Week 5 EP responses

Please respond to my colleague videos separately. PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS CARFULLY RESPONSE TO EACH POST IN A VERY AUTHENTIC AND GENUINE WAY. (substantive contributions). And when you respond to other colleagues’ post, you must add new research. Colleague post #1: Psychology students benefit from complex learning environments through semester-long case studies that mirror clinical reality. An instructor might provide a detailed profile of a patient with overlapping symptoms of anxiety and depression. Instead of a simple multiple-choice test, students must navigate the messy data of a clinical intake form to identify potential diagnoses. This approach reflects constructivism by rejecting simplified, rote memorization in favor of ill-defined problems found in actual practice (Allen, 2022). To incorporate authentic tasks, students could design a behavioral intervention for a real-world habit, such as improving sleep hygiene or increasing physical activity. This assignment requires learners to apply psychological principles to their own lives. It moves beyond theoretical discussion and places the student in the role of a practitioner. Such tasks promote transfer of learning by ensuring that the classroom context matches the application context (Kitchingman et al., 2024). Social negotiation and multiple representations of content are achieved through collaborative literature reviews. Students work in groups to analyze a single psychological phenomenon, such as cognitive dissonance, through lenses such as neurobiology, social psychology, and developmental history. They must debate findings and synthesize a group report. This process forces students to reconcile different viewpoints and build a shared understanding of the truth (Daodu et al., 2024). Finally, student ownership of learning is established by allowing individuals to choose the medium for their final project. A student might produce a podcast, a research poster, or a video essay on a topic of personal interest. This autonomy ensures that the learner is an active participant in constructing knowledge rather than a passive recipient of information. When students manage their own cognitive processes, they develop the self-regulation necessary for deep conceptual change (Fei et al., 2025). References Allen, A. (2022). An introduction to constructivism: Its theoretical roots and impact on contemporary education. Journal of Learning Design and Leadership, 1(1), 1-11. https://ldljournal.web.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Andrew-Allen-Constructivism_JLDL_Vol1Issue1September2022.pdf Daodu, M., Elegbede, C., & Adedotun, O. (2024). Effectiveness of constructivism theory of learning as 21st century method of teaching. Journal of Advanced Psychology, 6(2), 111. Fei, H., Zhang, J., Xiang, W., & Qi, H. (2025). The impact of student psychological empowerment on class stickiness. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1615370. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1615370 Kitchingman, T. A., d’Ament, G., & Shakeshaft, R. (2024). Implementing an interactive oral task to assess undergraduate psychology students’ attainment of pre-professional competencies. In ASCILITE 2024: 41st International Conference on Innovation, Practice and Research in the Use of Educational Technologies in Tertiary Education (pp. 34-44). ASCILITE. https://researchoutput.csu.edu.au/en/publications/implementing-an-interactive-oral-task-to-assess-undergraduate-psy/ Colleague post#2: Complex learning environments and authentic tasks In reading Woolfolk and Usher (2020), I understand constructivism as a perspective in which learners actively build knowledge by engaging with meaningful tasks, social interaction, and reflection. One central element is the use of complex learning environments and authentic tasks. Woolfolk and Usher (2020) explain that constructivist learning environments situate knowledge in realistic contexts so that students can connect abstract concepts to lived experience. In an undergraduate psychology class, this could mean replacing a traditional exam on learning theories with a case-based assignment in which students design an intervention plan for a first-year college student struggling with motivation and anxiety. Rather than recalling definitions of self-efficacy or reinforcement, students would need to analyze the situation, justify theoretical choices, and anticipate outcomes. According to Herrington et el. (2014), authentic tasks are ill-defined, sustained over time, and closely resemble real-world professional practice; these characteristics require students to integrate knowledge rather than apply formulas mechanically. Such an assignment reflects constructivism because students construct understanding by grappling with complexity rather than reproducing isolated facts. Social negotiation and multiple representations of content A second constructivist element involves social negotiation and multiple representations of content. Woolfolk and Usher (2020) emphasize that learning is socially mediated and that dialogue helps learners refine and reorganize their thinking. In a psychology course, students could work in small groups to analyze research on the effects of social media on adolescent development. Each group might present the issue through a conceptual model, a brief literature synthesis, and a short role-play scenario illustrating developmental implications. According to Vygotsky (1978), cognitive development is shaped through social interaction within the zone of proximal development, where dialogue with more capable peers supports deeper understanding. Additionally, Chi and Wylie (2014) argue that interactive engagement promotes deeper learning than passive activities. By negotiating meaning and representing content in multiple formats, students move beyond memorization and instead co-construct psychological knowledge. Student ownership of learning Finally, student ownership of learning is another defining feature of constructivist classrooms. Woolfolk and Usher (2020) note that when students take responsibility for setting goals and monitoring progress, they become more self-regulated learners. In an undergraduate psychology class, this might involve a self-designed mini research proposal in which students choose a topic of personal relevance such as burnout among healthcare workers or academic procrastination and develop their own research question and methodology. According to Loyens et al. (2008), student-centered approaches that promote autonomy and responsibility are closely aligned with constructivist principles because they require learners to actively organize and evaluate information rather than rely solely on instructor direction. I have personally come to realize that assignments that allow for ownership feel more demanding, but they also deepen engagement because I must justify my decisions and reflect on my reasoning. In this way, complex tasks, collaborative dialogue, and ownership of learning collectively demonstrate the application of constructivist principles. References Chi, M. T. H., & Wylie, R. (2014). The ICAP framework: Linking cognitive engagement to active learning outcomes. Educational Psychologist, 49(4), 219243. Herrington, J., Reeves, T. C., & Oliver, R. (2014). Authentic learning environments. In J. M. Spector et al. (Eds.), Handbook of research on educational communications and technology (pp. 401412). Springer. Loyens, S. M. M., Magda, J., & Rikers, R. M. J. P. (2008). Self-directed learning in problem-based learning and its relationships with self-regulated learning. Educational Psychology Review, 20, 411427. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press. Woolfolk, A., & Usher, E. L. (2020). Educational psychology (15th ed.). Pearson. Colleague post #3: Complex Learning Environments and Authentic Tasks Constructivism operates on the idea that learners dont just absorb information. Instead, they are active participants in their understanding. Learning is built on the idea that students dont simply absorb information; they actively engage in doing meaningful work, interacting with others, and exercising agency (Brown et al., 1989). This means in an undergraduate psychology course that introduces students to tasks that require students to interpret, apply, and even negotiate psychological ideas, as opposed to requiring students to engage in assessments that reward students memorization (Herrington & Oliver, 2000). One influential way to do this is through authentic, real-world learning environments. For example, it would be productive to have students partner with a community organization to investigate a psychological issue of stress, loneliness, or motivation within a specific population. The use of interviews, observations, and theory-guided analysis allows students to experience firsthand what constructivists argue: that knowledge becomes deeper and more durable when it emerges from engagement with messy, culturally situated problems rather than from passive intake of information (Brown et al., 1989; Herrington & Oliver, 2000). The indeterminacy and complexity of the community setting arent obstacles. Rather, they are part of the learning. Students must connect theory with lived experience, and that integration is what makes the learning environment genuinely constructivist. Example Application Multifaceted Case Analysis Project Students receive a detailed but intentionally imperfect case file about a college student experiencing academic decline, sleep disturbances, and interpersonal conflict. The file includes partial assessment data, contradictory peer reports, and excerpts from counseling notes. Students must: Identify multiple plausible psychological explanations Evaluate how different theories, such as cognitive, behavioral, and biopsychosocial, interpret the same data Propose additional information they would need Justify a preliminary intervention plan Why This Is Constructivist This is constructivism because students are constructing meaning by integrating theory, context, and evidence rather than retrieving a single correct answer. The complexity requires that they interpret, hypothesize, and revise their thinking, characteristics of constructivist learning. Social Negotiation and Multiple Representation of Content At its core, constructivist learning is inherently social. Students construct their learning by communicating concepts with one another through conversation and negotiating shared meaning, and by interacting with ideas in various forms (Palincsar, 1998). During a discussion, comparing interpretations, negotiation of concepts with an array of visual, verbal, auditory, or experiential modalities, students build a rich understanding, instead of just taking in the information (Cobb et al., 1992). Students take on different psychological perspectives, namely behaviorism or humanistic theory, and construct a concept map of their assigned theory. They then record a brief audio explanation applying the theory to a real case and have a live debate where they interpret a shared scenario through their theoretical lens. Transitioning through these varied modes, visual, auditory, and verbal, forces students to reorganize and deepen a level of understanding by moving on to another medium. It is the debate that makes them negotiate meaning, articulate understanding, and respond to competing interpretations. When students collaborate, they gain a richer, more flexible grasp of psychological theories (Palincsar, 1998; Cobb et al., 1992). Example of Application Collaborative Theory Dialogue + Multimodal Synthesis Students are placed in small groups and assigned different theoretical lenses, namely social learning theory, cognitive psychology, and humanistic psychology. Each group analyzes the same behavioral scenario and prepares: A verbal explanation grounded in their assigned theory A visual representation using a flowchart or concept map detailing how the theory explains the behavior. A short demonstration or example in a narrated vignette or role-play. Why This is Constructivist This is constructivism because students refine their understanding through discourse, perspective-taking, and negotiation of meaning (Palincsar, 1998). Multiple representations deepen conceptual understanding by requiring students to reorganize and re-express knowledge in varied forms (Cobb et al., 1992). Student Ownership of Learning Part of constructivist learning is allowing students to really own their learning (Bada, 2015). Rather than being advised on what to study and how to study. For instance, students design a small research project about a psychological question that is meaningful to them personally (Almulla, 2023). They choose their topic, decide on a method, collect and analyze their own data, and pick the format to present what they have learned. The point, according to constructivist theorists, is when students develop the types of questions that they actually care about and take control over their own learning (Bada, 2015). Inquiry on their own helps them to link what they learn to their lived experience and make sense of it by both inquiry and reflection (Almulla, 2023). In that transition from receiving information to actively investigating the information, students are constructing knowledge rather than merely receiving information (Bada, 2015). Example of Application Self-Directed Mini Study Students design a small observational or survey-based study on a psychological topic of personal interest. Students will: Develop their own research question Choose methods to be used Collect and analyze data Reflect on what they learned about both the topic and the research process Why This is Constructivist This is Constructivism because it emphasizes learner agency, where students make choices, set goals, and pursue personally meaningful questions (Bada, 2015). Students construct knowledge through inquiry, not compliance (Almulla, 2023). References Almulla, M. A. (2023). The effectiveness of constructivist learning environments in developing students inquiry skills and autonomy. Journal of Education and Learning, 12(4), 4556. Bada, S. O. (2015). Constructivism learning theory: A paradigm for teaching and learning. Journal of Research & Method in Education, 5(6), 6670. Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational Researcher, 18(1), 3242. Cobb, P., Yackel, E., & Wood, T. (1992). A constructivist alternative to the representational view of mind in mathematics education. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 23(1), 233. Herrington, J., & Oliver, R. (2000). An instructional design framework for authentic learning environments. Educational Technology Research and Development, 48(3), 2348. Palincsar, A. S. (1998). Social constructivist perspectives on teaching and learning. Annual Review of Psychology, 49, 345375.