Computer-based microworlds: A bridge between constructivism and direct instruction

The field of instructional technology is characterized by its products, such as instructional media, and its processes, such as instructional design. Over the past 50 years, the process of instructional technology has been shaped by advances in learning and instructional theory. Much of the development work to date has been associated with direct instruction or instruction based largely on the application of behavioral and neobehavioral principles. In contrast, constructivism, a faction within cognitive psychology associated with Piagetian learning theory, is characterized by discovery and experiential learning. Constructivists have sought to tap the computational power of modern microcomputers to create computer microworlds, such as those found in LOGO, in which learners can experience and appropriate sophisticated ideas from (but not limited to) the domains of science and mathematics. Proponents of constructivism and direct instruction usually are viewed in opposition to one another. It is suggested here that each has something to learn from the other, and that computer microworlds offer a platform for collaboration.