This interesting article was written quite a few years ago but still holds some great theory in regards to groups learning electronically. The article by Driver (2003) looks at the concept of ’skillful discussion’, that is, making assumptions visible and challenges the group’s thinking.

Interestingly, Driver (2003) explores the use of internet chatrooms as a tool for facilitating and participating in skillful discussions within geographically distanced groups. Skillful discussions can promote collaborative learning - by building relationships, creating a feeling of trust and allowing learners to review and reflect on what they and others have said. Driver (2003) cites using internet chatrooms as having an equalising effect on learners who may otherwise not participate or contribute in a face-to-face learning environment. The anonymity of the chatroom allows for the focus of the skillful discussion to remain on ideas.

Driver (2003) believes that internet chatrooms provide a safe learning environment for learners to express their ideas and learn collaboratively. The study conducted is limited by the exploratory nature of the hypothesis and therefore some of the theoretical generalisations proposed by Driver (2003) may be too general in nature.

 However, the article is interesting because it shows how internet chatrooms when used for skillful group discussions demonstrate both humanist and social learning theories in practice.

Reference

Driver, M. (2003), “Improving group learning through electronically facilitated skillful discussions“, The Learning Organization, vol. 10, no. 5, pp. 283-293.  

In the last class, synchonous learning technologies were presented via a webinar. For me this was different to what I had previously experienced - which was as a listener at a seminar held simultaneously in Sydney and Boston.

The webinar that was held in class, allowed us to actively contribute to the presentation by adding comments directly to the powerpoint slides, and also within the chat forum. While no one was really game enough to show their faces via the webcam for the entire presentation, I can see how that can assist in distance education where it can help in putting a face to a voice or an email.

Considerations in using this technology could include issues of:

•  whether to email through the presentation/discussion points prior to the webinar to assist in preparation or to overcome dial-up problems
• guidelines for participation - does the webinar have one microphone only or can anyone discuss as any point
• which learning theories will be utilised in designing and presenting a webinar

Also known as ‘learning by observing’, social learning occurs via observation and through the modelling of the observed behaviours that also requires learner self-regulation (Merriam & Caffarella 1999). The way the learner perceives and reacts to a situation will be based upon their experiences and expectations. Learners have expectations based on anticipation of specific results of a particular behaviour (Merriam & Caffarella 1999) while expectations are constructed from learners’ prior experiences (Burns 2002).

Bandura’s social learning theory could be applied by a short demonstration of the skill, questioning about the skill, and getting the learner to practice the skill whilst there is timely feedback. Social learning theory could be used within any e-learning environment, as long as the learner’s experience and expectations are positive and relevant. Group discussion pages and virtual worlds could encourage learning by observation.  

Burns, R.L. 2002, The Adult Learner at Work: The Challenges of Lifelong Education in the new Millennium, 2nd edn, Allen and Unwin, Crows Nest, Australia. 

With constructivist learning principles, learners assemble and re-assemble new information to fit with their previous information. Knowing how to learn generic problem-solving strategies are more transferrable learning skills than rote memory learning.

Within an e-learning environment such learning principles could involve:

• Group work – learning from others and collective problem-solving

• Simulations, scenarios and case studies – allow for a wider range of practical responses that learners are more readily able to relate to than abstract directed learning

• Enriched learning environments (multimedia e-Learning) – engage learners and allows them to explore within the environment at their own pace (self-discovery) and scaffolds

Constructivist learning theory evolves from cognitive learning theory. Jerome Bruner purported the idea of constructivist learning theory where individuals learn through “discovery/self-directed/problem-solving learning” (Burns 2002, p.240). Because the learning is a continual process as learners discover and make information and concepts personally meaningful.

To use discovery learning, facilitators should pose questions and problems, and explore/discuss answers. By building upon the simple tasks, learners should be able to remember and problem solve quickly on the complex tasks.

 Reference Burns, R.L. 2002, The Adult Learner at Work: The Challenges of Lifelong Education in the new Millennium, 2nd edn, Allen and Unwin, Crows Nest, Australia.

According to Burns (2002), people learn by doing which allows the learner greater opportunity to remember new information when it is related to existing information. Under the Humanist approach, learning allows the individual to gain new insights via the rearrangement of new and existing information. Learning in communities of practice is a non-threatening learning environment which allows for self-expression and self-determination. The construction of understanding is by experiences.

 References Burns, R.L. 2002, The Adult Learner at Work: The Challenges of Lifelong Education in the new Millennium, 2nd edn, Allen and Unwin, Crows Nest, Australia.

The Humanist approach emphasises the learner’s need to achieve and self-motivation in learning. As facilitators and designers using this approach, an encouraging learning environment is required for learner self-actualisation.  Due to the organic nature of e-learning, a Humanist approach encourages learners to express their ideas and feelings. This expression of emotions assist in the learning process as part of self-reflection.

Advance organisers help to prepare learners’ cognitive structures accommodate new learning and experiences (Merriam & Caffarella 1999). Cognitivists believe that learners use schemas and scaffolding to integrate new knowledge with prior learning. Within e-learning, designers may use summaries and revision of new and prior learning to assist in organising learners’ new information to fit into pre-existing knowledge. An explanation on how the new information fits into the general scheme of the learning would be of great benefit to learners. 

Reference

Merriam, S.B. & Caffarella, R.S. 1999, ‘Key theories of learning’, in S.B. Merriam and R.S. Caffarella, Learning in Adulthood: A Comprehensive Guide, 2nd edn, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, pp. 248-266.

With the cognitive approach to learning, the individual’s mental processes and how they perceive their environment is important. In other words, learners interpret new experiences and situations using existing prior knowledge, to create new meaning.  

Learning is meaningful only if it can be linked to prior knowledge or experiences that the learner understands (Burns, 2002). Within e-learning, learners must be able to relate the content to specific tasks or jobs. By making learning meaningful, learners will be better able to accommodate this new information and incorporate it into the existing knowledge base.

The cognitive approach believes that insight occurs when the solution comes suddenly, although this is more likely to result from the “restructuring” and “reorganising” of new and prior knowledge in the learner’s brain (Burns, 2002, p.127). Therefore, any ‘insightful’ learning is dependent on prior experiences. Hence a “learning set” (Burns, p.132) can be a strategy for problem solving – basically, to complete complex tasks, individuals first requires mastery in simple tasks.

Reference  Burns, R.L. 2002, The Adult Learner at Work: The Challenges of Lifelong Education in the new Millennium, 2nd edn, Allen and Unwin, Crows Nest, Australia.