Running Head: AUTHENTIC INSTRUCTION

Professional Development Workshop

Focusing on Authentic Constructivist Development and Instruction in Adult Education

ETEC 530 65-B

April 2017

Professor: Diane Janes

University of British Columbia

By Alexis Handford
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PART A

Purpose of the Workshop

Introduction

With increasing demand for non-traditional teaching methods because of the rapid

changes in technology, authentic experience can work as a constructivist tool in building

knowledge and increasing information retention. Instructors in continuing education1 can

sometimes struggle with innovative pedagogical teaching techniques, and this workshop will

help to bridge the gap between content knowledge, and pedagogical knowledge through the use

of constructivist authenticity and through the understanding of how students build knowledge

and beliefs. This workshop will act as a starting point for initiating conversations, connections,

and ideas in developing and instructing for adult education.

Adult Education and Professional Development

Adult education, unlike primary education, employs many instructors for their subject

expertise, rather than for their teaching background (Goolnik, 2006, p. 12). This could be due to

the growing need in adult education for offering students technical (vocational) skills aimed at

career development, especially with “rapid changes in technology and its application to

vocational fields” (Twomey, 2002, p. 1). Generally speaking, vocational instructors are “pressed

to prove their professionalism” and have experience in the field of interest (Twomey, 2002, p. 2),

as is true in continuing education-type departments. However, these individuals can often lack

teaching experience. As Geoff Goolnik (2006) discussed in his article “Effective change

management strategies for embedding online learning within higher education and enabling the

effective continuing professional development of its academic staff,” the move towards non-

1
The terms Adult Education and Continuing Education may be used interchangeably. Please note that Continuing Education generally
references a more condensed version of Adult Education
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traditional forms of instruction require more emphasis on pedagogical techniques, but the

training for pedagogical techniques is lacking (p. 12).

Requirements for effective Professional Development in Adult Education

It is important that the needs and interests of the instructors are taken into account in their

professional development (Goolnik, 2006, p. 12). Instructor participation can tend to be low if

they are unable to pinpoint their specific needs (p. 12), as adult learners generally look to build

skills that they believe will help them in their life (Speed et al., 2015). Furthermore, these

instructors need active hands-on experience and diversity in learning styles, as Goolnik (2002)

discussed in the learning of online technology and ineffectiveness of second hand experience in

continuing professional development (CPD) (p. 12). Without active involvement, there is a lack

of empowerment in instructor CPD (p. 12). There is some difficulty with time availability in the

professional development of instructors, because many of them carry a heavy teaching load or

they work inconsistently and can’t afford the cost of missing work to attend professional

development (PD) (p. 12). Time flexibility needs to be considered in producing effective PD.

Understanding the Learner

What is knowledge and how is it built?

It is critical to understand what knowledge is and how it is formed in order to understand

the need for constructivism. Knowledge is difficult to define as there is an ongoing debate

between what people believe to be knowledge and what people believe to be true belief.

Additionally, the justification for knowledge is hard to define as people can easily justify their

“true beliefs” as “knowledge” because it is possible that through varying circumstances value

can be placed on true beliefs and a chain of grounds can be justified, even if just through luck

(Pritchard, 2014, p. 11). So when discussing learning, this means that we need to consider
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learners’ previous experiences, in order to engage students, understand preconceptions that may

exist, and respectfully engage them in learning negotiations. Aikenhead (2001) discussed the

concept of instructors working as “cultural brokers” where teachers acknowledge the varying

ways that things can be understood and they bring to light the possible preconceptions students

may have, and where those preconceptions originated (p. 340). This practice further helps

learners rationalize their true beliefs, rather than simply relying on the rationalization of others

(testimonial knowledge) (Pritchard, 2014, p. 80). This practice helps instructors reflect on what

they’re developing for their courses, and how they present course content to learners. This is

particularly important in Adult Education as adult learners are more self-directed, they base their

learning on personal experience, and they generally seek to learn knowledge and skills that they

believe will help them in their own lives and careers (Knowles et al., 2012, as cited in Speed et

al., 2015). Since adult learners bring a lot of unique experience and knowledge to their learning,

as an instructor, it is important to hone in on the learner’s own realities and engage the learners

in building and negotiating their own knowledge rather than simply relying on teachers own pre-

existing knowledge.

Engaging the Learner

Constructivist learning

Constructivism takes into account the individuality of building knowledge in that people

take in information and reflect, construct, and scaffold their understanding. It is very likely that

people experience the world differently from one another, and constructivism factors that

possibility into education (Von Glaserfeld, 2005, p. 23). Understanding these elements of

learning allows for diversity and exploration within educational environments, and this is why

understanding epistemology and the struggle to define knowledge is key, as it explains why such

fluidity and non-linearity is important in order to engage active learning, rather than passive
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information/skill acquisition (Fosnot and Perry, 2005). Furthermore, theories of constructivism

also consider the importance of interaction in learning and “dialogue within a community [for]

further thinking” to examine more than one idea, or more than one potential “true belief”

(Fostnot and Perry, 2005, p. 50). This is particularly important in adult education, and

particularly in instructor PD, because dialogue brings in the much needed diversity instructors

need in order to enhance their teaching practice and expand their ideas and possibilities. As

context can formulate “truth,” our own experiences greatly affect our construction of knowledge

(Relativism, n.d.), and this is why constructivism may be affective in increasing and better

engaging adult education instructor PD opportunities, by giving a platform for our own

experiences, while coherently unifying memories, experiences, conversations, and struggles

together for the greater good of bettering education (Forman, 2005, p. 222).

Authentic Instruction

Engaging learners can be difficult, particularly for subject matter experts that may not

have prior experience with teaching. Authentic learning context (a constructivist principle)

focuses on realistic learning situations and moving beyond “school culture” into the culture of

the subject being studied (Bowers, 2014, p. 217). Focusing on authentic instruction moves the

instructors focus away from the confinements of school, and moves the focus onto experience

and real-life situations and helps them as they consider the delivery methods they will use.

Researchers argue that “knowledge is situated, being in part a product of the activity, context,

and culture in which it is developed and used” (Brown et al., 1989, p. 32), meaning that the

richest knowledge exists in the context in which it originated. For example, reading a manual to a

machine is much different than actually physically using the machine and interestingly enough

you could say that “…you need the machine to understand the manual as much as the manual to

understand the machine” (Brown et al., 1989, p. 36). This connects back to epistemology and
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understanding knowledge as we need to remember that people come from varying backgrounds

and can justify their understanding differently, and through constructivist instruction we can

begin to reflect, interpret, negotiate, and build/scaffold knowledge. Authentic instruction is

important as it helps to build meaningful experiences for students and allows them to extend

their knowledge beyond the confinements of the classroom context (Bowers, 2014).

This workshop, while providing a foundational understanding of epistemology and

constructivist learning, will focus on authentic instruction and tools (while employing elements

of authentic instruction) to help instructors understand the need for authentic learning and the

benefits it has on learners, but also help instructors reflect on their own teaching practices and

explore different tools and methods. As “very often, the professional development [of teachers]

is implemented rather poorly, typically in the form of isolated workshops that concentrate on

developing teachers’ technical skills with specific technologies” (Dabner, David, & Daka, 2012).

Additionally, “many teacher professional development programs remain superficial and fail to

provide ongoing support for teachers…” (Teras & Herrington, 2014, p. 237). Therefore, there

will be exploration into the specific backgrounds and needs of the instructors attending the

workshop, and there will be ongoing support provided while being mindful of the PD needs of

adult educators.
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PART B

Workshop Plan:

Professional Development Workshop2

Target Audience: Adult education (continuing education) instructors.

[Refer to Part A “Purpose of the Workshop” for an introduction to this lesson]

Be sure to look for the symbol for additional information and resources and the
symbol for notes on how the workshop design exemplifies constructivist principles.

Schedule: This authentic development and instruction professional development workshop will
take place over an approximately 60-minute face-to-face session. Face-to-face was chosen for
this workshop with recognition of the time constraint, and to allow for increased collaboration.
Furthermore, the addition of an online discourse community forum for continued support will be
made available once the workshop concludes. This workshop will take place in a computer lab in
order to increase the amount of resources available, and also to explore some e-learning
activities. With the time constraint, the facilitator should be mindful that some adjustments to the
workshop may need to be made, and some additional information may need to be provided as
links or handouts for further investigation.

Each section of the workshop will follow a Karplus model of 1) exploration 2) explanation and
3) application (Sunal, n.d.), as this constructivist model promotes what So (2002) explained as
“the learning mak[ing] sense of experience by actively constructing meaning.” The 3-stage
Karplus model will be displayed as phases:

Phase Karplus model stage

1 Exploration
2 Explanation
3 Application

The following is a list of topics and time allocation that will be covered:

Topic (Section) Time allocated

Introduction 5 min
Knowledge and beliefs 15 min
How to prepare for constructivist learning 15 min
Authentic instruction as a tool for learning 25 min

2
This workshop was designed without the use of APA formatting to allow for freedom in development, and to better
accommodate charts and notes.
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Activities
Topic: Introduction

Introduce yourself (facilitator), and introduce the topic(s) of the workshop and the schedule that
will be followed.

Topic: Knowledge and beliefs

Opening question: What is Knowledge?

Instructions:

[Phase 1]
Have learners take five minutes to reflect on what they believe knowledge to be. They may
discuss with their colleagues and use the computer provided to search and develop their answer.
Instruct them to be prepared to share and discuss their ideas with the group.

Phase one allows learners to connect to their prior knowledge

and experience to help in the scaffolding process.

[Phase 2]
Have learners share their answers with the group.

Write common themes up on the white board (or flipchart) to help learners pinpoint similarities.
Once this is complete, have learners explore online the following link that summarizes the
concepts of knowledge and belief by Pritchard:

https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/millsonph100/2014/09/08/what-is-knowledge/

While it is difficult to summarize the concepts and ideas about knowledge and belief, this will
provide a brief glimpse into the world of epistemology.

After a brief reading and exploration, ask learners if they have any questions, and then provide
the following summary:

- Knowledge requires truth and belief.

- True belief is not sufficient for knowledge because true belief can be obtained by
accident, or by luck.
- Knowledge is not as easily mistaken as true belief, and therefore, it is more stable. As
knowledge “involves a kind of success that is creditable to the agent,” luck isn’t
creditable (Pritchard, 2014, p. 5).
- True beliefs can be justified as knowledge through circumstance (epistemic rationality).
- When considering knowledge, we also must consider what is real (Pritchard, 2014, p. 72).
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- Knowledge and true beliefs can often both be justified (Pritchard, 2014, p. 11)

Additional summary:
Knowledge is difficult to define as there is a seemingly endless struggle between what
people believe to be knowledge and what people believe to be true belief. Additionally,
the justification for knowledge is hard to define as people can easily justify their “true
beliefs” as “knowledge” because it is possible that through varying circumstances value
can be placed on true beliefs and a chain of grounds can be justified (infinitism or
coherentism), even if just through luck (Pritchard, 2014, p. 11). Furthermore, we run into
the problem of perception, as “the problem is that the way things look isn’t always the
way things are; appearances can be deceptive” (p. 69). Whether we are discussing the
possibility of transcendental realism where our “experiences [are] responses to an
external world” (p. 75), or we are discussing the “problem of other minds” where we
debate over whether or not other people’s minds are like our own (p. 161), it still remains
impossible to determine an ultimate perception, or an ultimate truth. This ultimately leads
to difficulty in learning with a vast amount of information, but no absolute way to define
knowledge.

For more information, refer to:

Pritchard, D. (2014). What is this thing called
knowledge? Third Edition; Routledge.

[Phase 3]
Have learners consider why it might be important to understand knowledge, and how
understanding knowledge can help them moving forward in their teaching. Encourage them to
take notes on their thoughts. Ask 3-5 learners to share with the group.

*Note to facilitator: Be sure to offer ongoing feedback and encourage the learners to ask
questions throughout the workshop.

Topic: How to prepare for constructivist learning

Opening question: What is constructivism?

Instructions:

[Phase 1]
Have learners work in groups to reflect on what they know about constructivism. They may use
the computer provided to search and develop their answer. Additionally, have the groups identify
or find 4 important aspects of constructivism that they can share with the larger group.

Importance of interaction (discourse) involved with

learning which includes “dialog within a community [for]
further thinking” to examine more than one idea, or more
than one true belief (Fosnot and Perry, 2005, p. 50).
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[Phase 2]
Have each group write on the white board (or on flipchart paper) a definition of constructivism
(in their own words) and the 4 important aspects they identified and go over them as a group.

*Note to facilitator: Be sure to offer feedback on definitions, and pinpoint misinterpretations of

constructivism (if need be).

Be sure to list the four essential criteria of constructivism as defined by Baviskar et al. (2009) for
summary:

- Eliciting prior knowledge

- Creating cognitive dissonance
- Application of new knowledge with feedback
- Reflection on learning
(Baviskar et al., 2009, p. 541)

Feedback should be given immediately after student’s

work, offered continuously, and should focus on
process (Coll, 2014).

[Phase 3]
Part 1: Ask the learners for examples of using constructivist methods in their prior experience
teaching and how it was effective, and how it could be improved. If learners are new to
constructivism, have them reflect on a difficult teaching situation and how constructivism could
have aided in student learning.

Part 2: Have the learners reflect on why understanding knowledge and how knowledge is
constructed can be important to constructivist teaching.

Topic: Authentic instruction as a tool for learning

Opening question: What is authentic instruction?

Instructions:

[Phase 1]
Part 1: Have learners reflect back on their own learning; have them identify an lesson or activity
they were a part of in the past that was memorable for them and ask for 3-5 learners to share their
experience.

*Note to facilitator: Chances are someone will identify a time when they experienced authentic
instruction. If not, proceed to part 2.

Part 2: Have students work in groups to explain authentic learning and identify examples of
authentic instruction, then, have them discuss and explore tools, ideally e-learning tools, that can
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help aid in authentic classroom instruction (they can use the computers to aid their exploration).
Have them write out their findings in point form on the white board (or flip-chart paper).

To summarize authentic e-learning, you can refer to the following points:

- Learning environment reflects the setting where the knowledge learned will be used
- Non-linear
- Activities have real-life relevance
- Activities leave time for exploration
- Access to multiple perspectives/resources
- Focus on reflection and discussion
- More focus on “projects” rather than smaller pre-digested chunks
(Teräs & Herrington, 2014).

For more information, refer to the following link that further

details the implementation of authentic e-learning :
Teräs, H., & Herrington, J. (2014). Neither the frying pan nor the
fire: In search of a balanced authentic e-learning design through an
educational design research process. The International Review of
Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 15(2)

[Phase 2]
Part 1: Explain to the group the importance of authentic instruction for constructivist learning,
and the impact it can have on building knowledge.

Part 2: Share some authentic learning tools and examples. Aim to expand on part 1.

Examples:
Authentic Learning Tool/Resource Where to find it
Connected North: Interactively connecting
http://www.connectednorth.org/
students to remote indigenous communities
Site Studies: Connecting students with the Various locations
community ie. Museums, reservations, corporations, etc.
Networking: Connecting with experts
Various social networking platforms
through social media
External Projects: Using material taught in
Various locations
class within real-life scenarios

[Phase 3]
Have students work in groups again, and amongst themselves, have them pick a past lesson they
developed that could have benefited from an authentic experience (one example per group).
Have them find/use e-learning tools or strategies that would aid them in their instruction (can be
one already shared during the workshop), and if time permits, have them demonstrate the tool or
explain details on how they would re-make the past lesson to incorporate the tools.
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Using the authentic learning strategy of Problem Based

Learning, rather than focusing on small, preplanned
activities. As “…problem solving approach requires the use
of radically different cognitive goals such as identifying
information needs, finding corresponding information
resources, and extracting information from each source”
(Baturay and Bay, 2010, p. 43). Focusing more on
individual needs of instructors, and allowing time for
investigation (Teras & Herrington, 2014).

*Note to facilitator: Be sure to offer feedback on both the group’s process and their
understanding of authentic learning.

Offering both verification and elaboration feedback to

learners as “…feedback should include both verification of
the learning achieved and elaboration of the process
involved so as to facilitate students’ learning” (Coll et al.,
2013, p. 43).

Continue the conversation

Because of our limited time in the face-to-face workshop, please visit the online forum for
additional resources and to engage in continued discourse with your colleagues. On this forum
you will also be given the opportunity to discuss your own teaching struggles and successes and
make suggestions for future professional development workshops.
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Conclusion

One hour is a limited time to introduce constructivism, explain the relevance of

epistemology, and share authentic instruction tools. However, this workshop will introduce new

concepts to contract instructors (with overall tight schedules) to guide them in planning

curriculum, and aid them in presenting their materials in learner-centered ways. Through

discussion, collaboration, and hands-on experience (with guided instruction from a facilitator),

learners (and in this case, continuing education instructors) will be introduced to constructivist

learning and how to use constructivist strategies in their classrooms. The goal of this workshop,

more than anything else, is to spark interest in the continuing education instructors the benefits of

authentic instruction and lead them to explore these concepts further, with the guided help of the

online forum.

Assessment

This workshop deploys effective constructivist learning methods through the use of the

Karplus model to help instructors with their teaching needs, present new strategies to aid in the

development and instruction of curriculum, and to promote a sense of community among

instructors for continued support. Continuing Education instructors are guided through three

sections of content and in each they take the time to elicit prior knowledge and reflect on past

experiences [phase 1], they engage in conversation with their colleagues to encourage cognitive

dissonance as well as further explore new concepts with the guided help of the facilitator [phase

1 & 2], and they apply their knowledge and further reflect to scaffold their learning [phase 3]

(Baviskar et al., 2009). The facilitator also provides ongoing feedback to assist in knowledge

building and in pinpointing areas of focus. Learners are given the opportunity for exploration,

and through discussion, are given a say in the direction that the workshop will take which is

important for instructor PD.

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Assessment of learning

Constructivist learning involves a lot of reflective assessment to determine whether new

ideas and strategies are effective educational tools as constructivist settings can easily evolve

throughout the learning process. The following is an example of how to assess workshop

success:

Rate on scale of 1-5, 1 being minimal involvement, 5 being excellent involvement.

Constructivist Principle Learner Engagement (scale of 1-5)
Active reflection on prior knowledge (ie.) 4
Active discussion
Application of knowledge
Progressive considerations
Etc.

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References

Aikenhead, G. (2001). Integrating western and aboriginal sciences: Cross-cultural science

teaching. Research in Science Education, 31(3), 337-355.


Baturay, M. H., & Bay, O. F. (2010). The effects of problem-based learning on the classroom

community perceptions and achievement of web-based education students. Computers

& Education, 55(1), 43-52. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2009.12.001

Baviskar, S. N., Hartle, R. T., & Whitney, T. (2009). Essential criteria to characterize

constructivist teaching: Derived from a review of the literature and applied to five

constructivist-teaching method articles. International Journal of Science

Education, 31(4), 541-550. doi:10.1080/09500690701731121

Bowers, K. W. (2014;2013;). Student perceptions of constructivist concepts in classes using

virtual worlds. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 42(3), 215-233.

doi:10.2190/ET.42.3.c

Brown, J. S., Collins, A. & Duguid, S. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning.

Educational Researcher, 18, 32-42.

Coll, C., Rochera, M. J., & de Gispert, I. (2014). Supporting online collaborative learning in

small groups: Teacher feedback on learning content, academic task and social

participation. Computers & Education, 75, 53-64.

Coll, C., Rochera, M. J., Gispert, I. d., & Díaz-Barriga, F. (2013). Distribution of feedback

among teacher and students in online collaborative learning in small groups. Digital

Education Review, (23), 27-45.

Fosnot, C. T. (2005). Constructivism: Theory, perspectives, and practice. (2nd ed.). New York:

Teachers’ College Press.

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Fosnot, C. T., Perry, R. S. (2005). Constructivism: A psychological theory of
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College Press, 27-53.

Forman, G. (2005). The project approach in Reggio Emilia. Constructivism: Theory,

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Goolnik, G (2006). Effective change management strategies for embedding online learning

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6488), 7 (1), 9.

Pritchard, D. (2014). What is this thing called knowledge?. Routledge.

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Retrieved February 20, 2017 from Dictionary.com

So, W. WM. (2002). Constructivist teaching in primary science. Asia-Pacific Forum on Science

Learning and Teaching, 3(1), Article 1.

http://www.ied.edu.hk/apfslt/v3_issue1/sowm/index.htm#contents

Speed, S. A., Bradley, E., & Garland, K. V. (2015). Teaching adult learner characteristics and

facilitation strategies through simulation-based practice. Journal of Educational

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Sunal, D. W (n.d.) The Learning Cycle: A comparison of models of strategies for conceptual

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from https://web.archive.org/web/20160426173157/http://astlc.ua.edu/ScienceInElem&

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Teräs, H., & Herrington, J. (2014). Neither the frying pan nor the fire: In search of a balanced

authentic e-learning design through an educational design research process. The

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International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 15(2)

doi:10.19173/irrodl.v15i2.1705

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