The teacher's place in the personal learning environment

For the past decade or so, distance learning proponents and practitioners have been fond of saying that the learning theory they claim is the social-constructivist theory developed by Vygotski in the early 20th century.

The theory of learning is the same as that of the social-constructivist theory.

Lev Vygotski and social constructivism

During his brief existence (38 years), Lev Vygotski observed a lot, taught a lot, and wrote a lot too: 180 titles, 80 of which are unpublished, according to the article devoted to him in Wikipedia.

Vygotski's essential influence on theories of learning and development lies in the notion of the "zone of proximal development," a notion that is itself related to the more global theory of socio-constructivism, "an approach according to which interpersonal knowledge can only be achieved through its social construction. Particularly appropriate in this regard are the communication processes occurring in situations where there are at least two people trying to solve a problem" (EduTech Wiki, Socio-constructivism page).

The zone of proximal development refers to the symbolic space that connects the tasks that an individual can accomplish independently, to those that he or she will be able to accomplish with the help of a third party, and then accomplish on their own once learning is complete. The more competent this third party is (in his or her know-how related to the task, but also socially speaking), the greater the individual's zone of proximal development. This role of knowing third party is generally assigned to the teacher or a peer of the learner. It is more of a function than a clearly identified person, with the function being assumed by different people depending on the learning objects and moments considered.

Autonomy and interaction: the pillars of high-end ADF

In what way is distance learning (at least some of it) socio-constructivist? Because of the autonomy that the learner gradually builds, in a situation where he or she is not constantly subject to the rule of the learning group enacted by the teacher. This autonomy is not synonymous with solitude; at least the designers of e-learning strive to dissociate these two notions, in particular by exploiting online communication tools and by encouraging the emergence of learning and practice communities. Quality distance learning is therefore one that offers both autonomy to the learner and a rich social environment. If the learning environment thus constructed fulfills its promise, it then becomes a "proximal zone of development" for each learner, as conceived by Vygotski.

The learner on probation

This view is now strongly criticized by proponents of the personal learning environment, who castigate distance learning platforms and the conceptions of learning that go with them, none of which are worth distinguishing. Their main flaw is that they are closed environments, where the teacher (here synonymous with the institution) is in charge of the organization. These environments would only be the latest avatars of the industrial education in progress since the end of the 19th century, as Graham Attwell points out with this quote:

"The center of gravity of industrial models of course management lies in the professors generating the content, the professors gathering the resources, the professors organizing and sequencing the information, the professors delivering the information to the students."

We understand, then, that in these e-learning devices, even though learners have a great deal of freedom in the learning process itself, what they are to learn, when and in what form, remains under the control of the teacher. They are therefore not social constructivist devices per se.

APS, or the road to socio-constructivist freedom

But Vygotski is making a notable return to the pedagogical scene with personal learning environments. The latter in fact have two qualities that allow them to be labeled "socio-constructivist first choice":

- The learner is master of the choice of his learning objects and modalities. He also decides which tools to use to mobilize and expand his social network, identify resources, process them, reuse them, etc.

- The learner is the master of his choice of learning objects and modalities.

- The learner learns with those who share a learning object or at least an interest with him. Interactions feed the grand global learning enterprise, with decisive elements coming from a multiplicity of sources considered as "third-party knowers," a role no longer exclusively devolved to individuals.

Some theorists push the reasoning to a predictable outcome: the disappearance of the teacher, since all the world's knowledge is potentially accessible, at one time or another, through the resources, people and knowing/knowledge objects that circulate on the web, the latter then being considered as a gigantic proximal zone of development.

Ismael Peña-López, a teacher at the Open University of Catalonia, which provides only online training, refutes this reasoning. He sees in the growing share of the digital learning environment a weakening of the teacher's position as a dispenser of knowledge, but a strengthening of his role as a facilitator of pathways, able to organize and make intelligible the learning process.

The tasks assigned to the teacher in this perspective are now well known and remembered by G. Attwell on which I. Peña-López: arousing the learner's attention, sustaining his or her commitment and concentration, breaking down tasks into subtasks that are easier to comprehend, helping with conceptualization and systematization of learning once the task is completed... These are all tasks familiar to many teachers, but which come to the forefront when learning takes place in an open hybrid environment, taking advantage of all possible sources of knowledge.

All learning is now hybrid

According to these authors, open-ended learning, which involves learners creating their EAP, is not incompatible with academic instruction. It is even highly compatible with academic distance or hybrid learning. If we push the reasoning a little further, we can say that all teaching has become hybrid, since the walls of the classroom and the limits of the e-learning space no longer signal (and have they ever done so?) the indisputable frontier of the learning space. They mark in the best of cases for learners a point of reference and rendezvous with teachers-facilitators and their closest peers, a place a little apart in their EAP that perhaps, but not systematically, signals a proximal zone of development.

Sources:

Lev Vygotski on Wikipedia: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Vygotski

Social constructivism on Edutech Wiki, University of Geneva: http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/fr/Socio-constructivisme

Graham Attwell: Personal Learning Environments and Vygotsky. Pontydysgu - Bridge to learning, April 22, 2010.

Peña-López, I. (2012) "Personal Learning Environments and the revolution of Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development" In ICTlogy, #107, August 2012. http://ictlogy.net/20120831-personal-learning-environments-and-the-revolution-of-vygotskys-zone-of-proximal-development/

photo: looseends via photopin cc