A "Layers of Negotiation" Model for Designing Constructivist Learning Materials.

Abstract

In designing materials for use in a contructivist learning environment, instructional designers still have a role in selecting the situations that may provide a stimulus for knowledge construction and providing features that support students and teachers in using these materials. This paper describes the process of designing a series of case-based interactive videodiscs to be used within a constructivist learning environment. The cases present two elementary teachers and their students as they progress through science lessons based on the conceptual change model of science teaching. Dual audio tracks allow the viewers to hear either the classroom events or the teacher's reflections on the classroom events. Assumptions about teaching and learning that guided the design, and implications of these beliefs for the instructional materials are discussed; generalizations are derived about the differences between the process described and procedures recommended by traditional instructional design models. (Contains 18 references.)