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Collecting dots vs connecting dots

Dwayne Harapnuik — January 18, 2021 — Leave a comment

In a TED talk and blog post Connecting dots (or collecting dots) Seth Godin argues:

Without a doubt, the ability to connect the dots is rare, prized, and valuable. Connecting dots, solving the problem that hasn’t been solved before, seeing the pattern before it is made obvious, is more essential than ever before.

Godin also asks why then do we spend so much time collecting dots. We overwhelm our learners with so much data, ask them to regurgitate this content in tests, and simply focus on the delivery of content instead of helping our learners make meaningful connections. While Godin has coined the notion of connecting the dots rather than collecting the dots, the idea of developing connections within a conceptual framework was first introduced to me by my colleague Robert McKelvain, Ph.D. at Abilene Christian University in 2010. McKelvain suggested that the difference between an expert and a novice is that an expert has a fully developed conceptual framework.

In the diagram, the main concepts are represented by the larger blue dots and the dotted lines between the concepts represent the connections that the expert has developed as they have expanded their conceptual framework. The expert not only relies upon their full conceptual framework, but they are also able to enter into this framework from many different perspectives. They can see all the pieces and understand all the connections and when dealing with new information they have a much broader base in which to understand and encode that new information—which makes them a more adaptable, efficient, and effective learner and problem solver in their areas of expertise.

In contrast to the expert, the novice may not only have a minimally developed conceptual framework, but they may also even have some of the concepts wrong, miss the connections, and not fully understand all the connections that they do see. If we understand that learning is the making of meaningful connections then the role of the expert teacher is to:

Provide the context for learning which includes introducing the fundamental conceptual framework components.
Create an environment where the learner can start to make meaningful connections between those concepts.
Model the learning process needed to: make those connections, add new concepts, and see the patterns that lead to solving problems.
Mentor the novice in building and expanding their conceptual framework.

In a nutshell, the expert models what it takes to become an expert learner and take ownership in the development of one’s own expertise.

One of the biggest challenges in this process is the expert’s bias, which is the inability of an expert to see the challenges that a novice or beginner faces. This can have significant ramifications in areas where subject matter experts with limited teaching knowledge and experience are tasked with teaching. Subject matter experts have often forgotten more than a novice even knows and unless they are also expert teachers and have developed the conceptual framework of an expert teacher, they can have difficulty understanding the challenges that the novice is experiencing. Therefore, teacher training and professional development will be crucial if we hope to move from the notion of collecting dots to connecting dots.

The whole notion of connecting dots involves analyzing, evaluating, synthesizing, and creating that leads to deeper learning and Learner’s Mindset. Connecting dots is a foundational or fundamental idea that we need to consider when we look at creating significant learning environments. The other key foundational concepts include:
Applied Learning,
Assessment Of/For/As Learning,
Change of Focus,
CLSE,
COVA,
and the Learner’s Mindset.
It is also essential to consider the role of analyzing, evaluating, synthesizing, and creating that leads to deeper learning which is expanded upon in the post How to Change the World One Learner at a Time

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Revised February 22, 2021

In Learning, Meaningful Connections collecting, conceptual framework, connecting, connecting the dots, connections, dots, expert, Learning, meaning, meaningful connections, novice

Minimalist Definition of an Eportfolio

Dwayne Harapnuik — August 4, 2015 — 1 Comment

The minimalist definition of an eportfolio:

a learner’s digital evidence of meaningful connections

Can portfolios really be defined so simply and succinctly as a learner’s digital evidence of meaningful connections? I think they have to be considering the following:

Learning is the making of meaningful connections (see related posts meaningful connections).
Eportfolios are a learner’s digital evidence of learning.
Therefore eportfolios are a learner’s digital evidence of meaningful connections.

I have also been reviewing the literature on eportfolios ever since the term has been developed over 20 years ago and there is no shortage of definitions and debates on what constitutes an eportfolio. Furthermore, the literature is filled with obtuse (see post Our work doesnt’ have to be obtuse to be important ) academic writing that is all too often challenging to read and detracts for the usefulness of the eportfolio discussion and process. It is my hope to reduce or simplify the definition of an eportfolio and not add any unnecessary complexity.

However, if my minimalist definition doesn’t offer enough substance, then I suggest that you refer to a 2007 CETIS SIG mailing list discussion between Sutherland and Powell where they ratified the following definition before the mailing list audience:

An e-portfolio is a purposeful aggregation of digital items – ideas, evidence, reflections, feedback etc, which ‘presents’ a selected audience with evidence of a person’s learning and/or ability.

While this definition is somewhat expanded it really doesn’t say that much more or offer any more significance than the proposed minimalist definition. The more we add to the definition the more we start moving into a discussion of the why, or purpose, of portfolios and how we create them. I will be writing about the Why and the How of eportfolios in future posts.

For those who need to know more or see a more thorough handling of the definition of eportfolios please refer to the following links:

Dr. Helen Barrett, the most renowned proponent of portfolios/eportfolios offers the following definition and links to supporting essays on her Frequently-Asked Questions about Electronic Portfolios page. Barrett argues that there are two types of portfolios, the working and presentation portfolio, and that we need to combine both types to be most effective. While she is correct, she unfortunately overlooks the fact that modern tools like WordPress enable the learner to do both the working and presentation portfolio into one site.
http://electronicportfolios.com/faq.html

University of British Columbia (UBC) Eportfolios – What is it? UBC has been working with eportfolios for several years and their toolkit approach to using eportfolios provides a useful and pragmatic starting point.
http://elearning.ubc.ca/toolkit/eportfolios/

University of Waterloo – ePortfolios Explained. Another good starting point for learning about the eportfolio process.
https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/educational-technologies/all/eportfolios

JISC eportfolio – Perhaps on the most compressive sites on the eportfolio.
https://www.jisc.ac.uk/full-guide/e-portfolios

Alverno College has one of the longest traditions (since the 70’s) of using a portfolio as part of their assessment-as-learning process. They currently use the Diagnostic Digital Portfolio (DPP) which enables the learner to follow their learning progress throughout their student career at Alverno.
http://www.alverno.edu/ddp/

References:
Barrett, H. C. (2000). Electronic Portfolios–A chapter in Educational Technology; An Encyclopedia to be published by ABC-CLIO, 2001. Retrieved from http://electronicportfolios.com/portfolios/aahe2000.html

Barrett, H. (2000). Electronic Teaching Portfolios: Multimedia Skills+ Portfolio Development= Powerful Professional Development. Retrieved from http://electronicportfolios.com/portfolios/encyclopediaentry.htm

Sutherland, S. and Powell, A. (2007), CETIS SIG mailing list discussions. Retrieved from https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A1=ind0707&L=CETIS-PORTFOLIO#3

In Eportfolio, Meaningful Connections eportfolio, Learning, meaningful connections

Are you a Constructivist?

Dwayne Harapnuik — July 21, 2015 — Leave a comment

In a skype meeting this morning I was asked the question – Are you a constructivist? I hesitated briefly and responded “Yes, I think I am.” I went onto to add… I am If you hold that a constructivist is one who believes we learn by making meaningful connections.

I have been pondering my hesitation and attribute it to the fact that I was debating whether or not go into the full blow definition of contructivism or use the shorthand definition that I have been using most recently- we learn by making meaningful connections.

As a result of this exchange I have reviewed Jerome Bruner’s (1960) definition of learning which states:

Learning is an active process in which learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon their current/past knowledge. The learner selects and transforms information, constructs hypotheses, and makes decisions, relying on a cognitive structure to do so. Cognitive structure (i.e., schema, mental models) provides meaning and organization to experiences and allows the individual to “go beyond the information given”.

An active process of constructing new ideas based on new and old information is what I mean when I state learning is the making of meaningful connections. It has been over 20 years since I first studied Bruner’s work and recognized that his definition of learning and his theory of instruction offered a sound foundation for creating significant learning environments. It is good to reflect on where our current beliefs come from and to confirm how we have grown and developed those beliefs.

No hesitation this time – I am a constructivist even in the classical sense.

What are you? What are your learning beliefs based on? When was the last time you revisited those foundational ideas?

In DLL, EDLD 5313, Learning, Meaningful Connections constructivism, constructivist, learning theory

Making Meaningful Connections in An Eportfolio

Dwayne Harapnuik — May 26, 2015 — 1 Comment

In his most recent book, What To Do When It’s Your Turn, Seth Godin laments that many people who apply to his seminars or for internships have no hard skills to brag about and that:

They’re happy to check off boxes like “business development” and “making a rukus” but they rarely say that they know how to code or to use CSS or even InDesign. They’ve spent so many years following instructions, fitting in, and getting good grades that they have failed to learn to do anything that independent.

The side effect of a lack of hard skills is that these very same people almost never have much to show for themselves in the way of a project portfolio, online or off. They can’t point to something and say, “I made that.”

Other than a degree or certificate these people all too often have nothing tangible to show for their many years in education. It isn’t just the evidence of being able to create something that is lacking, many of these young graduates are not able to tangibly show that they can think critically and solve problems. Godin has been pointing to this inability of many students not being able to make meaningful connections for the past several years – see my blog posts Connecting Dots vs Collecting Dots and Experts Connect Dots not Just Collect Dots. His fundamental argument bares repeating:

Without a doubt, the ability to connect the dots is rare, prized and valuable. Connecting dots, solving the problem that hasn’t been solved before, seeing the pattern before it is made obvious, is more essential than ever before.

Why then, do we spend so much time collecting dots instead? More facts, more tests, more need for data, even when we have no clue (and no practice) in doing anything with it.

Their big bag of dots isn’t worth nearly as much as your handful of insight, is it?

It isn’t just the likes of Seth Godin who is concerned about the plight of our young graduates. Generation Jobless, a Doc Zone documentary by CBC points to the crisis of an increasing number of university and college grads who are underemployed – scraping by on low-paid, part-time jobs that don’t require a degree. The documentary reveals that while there “there are no official statistics in Canada, it’s estimated that after graduating, one in three 25 to 29 year olds with a college or university degree end up in a low-skilled job.

While there many systemic ways of addressing this issue that may include more co-op programs in higher education and resolving the embarrassing fact that Canada is the only country in the world without a national body responsible for education there is a very simple and effective way for students to show everyone what they have made, the problems they have solved and the insights they have gained.

A purposefully designed learning portfolio, ideally in the form of an electronic portfolio or eportfolio, would give students a platform that they could show future employers what they have done, what they are capable of doing and perhaps most importantly how they learned how to learn. I have been very explicit in calling for a purposefully design learning portfolio because the typical assessment portfolio that too many institutions purchase separately or as an add on to their Learning Management Systems (LMS) are simply glorified digital filing cabinets where students dump artifacts (assignment documents).

These LMS add-ons or other assessment portfolio tools are not useful eportfolios because they miss the primary point of creating a portfolio. An eportfolio is not just a digital file cabinet where one show how many dots they have collected– it is domain of one’s own where the student reveals their learning journey and shows through reflection, speculation and documentation all the meaningful connections that they have made. The eportfolio itself is a space that the student creates. Perhaps most importantly, an eportfolio can be used to show a students growth and how they have matured over time and how they have made a connection between their schoolwork and their personal and professional lives.

An eportfolio developed over the span of high school to the end of undergraduate or even graduate studies is a tangible asset that can explicitly show what a student has made and who they have become. Why aren’t we striving to give all our student this type of learning and growth experience?

In Learning, Meaningful Connections connecting the dots, connections, eportfolio, meaningful, portfolio

Stuck in the wash

Dwayne Harapnuik — November 25, 2014 — Leave a comment

Source: https://www.travelers.com/iw-images/resources/Individuals/Large/DrivingInRainWind_large.jpg

Commuting in heavy rain is a normal part of living in North Vancouver and working in Burnaby. The other morning I was stuck behind a driver in a relatively new Mercedes who didn’t have enough confidence to drive past the rainy turbulence (wash) of an eighteen wheeled truck. Rather than deal with the spray or wash from the eighteen wheeler for a few seconds while passing the truck this driver chose to stay one lane over and beside the truck–in the truck’s blind spot and in the worst spray for way too long and too many kilometers. Not only was this dangerous for the driver of the Mercedes and the truck it put many other drivers at risk who were trapped behind these two vehicles. When the opportunity presented itself I managed to get around this dangerous blockage and noted that the Mercedes driver chose to stay in the truck’s wash and in the blind spot.

I acknowledge that driving past an eighteen wheeler in heavy rain can be somewhat unnerving. The truck sprays out so much water that your vehicle’s wipers become overloaded and you are almost driving blind for a second or two. You have to trust your driving ability and have enough confidence in your ability that you can maintain the right path past the truck. Once you push past the truck you only have to deal with the rain itself and can see a clear path ahead.

The fear of pushing past the wash from the truck reminds me of a situation that we are currently facing in Higher Education. The 2014 Inside Higher Ed/Gallup Survey of Faculty Attitudes on Technology reveals that despite the experimentation with online education many faculty fear that the record-high number of students taking those classes are receiving an inferior experience to what can be delivered in the classroom. Why? Whether faculty have experience in teaching online or have not taught online the majority of faculty believe that online classes are worse than face2face classes because they perceive student interaction inside class being much poorer online.

The above table points to several aspects of student to Professor interaction and vise versa that is perceived to be poorer online. To be fair to these Professors I think they are right. I have a suspicion that deep down they already know that since their primary form of instructional delivery in the face2face setting is the lecture, their level of interaction in traditional classes is already quite poor and if they carry this same type of interaction forward into the online realm they are right to worry that their online classes will be poorer.

Research conducted by Finkelstein, Seal, & Schuster revealed that 76% of the 172,000 faculty across North America surveyed use lecture as their primary instructional methodology. Lecturing is simply a passive form content delivery that all too often involves very little active student engagement. I will acknowledge that there are some exceptional Professors who have a high level of discussion in their classes and others who use active learning instructional methodologies but the data suggests that they are the minority. Additional research by Nunn in the form of monitoring Professors in their classes also revealed that at most three minutes out of a fifty minute class are actual discussion and most often in the form of questions at the end of class.

Unfortunately, many Professors initial experience with or understanding of online learning is that is it simply a way to use technology to deliver content. Whether content delivery is done face2face or online it is still the predominant form of instruction in the post secondary setting. Not enough Professors view learning as an active and dynamic process in which learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon their current/past knowledge. The making of meaningful connections is key to the learning and knowing and until we take the advice of people like Sir Ken Robinson and many other highly regarded educational experts and have a Learning Revolution, our current limited face2face information transfer model will simply be moved online.

So, since most Professors are involved in delivering content with very little interaction or engagement in the face2face setting is there any wonder why those Professors who haven’t taught online would see online courses as being even less effective? Similarly, since many Professors who move online continue to use content delivery as their primary form of instruction is there any wonder why these Professors also view online courses as further limiting their already limited face2face student engagement?

Until we can change the way that Professors view their role and move away from the passive information transfer model to an active and dynamic process in which learners construct their own knowledge; and until we can change the way the way most Professors view themselves as the “sage on the stage” to the “guide on the side” or as a learning facilitators who create significant learning environments in which their students can come to know something, acquire knowledge, or to gain information and experience we can continue to expect to see these types of attitudes about online courses from faculty surveys.

This change of focus isn’t going to be easy. Due to a lack of formal training in active learning and all too often limited professional development many Professors are stuck in conducting their classes the same way that they experienced it when they were in school. This is very similar to the way that the Mercedes driver I referred to in my rain example was stuck in the wash behind the large truck–they didn’t have enough confidence in their own ability to push past the truck to see a clear path.

So once again it is not about the technology it is about the learning. Online technology is only a tool that can be used to enhance learning. But if our Professors are focused on teaching and disseminating information and not on creating significant learning environments then it doesn’t matter what tool we add to the mix, the student still loses out.

Finkelstein, M. J., Seal, R. K., and Schuster, J. The New Academic Generation: A Profession in Transformation. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998.

Nunn, C. E. “Discussion in the College Classroom: Triangulating Observational and Survey Results.” Journal of Higher Education, 1996, 67 (3), 243-66.

In Learning, Meaningful Connections, Online Learning active learning, Creating Significant Learning Environment, CSLE, lecture