ED 530Theorist Presentation

Summer 2010

Background

Professor at the University of Toronto

Cofounder of IKIT (Institute for Knowledge Innovation and Technology)

Member of the US National Academy of Education

CSCL

Was the chief pioneer of Computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL)

CSCL was the first system for networked learning

Created a second system for networked learning called the knowledge forum

Knowledge Building

Developed by Carl Bereiter and Marlene Scarmadalia

Describes what learners need to accomplish to gain knowledge

Addresses the need to educate people for the knowledge age society

Knowledge Building vs. Learning

Knowledge building is….creating new cognitive artifacts as a result of

common goals, group discussion, and synthesis of ideas.

Learning is…..an internal and often unobservable process of that

results in the change of beliefs, attitudes, or skills.

12 Principles of Knowledge Building

Real ideasImprovable ideasIdea diversityRise aboveEpistemic agencyCommunity knowledge,

collective responsibilityConcurrent, embedded,

and transformative assessment

Democratizing knowledgeSymmetric knowledge

advancementPervasive knowledge

buildingConstructive use of

sourcesKnowledge building

discourse

Real Ideas and Authentic Problems

Learners relate real problems to real life solutions

Learners are aware of their surroundings and how to manipulate their environment

Improvable ideas

Students are regarded as improvable objects

Students have the ability to constantly change and get better

Idea diversity

Students use creative and diverse ideas to solve problems

Students creating ideas is necessary for idea diversity to be successful

Rise AboveStudents achieve a higher level of thinking

Students create ideas and improve and understand them through questioning

Epistemic AgencyStudents find solutions to real life problems

Students work alone in finding ways to advance

Community Knowledge, Collective ResponsibilityContributing in the classroom for the main

purpose of gaining knowledge

Students improve their personal knowledge through improving classroom knowledge as a whole

Democratizing KnowledgeAll students are encouraged to participate

and add to the classroom setting

Students are crucial in the advancement of the classroom

Symmetric Knowledge Advancement

Having individuals and communitites working together to promote knowledge building activities

Groups work together to provide a reciprocal advance of their knowledge

Pervasive Knowledge Building

Students work together for knowledge team building

Students learn intrapersonal skills such as group and team building

Constructive Uses of Authoritative Sources

All members including the teacher take stock in the improvement and advancement of the classroom

Works well in small and large groups

Knowledge Building Discourse

Students share work with each other to improve knowledge in the classroom

Along the lines of a think, pair, share approach

Concurrent, Embedded, and Transformative Assessment

Students take a global view of what information is around them

Students take an abstract approach to assessments

Works CitedBereiter, C. (2002). Education and Mind in the

Knowledge Age

http://ikit.org/people/bereiter.html

Bereiter, C., & Scardamalia, M. (2007). Toward research-based innovation. In F. Benavides (Ed.), Emerging models for learning and innovation. OECD.