M-CLE: A Constructivist Learning Environment using Creative Robots

Educational technology has always included a discourse linking its implementation to the perceived needs of the socio-political and economic world. Within this discourse, the field of 'Instructional Design' has been rooted in an objectivist epistemology. The modern day computer spans a rich history of 'Instructivist' Design practice that has been based on the acquisition of facts and concepts, repercussions of which have been those for how we understand human learning. While direct instruction is necessary, 'Constructivist' ideas argue that knowledge is actively constructed. However, implementations of the same have been few and have operated primarily within the paradigms of the desktop computer that favor logico-mathematical thought imposing severe limitations to constructivist applications. This book argues that learning is an active process of personally meaningful construction grounded in one's embodied experiences and formulates a learning environment known as M-CLE. Through the use of creative & assistive autonomous robots situated within the learner's environment, M-CLE implements Constructivist learning principles with an emphasis on creativity and learning through design.