E-Constructivism

Abstract

The constructivist teaching is based on the idea that students actively ‘construct' knowledge – they do not just ‘accumulate' new information, but rather ‘adjust' it to the foundation of the individual experiences, beliefs and assumptions. This chapter examines the constructivist theory in the context of e-learning. Constructivism-based lesson includes multiple modes of activity, such as contextual games or intense social interaction in groups. The nature of embedded learning or ‘learning-while-doing' is best captured in a collaborative study environment, whereby the students negotiate to achieve a corporate goal. There is a bewildering array of ways, in which the constructivist approach might be applied in a modern study environment. First, the chapter describes constructivism as a theoretical concept – and then morphs it into real-live examples from the pedagogical practice. Finally, it comments on the project initiated in Riga Technical University – a new online platform for anonymous peer review sessions created by the author to entwine constructivist pedagogy with digital technologies.