scholarly journals Online Instruction during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Creating a 21st Century Community of Learners through Social Constructivism

2022 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Talar Agopian
Keyword(s):  
21St Century ◽  
Social Constructivism ◽  
Online Instruction ◽  
Community Of Learners

The Power of Metaphor in Bringing Clarity for Learners in Learner-Centered Design

2017 ◽  
pp. 274-290
Author(s):  
John Ewing ◽  
Doug Reid
Keyword(s):  
Learning Theory ◽  
Social Constructivism ◽  
Reference Points ◽  
Community Of Learners ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Common Reference ◽  
Learner Centered ◽  
Knowledge Learning ◽  
Learner Centered Pedagogy

The study focuses on guiding students through an exploration of social constructivism model as it relates to the roles of instructor and learner. It explores the use of a metaphor, the dot, to demonstrate that metaphors can support deeper understanding of difficult concepts inherent in learner-centered and constructivist pedagogies. This research was conducted to ascertain whether metaphors provide common reference points for learners that can be used to build and test new assumptions of knowledge. Additionally, the study highlights challenges that learner-centered pedagogy face when identifying preconceived constructs and moving towards the adoption of new thoughts, perspectives, and reasoning. In theory, this study identified the continuing role that metaphors play in the learning theory and how the literature can be explored further. In practice, the study identified student-centered activities, which include the learner as a contributor to knowledge, learning in a community of learners, and empowering the learner to change.

scholarly journals The Transformative Role of Peer Learning Projects in 21st Century Schools—Achievements from Five Portuguese Educational Institutions

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 196
Author(s):  
Ana Raquel Carvalho ◽  
Carlos Santos
Keyword(s):  
21St Century ◽  
Social Constructivism ◽  
Peer Learning ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Elementary And Secondary Education ◽  
Global Issue ◽  
Teacher Students ◽  
21St Century Schools ◽  
Learning Projects

Rethinking the role of education in the 21st century implies acknowledging the power of learning and the urgency of making learning provision more meaningful, inclusive, and student-centred, which assumes particular importance when learner disengagement is still a global issue in elementary and secondary education. Rooted in social constructivism principles, peer learning is a learner-centred approach that facilitates the development of soft and technical skills, with evidence-based contributions to learners’ academic performance under the cognitive, affective, and social dimensions. This study aims to find evidence of the transformative role of peer learning projects in four Portuguese secondary schools and a higher education institution through teachers and peer teacher students’ (PTS) perceptions of these projects’ purpose, implementation, and impact on the educational community, particularly on PTS. Data were collected by means of a semi-structured in-depth interview and a survey by questionnaire, and content analysis and descriptive statistics were the techniques used. Results show cooperation and interpersonal skills’ improvement as major strengths of these projects, whereas the challenges are mostly organisational, e.g., reduced teacher service time and coordination of learners’ schedules. Conclusions highlight the potential of peer learning projects to promote pedagogical transformation and innovation in 21st century schools.

Exploring the Correlation between Online Teacher Dispositions and Practices in Virtual Classrooms and Student Participation and Satisfaction

2011 ◽  
pp. 75-85
Author(s):  
Carol M. Shepherd ◽  
Madelon Alpert
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Online Instruction ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Student Participation ◽  
Discussion Board ◽  
Teacher Dispositions ◽  
Community Of Learners ◽  
Active Involvement ◽  
Virtual Office ◽  
The Creation

Greater teacher efficacy in online teaching and teaching in a virtual world appears to be positively correlated with certain exhibited dispositions and practices. Inferential measures of dispositions such as friendliness, enthusiasm, active involvement, patience, and tolerance, among others, exhibited by professors in online instruction lead to greater student participation and satisfaction. By analyzing four professors teaching in the virtual world environment, two with positive student reviews and two with negative or mediocre student reviews, certain teacher dispositions and practices emerged. Three areas were studied: instructor participation with students, the tone of communication with students, and the creation of a community of learners in a virtual world. Instructor participation with students was measured by the interaction and guidance in discussion board questions, comments on graded student work, the amount of measured user time of the instructor while teaching online, and student evaluations. The tone of communication with students was measured by professor communications with students in the discussion boards, virtual office responses to student questions, and whole class as well as individual emails. The creation of a community of learners in a virtual environment helps to foster a sense of belonging, and was measured by activities such as informal course announcements, media, emails, and student and professor biographies, indicating that the instructor is interested in each student. There are two perspectives to online instruction: that of the student as well as that of the instructor. In order to provide a valid base for analysis, it is important to consider both. A search of the literature revealed almost no information in the areas of focus of this study. Further research is needed to identify positive behaviors by instructors leading to greater online instructor efficacy when teaching in virtual worlds.

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