December 1997 — Features
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Instructional Technology: Pedagogy for the Future
Instructional technology (IT) has moved to the forefront of education in a big hurry. Leading educational journals tout endless sources of grants and funding opportunities earmarked for new IT programs. Multimedia computer classrooms, video distribution centers, satellite downlink conference rooms, and network connections to the Information Super Highway are common themes in many professional periodicals.
Technology may be advancing, but are changes in the pedagogy that will make the best use of these new teaching tools keeping pace?
This article examines three new learning paradigms and proposes matching the most popular instructional technologies to the best classroom practices. The three paradigms include: Enactive Classroom Learning; Learning and Classroom Focus; and Presenting Student Learning. If teachers can identify which paradigm is best suited to their particular learning situation, they will be able to fully exploit the strengths of instructional technology.
Letís begin with a look at the most popular technologies supporting classroom learning. (For a complete definition, see Table 1, Glossary of Terms.)
Instructional Technologies in the Classroom
- Audio Only
- Audioconference
- CBT (Computer-Based Teaching)
- CDI (Computer Delivered Instruction)
- CMI (Computer-Managed Instruction)
- Computer Conference
- Electronic mail (Email
- Internet
- Videoconference
- Video Only
Paradigm One: Enactive Classroom Learning
Learning by doing is arguably the most efficient and effective form of exchange between the teacher and student. According to Jerome Bruner an educator develops more effective instruction by matching the method of presentation to the most appropriate learning style of the student.[1] A child progresses from sensory (enactive) to concrete (iconic) to abstract (symbolic) representation while simultaneously maturing from a state of dependency to one of autonomy. Examine Figure 1.
Enactive learning (the Y-axis) spans a range from low to high interaction. The employment of enactive learning in most classrooms is directly affected by the level of autonomy, or learner independence (the X-axis). Hands-on learning should match the studentís progression along this developmental corridor. From a pedagogical viewpoint, the greater a learner's autonomy, the higher the level of active learning that can be successfully employed.
