Objectivism, Constructivism, and Me

If I am the trainer, which approach I will use in the design of my instructions?

This interesting question I asked myself after reading about Objectivism and Constructivism. Both have merits and demerits.

The first thing I want to understand is how a learner learns. The only available tools for the human learner are the senses. It is only through seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting that an individual interacts with the environment. With the messages from the senses, the individual builds a picture of the world. The picture build by each learner may be different.

Objectivism is based on the theory that a learner’s knowledge of the world comes from their experience of it. All the data and information required will be given to the learner. Where as, in Constructivism, learners construct knowledge for themselves thorough experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences. Each learner individually constructs meaning as he or she learns and learner need to have prior-knowledge in the subject of learning.

Whatever the approach used in the learning process, all of my learners are expected to achieve the learning objectives in the same manner.

We need to imagine a classroom of learners without prior–knowledge and using constructivist method with out any guidance!
Definitely none of us will agree with that kind of situation in a classroom.

It is appropriate to use a constructivist approach to a learner have prior-knowledge in the subject. However, for a novice, constructivism will present cognitive overload. For them objectivist method will be appropriate.

I believe that the constructivism learning theory originated and grown with technology. This approach reduces or changes the role of a teacher from a trainer to a facilitator. It is useful in the e learning settings. In both roles, the teacher is an important factor in the learning process.

I believe, it is always appropriate to know the learner before selecting the training method. Need to consider the learner’s prior-knowledge in the subject. In addition, it is important to consider the previous educational system the learner was in. All these factors will decide what type of approach we need to use in the process of learning for a particular learner.

I really like to combine these contrasting theories in my instructional designs depending on my learners and their level of knowledge.

Reference: Driscoll, M (2005). Psychology of Learning For Instruction. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.