The personal learning example I want to discuss is one of picture-based learning that I have also included in the infographic above.

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I worked for a company that created picture-based learning solutions in the past. A large scale picture was created of a work environment, which was populated with scenarios to describe the typical environment and challenges related to the learning objectives.

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Activities were created around these pictures to ensure that certain outcomes were met. One of the main methods used was to create a discussion around a certain aspect of the work environment or scenarios.

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More experienced employees were often matched up with newer employees in groups to ensure transfer of learning. This is a Constructivist approach to learning because it relies on the learner’s previous experiences to be able to identify certain scenarios. It is a collaborative learning approach whereby other learners participate, offer solutions and comment on each other’s views.

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Skills in the Zone of Proximal Development

A learner might be able to identify a scenario about something that happened to them in the workplace, describe how frustrating it was and what possible solution they came up with, but their solution could be limited to what they perceive would be in their power to do, what they think the best solution is and based on their own past experiences (based on actual development).

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Because of the group discussion set-up, peers are able to offer additional solutions and advice that the learner may not have come up with on their own (potential development).

A scaffolding strategy for this type of activity would be to ask the learner to practise the solution to a problem in their group context through a role-play with one or more peers reviewing their efforts and giving them feedback. Once they have done this, they will then be asked to perform the same solution in the workplace.

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In this scenario I shared, group discussion is an important social constructivist strategy. Learners are learning in their own social context and through the interactions with other learners. Peer learning should involve a consideration of what peers learn together, what changed as a result of peer interaction and how we measure the learning that took place during peer interaction (O’Donnell, AM and King A 1999)