The Design of Exploratory Learning Environments

Recent findings from the learning sciences suggest that learners themselves need to actively construct knowledge in ways that make sense to them connecting new information to prior knowledge while being engaged in authentic practices. However, many teacher and curriculum programs in formal higher education are designed to put the instructor in the forefront. While the instructor does the explaining and questioning, the students do the listening (traditional models of learning). Consequently, thinking of teaching as helping students to learn, i.e. to understand, this study tries to elaborate on cognition in its physical, social and cultural context investigating learning and teaching as they happen in higher education classrooms. The case study research is guided by the following question: How do expert instructors design exploratory learning environments that engage students in deep learning? Preliminary case study results and implications are presented