knowledge construction

Phase-Description
In this phase the learners construct, broaden and refine their own network of knowledge. The activity of the teacher can vary widely during this phase: from teacher-centered frontal instruction to the role as a learning facilitator who just moderates the students self-directed learning.

Function
The student acquires new knowledge concerning a predefined topic and relates it to the already existing knowledge. Knowledge in this sense isn’t seen as something static, but each learner has to construct his/ her own knowledge – this is why knowledge cannot be transferred one-to-one.

Ways of achieving function
The learner can use very different media/ didactic resources to gather information.

Media/ didactic resources can include:
Originals, books, guides, key readings, worksheets, assessment files, quizzes, specific software for learning and evaluation, tutorials, courseware, video-casts, pod-casts, interactive learning-pages, videos, pictures etc.

Here various levels of abstraction can be differentiated:

	Work with:	Example:
Primary:	originals in real setting	Observe and analyze an intercultural encounter in real life
	un-processed material on originals in real setting	See a video, picture of an intercultural encounter and analyze it
	originals in laboratory setting	Intercultural interaction in predefined setting (e.g. roleplay/ simulation)
Secondary:	pre-processed material on originals	Literature analyzing intercultural encounters
Tertiary:	models	Models on cultural behaviour (e.g. Hofstedes Dimensions)

The more abstract, focused and/or simplifying the media gets the “easier” but also less challenging and more limited learning is made.

Neither a high nor a low level of abstraction is per se better or worse. Which level of abstraction to use best depends on:

• The learning-objective
• The target group
• The resources available (time, money, media, etc.)

An active/ productive involvement in learning and to the topic usually makes learning easier and more efficient. Examples are:

• The production of a learning-product (e.g. Video, Poster, Handout etc.)
• Learning by teaching

Methods

• reading (e.g. electronic papers via resource-sharing , presentation-sharing)
• lecture (e.g. live-streaming, video-sharing, video-conferencing)
• investigation (e.g. in groups using collaborative-writing tools)
• experiment
• dialog (e.g. via video-conferencing, Chat )
• interview
• Video/ TV (e.g. video-sharing)
• learning by teaching (e.g. using a Forum to post a summary and have fellow students ask questions or discuss)