Strengths and Weaknesses of Constructivist and OCL Theories

     Frankly speaking, I understood from the reading that within the constructivist model, researchers recognize several models of learning, and a collaborative model is one of them. So, as far as I realize, a collaborative model is formed by means of adding computers and online access to the constructivist model and broadening the principles of it.  The collaborative model of learning happens merely when an individual interacts with other individuals to improve their mental knowledge formations through discussions and information sharing.
     Constructivism is a learner-centered approach that allows the students think for themselves, forming their knowledge by establishing connections with past experience. It does not mean that a teacher can sit back and watch students learn on their own. Quite the opposite, the teacher leads them towards forming their knowledge based on past experiences.

     I think if I had to teach military students, the main weaknesses of both constructivist and collaborative approaches would be the fact that this approach does not scale easily. To form a current knowledge based on past experience that the students develop themselves requires very skilled instructors and very few students to educated thoroughly and mainly. Each student’s thinking process is different. To allow them to form their knowledge can be challenging in big auditoriums.  Collaborative learning can be even more challenging for teaching online than constructivist approach on its own because group learning online requires a lot of work. A constructivist approach can bring even more in-depth knowledge because it often allows the students more thorough learning techniques.
     The main strength of both collaborative and constructivist approaches is the fact that both can lead to profound, academic learning if not better than in a classroom. The amount of knowledge the instructors give online and the amount of work they put into an understanding of the material for students on their own in both approaches often compensate for the lack of physical activity. They can also directly support the development of a range of high-level intellectual skills, such as critical thinking, analytical thinking, synthesis, and evaluation,