investigate how Lego robotics instruction incorporated into a middle grades mathematics methods course could inform pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) TPACK through the lens of Social Constructivist Theory. The qualitative data analysis revealed that when instruction on Lego robotics technology is integrated into semester long mathematics methods courses, PSTs are able to improve their TPACK knowledge in regard to the robotics. Overall, the findings suggest instruction of educational technology tools should be incorporated into methods courses over a longer duration of time, and in depth, to better support the development of PSTs’ TPACK. To meet the demands of the teacher shortages while simultaneously supporting the needs of school districts, this research provides preliminary evidence of the need to incorporate content-specific technology into all methods courses.

A theoretical journey from social constructivism to digital storytelling

<p>Using the concept of a journey through time, this article examines the theoretical foundation underpinning the use of digital storytelling as a pedagogical tool in the language classroom. It describes the arguments developed by Dewey, Piaget and Vygotsky, which form the basis of social constructivist theory and the work of Kolb from which experiential learning theory was developed. It goes on to describe how these theories are reflected in pedagogical approaches to language learning, from Asher’s total physical response approach, to Blaine Ray’s TPR storytelling and finally to the development of digital storytelling by Lambert and Atchley. Along this journey, the reader is able to pause and consider progressive theories of education and to take account of cognitive development and sociocultural theory. The significance of experience in the learning process and the value of a physical response becomes evident and the benefits of telling stories, whether these are told in the traditional way or through the use of digital technology is apparent.</p>

Perceived Stigma among Family Members of Persons Suffering from Mental Illness: A Narrative Exploration from West Bengal, India

In this paper, we report the findings of a qualitative study that, aims to understand the family members’ subjective experiences with perceived stigma of mental illness. The theoretical standpoint and the research method for the study employed are social constructivist theory and narrative inquiry respectively. We conducted semi-structured and in-depth interviews with family members and others accompanying patients to an outpatient unit of a psychiatric clinic. The professionals and the administrative staff at the clinic gave additional interviews. The constant comparative method was employed for the analysis of the narratives. The findings suggest the existence of perceived and direct stigma among family members. Family members shared their concerns relating to the disclosure of illness, its receptions, its interpretation by others, and the possible impact of the disclosure on the family. Professionals and staff at the clinic shared their perceptions regarding the manifestations of perceived stigma among families. In this study, we gathered an emic understanding of family stigma in the context of West Bengal, India. The findings are discussed in the context of current literature on stigma in India.

Contextualising Urban Experimentation: Analysing the Utopiastadt Campus Case with the Theory of Strategic Action Fields

Practices of urban experimentation are currently seen as a promising approach to making planning processes more collaborative and adaptive. The practices develop not only in the context of ideal-type concepts of urban experiments and urban labs but also organically in specific governance contexts. We present such an organic case in the city of Wuppertal, Germany, centred around a so-called change-maker initiative, ‘Utopiastadt.’ This initiative joined forces with the city administration and collaborated with a private property owner and the local economic development agency in an unusual planning process for the development of a central brownfield site. Ultimately, the consortium jointly published a framework concept that picked up the vision of the ‘Utopiastadt Campus’ as an open-ended catalyst area for pilot projects and experiments on sustainability and city development. The concept was adopted by the city council and Utopiastadt purchased more than 50% of the land. In order to analyse the wider governance context and power struggles, we apply the social-constructivist theory of Strategic Action Fields (SAFs). We focused on the phases of contention and settlement, the shift in interaction forms, the role of an area development board as an internal governance unit and the influences of proximate fields, strategic action, and state facilitation on the development. We aim to demonstrate the potential of the theory of SAFs to understand a long-term urban development process and how an episode of experimentation evolved within this process. We discuss the theory’s shortcomings and reflect critically on whether the process contributed to strengthening collaborative and experimental approaches in the governance of city development.

Role of the Social Constructivist Theory, Andragogy, and Computer-Mediated Instruction (CMI) in Adult ESL Learning and Teaching Environments

The purpose of this chapter is to explore whether social constructivism promotes mobile technology rich, student-centered learning/teaching practices, leading adult English as a second language (ESL) students to transform into self-directed learners. Under this theory, a shift from teacher-centered English language learning to a student-oriented approach to how students acquire basic English skills is promoted and students' possible transformation into independent and autonomous learners is fostered because, by use of mobile technologies, they may successfully transfer information from their previous experiences to their current knowledge. Incorporating mobile learning (m-Learning) into their instruction and making social constructivism an integral part of their curriculum, ESL teachers can contribute to their students transformation into self-directed learners as an active, knowledge-building community and in charge of their own learning processes, which explains that this theory is highly compatible with the principles grounded in what Knowles proposed as a progressive learning approach for adult education: andragogy.