Constructivism and e-learning: Balancing between the individual and social levels of cognition

Abstract

In current literature, there are many interpretations of constructivism – from the radical views individualistic cognition to the other side of the continuum where mind is simply social in orientation. In essence, we argue for a balanced and pragmatic view of the mind bridging both the individual and social levels of cognition – balancing between Vygotskian and Piagetian views. From such a perspective, we propose the design of e-learning environments where both personalization of learning (individual) and affiliations to the community of learners (social) are complemented. Both a collective and individual understanding of knowledge and meanings are important.