Support of the collaborative inquiry learning process: influence of support on task and team regulation

Regulation of the learning process is an important condition for efficient and effective learning. In collaborative learning, students have to regulate their collaborative activities (team regulation) next to the regulation of their own learning process focused on the task at hand (task regulation). In this study, we investigate how support of collaborative inquiry learning can influence the use of regulative activities of students. Furthermore, we explore the possible relations between task regulation, team regulation and learning results. This study involves tenth-grade students who worked in pairs in a collaborative inquiry learning environment that was based on a computer simulation, Collisions, developed in the program SimQuest. Students of the same team worked on two different computers and communicated through chat. Chat logs of students from three different conditions are compared. Students in the first condition did not receive any support at all (Control condition). In the second condition, students received an instruction in effective communication, the RIDE rules (RIDE condition). In the third condition, students were, in addition to receiving the RIDE rules instruction, supported by the Collaborative Hypothesis Tool (CHT), which helped the students with formulating hypotheses together (CHT condition). The results show that students overall used more team regulation than task regulation. In the RIDE condition and the CHT condition, students regulated their team activities most often. Moreover, in the CHT condition the regulation of team activities was positively related to the learning results. We can conclude that different measures of support can enhance the use of team regulative activities, which in turn can lead to better learning results

Software scaffolds to promote regulation during scientific inquiry learning

This research addresses issues in the design of online scaffolds for regulation within inquiry learning environments. The learning environment in this study included a physics simulation, data analysis tools, and a model editor for students to create runnable models. A regulative support tool called the Process Coordinator (PC) was designed to assist students in planning, monitoring, and evaluating their investigative efforts within this environment. In an empirical evaluation, 20 dyads received a “full” version of the PC with regulative assistance; dyads in the control group (n = 15) worked with an “empty” PC which contained minimal structures for regulative support. Results showed that both the frequency and duration of regulative tool use differed in favor of the PC+ dyads, who also wrote better lab reports. PC− dyads viewed the content helpfiles more often and produced better domain models. Implications of these differential effects are discussed and suggestions for future research are advanced

The relation between prior knowledge and students' collaborative discovery learning processes

In this study we investigate how prior knowledge influences knowledge development during collaborative discovery learning. Fifteen dyads of students (pre-university education, 15-16 years old) worked on a discovery learning task in the physics field of kinematics. The (face-to-face) communication between students was recorded and the interaction with the environment was logged. Based on students' individual judgments of the truth-value and testability of a series of domain-specific propositions, a detailed description of the knowledge configuration for each dyad was created before they entered the learning environment. Qualitative analyses of two dialogues illustrated that prior knowledge influences the discovery learning processes, and knowledge development in a pair of students. Assessments of student and dyad definitional (domain-specific) knowledge, generic (mathematical and graph) knowledge, and generic (discovery) skills were related to the students' dialogue in different discovery learning processes. Results show that a high level of definitional prior knowledge is positively related to the proportion of communication regarding the interpretation of results. Heterogeneity with respect to generic prior knowledge was positively related to the number of utterances made in the discovery process categories hypotheses generation and experimentation. Results of the qualitative analyses indicated that collaboration between extremely heterogeneous dyads is difficult when the high achiever is not willing to scaffold information and work in the low achiever's zone of proximal development

Is teaching systemically frail in universities and if so what can we do about it?

This article explores the idea of ‘pedagogic frailty’ in relation to teaching systems in higher education. Using a model developed by Kinchin (2015) it explores four interconnected concepts: regulative discourse around teaching; pedagogy and discipline connections; research and teaching links; and locus of control of teaching. The concepts are looked at in terms of how and why they might contribute to pedagogic frailty and alternatively how they could contribute to creating a pedagogic system that is not frail. The article suggests that currently teaching systems are frail in relation to preparing students and staff for the future and that more effective pedagogy could be developed by changes in the structure and content of each of the four dimensions,Final Published versio

Effects of differently sequenced classroom scripts on transformative and regulative processes in inquiry learning

Kooperatives Forschendes Lernen hat sich empirisch als ein effektiver Instruktionsansatz für die Förderung des naturwissenschaftlichen Denkens bewährt. Obwohl Forschung zur Orchestrierung von Sozialformen im Unterricht zeigt, dass diese einen wichtigen Einfluss auf die Qualität von Lernprozessen, wie Kommunikations- und Interaktionsprozessen, und damit auf die Lernergebnisse von Gruppe und einzelnen Lernenden hat, wurde im Bereich des Forschenden Lernens die Verteilung und Abfolge von individuellen und kooperativen Lernaktivitäten bislang jedoch kaum untersucht. Basierend auf Erkenntnissen zu Scaffolding, Fading, Productive Failure und dem ICAP-Rahmenmodell wird in der vorliegenden Arbeit der Einfluss zweier Unterrichtsskripts auf die transformativen und regulativen Prozesse des forschenden Lernens bei Individuen und Gruppen untersucht. Das eine Unterrichtsskript sieht die Abfolge „Plenum-Kleingruppe-Individuum“ vor (PKI-Skript), das andere wechselt vom Plenum über die individuelle Ebene zur Kleingruppenebene (PIK-Skript). Transformationsprozesse beziehen sich dabei auf wissensgenerierende Prozesse, während regulative Prozesse meta-kognitive Prozesse darstellen. Deskriptiv zeigten sich unterschieden zwischen den beiden Bedingungen: Lernende mit dem PKI-Skript zeigten mehr und intensivere individuelle transformative Prozesse, z.B. während bei der Datenauswertung und beim wissenschaftlichen Schlussfolgern. Lernende mit dem PIK-Skript zeigten hingegen mehr transformative und regulative Prozessen auf der Gruppenebene. Lernende, die mit diesem Skript arbeiteten, zeigten mehr und intensivere Grounding-Aktivitäten, die das gemeinsame Verständnis und das Entstehen eines Common Ground förderten. Dementsprechend zeigten sich hier auch häufiger intensivere transformative Prozesse auf der Gruppenebene.Collaborative inquiry learning has been empirically proven to be an effective instructional approach to foster students’ scientific literacy. However, there is little research on the coordination of individual and collaborative activities during inquiry learning which could shape the quality of communication and interaction, and consequentially, individual and group learning outcomes. Research has indicated that classroom orchestration (i.e., distribution and sequencing of activities) could have profound effect on learning processes and outcomes. Premised on theories of scaffolding, fading, productive failure and the ICAP (interactive, constructive, active and passive) framework on different activity types, this study investigates the effects of two differently sequenced classroom scripts on the individual and group transformative and regulative processes in inquiry learning. Transformative processes refers to processes that yield knowledge and regulative processes are meta-cognitive processes. Descriptive statistics suggest that the Plenary-Small Group-Individual (PSI) script transition facilitated better individual engagement in transformative processes such as generating of evidence and the drawing of conclusions, whereas the Plenary-Individual-Small Group (PIS) script condition fostered better transformative and regulative processes for the group. Establishing shared understanding and forging common grounds through grounding and high-level grounding was more prevalent in this script condition, which also accounted for more occurrences of high-level transformative processes at the group level

Collaborative trails in e-learning environments

This deliverable focuses on collaboration within groups of learners, and hence collaborative trails. We begin by reviewing the theoretical background to collaborative learning and looking at the kinds of support that computers can give to groups of learners working collaboratively, and then look more deeply at some of the issues in designing environments to support collaborative learning trails and at tools and techniques, including collaborative filtering, that can be used for analysing collaborative trails. We then review the state-of-the-art in supporting collaborative learning in three different areas – experimental academic systems, systems using mobile technology (which are also generally academic), and commercially available systems. The final part of the deliverable presents three scenarios that show where technology that supports groups working collaboratively and producing collaborative trails may be heading in the near future

Uurimuslik õpe veebipõhises õpikeskkonnas: uurimusliku õppe protsesside teoreetiline raamistik

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsioone.Uurimuslik õpe on tänapäeva hariduses, eriti loodusainete õpetamisel, väga tähtsal kohal. Sellest annavad tunnistust nii mitmed üle-euroopalised dokumendid kui ka Eestis 2011. aastal vastu võetud uus õppekava, mis seab uurimusliku õppe kesksele kohale. Uurimuslik õpe on meetod, mis võimaldab õpilasel olla teadlase rollis – lahendada probleeme ning uurida erinevaid nähtusi. Õppimine käib teadlase tööle omaste tegevuste kaudu: sõnastatakse hüpoteese, planeeritakse katseid ning pakutakse lahendusi uuritavatele probleemidele. Uusi teadmisi ei ammutata enam õpetaja dikteerimisel, vaid õpilane ise võtab endale vastutuse teadmiste omandamisel. Nii on ka suurem tõenäosus, et uus teadmine on õpilase jaoks mõistetavam ning püsib ka paremini meeles. Seejuures on ka õpetajal oma roll – ta on suunaja, abistaja ning tagasisidestaja. Uurimuslikku õpet võib läbi viia nii tava- kui virtuaalses klassiruumis. Virtuaalne klassiruum võimaldab teha katseid, mis tavaoludes oleksid võimatud. Üheks näiteks on kõnealuse doktoritöö käigus välja arendatud uurimuslik õpikeskkond „Noor teadlane“ (http://bio.edu.ee/teadlane), mis on mõeldud eelkõige 6.–9. klassi õpilastele bioloogia õppimiseks. Selles on viis uurimuslikku ülesannet, milles otsitakse vastuseid näiteks küsimusele „Miks lihased väsivad erinevalt?“. Igas ülesandes teevad õpilased läbi teadustööle omased etapid: määratlevad probleemi, sõnastavad uurimisküsimuse ja hüpoteesi, planeerivad ja viivad läbi katse, analüüsivad katsetulemusi ning teevad selle põhjal järeldused. Doktoritöö tulemusena koostati uurimusliku õppe mudel, mis aitab paremini mõista, kuidas uurimuslikud protsessid omavahel seostuvad, ning võimaldab seeläbi uute uurimuslike õppematerjalide koostamisel seda arvestada. Lisaks selgus, et rakendades kompleksset uurimusliku õppe keskkonda, on võimalik arendada õpilaste uurimuslikke oskusi ja ainealaseid teadmisi. Leiti, et uurimuslike oskuste arengut mõjutavad ka oskuste omavahelised seosed ning uurimuslikud üldteadmised.Inquiry-based learning has an important role in today’s science education. This is confirmed by many European-level documents and recent curriculum reforms in Estonia, where inquiry-based learning is an umbrella term for science related subjects. Inquiry-based learning is a learning method where students take on the role of a scientist, mirroring activities employed by scientists—formulate hypotheses, carry out investigations and collect evidence to propose explanations about the investigated phenomena. Teachers no longer are the primary source of knowledge. Students take their own responsibility for obtaining new knowledge. The teacher’s role is to enable the construction process as a facilitator and to provide resources. Inquiry-based learning is applicable in regular or virtual classrooms. The latter enable conducting experiments impossible in a regular classroom (e.g., experiments that are dangerous). One example of such virtual classrooms is the inquiry-based learning environment Young Researcher (http://bio.edu.ee/teadlane), which is designed for students from the 6th to the 9th grade for learning biology. There are five inquiry-based tasks that need to be solved (e.g., “Why do muscles wear down differently?”). The entire learning process is structured according to inquiry learning stages: problem identification; research question and hypothesis formulation; planning and carrying out an experiment; analysis and interpretation of data; and drawing conclusions. As a result of the doctoral study, a theoretical model of inquiry-based learning was constructed that serves as a conceptual structure for showing how inquiry processes are related to each other. Additionally, it was revealed that applying a comprehensive inquiry-based learning environment improves students’ inquiry skills and general inquiry knowledge; also, it was found that the development of inquiry skills is influenced by the interactions between such skills, as well as by general inquiry knowledge

Out there and in here: design for blended scientific inquiry learning

One of the benefits of mobile technologies is to combine ‘the digital’ (e.g., data, information, photos) with ‘field’ experiences in novel ways that are contextualized by people’s current located activities. However, often cost, mobility disabilities and time exclude students from engaging in such peripatetic experiences. The Out There and In Here project, is exploring a combination of mobile and tabletop technologies in support for collaborative learning. A system is being developed for synchronous collaboration between geology students in the field and peers at an indoor location. The overarching goal of this research is to develop technologies that support people working together in a suitable manner for their locations. There are two OTIH project research threads. The first deals with disabled learner access issues: these complex issues are being reviewed in subsequent evaluations and publications. This paper will deal with issues of technology supported learning design for remote and co-located science learners. Several stakeholder evaluations and two field trials have reviewed two research questions: 1. What will enhance the learning experience for those in the field and laboratory? 2. How can learning trajectories and appropriate technologies be designed to support equitable co-located and remote learning collaboration? This paper focuses on describing the iterative linked development of technologies and scientific inquiry pedagogy. Two stages within the research project are presented. The 1st stage details several pilot studies over 3 years with 21 student participants in synchronous collaborations with traditional technology and pedagogical models. Findings revealed that this was an engaging and useful experience although issues of equity in collaboration needed further research. The 2nd stage, in this project, has been to evaluate data from over 25 stakeholders (academics, learning and technology designers) to develop pervasive ambient technological solutions supporting orchestration of mixed levels of pedagogy (i.e. abstract synthesis to specific investigation). Middleware between tabletop ‘surface’ technologies and mobile devices are being designed with Microsoft and OOKL (a mobile software company) to support these developments. Initial findings reveal issues around equity, ownership and professional identity