Constructivism and E Learning

There have been many innovations and developments in the field of learning, owing to the fact that it has been discovered that people actually have different methods of learning, rather than the original concept that there is one universal way of learning for all people.  The discovery of the various types of learning comes at a time wherein technology and science is a burgeoning factor in the development of human knowledge.  Technology has actually become an invaluable tool for education nowadays, especially with the different forms of media being widely used for educational purposes in various learning centers and schools.  The various forms of media play a rather large role in the development of knowledge in learners, since it provides the necessary sensory stimuli whenever learning modules call for a sensory experience to complement the exercise.  The exposure to various stimuli is part of the learning process of discovery-learning, which is in turn part of the learning theory called Constructivism.  Constructivism states that learners have to construct their own knowledge and related behavior mainly through undirected experiences.  While it is often held to be more of a philosophical approach to learning, it is actually implemented in facets of e learning, owing to the fact that in e learning primarily allows the learners themselves to discover how they can learn faster and in a more efficient and effective manner, since they are provided with practically all the resources they will need during the e learning process.



The fact of the matter is that with the recent thrust of learning into more use of innovative technologies during the learning process, the aspects of constructivism is more evident than ever.  Applied knowledge through e learning is mainly garnered by doing more as you learn, rather than just having to sit down in a classroom environment and cramming as much knowledge and information into the brain as humanly possible in the hopes that everything is absorbed and learned.  The practice of e learning does this one better because not only is the cognitive memory trained in the process, but because there is a simulated application of whatever is learned, muscle memory is also trained at the same time, providing the opportunity to master the skill or knowledge and make it appear as if the skill or knowledge is something that has been with the learner for a very long time, rather than something that they only learned recently.  By drawing on the added aid of memory retention through direct application and experience, skills and knowledge learned through e learning is retained better, and consequently, also recalled better whenever there is a need to put it into practice.  Memory retention through association is something that has proven to be quite effective in practically all age groups, since the muscle memory is also tapped, which is exactly one of the facets if e learning, unlike things that are read or heard, memory through direct experience is stored better since more than one sensory experience is usually involved, allowing for an even broader sensory experience.

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