Connectivism

Connectivism is a learning theory that suggests that learning is not solely contained within a learner’s own knowledge bank, but also comprises the knowledge and information provided by others within a network. A network is link a spider’s web of information, where a learner might stand of one part of the web with the knowledge that they have already acquired, but they are connected to all the other knowledge points on the web (called “nodes”) through a series of connections (called “links”). The theory was originally proposed by the researchers George Siemens and Stephen Downes in 2005. While they both shared in publication of the original theory, each of the researchers now focuses more on a different aspect of the webs of information learners are connected to. As stated by Western Governors University, “Siemens tends to focus on the social aspects of connectivism, Downes focuses on non-human appliances and machine-based learning” (2021).

The theory was created as a response to the gaps in prior learning theories in addressing knowledge that exists outside of the learner such as on the internet or via social connections as work, school or elsewhere (Siemens, 2005). The premise is that learners have access that is both within and without themselves. This external information can be accessed either by asking a friend who may know the information (this person is the knowledge “node”), by finding a knowledgeable person within their personal network (such as a teacher, mentor, or parent), or by searching on the internet for information from other people they might not know, either via social media or via online materials (which were, of course, written by people). In this way, connectivism is somewhat connected to Vygotsky’s theory of social constructivism, because learners are using their connections to other people in order to construct information for themselves (Clara and Barbera 2013).