Learning with computers

The term “mindtools” refers to computer application that supports a constructivist approach to learning and is often called learning with computers. Mindtools, as personal knowledge construction tools, allow learners to construct, share and revise knowledge in more open-ended environments rather than using computer programs just to present and represent information (Snowman & Biehler, 2006). Using computers as Mindtools will facilitate learning in the need to place learning and problem solving in real-life contexts where there are no exact answers. From the constructivist learning view, learners often select and pursue their own learning in a rich and complex information environment, and it will be more effective in preparing learners for life-long learning.

Constructivist learning is concerned with the process of learning, not with the value of what is being actually learned. How to evaluate the worthiness of learning in an on-going diagnostic process that lets the teacher to determine if the learner has gained understanding of concepts and knowledge? We can try to get some ideas from evaluation in experiential education. As an old approach learning, experiential educators promote learning through participation, reflection, and application to situations of consequence. They have developed methods to answer questions about how experiential education works (Hendricks, 1994). For example, Eisner (1993) thinks evaluation tasks should:

(1) reflect real world needs, by increasing students' problem-solving abilities and ability to construe meaning;
(2) reveal how students solve problems, not just the final answer, since reasoning determines students' ability to transfer learning;
(3) reflect values of the intellectual community from which the tasks are derived, thus providing a context for learning and enhancing retention, meaning, and aesthetic appreciation;
(4) not be limited to solo performances, since much of life requires an ability to work in cooperation with others;
(5) allow more than one way to do things or more than one answer to a question, since real-life situations rarely have only one correct alternative;
(6) promote transference by presenting tasks that require students to intelligently adapt modifiable learning tools;
(7) require students to display an understanding of the whole, not just the parts; and
(8) allow students to choose a form of response with which they are comfortable.

I believe that teachers should play a coaching role providing external sources in a constructivist learning environment. It is my feeling that a combination of teachers’ instruction on computer skills or summative decisions about learning contents and students self-reflection on learning processes will look promising as an approach of learning growth. Also, traditional evaluation methods such as the collection of items in a portfolio, or case study analysis could certainly prove useful as well.

[References]:

Eisner, E. W. (1993). Reshaping assessment in education: Some criteria in search of practice. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 25(3), 219-233.

Hendricks, B. (1994). Improving evaluation in experiential education. ERIC Digests (073), ED376998 1994-11-00. Available URL http://ericae.net/db/edo/ED376998.htm

Jonassen, D.H., Carr, C. & Yueh, H.P. (1998). Computers as mindtools for engaging learners in critical thinking. TechTrends, 43(2), 24-32.

Snowman, J., & Biehler, R., (2006). Psychology applied to teaching (11th ed. ). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.