Competence in Solving Problems and Blended Learning Environment in Student Teaching

The purpose of the study was to seek a way to strengthen student teachers’ understanding of the complex nature of teaching and increase their competence in solving problems. To accomplish the goal, I embarked upon a study to explore on a computer-mediated conferencing group model enriched with constructivist principles and features of a community of learners. The study is guided by two major models: Problem Solving Approach Model (Bransford & Stein, 1993) and Interaction Analysis Model (IAM) for Computer-Mediated Communication rooted in social constructivist theory (Gunawardena, Lowe, & Anderson, 1997). This study also is aimed at assessing the quality of interaction by means of IAM for examining social construction of knowledge, and of learning experiences of student teachers during computer conferencing while learning problem-solving skills. Implications and suggestions for teacher educators will be offered.