Virtual Instruction: An Interdisciplinary Window to Knowledge Construction

This article touches upon how virtual instruction, as an interdisciplinary window, might facilitate knowledge construction. In order to do so, an online educational platform and its capabilities are explored, and examples of collaboration are given. Then these examples are analyzed to figure out how online collaboration could set the stage for knowledge construction. Participants included a number of preservice teachers who took a mathematics education course which was offered blended. The participants were put into groups of 6-9, and were asked to solve and discuss mathematical questions as well as how to teach them to elementary school students. Grounded theory method was applied to make sense of the data, and Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory of learning was used as a lens to look at the social environment. Findings show that knowledge construction is likely to happen in two forms, individual or social. When there is no reference to other postings or responses to an individual from any of the group members, individual knowledge construction is taking place. Conversely, when preservice teachers collaborate on an issue to help each other build knowledge of pedagogy and that of subject matter, knowledge construction is more social in nature. Moreover, the instructor's role, and capabilities of the platform are amongst the factors affecting knowledge construction.