Is connectivism a new learning theory?

Stephen Downes and George Siemens are active bloggers in education. Over the past two years, they have proposed a new theory of learning, connectivism, based on their vision of how the availability of ubiquitous networks have changed the nature of learning. An article by Kop and Hill in the October issue (Volume 9, Number 3) of IRRODL (International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning) considers whether connectivism qualifies as a theory.

On the surface, the argument from Downes and Siemens “feels” intuitively right:

• since the power law applies to (computers attached to) the Internet, doubling the number of users quadruples the number of connections; therefore, connections are a critical component of knowledge construction;
• since the rate of change of information is accelerating, the rate of change of our knowledge must accelerate, a feat which can only be accomplished through a power law network rather than our personal cognitive structures

However, a theory must provide more than a feeling. The article states that an emerging theory must be based on scientific research; even a developmental theory must meet certain criteria: describe changes within behavior, describe changes among behaviors, and explain the development that has been described.

Using connectivism to describe changes within learning theory, Siemens argues that:

• objectivism is realized in behaviorism where knowledge is acquired through experience
• pragmatism is realized in cognitivism where knowledge is negotiated between reflection and experience
• interpretivism is realized in constructivism where knowledge is situated within a community
• distributed knowledge  (from Downes) is realized in connectivism where knowledge is the set of networked connections

The author analyzes this argument and concludes that previous work by Vygotsky, Papert, and Clark already account for the changes connectivism attempts to claim as its own. In addition, Siemens’ argument seems circular: acknowledgement of knowledge as a set of connections (distributed knowledge) is required as a foundation for the theory of connectivism where knowledge is the set of networked connections. And in fact, some implications of the theory sound ludicrous:

• there is no such thing as building knowledge;
• our activities and experience form a set of connections, and those connections are knowledge;
• the learning is the network.

The authors conclude that connectivism fits a pedagogical level rather than a theoretical level. “People still learn in the same way,” but connectivist explanations and solutions can help us deal with the onslaught of information and the enabling power of networked communication.

Behaving

I have to admit the behaviorism article made my hair hurt. I read some paragraphs 3 or 4 times before I remotely understood them. But let me add the fault is probably mine, rather than the author’s. The end result of the reading and re-reading is that I have more sympathy for the behaviorist position; prior to the article, I was squarely in the cognitive camp. What helped my change in heart was a practical distinction: behaviorists view learning as an action; cognitive psychologists view learning as an indication of the presence of a personal mind (or a group mind for constructivists). I appreciate the solidity of the behavioral approach when I have to prove my learning designs produce results. The end of the article clearly summed up what behaviorism rejects:

• Structuralism (separates consciousness into elements: mind’s eye)
• Operationalism (attempts to change unmeasurable behaviors to measurable ones by stating they are determined by measurable operations: anger = loudness of voice)
• Logical positivism (ignores consciousness and feelings)

A key to my understanding behaviorism better was the distinction between Pavlov and Skinner. Methodological behaviorism (respondent learning) says that all behaviors are caused by a stimulus. However, selectionist behaviorism (operant conditioning) says that the cause of behavior a is the consequence of behavior b not the stimulus that preceded behavior a. That distinction incorporated several surprising (to me) principles:

• selectionist behaviorism accepts public and private behavior (although the latter is hard to measure/observe);
• selectionist behaviorism gives credence to the environmental history of the learner (socio/cultural influences); and
• selectionist behaviorism accepts the social constructivist view that meaning is created though social interaction among people (but NOT between people and a group “mind”).

In a behaviorist view, the role of learner is to learn and thus to adapt his or her behavior. Learning itself is defined as a change in behavior due to experience,  which is governed by (1) discrimination (responding differently to different stimuli) and (2) generalization (responding the same to similar stimuli).

Several behavioral techniques seem key to the ID process:

• Keeping causes and consequences contiguous (close in time);
• Making clear the contingency (explicit dependence)  between causes and consequences (while acknowledging that these contingencies vary from person to person depending on the individual’s history);
• Building a gradual elaboration of complex patterns of behavior (demonstrated through the transfer of behavior from simpler to more complex patterns);
• Maintaining changes through reinforcement  upon successful achievement of each stage (using different schedules: continuous/fixed/variable; shaping; conjunctive/tandem chaining);
• Providing a matrix of specific consequences: positive/negative and reinforcing/punishing; and
• Providing feedback with assessment (giving answers not just the score) because measurements show increased learning as a result.

The results from practical applications of behaviorism were impressive, from PSI’s  emphasis on student control and proctors to Bloom’s focus on looping  back upon failure to Precision’s focus on rate rather than percentage correct. From a personal view, I appreciated the perspective that social learning is behavioral change based on group consequences and that problem-solving is behavioral change based on trial and error. The only significant disagreement I noted in the article was the implication that the primary benefit of distance learning was the affordability of computer graded assessments.