Knowledge convergence and collaborative learning

This paper operationalized the notion of knowledge convergence and assessed quantitatively how much knowledge convergence occurred during collaborative learning. Knowledge convergence was defined as an increase in common knowledge where common knowledge referred to the knowledge that all collaborating partners had. Twenty pairs of college students collaborated to learn a science text about the human circulatory system. Comparisons of individual pre-test and post-test performance revealed that students shared more knowledge pieces and mental models after collaboration. Although the amount of convergence was modest, analyses showed that collaborative interaction was responsible for the increase in common knowledge. The increase in common knowledge was observed in knowledge that was never stated in the learning text as well as in knowledge that was explicitly presented in the text. The amount of convergence was related to interaction such that real pairs shared more knowledge than nominal pairs, and more interactive pairs shared more inferred knowledge than less interactive pairs. Collaborative dialogues and learning artifacts (e.g., drawings) also indicated that common knowledge was constructed during collaboration. Possible reasons for the discrepancy between the impression of strong convergence assumed in the literature and the results of this study are discussed along with the need to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the notion that includes its process, outcome, and sources of convergence.     

知识创新教学过程的三层转换——以Knowledge Forum支持下的协作学习为例

学校中的知识创新教学是一种培养人的活动,这与企业的"创新"活动有很大不同,它要求学生能够切实开展知识的建构与创新。为了探索中国大陆知识建构课堂的知识创新过程,文章构建了一个不断转换的知识生成过程,通过KnowledgeForum(知识论坛,简称KF)的功能外化从个人知识、小组知识、社区知识的发展及转换过程开展研究,深入探讨学习者从知识建构走向知识创新的机理。文章认为师生在KF中进行创新性的知识创造活动,通过协作性的知识建构,保证创新性观点的产生以及社区知识的推进,为一线教师开展知识建构教学实践提供一定的指导。     

Collaborative learning and the construction of common knowledge

In collaborative learning, students not only have to acquire knowledge, they also have to learn to regulate the process of acquiring knowledge. In the traditional classroom, the function of regulation rests with the teacher. In the collaborative classroom, however, the responsibility for learning has in part been handed over to the students. We examine how students, who work as members of a community of learners, construct shared understanding. in particular, we want to explore what interactive and discursive tools students use in their collaboration. We present observations made during a series of innovative mathematics lessons in an 8th grade classroom at a Dutch primary school in which children (between 11 and 13 years of age) worked as “researchers” who were encouraged to formulate questions for exploration and to collaborate in answering them. Both in small group discussions and in discussions involving the whole class, students worked on the construction of arguments and the creation of shared knowledge. The construction and diffusion of knowledge occurred in “cycles of argumentation” to which many children contributed and in which ideas were repeated and elaborated upon. Because, in students’ collaboration, learning is made dependent on proposing and critically discussing arguments, the character of knowledge, acquired under these circumstances, is different from knowledge acquired in a more traditional classroom setting.     

网上学习小组特性的研究

网上小组学习是远程教育一种重要的协同学习形式,而网上学习小组的特性(如学习小组的组织结构、组员对小组活动促进学习的认识、情感因素,以及对教师的期待等)会影响到活动的效果。但目前国内外有关网上学习小组的实证研究较为鲜见。本研究通过教学试验、问卷调查和书面访谈后发现,成功的学习小组规模要适中,组员的水平、志趣、背景等有一定差异,对网上小组活动在学习上的促进作用认同程度高,能处理好协作与自主、认知与情感、个人成就与集体荣誉等关系,形成一个平等、互动、宽松、愉悦的虚拟学习社区。同时,教师从学习活动的设计、组织到整个过程都要“积极干预”,既解疑释惑、传授知识又培养正确的学习技巧,同时,也要体现人文关怀,肯定成绩,指出不足,营造学习氛围,鼓励大胆创新。     

Personal Backgrounds of Effective Teaching

Planning time for giving students effective feedback is an important and challenging aspect of the teaching and learning process. In our article we describe and analyze how we engage students as partners in providing formative feedback in time for students to modify their own thinking or behavior to improve learning. We have found ways to provide formative feedback more frequently and to involve students in providing effective formative feedback to each other. The four techniques we describe are the following: a) three-color group quiz with feedback on product, process, and progress; b) midterm student conferencing; c) shared revision of student generated questions and statements; and d) timely feedback using collaborative assignment blogs. These techniques give feedback in time for revisions to occur, provide scaffolding for learners, inform instruction, and most importantly, involve students as partners in assessment. These pedagogical strategies show that the resulting benefits of improved instruction, enhanced student learning, and better student products are worth the time and effort and contribute to a productive classroom climate where the focus is on learning more than on grading. Formative feedback involving students as partners is a key strategy to enhance the teaching and learning process.     

Knowledge Convergence in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning: The Role of External Representation Tools

This study investigates how 2 types of graphical representation tools influence the way in which learners use knowledge resources in 2 different collaboration conditions. In addition, the study explores the extent to which learners share knowledge with respect to individual outcomes under these different conditions. The study also analyzes the relation between the use of knowledge resources and different types of knowledge. The type of external representation (content specific vs. content independent) and the collaboration condition (videoconferencing vs. face to face) were varied. Sixty-four university students participated in the study. Results showed that learning partners converged strongly with respect to their use of resources during the collaboration process. Convergence with respect to outcomes was rather low, but relatively higher for application-oriented knowledge than for factual knowledge. With content-specific external representation, learners used more appropriate knowledge resources without sharing more knowledge after collaboration. Learners in the computer-mediated collaboration used a wider range of resources. Moreover, in exploratory qualitative and quantitative analyses, the study found evidence for a relation between aspects of the collaborative process and knowledge convergence.     

移动网络即时协作学习平台关键技术研究

移动学习平台是促进移动学习快速发展的重要因素,无线网络技术和移动通信技术及其相关移动终端设备的快速普及,使得基于有线网络和个人计算机的网络学习平台已不能满足当前学习者的实际需求.从无线移动网络环境下学习者的实际要求出发,研究具有移动Web即时通信、资源实时移动共享等功能的移动网络即时协作学习平台的体系机构和系统功能,探究实现该系统平台的关键技术,以便为移动学习者提供一种支持即时协作交流、实时共享资源与知识经验的新型移动网络即时协作学习平台.     

知识建构的有效途径：基于作品创作的协作学习

基于作品创作的协作学习以小组共同创作作品的形式开展协作学习,将实践创作与协作学习密切地结合起来,能有效发挥实践参与和深度合作的双重作用,以促进学习者对知识的深度建构,提高学习者的实践能力,以及促进创新知识产品的形成.文章在阐述基于作品创作的协作学习典型实践案例的基础上,分析了基于作品创作的协作学习的特征,并剖析了其对促进学习者知识建构的意义.     

Emerging influences of information technology on school curriculum

Just as information technology has improved effectiveness in medicine, finance, manufacturing, and numerous other sectors of society, advanced computing and telecommunications have the potential to help students master complex 21st-century skills. Research-based curriculum projects are developing examples of technologies that enable online virtual communities of practice using advanced tools to solve realworld problems. Learners engage in guided, reflective inquiry through extended projects that inculcate sophisticated concepts and skills and generate complex products. Pupils act as partners in developing learning experiences and generating knowledge, and students' collaborative construction of meaning is enhanced via different perspectives on shared experiences. Simulation and visualization tools help students recognize patterns, reason qualitatively about physical processes, translate among frames of reference, and envision dynamic models. These curricular approaches improve success for all types of learners and may differentially enhance the performance of at-risk students.     

How research on self-regulated learning can advance computer supported collaborative learning / El papel de la investigación sobre aprendizaje autorregulado en el desarrollo del aprendizaje colaborativo asistido por ordenador

Abstract

Learning in and for the twenty-first century requires motivational competence and effective learning strategies in individual and collaborative learning settings. Being able to strategically regulate one’s own learning and that of others is a vital and increasingly important skill. Most learners are not equipped to regulate and direct their own learning or might lack the motivation to do so. Additionally, if self-regulation of learning is difficult at the individual level, it becomes even more difficult when interacting with peers and in teams, known as co-regulation and shared regulation. Fortunately, recent research has shown that regulation can be both learned and also often supported with self-regulation tools and/or environments. This paper discusses recent trends in self-regulated learning research, focusing especially on regulating learning in computer supported collaborative learning. It is concluded that today’s education should help learners become aware of their strengths and weaknesses in a learning situation, so as to help them develop skills and strategies to continue to learn throughout their lives.     

基于Web2．0的知识社区应用框架研究

知识社区既能作为社区成员知识管理的工具,也能够为学习者提供基于网络的虚拟学习环境。针对传统学习社区和知识管理的分离研究,本文基于Web2．0环境对二者进行综合研究,提出了网络知识社区的应用框架,并讨论了知识社区组成的三大子社区：知识管理子社区、知识学习子社区和个人信息管理子社区。     

Collaborative mentor support in a learning context using a ubiquitous discussion forum to facilitate knowledge sharing for lifelong learning

The Internet has recently been identified as a potential enabler of lifelong learning. Web‐based learning systems enable learners easily to access rich resources and actively participate in learning activities without time and distance limits. The main challenge in lifelong learning is providing the opportunity for discussion and collaborative knowledge construction to engage learners in acquiring and applying knowledge in the context of learning, working and collaboration. Moreover, knowledge sharing is a key component in the formation of communities of lifelong learners. Most online collaborative learning communities use Web text‐based discussion forums for knowledge sharing. However, such discussion forums are separated from the context of learning activities. Furthermore, the facilitation of beneficial dialogue through discussion forums, requires the involvement of mentors as facilitators. This study proposes an e‐book interface that enables learners easily to annotate or enter queries in a text in which questions arise, where a query context is transferred to a discussion forum. The subsequent anchors of questions are linked to a discussion forum for actuating sustained participation. A mentor finder recommends a collaborative peer based on learner knowledge level to answer the questions. Learners can also use mobile phones to access this ubiquitous discussion forum using voice/text anytime and anywhere. The experimental results showed a clear increase in the level of discussions, and most learners indicated that they benefited considerably from collaborative mentor support in an e‐book learning context through the provision of a ubiquitous discussion forum.     

Online collaborative documents for research and coursework

Conclusion Garrison’s (2000) review of distance education theories describes the current need for ”sustained real two-way communication ... that refiect(s) a collaborative approach to distance education” (p. 13). One way to apply such theories to research and coursework is to use collaborative documents to promote transactions culminating in deliberation among the key players. Such deliberation can create ”a particular kind of democratic public culture among the deliberators: listening as well as talking, sharing resources, forging decisions together rather than only advocating positions taken earlier, and coming to disagreement” (Parker, Ninomiya, & Cogan, 1999, p. 129). Her research interests are collaborative learning in distance education, impact of culture on online learners, and design of online instruction for constructivist learning environments. Her primary research interests are in design considerations for collaborative online environments and in the powers of shared multimedia for enhancing personal growth, multicultural understanding, and global awareness. She investigates visual messages: how they can be shared and interpreted by learners, their impact, and how their impact can be researched. Her research interests are in computer and network-based foreign language and cultural learning.     

面向深度学习的动态知识图谱建构模型及评测

深度学习回应时代诉求,指向“核心素养”改革,回答了“培养什么样的人”的问题,回归了学习本质。知识图谱有助于促进学生深入思考,提高问题解决能力、批判性思维和创新能力,实现深度学习。但以往知识建构存在组织静态、孤立的局限,基于ARCS动机模型和知识建构理论,从协同知识建构、动机策略和学习环境建构面向深度学习的动态知识图谱模型,具有动态生成、及时反馈、交互共享等特点,突出学生的主体性、能动性,增强学习体验。以大学生为研究对象,利用文本挖掘、滞后序列分析等方法评测动态知识图谱建构模型。结果表明,实验组学生在学习成绩、注意力程度等方面均优于控制组,尤其对中低水平动机学习者产生积极影响,显著提高了学生在完成任务过程中的感知注意力、自信心和满意度。动态知识图谱建构发展思路可从重塑任务前计划、社会认知开放性、意义协商及生成性教学等方面寻找突破口,催生深层次认知能力与高阶思维。     

Designing innovative learning environments to foster communities of learners for students in initial vocational education

In this study, the concept of ‘community of learners’ was used to improve initial vocational education. The framework of a ‘community of learners for vocational orientation’ that we present offers both a theoretical understanding of teaching–learning processes in initial vocational education and heuristics for the design of innovative learning environments for optimising these processes. In a design research study, we investigated if, and how, learning environments designed on the basis of these heuristics fostered communities of learners for vocational orientation, in which students experience to learn in a shared, meaningful, reflective and transfer-oriented way. We examined students’ perceptions of the learning environment and their learning activities during eight curriculum units specifically designed to foster the communities of learners. During almost all of the units that we designed, students found themselves learning in a more shared, meaningful, reflective and transfer-oriented way than during regular units. We conclude that the proposed heuristics had been useful starting points for the design of innovative learning environments that foster communities of learners for vocational orientation. In addition, we show how the heuristics can be elaborated for a particular school, based on practical and pedagogical content knowledge of teachers, as well as students’ perceptions of the learning environment and their learning activities.     

The dynamics of online learning at the workplace: Peer-facilitated social learning and the application in practice

Research stresses the importance of social components in learning. The social contact with peers and tutors stimulates reflection and supports higher processes of learning necessary for the internalisation and application of new knowledge. However, merely proposing opportunities for interaction does not necessarily lead to fruitful discussion and collaboration. Social presence and facilitation are key concepts for successful mutual learning. Both are represented in Murphy’s collaboration model; social presence forms the basis of collaboration on which discussions and co-construction of knowledge evolve. Facilitation supports the entire collaboration process. In this paper, an adjusted version of Murphy’s model was applied to analyse 1085 comments shared in an online course between career practitioners of a public employment service. The results show that without a dedicated tutor, learners can still be involved in collaborative learning and co-construction of new knowledge provided that the topic under discussion is highly relevant and controversial. Learners themselves take over social presence and facilitation activities, but less frequently than when a professional tutor facilitates discussions. Ex post summative evaluation revealed that only a few learners applied the gained knowledge in the long-term. As comparisons with related research suggest, higher facilitation support leading to a higher cognitive interaction with the learning could have better supported the transfer to practice.     

Interactive response system (IRS) for college students: individual versus cooperative learning

In this study, the researcher aimed to understand how students learned the targeted knowledge with an interactive response system (IRS) tool, and whether learners in two different learning modes: individual and group use of IRS, differed in their learning performance and knowledge retention after the IRS activity. These two kinds of IRS interaction were integrated into the course which included multiple choice questions for testing memorable knowledge and open-ended questions for enhancing organization and critical thinking ability via a methodology that involved 120 college students and included the analysis of tests, survey questionnaires and a course learning diary. Overall, the results were consistent with the consensus that students perceive the IRS as a positive addition to their classes, as its use increased course participation, fostered interaction, and promoted the general enjoyment of the class. The results revealed that the immediate learning performance of the learners who participated in the activity through group use of the IRS was better than that of the learners with individual IRS accounts; however, the individual IRS users seemed to have better learning retention of the learning contents, and showed significant improvement on the delayed tests. Furthermore, the study also confirmed that the IRS with collaborative work could promote the students’ academic and social-emotional performance because the collaborative learning allowed them to learn from peers’ opinions and to make judgments and co-examine the learning concepts again while finding the correct answer. This paper contributes data and analysis that highlight the pedagogical benefits of the implementation of an IRS, and supports the value of using the IRS for college education.     

Relationship between teacher-led versus learners’ interaction and the development of pragmatics in the EFL classroom

In spite of the theoretical claims and research supporting the relationship between conversational interaction and language learning, the effect of interaction on the acquisition of pragmatic competence has received scant attention. This paper reports on the results of a study carried out to further understand the effect of teacher–students versus learners’ interaction on the development of learners’ pragmatic competence. The subjects included two groups of 12 students instructed in the use of requests. Group A was randomly assigned to learners’ collaborative language learning condition, and group B to teacher-led interaction on requests. Students in both groups were pre-tested and post-tested on their knowledge and use of requests. Results of the study examine the nature of collaborative dialogue in teacher–students and peer interaction, and support the claim that pragmatic knowledge may emerge from assisted performance.