Educational Pedagogy

Learning doesn't have to be a "loner" experience.

Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky suggested that knowledge is constructed through our interactions with others.
MOOCs (Massive Open Online Learning) leverage our inherent social needs by bringing people together to learn the same material in a virtual group. Students can express what they're feeling and experiencing with others in a shared space, making the learning journey more enjoyable and less daunting.

As people gain confidence, they often enjoy friendly competition with fellow learners to push themselves to compete exercises and assignments. Recognition is part of our need for building self-esteem—and some courses have gamification built in to reward student accomplishments and community helpfulness.

Learn more / En savoir plus / Mehr erfahren:

https://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-learning-and-teaching/?tag=Social+Learning

This is an interesting intro to social constructionism as it applies to eLearning.  I hope the MOOCs do what they suggest and are not just an attempt to throw jargon out there.

Mastery learning is the idea that students should adequately comprehend a given concept before being expected to understand a more advanced one. This idea has a long tradition in educational theory and research. In 1919, superintendent Carleton W. Washburne in Winnetka, Illinois, showed that students could advance at their own pace if they mastered a concept before moving on to something more complicated.

Years later, building on Washburne’s work, educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom coined the term “mastery learning.” In 1984, in Bloom’s seminal study, “The 2 Sigma Problem,” he showed that mastery-based one-on-one tutoring is two standard deviations more effective than conventional instruction. (That means it would take the average for a cohort of students from the 50th percentile to the 98th percentile!). Ever since, educators have sought ways to make mastery learning available to all students.

Learn more / En savoir plus / Mehr erfahren:

http://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-learning-and-teaching/?tag=modern-education

http://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-learning-and-teaching/?tag=Learning+by+doing

http://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-learning-and-teaching/?tag=Practice