The theory of connectivism was proposed by George Siemens and Stephen Downes in 2004 – 2005, defined as “the integration of principles explored by chaos, network, and complexity and self-organization theories, and emphasized that learning is not entirely under the control of individuals but a process continues changing depending on the environment.

“It is not a pedagogy, but a set of principles” Siemens (2005)

Compared to traditional learning approach, connectivism is a network based on knowledge. Education occurs through the transferal of knowledge from educator to learner, and both the learners and educators who participating in the process constitutes learning.

Connectivism is characterized by four major types of activities: aggregation, relation, creation, and sharing.

As the developing of connectivism, the process of learning will gradually becomes more decentralized. A educator or learning source on the internet, can be a teacher doing online lecturing, can be a short video on TikTok, can be a blog, or a Youtube video. This is reflect creation and sharing of the characteristic of connectivism. The online learning sources are opened, anyone can be the creator, and creating and sharing their own knowledge to others, and anyone can be the learner, there are tons of learning source out there on the internet wait for you to discover. if only like this, the learning resources are decentralized and without control. So, a platform is needed to aggregation and connect the educator and learner. There are many platform out there, such as Brightspace, TikTok, Youtube….etc they are playing a key role in connetivism, reflecting the characteristic of aggregation and relation.

A example mentioned in the article: Downes and Siemens developed an opened course called MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) that anyone could study them at no financial cost, but also open in terms of content, direction, and technology. These courses, such as Connectivism and Connective Knowledge (CCK08 and CCK09), allowed learners to freely access and contribute content using various online tools. The connectivist courses had less structure and emphasized learner-generated content and connections.

Personal reflection

I don’t think connectivism is a totally new approach. As in traditional learning, our schools, or classrooms, play a similar role as a platform plays in connectivism, which links educators, learning resources and learners together. But, in connectivism, overcoming the limitation of time and space of the traditional learning, and enriching the learning materials. Connectivism places high demands on learners’ autonomy. learners need to take some time to discover and find the best “platform” suit for their goals of learning. “Interaction” is also important in connectivism because the connection is not only between the learner and learning resources but also between the learner and other learners.

Sources

Weller, M. (2020). “Chapter 17 – 2010  Connectivism.” 25 Years of Edtech. AU Press. https://read.aupress.ca/read/25-years-of-ed-tech/section/198057f5-1a3e-4436-a4b8-c6e1a3e0bd69#ch17.

I always believe that different learning approaches or theories apply for different people, and there is no single approach or theory works for everyone.

Personally, I grew up in the environment where they used the same method to teach everyone in the school, which i felt uncomfortable about it. These approaches they use may works well for some students but not me. For example, the teachers would ask us to memorizes English words written on the textbook, but i just couldn’t. I prefer to learn new words through movies, musics, and even videos on the internet. This personal experience makes me realized that we should “teach students in accordance with their aptitude”. This is why i selected this reading “Learning theories and online learning” by  Bates (2014)

In the article, Bates (2014) outlined a numbers of theories on learning and emphasized the importance of understanding learning theories to effectively design and deliver online courses. Bates (2014) proposed in the article:

“With a knowledge of alternative theoretical approaches, teachers and instructors are in a better position to make choices about how to approach their teaching in ways that will best fit the perceived needs of their students, within the very many different learning contexts that teachers and instructors face.”

Indeed, with alternative theoretical approaches, teachers can give better support to their students.

Here are some approaches Bates (2014) proposed in the article:

Behaviorism

Behaviorism was developed in 1920s, and it still be a dominate approach in many countries especially in the U.S. Behaviorists believe that specific behaviors are related to specific stimuli, in other words, specific stimuli can trigger specific reactions in people. By punishing and reinforcing, it is possible to enhance or decrease the frequency of specific behaviors among people. In the context of online learning, behaviorist principles can be applied through providing clear objectives, offering immediate feedback, and using rewards to motivate learners.

Cognitivism

Cognitive approaches emphasize the understanding of learning, and we cannot be limited to observable behaviors. Instead, we must focus on learners’ psychological experiences and abilities, such as memory, concepts, comprehension, and logical thinking. Artificial intelligence is the application of cognitivism. As Chatgpt, it first analysis the logic behind the question and then “retrieval” from the large memory resource database of the internet and to answer the questions you ask. Through continuous learning, its answers will become increasingly accurate. This is a simulation of the brain, which also reflects the plasticity of the human brain. Online learning can incorporate cognitivist principles by presenting information in a structured and organized manner, promoting active engagement and reflection, and encouraging learners to build connections between new and existing knowledge.

Constructivism

Constructionists emphasis the importance of consciousness, free will and social influences on learning. In constructivism, knowledge is seen as value, people are seen as unique, and everyone can pursue the value they want to achieve using their own methods. In online learning, constructivist approaches can be implemented by encouraging collaboration, providing opportunities for exploration and inquiry, and fostering a learner-centered environment.

Connectivism

Connectivism is a new approach to online learning and it is still been developing. it emphasizes learner autonomy, interactivity. This also means that teachers would have less control on the students. The learning results are mainly depending on how much efforts the students put into on the course, and the degree how the student connect to the course materials and other students.

I am a psychology student at UVic, so more or less, i knew some theories about Behaviorism and Cognitivism. Constructivism is new to me and the Connectivism approach is what i am now experiencing (taking this course). I think, for the students, to experience different approach so that you can find the one fit you the best, and for the teachers, integrating different teaching theories can they better cope with different students.

sources

Bates, T. (2014). Learning Theories and Online Learning. [Blog post]. https://www.tonybates.ca/2014/07/29/learning-theories
-and-online-learning/