The document describes an open learning environment (OLE) that aims to foster divergent thinking, personal inquiry, and learner autonomy. An OLE provides enabling contexts, resources, and tools to support learning, as well as scaffolds to aid students' efforts. Enabling contexts can be externally imposed problems or individually generated interests. Resources include static materials as well as dynamic sources, and tools help with cognitive processing, testing ideas, and communication. Scaffolds support learning in OLEs and can emphasize methods or purposes. Constructivist learning environments similarly focus on problem solving, knowledge construction through experiences, and learning domains through problem solving. They select appropriate problems and provide related examples, selectable information, cognitive tools, and collaboration tools to model

2. Open Learning Environment
0 Designing for Understanding
0 Goals –
0 Divergent thinking and multiple perspectives
0 Values –
0 Personal Inquiry
0 Self-directed thinking
0 Learner autonomy
0 Foster metacognition
0 Individual experiences and personal theories
0 Hands-on, relevant problems
0 Access to tools and resources

3. What OLE Consists of
0 Enabling Contexts
0 Resources
0 Tools
0 Scaffolding

4. Enabling Contexts
0 Externally Imposed – Pose
problem and give resources
0 Means of solution is learner’s choice
0 Externally Induced – Prompt
0 Problem and means of solution is
learner’s choice
0 Individually Generated – Personal
interests, beliefs, etc.
0 Learning needs and strategies are
the learner’s choice

5. Resources
0 Static – Never changing
0 Books, articles, etc.
0 Dynamic – Always changing
0 Weather, social media, etc.
0 Resources or means to resources provided by teacher

6. Tools
0 Processing – Enable and facilitate cognitive processing
tasks
0 Seeking, collecting, organizing, integrating, generating
information
0 Manipulation – Test validity of beliefs, theories, etc.
0 Using, Microworlds, simulators, Spreadsheets, etc.
0 Communication – Initiate exchanges among teacher
and students
0 Synchronous: IM, Skype, etc.
0 Asynchronous: Email, blogs, etc.

7. Scaffolds
0 Learning efforts are
supported while engaging
in Open Learning
Environments
0 Differentiated by:
0 Mechanisms: emphasize
the methods through
which scaffolding is
provided
0 Functions: emphasize
purpose served

8. Scaffolds
0 Types of Scaffolding
0 Conceptual
0 Guides learner in what to consider when problem task is
defined
0 Metacognitive
0 Guides learner in how to think, ways to think, and strategies
to consider
0 Procedural
0 Guides learner on how to utilize OLE features
0 Strategic

9. Constructivist Learning
Environment
0 Goals
0 Foster problem solving and conceptual
development
0 Values
0 Learning driven by ill-defined/structured
problems
0 Problem owned by learner
0 Instruction consists of experiences which
facilitate knowledge construction
0 Learning that is active and authentic
0 Students learn domain to solve
problem
0 Learning domain while solving problem

10. Constructivist Learning
Environment
0 Methods
0 1. Selecting appropriate problems for learning
0 2. Provide related cases or worked examples to enable
case-based reasoning and enhanced cognitive flexibility
0 3. Provide learner with selectable information
0 4. Provide cognitive tools that scaffold required skills
0 5. Provide conversations and collaboration tools
0 6. Provide social/contextual support for learning
environment
0 Model
0 Coach
0 Scaffold

11. BYOT
Bring Your Own Technology
0 Students use their everyday
devices to engage in the
classroom
0 iPhones/Cell phones
0 iPods/MP3 players
0 Laptops
0 Kindles/Nooks/eReaders
0 Students are able to use the
devices that are seen as “fun”
to enhance their learning