A Whistestop Tour of Theories for TEL Research

A Whistle-stop Tour of Theories for TEL ResearchDoug Clow, MRes talk, 28 Feb 2018

● Whistle-stop● Tour● Theories● TEL Research

2Photo (CC) BY-NC-ND Ross G. Strachan https://flic.kr/p/2NUYKW

● Routes to generalisability● Big data or big theory● Atheoretical approaches aren’t● Show your workings

3

“All models are wrong, but some are useful.” (George Box, 1978)

Photo (CC) BY-NC Chris Jones https://flic.kr/p/dTdpnQ

4

What islearning?

Nuremberg funnel, 1902

Origins ofbehaviourism &constructivism

6

Behaviourism

● Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936)● Classical conditioning (dogs)

● B. F. Skinner (1904-1990)● Free will largely illusory● Operant conditioning● Stimulus-response-reinforcer● Reinforcement learning● Positive > negative● Teaching machines

7

Photo: Wikimedia Commons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:B.F._Skinner_at_Harvard_circa_1950.jpg

● Not behaviourism● Not instructivism ● Learning is an active process● Importance of learner’s existing ideas ● Discovery learning● Inquiry-based learning● Social constructivism

Piaget, Bruner, many many others

Constructivism

8

Jean Piaget (1896-1980)

● ‘Genetic epistemology’● Children● Stages of development● Sensorimotor● Preoperational (symbolic thought)● Concrete operational (logical thought)

● Formal operational (abstract reasoning)

● Learning is active

9

Photo: Public domain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jean_Piaget_in_Ann_Arbor.png

Jerome Bruner (1915-2016)

● Cognitive psychology● Developmental psychology● Educational psychology● Spiral curriculum● Discovery learning● Environment important● Scaffolding

10

Photo: © British Psychological Society

Other classics

11

Forms of Intellectual and Ethical Development in the College Years: A Scheme (1970)

William Perry

● 9 stages of development:● Received knowledge ● learn the right answers

● Multiplicity ● conflicting answers, sometimes we don’t know

● Relativism ● answers depend on context

● Constructed knowledge● commitment as ongoing process

12

Donald Schön (1983) The Reflective PractitionerChris Argyris & Donald Schön (1978) Organizational Learning

Reflection

● Reflection-in-action● Reflection-on-action

● Single-loop learning● Improvement within a framework

● Double-loop learning● Change the goals, processes

13

David A. Kolb (1984/2015). Experiential Learning: experience as the source of learning and development

Kolb’s learning cycle

14

15

LEARNINGSTYLES

16

Learning Styles

● Believed by up to 95% of teachers● Contradicted by empirical research● Trying different approaches can be good● Learners do have preferences● ... they’re not always right● ... they are not stable

● One ‘style’ often best for most learners● Too many versions● Great idea, ruined by reality not conforming

Journey toActivity Theory

17

18

Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934)

● Cultural-historical context● Zone of Proximal Development

ZPD dagram: Public domain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Zone_of_proximal_development.svg

Subject Object

Mediatingartifact

19

Cultural-Historical Activity TheoryYrjö Engeström (1987)

Diagram: In McAndrew, Taylor & Clow (2010), after Engeström (1987)

Politicalengagement

20

Paulo Freire

● Critical pedagogy● Learning as an active process● Education as a political act● No such thing as neutral education

Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1968/1970)

21

Photo: (CC)-BY-SA Slobodan Dmitrov https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paulo_Freire.jpg

Actor-Network Theory

● Poststructuralism ● Science & Technology Studies● Consider human and non-human actors● Intermediaries vs mediators

Michel Callon, Bruno Latour, & others

22

Andragogy, Heutagogy

● Andragogy – Malcolm Knowles (1913-1997)● Adult learners● Are different from children● Bring experience● Expect influence● Should be active participants● Want applications● Expect action on their feedback

● Heutagogy – Stewart Hase & Chris Kenyon (2010)● Self-determined learning

23

More recently

24

Approaches to Study Inventory

● Deep and surface learning● Ference Marton, Roger Säljö, Noel Entwistle, Paul Ramsden, Keith Trigwell, Mike Prosser, John Richardson.

● Context-dependent● “on this course”

● Strategic, Amotivational● Approaches to Teaching Inventory● Conceptual change, information transmission

25

1993/2001 Rethinking University Teaching: A Conversational Framework for the Effective Use of Learning Technologies

Diana Laurillard

26

Photo © UCL Institute of Education

27

Jean Lave & Etienne Wenger-Trayner

Communities of Practice

● Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation (1991) ● Apprenticeship

● “Groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.”

Quotes & photo: http://wenger-trayner.com/introduction-to-communities-of-practice/

● “The online universe is cluttered with spaces that nobody uses. It’s also full of sites that are called a community of practice even if no-one is there!”

28

Gráinne Conole, 7Cs of Learning Design, 2014

Learning Design

● Conceptualise: Vision, learners, essence, approaches?

● Capture: OER, others to develop● Create: Learning activities?● Communicate: Communication types?● Collaboration: Collaboration types?● Consider: Reflection and demonstration?● Consolidate: How effective is it?

Photo: (CC)-BY Terese Bird https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Professor_Grainne_Conole_at_Institute_of_Learning_Innovation_University_of_Leicester.jpg

29

Stephen Downes & George Siemens (2005)

Connectivism

● Learning theory for a digital age● Learning occurs through / in networks● Connections vital● Chaos, nebulous, rapid change● Capacity to know more● More important than current knowledge

Photos: Stephen Downes, George Siemens (via Twitter)

Meanwhile,in the cognitive

world

30

Cognitive psychologyCognitivism, cognitive approaches

● Big Five Personality Traits● extraversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, neuroticism

● Information processing● Working memory / cognitive load● Long term memory● Spaced repetition● Kahneman (2011) System 1 & System 2● ‘Elephant and rider’

● … many, many more

31

Instructional DesignRobert Gagné (1916-2002)

● Gaining attention (reception)● Informing learners of the objective (expectancy)● Stimulating recall of prior learning (retrieval)● Presenting the stimulus (selective perception)● Providing learning guidance (semantic encoding)● Eliciting performance (responding)● Providing feedback (reinforcement)● Assessing performance (retrieval)● Enhancing retention and transfer (generalization)

32

Intelligent Tutoring Systems

33

And finally …

34

What to take away

● Constructivism● Activity Theory● Communities of Practice● Cognitive psychology ● Learning styles are a myth

35

Photo (CC) BY-ND Mike Carter https://flic.kr/p/nxxQzp