Education and the models and strategies educators use to create learning environments are grounded in ideas about how people learn. Ideas about learning are grounded in cognitive and learning sciences, and also on ideas about the organization and structure of knowledge.
Connectionism is an idea that is gaining popularity and influence in thinking about teaching and learning. At the core of connectionism is the reality of networks; it is reasoned that when one learns, one extends and enhances the network of people, ideas, and tools that one has available. In the landscape dominated by networked computers and social media, connectionist ideas may seem a too convenient model. In this book, Dron and Anderson present examples and illustrations of how connectionism really does describe teaching and learning in the connected world.