VCL #1 - Connectivism

Connectivism and its Eight Principles

The principles of connectivism are based on the idea that knowledge is not something individually acquired and stored, but instead accessed from other people - either directly or via media (traditional or digital). Learning because more of a question of 'where can I learn that' instead of 'how do I learn that.' The first principle, "learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions", means that knowledge loses some of its absolutism (right or wrong). The second principle, "learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources" or as the article's author stated "the pipe is more important than the content of the pipe". In other words, one information source may/should contain references to other sources that can be explored to gain deeper knowledge. The third principle is "learning may reside in non-human appliances". In the digital age, "googling" has become a common verb as is "ask Siri', which are artificial intelligences for finding answers and/or resources for answers. The fourth principle, "capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known". This is not only a principle of connectivism, but of the the desire to learn - curiosity. Innate curiosity is the key to real learning, as opposed to forced or rote learning. The fifth principle is "nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning." To retain a knowledge or skill, it must not only be practiced, but practiced in context with other people in a reciprocal way. The sixth principle is "ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill." Seeing/finding connections everywhere is a skill in itself that becomes honed with practice. For example, if I look at an historic vase, I could also make connections to its country, culture, historical context, and natural resources - just to name a few. The seventh principle is "Currency is the intent of all connectivist learning activities". Our data base of knowledge, as well as technology, is growing exponentially each year. It is useful to find some older/traditional sources, but more important to find information that is recent and up-to-date for the sake of accuracy. The last, eighth principle is "decision-making is itself a learning process", is closely connected to the seventh principle. As information is constantly changing, so to should our decisions. This is very evident these days during the COVID-19 pandemic. As medical experts make new discoveries through research, decisions should change regarding prevention and treatment.

As an ESOL teacher of Newcomers, especially with tech-savvy teenagers, connectivism is crucial. It's important that I model my openness to a diversity of: opinions, information, and information sources. Newcomers are coming into a sometimes hostile environment. Of course, I have to teach the basics of the curriculum, including survival English language skills. For my students, who are finding their way in a new country and culture as young adults, my bigger job is to act as a caring and trustworthy guide to point out where to find information and where to find other guides that are good and reliable to learn even more. Some of that learning process requires metacognition - thinking about their thinking. The fourth principle of expanding the capacity to know more is fundamental. It goes with the old "you can lead a horse to water..." saying. I have to be careful not to spoon feed students, but instead, just give them enough information along with a resource(s) to learn/do more. I also have to be conscious to make connections between concepts/ideas, especially to make connections to real life to motivate students to see the importance of what they are learning. For example, if I just taught cardinal directions in isolation, not only would it be boring, but also forgettable. However, if I taught directions with connections to finding/giving directions to a place that had personal meaning to the student, that gives the concept importance and invites the student to make further connections. In some ways technological is a curse as well as a blessing, in that it can stifle making connections face-to-face with other humans. However, before COVID, and now during COVID, it is a way learn the answers to as many questions as you have the imagination to ask. Besides just finding information using technology, gamification of teaching has become fun and effective. The three main categories of games are: educational, commercial, and serious. "Serious games are digital or analogue games designed to educate, train, or inform players on a particular topic." My Newcomers range in age from 14 to 18 and with a diversity of education and experiences. Some games, like Kahoot, which is an educational game with the look and feel of a commercial game, is a lot of fun and a motivating way for my students to learn vocabulary, grammar, and content. I try to intersperse the class with a variety of games. Otherwise, even Kahoot could because more like work. Serious games, deal with real issues and encourage authentic problem solving. One "serious game" that could be used (depending on the readiness and sensitivity of the students) is "Stop Disasters". It is teaches about how to protect people from real problems. Once again, as with any topic, I need to be sensitive to my students' backgrounds, since some may have recently experienced trauma. My conclusion is, that the more we connect and learn to connect to other resources - and especially to other people - the more our students will realize the size of the world, the diversity of its population and the many many different ideas/opinions.

References:

Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2(1). Retrieved from http://www.itdl.org/

Kuhn, J. (2020). Serious games for the Classroom. TESOL International Association. Retrieved from http://blog.tesol.org/serious-games-for-the-classroom/