Connectivism

In a 2005 article discussing the theory of “connectivism” in the International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, George Siemens defines learning as “a process that occurs within nebulous environments of shifting core elements – not entirely under the control of the individual.” Within this context, a learner today functions much like an orchestral conductor.

A conductor is challenged with taking into consideration multiple elements essential to the successful performance of a piece of music: the unique qualities of all the instrument families, the characteristics of the particular piece of music, the individual ideas of each of the musicians, the sound of the performance space, and the needs of the audience. As with Siemens definition of learning, many of these items are shifting and not entirely under the conductor’s control. The learner in this analogy is required to consider unique sets of ideas related to a particular topic, characteristics of related theoretical perspectives, perspectives of other learners, a seemingly unlimited number of learning resources, and requirements imposed by upcoming assessments.

In a related video, Conflict of Learning Theories Within Human Nature, Siemens further explores the theory of connectivism. He maintains that “our language gives birth to our thoughts” and that “ it is the aggregation of the activities of many individuals that generates meaningful/useful knowledge.” He posits that as educators, we should be concerned “less about trying to bring knowledge into the minds of our learners, but rather to develop skills of learners so they can go out in a sophisticated knowledge environment and function.” As a medical educator, working with learners who are processing very complex and specialized knowledge that grows constantly, I am very intrigued with this new approach. Medical educators, including accreditation bodies for graduate, undergraduate, and continuing medical education often discuss the need to stimulate “lifelong learning” among physicians, as shown in this white paper of the American Medical Association, which cites the concept of lifelong learning as one of the profession's guiding ethical principles.  If this theoretical approach were embraced and regularly applied to teaching practices, perhaps a decrease could actually be seen between the time medical evidence demonstrates the need for a change in medical practice and the time that change is actually put into practice by a majority of the practice community.