I am basically on information overload right now in terms of constructivist and connectivist theories of learning. I have been reading and trying to inform my own ways of thinking and to make connections with the knowledge that I carry with me from previous life experiences but there are little bells going off in my mind at the same time since the information I am reading carries some relevance depending on how one looks at it. The idea behind constructivism is to “build lifelong learners” working within a backward design to meet the needs of students through the implementation of a curriculum based on this knowledge. I recently attended a two day workshop on curriculum renewal within our province and although the workshop facilitators tried their best to communicate the information in an effective and efficient manner I left the workshop with pretty much the same knowledge I had of curriculum renewal at the start of the two days. Not until I started reading the material in block four and relating that to what the provincial curriculum writers are aiming for could I make better connections. I will admit the ideas in the constructivist theory are things we should all be practicing to some degree but even if we have been practicing other theoretical behaviors it may possibly be the time to begin making adjustments to the way we have tried to create learners, learners who have been viewed as ‘empty vessels needing to be filled’.
As for the connectivism theory….well, let’s just say I’m still trying to wrap my head around the idea of blogging but maybe I will be more informed at the end of this class.