4 . Learners are blank slates ready to be filled with knowledge .
5 . Skills and knowledge are best acquired independent of context .
4 . Learners bring their own needs and experiences to learning situations .
5 . Skills and knowledge are best acquired within realistic contexts .
6 . Assessment must take more realistic and holistic forms .
Constructivist learning environments encompass many different applications of media and technology in education , including :
1 ) computer microworlds such as LEGO / Logo ( Resnick & Ocko , 1994 ;
Rieber , 1992 ), 2 ) classroom-based learning environments such as the Jasper Woodbury problem-solving programs ( Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt , 1992 ), and 3 ) open , virtual environments such as the CoVis project ( Edelson , Pea , & Gomez , 1996 ).
For the cognitive scientists , learning theorists , instructional designers , and teachers involved in creating constructivist learning environments , learning refers to the development of mental states and abilities of all types including conceptual knowledge , technical skills , automatic rules , mental models , and problem-solving . Forms of higher-order outcomes such as motivation , intellectual curiosity , and the habits of lifelong learning are especially relevant because these are the most challenging types of learning to teach and learn . According to Honebein ( 1996 ), to meet these ambitious learning outcomes , developers of constructivist learning environments adhere to seven goals : 1 . Provide students with experience with the knowledge construction process . 2 . Provide experience in and appreciation for multiple perspectives . 3 . Embed learning in realistic and relevant contexts . 4 . Encourage ownership and voice in the learning process . 5 . Embed learning in social experience . 6 . Encourage the use of multiple modes of representation . 7 . Encourage self-awareness of the knowledge construction process .
The next three subsections of this report present the research findings associated with different types of constructivist learning environments , specifically , a microworld called LEGO / Logo , a classroom-based learning environment called Jasper Woodbury , and an open , virtual environment called CoVis .
LEGO / Logo
Logo was created by Seymour Papert ( 1980 , 1993 ). Early investigations of Logo as a programming language that would enable students to develop generalizable problem-solving skills were not as successful as Papert and others predicted ( Pea & Kurland , 1987 ). More recently , new versions of Logo have been developed that involve real objects that children can program with Logo instructions . The best known of these is LEGO / Logo , which integrates a popular building block toy set
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