Fostering Knowledge Building Communities through Computer

Supported Collaborative Learning

Lee Yeung Chun Eddy (Raimondi College)

Key Questions• How can we design for Knowledge

Building Practices?• How to integrate KF into classroom

teaching?• How to recognize/assess

knowledge building?

Design a learning environment which allows– Individual Differences– Maximise Social Interaction

Principle I

Development of a knowledge building community through f2f interaction

Stage One

Stage One (con’t)

Strategies:(a)

– Small group discussion– Student report

(b)– Ask students to think of a question so as to get

more information from the presenter (foster interaction)

Stage One (con’t)

(c) Concept Mapping embedded with Jigsaw and Reciprocal Teaching strategies

1. Teaching & Questioning within expert group

2. Summarizing Phase

3. Teacher Intervention

4. Peer Assessment5. Students commenting other groups’

concept maps

6. Brainstorming

7. Construction

Jigsaw Concept Mapping

Reciprocal Teaching

8. Presentation

Online Activities: Jigsaw Views Students generate questions for discussion Rise Above Views Writing Rise Above notes Notes Evaluation

Stages two and three:

Starting the discussion and note evaluation

Welcome View

Three Sub-views

World Problems: Jigsaw Learning Design

Self-generated Questions

Rising Above

Teacher captured the sub-topics and placed them in Rise-above view

Rise Above Notes posted by students

Rising Above

Different notes

Note Evaluation

Face to Face Activities: Select some notes from the database and

ask students to evaluate– good questions– good responses– Summary notes

Stage Four

Online Activities: Consolidation of Ideas

– Portfolio – KB indicators

• Knowledge Building Principles

Knowledge-Building Portfolios

Pedagogical Knowledge building principles Related to knowledge building principles

(Scardamalia, 2002) Electronic Portfolios

As part of course assessment, students submit a portfolio of their best notes that exemplify knowledge building guided by the 4 principles and write an explanatory statement

Portfolios were posted at Knowledge Forum using direct links to original notes

Pedagogical Knowledge-Building principles

Working at Cutting Edge Work on productive problems advancing community knowledge;

grapple with different models as they chart their course of advances

Progressive Problem Solving Reinvest efforts in problem solving; ideas are continuously

improved and refined

Collaborative Efforts Produce ideas of value to others; contributions to shared goals &

values and collective knowledge advances

Monitoring Knowledge Advances Move to meta (higher)level of understanding; negotiate fit

between own and other models

KB Principles for Writing Good Notes & Portfolio Assessment

Welcome View

Portfolio Assessment

Three Sub-views

World Problems: Jigsaw Learning Design

Electronic Portfolio (2)

Electronic Portfolio (3)

Student’s interpretation of KB principles

Figure 1. A portfolio note illustrating a knowledge-building principle and collective knowledge advances

My Interpretation: I thought that shipwrecks weren't as harmful as they seemed to be. I thought that after decomposition of oil spills, the oceans could return to their initial form, but this idea was heavily criticized by my classmates. They all thought that shipwrecks brought serious threats to the oceans.2 3 They said that if oil was spilt into the oceans, it could kill many animals before the oil could be decomposed. Mr. Lee told us that if a certain species is killed, it might break the food chain. Therefore, oil spills are quite dangerous to our oceans. I was [shown] that oil spills were far more serious than I ever expected.

The Theme of the Discussion: "Do shipwrecks [such as] the Titanic add pollution to the world's oceans?".1

Then, CW corrected a stupid mistake that was made by me. He told me that the Titanic ran on coal, not on oil. Therefore, I realized that I actually had a problem with my question.

Figure 1. A portfolio note illustrating a knowledge-building principle and collective knowledge advances (cont’d)

Here's the second evolution. CY started to argue that tankers carrying chemicals are more dangerous than oil tankers6 , CW and I didn't agree though7 . We thought that although cyanide is more poisonous than oil, cyanide is soluble in water. Therefore, its effects on the oceans are less than those of oil 8. WY agreed with this , SL too9. He said that oil is difficult to clean up, and could kill heaps of wildlife, but I still had my questions... Are oil spills really that bad to the oceans? After 50 years or so, the oil would start to decompose and the corals would grow on the shipwreck, it'd become an artificial reef, what's the problem with that?10 CW agreed with me that shipwrecks aren’t really that bad in the long term "water wave will wash the oil and make them into smaller particles and decompose them in the following years!" 11

Then, the first evolution came. ER suddenly asked if the oil from an oil spill is an ocean resource 4 . Naturally, CW answered this question 5 .

TY also pointed out that pollution is proportional. Oil spills could help the environment-- "the resources used up " and the curve of the pollution is proportional. So if we can control the use the resources , we can also reduce the level of pollution ~“b12

Figure 1. A portfolio note illustrating a knowledge-building principle and collective knowledge advances (cont’d)

Principle 2 Improvable Ideas/Progressive Problem Solving: I [think] that this is a principle 2 note because in this cluster of notes, many new and improved questions have evolved from one simple note in the beginning. Reasons In the beginning, I was asking about shipwrecks, soon the discussion turned to chemicals and finally a new concept was pointed out (pollution is proportional). Every time there was a question, we'd solve it, think of another question and solve that as [we] get better answers and more questions.

This topic is ocean in trouble. The question is "Oil spill is a kind of pollution. But where does it come from? From an accident of a ship or from nature?" 1 This is a simple question, I don't think nature

can make oil spill occur. 23 4 These three notes have answered the big question of oil spill. Oil [comes] from the ground and [it is] transported by ship. But some accidents have happened [and] the oil spills on the surface of ocean. Oil spill is a serious problem of pollution; it kill[s] the marine wildlife and make[s] the world problem [creating] lack of fishes. The other most interesting note comes from "Why a small amount of oil will be formed when it is raining?“ 5 Before I see this note, I

don't know the rain contains oil, I think this is silly to say "Oil Rain!".There are three answer[s] to the notes, that include:" Internet says that the rain may contain a small amount of oil." ", the car fumes contain some toxic chemicals, and a little amount of oil may still be in the smoke. So, the smoke goes up and [gets into] the rain. " and "the soil is fat and may contain

oil, so when rainwater come through, oil may [be] flushed away with the rainwater..." I think the acceptable answer is [that] smoke with water vapour is absorbed by the Sun, and [it]condenses to from cloud [and] finally forms rain.

Note: The number in superscripts are computer notes in the databases included as reference notes

Figure 2. An example of a portfolio without knowledge-building principles showing shallow discourse

Lesson Learned and Lesson Learned and ImplicationsImplications

Lesson Learned and Lesson Learned and ImplicationsImplications

Alignment of learning, collaboration & assessmentAssessment for learning AND of learning

Examine as well as scaffold collaborative inquiry

Assessment of individual AND collective learning Examine how idea grow collectively in community

Assessment of both knowledge AND process Examine inquiry and subject-matter knowledge Student discussion - Quality, participation, and

fragmented online discussion Teacher can have overviews of community progress

from portfolios