A Learning Theory and ID for
21st Century Learners
“The Whole Beast”
Marie Sontag, Ph.D.
San Jose, California
SCCS - A new learning theory and instructional design based
on students’ new social-connectedness schema and students’
cognitive-connectedness schema, due to the affordances of
technology
Presented at Ed-Media ‘08
Vienna, Austria
Premise: The affordances of today’s technologies have significantly
effected changes in the way students connect to others, and in the way they
connect to information.
Objective: This PowerPoint presents the six constructs of a new learning
theory and instructional design model (SCCS), based on changes in
students’ schemata.
New Learning Theory and ID Model
Social and Cognitive-Connectedness Schema
SCCS - or “The Whole Beast”
Ed-Media ‘08
The Blind Men and the Elephant
by John Godfrey Saxe 1
http://www.wordinfo.info/words/index/info/view_unit/1/?letter=B&spage=3
Schaller and Allison-Bunnel: We are in a “pre-paradigmatic
phase of learning style research. The blind researchers have
each described a different part of the elephant, but have not yet
synthesized their findings into a picture of the whole beast”. 2
Ed-Media ‘08
Different Parts of the Beast
Various learning theories focus on various aspects
of learning.
Behaviorism: Behaviorism focuses on learning as a process
of connections between a stimulus and a response.
Ed-Media ‘08
Different Parts of the Beast
Cognitivism: Cognitivism is concerned with internal knowledge.
Cognitivism views knowledge as having identifiable parts that
can be classified based on the nature, content, and goals of the
learner. 3
Ed-Media ‘08
Different Parts of the Beast
Constructivism: In constructivism, learners build an internal
representation of knowledge, a personal interpretation of their
experiences. 4
Ed-Media ‘08
Different Parts of the Beast
Situativity: In situativity, knowledge and meaning are viewed
as the result of participation in social activities, often referred
to as a community of practice. 5
Ed-Media ‘08
The Whole Beast?
(Siemens, 2005)
“The underlying
conditions have
altered so
significantly that
further modification is
no longer sensible.
An entirely new
approach is
needed.” 6
Siemens holds that
students’ schemata
has so dramatically
changed, due to the
affordances of
technology, that we
must lay aside
previous learning
theories and turn to
something entirely
new.
In connectivism, knowledge is viewed as something that continues to
grow and evolve. Knowledge is a network-forming process. Learners
are viewed as knowledge conduits rather than as containers.
Ed-Media ‘08
The Whole Beast?
Connectivism better reflects the idea of students’ social and cognitiveconnectedness schemata (SCCS), but as an emergent theory, connectivism
has not yet conducted research to help validate it, or developed an ID model to
help instructors implement it.
Ed-Media ‘08
Different Parts of the Beast
Each theory does a good job of describing the part of learning that it
is looking at, but, as suggested by Schaller and Allison-Bunnel, we
need to synthesize our findings into a picture of the whole beast.
Ed-Media ‘08
The Whole Beast
SCCS synthesizes the learning theories and ID models that
best match the schemata of todays’ students.
Ed-Media ‘08
SCCS Theory and ID Model
Three CognitiveConnectedness
Schema Constructs
Three SocialConnectedness
Schema Constructs
1. Navigation Literacy
1. Link
2. Discovery-Based
Learning
2. Lurk
3. Lunge
3. Reasoned Judgments
Based on a Plethora
of Resources
Ed-Media ‘08
In the SCCS ID
model, the SCCS
constructs are
embedded within
the context of
learning theories
and ID models
that match
students’
schemata.
The SCCS ID
model also
advocates the
insertion of game
design elements.
For more detail,
see the
dissertation at
http://tinyurl.com/2
utsrj
SCCS embedded
within these four
ID Models:
1.
Wiggins &
McTighe’s
Enduring
Understanding Model
2.
Mayer’s SOI
Model
3.
Van Merrienboer,
Kirschner, &
Kester’s
4C/ID Model
4.
Elements of
game design
Ed-Media ‘08
Bibliography
1. Saxe, John Godfrey, (1816-1887). The Blind Men and the Elephant,
http://www.wordinfo.info/words/index/info/view_unit/1/?letter=B&spage=3
2. Schaller, D., & Allison-Bunnell, S. (2003). Practicing what we teach: How learning
theory can guide development of online educational activities. Museums and the
Web 2003: Selected Papers from an International Conference. Charlotte, NC.
Retrieved April 21, 2005 from www. archimuse.com/mw2003/papers/
schaller/schaller.html
3. Bednar, A., D. Cunningham, T. Duffy, and J. Perry. 1992. Theory in practice: How do we
link? In Constructivism and the technology of instruction: A conversation, eds. T.
Duffy and D. Jonassen, 17-35. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
4. Bednar, A., D. Cunningham, T. Duffy, and J. Perry. 1992. Theory in practice: How do we
link? In Constructivism and the technology of instruction: A conversation, eds. T.
Duffy and D. Jonassen, 17-35. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
5. Barab, S., and T. Duffy. 2000. From practice fields to communities of practice. In
Theoretical foundations of learning environments ed. D. Jonassen and S. Land, 2555. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Ed-Media ‘08
Bibliography, Continued
6. Siemens, G. 2005. Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International
Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning, 2 (1)
http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm (accessed March 30, 2008).
Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5WiaG1f5h.
7. Brown, J., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated learning and the culture of learning.
Paragraph 11, Education Researcher, 18(1), 32-42. Retrieved April 29, 2005, from
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ifi/resources/museumeducation/situated.html
8. Sontag, M. (2007). Dissertation link: http://tinyurl.com/2utsrj or
http://web.mac.com/mariesontag1/SCCS_Dissertation/Dissertation__M._Sontag,_2007.html
Ed-Media ‘08