Not so much a summary actually but a mainly paraphrased and often copied and pasted exploration of the document.
Connectivism
Summary by me
Before learning had felt the impact of technology, the three learning theories that shaped instructional environments were Behaviorism, Constructivism, and Cognitism. As learning needs and theories that describe learning principles and processes should reflect the social environments in which they exist, a new theory is needed.
Knowledge has changed. Nowadays, the time from which it is gained until it is of no use by virtue of being superceded, disproven, found superfluous, has shortened and the amount of knowledge in the world is, according to the American Society of Training and Documentation (ASTD), doubling every 18 months.
As a result, new methods of instruction are being developed, adopted, and deployed. Important trends to consider now are that learners often move into many sometimes unrelated fields over the course of their careers; formal learning now is no longer the primary source of learning with informal learning such as that which occurs through communities of practice, personal networks, and through completion of work-related tasks.
Learning is also now a continual process throughout our lives. Learning and work are no longer separate, they are connected and are very often one and the same. Our brains, the tools with which we use to think and perceive the world, learn and shape our realities are changing.
The increased focus on knowledge management proves there is a link that needs to be made between organizational and individual learning.
The process and location of acquiring learning have changed and a theory is required to analyse how and where learning is performed in the modern age.
Encompassing many of the traditional learning theories of Behaviorism, Cognitism, and Constructivism, Driscoll (2000) defines learning as “a persisting change in human performance or performance potential…[which] must come about as a result of the learner’s experience and interaction with the world” (p.11). Learning relates to changes in our emotional, mental, and physiological states.
In defining the complexities of learning, debate revolves around:
- Valid sources of knowledge (through experiences, we possess it innately, or through thinking and reasoning).
- Content of knowledge – Is it knowable and is it directly knowable through human experience?
- Objectivism (like Behaviorism) which states that reality is external and knowledge is acquired via experiences
- Pragmatism (like Cognitivism) which states that reality is interpreted and knowledge is negotiated through experiences and thinking
- Interpretivism (like Constructivism) which states that reality is internal and knowledge is constructed
All of these theories relate to how knowledge is an objective and attainable or innate via reasoning or experiences. To summarise the three traditional learning theories:
‘Behaviorism states that learning is largely unknowable, that is, we can’t possibly understand what goes on inside a person (the “black box theory”). Gredler (2001) expresses behaviorism as being comprised of several theories that make three assumptions about learning:
- Observable behaviour is more important than understanding internal activities
- Behaviour should be focused on simple elements: specific stimuli and responses
- Learning is about behaviour change
Cognitivism often takes a computer information processing model. Learning is viewed as a process of inputs, managed in short term memory, and coded for long-term recall. Cindy Buell details this process: “In cognitive theories, knowledge is viewed as symbolic mental constructs in the learner's mind, and the learning process is the means by which these symbolic representations are committed to memory.”
Constructivism suggests that learners create knowledge as they attempt to understand their experiences (Driscoll, 2000, p. 376). Behaviorism and cognitivism view knowledge as external to the learner and the learning process as the act of internalizing knowledge. Constructivism assumes that learners are not empty vessels to be filled with knowledge. Instead, learners are actively attempting to create meaning. Learners often select and pursue their own learning. Constructivist principles acknowledge that real-life learning is messy and complex. Classrooms which emulate the “fuzziness” of this learning will be more effective in preparing learners for life-long learning.’
However these, according to George Siemens, have a number of limitations.
These theories do not account for learning that is stored externally to a person as facilitated by technology as well as how learning is stored within an organization.
Learning theories are also more focused on the process as opposed to the learning’s value. ‘The need to evaluate the worthiness of learning something is a meta-skill that is applied before learning itself begins. When knowledge is subject to paucity, the process of assessing worthiness is assumed to be intrinsic to learning. When knowledge is abundant, the rapid evaluation of knowledge is important. Additional concerns arise from the rapid increase in information. In today’s environment, action is often needed without personal learning – that is, we need to act by drawing information outside of our primary knowledge. The ability to synthesize and recognize connections and patterns is a valuable skill.’
As opposed to the continual revision and evolution of existing theories, perhaps a new theory was needed. Questions that could be addressed would relate to:
- The impact of learning theories when learning takes place now in a non-linear manner.
- The necessary adjustments to learning theory resulting from how cognitive operations are now often performed by technology
- How to stay current as information technology evolves so quickly
- How learning theories might address instances where performance is required without full understanding
- The impact of networks and complexity theory on learning
- The impact of chaos as a complex pattern recognition process on learning
- How systems and ecology theories are understood in learning tasks with a greater understanding of how differing fields of knowledge are interconnected
Learning theories need to consider technology and connections. As we can no longer experience everything that we want to learn, we look at the experiences of others ‘I store my knowledge in my friends’ is an axiom for collecting knowledge through collecting people (undated).” ‘Meaning-making and forming connections between specialized communities are important activities.’
An aspect of learning now is how it is centred on organization of openness to information. As Luis Mateus Rocha (1998) puts it, self-organization as the “spontaneous formation of well organized structures, patterns, or behaviors, from random initial conditions.”
‘Wiley and Edwards acknowledge the importance of self-organization as a learning process: “Jacobs argues that communities self-organize is a manner similar to social insects: instead of thousands of ants crossing each other’s pheromone trails and changing their behavior accordingly, thousands of humans pass each other on the sidewalk and change their behavior accordingly.”. Self-organization on a personal level is a micro-process of the larger self-organizing knowledge constructs created within corporate or institutional environments. The capacity to form connections between sources of information, and thereby create useful information patterns, is required to learn in our knowledge economy.
What is a network?
It is the connections between entities. ‘Computer networks, power grids, and social networks all function on the simple principle that people, groups, systems, nodes, entities can be connected to create an integrated whole. Alterations within the network have ripple effects on the whole.’
Connectivism
An integration of the aforementioned principles of chaos, network, and complexity and self-organisation theories. According to Connectivism, learning now happens within nebulous environments of changing and moving elements that are not solely under the control of the learner. Learning no longer necessarily requires what is learnt to culminate with it within ourselves, just that is actionable knowledge. It is more
Focused on the connection of nodes of specialized information, and how we can enable more knowing than we already possess.
Decisions, according to Connectivism, are now based on fast-changing information which is continually being acquired and there is a great import in recognizing what information is important and what is unimportant. The ability of appreciating when new information alters the landscape based on previous decisions is critical.
Principles of Connectivism
- Learning and knowledge equates to diversity of opinions
- Learning is the process of connecting specialized nodes or info sources
- Learning can reside outside of humans
- The ability to increase one’s knowledge has greater import than what is currently known
- Creating and retaining connections is required for continual learning
- The ability to see those connections between fields, ideas and concepts is a core skill
- Being up to date and accurate in regards to knowledge is the objective of connectivist learning activities
- Making decisions is a learning process as the choices in what we learn and the meaning of new information is perceived through a lens of shifting reality. What may be right today, may not be tomorrow as a result of the shifting environment of information.
As traditional learning theories do not explore knowledge management activities, Connectivism attempts to plug that hole. Knowledge may well reside in a database but the right people in the right context need to be able to access it for its collection and retention to be considered learning.
Information flow needs to be focused on and maintained to ensure organizational effectiveness.
‘Within social networks, hubs are well-connected people who are able to foster and maintain knowledge flow. Their interdependence results in effective knowledge flow, enabling the personal understanding of the state of activities organizationally.’
‘The starting point of connectivism is the individual. Personal knowledge is comprised of a network, which feeds into organizations and institutions, which in turn feed back into the network, and then continue to provide learning to individual. This cycle of knowledge development (personal to network to organization) allows learners to remain current in their field through the connections they have formed.’
Landauer and Dumais (1997): “people have much more knowledge than appears to be present in the information to which they have been exposed”….“the simple notion that some domains of knowledge contain vast numbers of weak interrelations that, if properly exploited, can greatly amplify learning by a process of inference”. The value of pattern recognition and connecting our own “small worlds of knowledge” are apparent in the exponential impact provided to our personal learning.
We all create these networks in maintaining relationships and speaking with one another but the Internet provides voice for a few to reach more people.
http://www.itdl.org/journal/jan_05/article01.htm