6thInternational Science, SocialSciences, Engineering and Energy Conference17-19 December, 2014, Prajaktra Design Hotel, UdonThani, Thailand

I-SEEC 2014

http//iseec2014.udru.ac.th

The Development of Learning Management Strategy by Integrating Constructivism Theory

and Connectivism Approach to Develop The 21st Century Skills Of Secondary Students

Bamrungchita,e1,Muangpathomb,e2,Vollakitkasemsakul,c,e3 and Suwannattachot d,e4

aFaculty of Education, Udon Thani Rajabhat University, ThailandbFaculty of Education, Udon Thani Rajabhat University, Thailand cFaculty of Education, Udon Thani Rajabhat University, Thailand

dFaculty of Education, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand

e1a_run_r@hotmail.com, e2chatchai@udru.ac.th, e3dr_somchai080707@hotmail.com, e4praweenya@gmail.com

Abstract

This paper describes the development of learning management strategy by integrating constructivism theory and connectivism approach. The purposes of this research were: to develop the 21st century skills of secondary school students focusing on analytical thinking, information literacy, and social responsibility. The study was divided into 2 phases. In the first phase, learning strategy was identified from 10 teachers who are teaching an Independent Study Course using questionnaire, 5 experts were interviewed, and focus group from 8 teachers. The second phase was to construct the learning management strategy which were drawn from phase 1. The strategy included a principal component which is the learning process containing 3 steps: Step 1 is Pre-learning process, which includes 1) identify teaching-learning goal, 2) analyze learner, 3) design lesson content, 4) identify learning activity, and 5) prepare learning environment support system. Step 2 is Between learning which includes 4 steps of learning; 1) define and decide, 2) focus on, 3) feedback and 4) assessment. Step 3 is Post learning which is an assessment. The 3 sup-components are Learning resources, Learning support materials, and Cooperation on social networking sites. Constructivism and Connectivism is presented as a strategy of learning and knowing aligned with society’s needs today.

Keywords: Learning Management Strategy;Constructivism;Connectivism;21st Century Skills

1. Introduction

21st Century skills are a necessity for Thai students. The growing interconnectedness of countries across the world demonstrates the importance of these skills. These new skills are vital both socially and economically, and students face the challenge of acquiring this new set of skills in order to be successful in an age of globalization. Business and politics are demanding stronger, more prepared college graduates to compete in a global economy. The challenge ahead for educators is to provide students with the necessary skills to be successful in the 21st Century era of a global society[1].

2In Thailand The Cabinet, having considered the Eleventh National Economic and Social

Development Plan B.E. 2555 – 2559 (A.D. 2012 – 2016), which was prepared with the involvement of Thai people from all walks of life, through a shared vision of “A happy society with equality, fairness and resilience,” the Eleventh Plan will be implemented using the insights and involvement of all stakeholders. Consistent with the policies of the Ministry of Education to develop 21st century skills of Thai youth [2], to have Analytical Thinking skill, proud to be Thai and ASEAN. Jointly responsible for ASEAN Community Accordance with the teaching standards of the World-Class Standard School [3]. Thailand, which aims to create a good Thailand's New Generation and develop potential world citizens, self-learning, learning as a continuous process throughout life, has ability to communicate, public mind and discipline, prepare young people to the ASEAN community, and develop students' skills in the 21st Century [4]. The framework of 21st century skills the students should have in secondary school are: can stay together as world citizens, analytical thinking skill, information literacy skill and social responsibility [5], from the study of Schiever (1991). found that analytical thinking skill was very important and learners could be improve, and when learners had this skill they are able to identify and categorize the things scientifically, made decisions by themselves, and able to apply knowledge in any situations. However they can predict the consequences.

Currently, the Thailand compares unfavorably to other industrialized nations on academic benchmarks. As the world becomes more interconnected, the skills and knowledge that students need to succeed as global citizens have changed. Results from the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) show evidence of poor performance from Thai students. In the comparing countries’ and economies’ performance figure in the PISA Executive Summary (2010), Thai students scored statistically below the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average in mathematics, and not statistically different from the OECD average in reading and science. In addition, Thai students showed less than stellar results on the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS). TIMMS (2007) is administered to fourth and eighth grade students for math and science.

In an effort to understand and identify possible learning management strategy that promote 21st Century skills in students, this study identified one school claiming to prepare students for the next generation. This school has been identified by the federal government as a one of five hundred World Class Standard Schools, and has been recognized for various accomplishments in Udon Thani Primary Education Service Area office 1.

1.1 Research Questions

1. What are the key elements and the procedure of Learning Management Strategy by Integrating Constructivism theory and Connectivism approach to develop the 21st century skills of students?

2. Does using Learning Management Strategy by Integrating Constructivism theory and Connectivism approach enhance the 21st century skills of students?

1.2 Objective of the research

1. to develop learning management strategy by integrating constructivism theory and connectivism approach.

2. to study the efficiency of learning management strategy by integrating constructivism theory and connectivism approach on 21st century skills.

1.3 Research Methodology

This research is a qualitative research, the methodology of this research can be divided into two phases:

Phase 1: Asking the 10 teachers in World-Class Standard School for the brief of problem in teaching the Independent Study subject, the teachers teaching in each school, and the 5 experts from university for the answers and the concept of these question: 1.what are the most important problem of learning management to enhance 21st century skills to students? 2.what the 21st century skills are Thai students should have? 3.Do you think that Constructivism theory suitable for learning management to

3enhance 21st century skills to students? 4. Could Connectivism approach be integrated with Constructivism theory for learning management, and how do we do? 5.what are the elements of the learning management should have to enhance 21st century skills of Thai students?

• Analysis basic data and learning management's problems, used as the basis for defining the goals and scope of learning management strategy.

• The focus group (Focus Group Discussion). The data collected and summary from interviews with university professors, and from the related documentation. On specific issues relating and the way to develop the learning management. Participants in focus group are 8 teachers, who teaching in Independent Study subject from World Class Standard school. I was the moderator myself.

Phase 2: was to construct the learning management strategy which were drawn from phase 1.

2. The relevant theory

2.1 The development of learning theory

The evolution of learning theories were Behaviorism to Constructivism and then Connectivism [6[. George Siemens, analyzed and commented on interesting about learning theory by offering it as below:

• Behaviorism viewed knowledge as an object, which is occupied by a process induced by stimuli to achieve implementation.

• Cognitivism viewed that human learning as the computer process.• Constructivism viewed that human knowledge is created through his own

experiences.The development of learning theory as in figure 1.

Programmingdrill and practice

Computer based training (CBT)

with multimedia

Internet-basedtraining (IBT) e-Learning

Social software+free and open

content1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

BehaviorismCognitivism

ConstructivismConnectivism

figure 1. The development of learning theory [6]

2.2 Constructivism: An overview of the learning theory

Social Constructivism (Constructivism) is most often associated with Vygotsky (1978). Constructivism has many similarities to Cognitivism. They both describe theories of learning that emphasize the construction of knowledge; however, they differ in a number of areas. The two most important are (1) the distinctions between realism in the two theories, that learning is the result of interaction with the real; and (2) that social interactions are not only the vehicle for learning, they are the vehicle for development. Growth comes through these interactions [7].

Also, whereas both Cognitivism and Behaviorism are objectivist theories of learning, constructivism holds that there is no knowledge that exists outside of the person; there is no objective reality. We cannot assume that two people understand in the same way. Knowledge is a process of developing understanding of something in a very personal way through situated activity[8]. Learners create meaning from their experiences that are separate and different from the meanings developed by others, even those participating in the same experience. Understanding is based not just on current experiences but the aggregate of all experiences, thus each person brings with him/her a cache of experiences that are brought to bear in a particular situation[9].

Constructivism views learning as a process of constructing meaning from experience, and believe that knowledge occurs as a fusion of internal mental models and observation and reflection on external experiences [10].

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2.3 Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age

Connectivism has been developed by George Siemens and Stephen Downes based on their analysis of the limitations of traditional learning theories to explain the effect technology has had on how we live, how we communicate, and how we learn [11]. According to co-developer Stephen Downes (2007), connectivism posits that “knowledge is distributed across a network of connections, and therefore that learning consists of the ability to construct and traverse those networks [12].” As with constructivism and active learning, connectivism theorizes that knowledge is not acquired, as though it were a thing. Knowledge is the set of connections formed by actions and experience. In connectivism, there is no real concept of transferring knowledge, making knowledge, or building knowledge. Rather, the activities we undertake when we conduct practices in order to learn are more like growing or developing ourselves and our society in certain (connected) ways.

• Characteristics of Connectivism1. Existing theories of learning fail to account for the expansion and creation of

knowledge. Connectivism and networked learning, on the other hand, suggest a continual expansion of knowledge. New and novel connections open new worlds and create new knowledge.

2. Connectivism emphasizes the primacy of the connection and suggests understanding learning is found in understanding how and why connections form. Connections are formed at various levels: neural, cognitive/conceptual, and social.

3. The sheer quantity of information available to most people today is overwhelming. How can we cope? How can existing theories of learning assist us in embracing information as a continual process, rather than an event. Constructivism attempts to provide a conduit for considering more than the act of learning itself and inform us as to how multiple aspects of information creation interact and evolve.

4. Looking to our history reveals the prominence of technology in opening new doors – form writing to air travel. Technology is an enabler of new opportunities. While we’ve encountered years of hype, the internet is truly a unique invention that ties together the globe.

5. Connectivism brings together concepts from different domains in a novel way. Constructivism is an aggregation of thoughts that span from Dewey to von Glaserfeld to Papert. In a similar sense, connectivism is unique in bringing together ideas of neuroscience, cognitive science, network theory, complex systems, and related disciplines. While it is still a somewhat uneasy mix, as much evidence exists for the key assertions in connectivism as does in any other theory of learning [4].

The main difference between Constructivism and Connectivism are therefore temporal: while connectivism views knowledge creation as emergent and iterative, constructivism views learning as being based on prior experiences and is largely concerned with how those experiences are brought into current reality [13].

Principles of Constructivism

1. The learner uses sensory input and does something with it, ultimately making meaning of it.

2. Learning consists of both constructing meaning and constructing systems of meaning. Learning is layered. 3. Learning occurs in the mind. Physical activity may be necessary, but is not sufficient alone. 4. Learning involves language. Vygotsky believed that language and learning are inextricably intermeshed. 5. Learning is a social activity. 6. Learning is contextual. 7. Knowledge is necessary for learning. 8. Learning takes time; it is not spontaneous. 9. Motivation is a necessary component, because it causes the learner's sensory apparatus to be activated.

Principles of Connectivism

1. Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions. 2. Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.3. Learning may reside in non-human appliances.4. Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known 5. Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning. 6. Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill. 7. Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities. 8. Decision-making is itself a learning process.

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Learning Management Strategy by Integrating Constructivism TheoryAnd Connectivism Approach

21st Century Skills( Analytical Thinking, Information Literacy and Social Responsibility)

Figure 2. The conceptual framework to develop Learning Management Strategy by Integrating Constructivism Theoryb And Connectivism Approach

3. Finding

The findings from the research are incomplete because now the research is in the process of Strategy Implementation (phase 2) that will be end on February 2015. The preliminary findings are summarized as follow;

The Collogation in Constructivism and Connectivism1. The ability to link the new experience and prior knowledge 2. Have the knowledge to select and change information to assist in decision making in learning.3. Learn to use a variety of learning model and focus on knowledge that is required. Activities linked to learning.4. Learning depends on the context of the study and a social activity.5. Learning takes time, focuses on understanding and student's performance, students create their own knowledge and responsibility to themselves and social responsibility.6. Use technology ethically and not piracy lead to activities that are beneficial to society.

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The Learning Management Strategy by Integrating Constructivism theory and Connectivism approach are schematically illustrated in figure 2. They consist of: (1) Strategy Planning; (2) Strategy Implementation; and (3) Strategy Evaluation.

Figure 2: The Learning Management Strategy by Integrating Constructivism theory and Connectivism approach.

• The Strategy Planning consist of the development of theoretical assumptions or speculations about why the constructivism and the connectivism are important, and how it can be most meaningfully assessed. The primary purpose of this phase is to justify the key elements and the procedure of Learning Management Strategy by Integrating Constructivism theory and Connectivism approach to develop the 21st century skills of students. The data collected were; gathering, experts interviews, teachers interviews, focus group and then define strategy, develop strategy and learning model, checked the learning management by the experts.

• The Strategy Implementation consist of the learning model:DFFA (1) Define and Decide: teachers and students review prior knowledge to link to the new knowledge. (2) Focus on: students must work together to do the activities, exchange knowledge, opinions, help each other in each stage of the work. (3) Feedback: students will find the concept and their learning process. from the expert of the topic they choosed, analyzed the interpretation and conclusions. Teachers should encourage learners thinking and conflict resolution on the findings of all members of the group. until could summarize the answer, and created the learning processes of their own. (4) Assessment: after completing each topic of the unit, teachers and learners share evaluation criteria jointly determined beforehand.

• The Strategy Evaluation consist of data gathering measurement during the use of Strategy Implementation such as the evaluation of learning and teaching, the unit-specific self-evaluation, students outcomes and the feedback of the stakeholder.

4. Conclusion

We have defined Learning Management Strategy by Integrating Constructivism theory and Connectivism approach as a process that integrates design to allow teachers to generate useful educational interventions and effective theory for solving individual and collective problems of education. This definition of the Learning Management Strategy process describes the fundamental nature of all forms of strategy in order to help us better about strategy. This definition is not just an academic exercise, but necessary to establish strategy as a high paradigm methodology, allowing us to better replicate the design process, to apply methods from other design methodologies, to better teach this learning management

7strategy to new design researchers, to acquire more resources, and ultimately to accumulate theory relevant to practice.

By formally defining Learning Management Strategy by Integrating Constructivism theory and Connectivism approach, we establish its credibility as a legitimate methodology of learning management strategy.

5. Recommendations

A practical next step for continuing this study would be to find out which of the step in the strategy are most commonly mentioned. Producing some type of strategy by enabling more weight to be placed on certain issues than others could aid in improving retention efforts by pointing out which areas should be given priority.

As for the future research opportunities, after the strategy is established and more data is available, changes in the variables can be tested to see if they improve another 21st century skills of students.

6.Acknowledgements

We would like to thank to Udonthani Rajabhat University for facility for supporting, and also express special thanks to Assoc.Prof.Dr.Prayong Klanrit from Faculty of Humanities English program , Udonthani Rajabhat University for assistance with presentation.

References

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[8] Duffy, T. & Jonassen, R. (Eds.) (1992), Constructivism and the technology of instruction: A conversation. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.[9] Ertmer, P., & Newby, T. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly , 6 (4), pp. 50-72.[10] Vygotsky L.S. (1978). Mind in society. In M. Cole, V. John-Steiner, S. Scribner, and E. Souberman (Eds.), Interaction between learning and development (pp.79-91). Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press.[11] Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: Learning as Network-Creation. ASTD learningCircuits. Retrieved June 12, 2010, from http://www.astd.org/LC/2005/1105_seimens.htm[12] Downes, S. (2007). What Connectivism Is. Connectivism Conference forum. Retrieved June 13, 2010, from http://halfanhour.blogspot.com/2007/02/what-connectivism-is.html [13] Siemens, G. (2009). What is Connectivism? Connectivism and Connective Knowledge Online Course 2009 support wiki.

Retrieved June 13, 2010, from http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=anw8wkk6fjc_14gpbqc2dt