118 research outputs found
Investigating Student Communities with Network Analysis of Interactions in a Physics Learning Center
Developing a sense of community among students is one of the three pillars of
an overall reform effort to increase participation in physics, and the sciences
more broadly, at Florida International University. The emergence of a research
and learning community, embedded within a course reform effort, has contributed
to increased recruitment and retention of physics majors. Finn and Rock [1]
link the academic and social integration of students to increased rates of
retention. We utilize social network analysis to quantify interactions in
Florida International University's Physics Learning Center (PLC) that support
the development of academic and social integration,. The tools of social
network analysis allow us to visualize and quantify student interactions, and
characterize the roles of students within a social network. After providing a
brief introduction to social network analysis, we use sequential multiple
regression modeling to evaluate factors which contribute to participation in
the learning community. Results of the sequential multiple regression indicate
that the PLC learning community is an equitable environment as we find that
gender and ethnicity are not significant predictors of participation in the
PLC. We find that providing students space for collaboration provides a vital
element in the formation of supportive learning community.Comment: 14 pages, 3 tables, 4 figure
Implementing virtual collaborative inquiry practises in a middle-school context
The aim of the present study was to investigate the challenges that relate to the implementation of virtual inquiry practises in middle school. The case was a school course in which a group of Finnish students (N = 14) and teachers (N = 7) completed group inquiries through virtual collaboration, using a web-based learning environment. The task was to accomplish a cross-disciplinary inquiry into cultural issues. The students worked mainly at home and took much responsibility for their course achievements. The investigators analysed the pedagogical design of the course and the content of the participants' interaction patterns in the web-based environment, using qualitative content analysis and social network analysis. The findings suggest that the students succeeded in producing distinctive cultural products, and both the students and the teachers adopted novel roles during the inquiry. The web-based learning environment was used more as a coordination tool for organizing the collaborative work than as a forum for epistemic inquiry. The tension between the school curriculum and the inquiry practises was manifest in the participants' discussions of the assessment criteria of the course.The aim of the present study was to investigate the challenges that relate to the implementation of virtual inquiry practises in middle school. The case was a school course in which a group of Finnish students (N = 14) and teachers (N = 7) completed group inquiries through virtual collaboration, using a web-based learning environment. The task was to accomplish a cross-disciplinary inquiry into cultural issues. The students worked mainly at home and took much responsibility for their course achievements. The investigators analysed the pedagogical design of the course and the content of the participants' interaction patterns in the web-based environment, using qualitative content analysis and social network analysis. The findings suggest that the students succeeded in producing distinctive cultural products, and both the students and the teachers adopted novel roles during the inquiry. The web-based learning environment was used more as a coordination tool for organizing the collaborative work than as a forum for epistemic inquiry. The tension between the school curriculum and the inquiry practises was manifest in the participants' discussions of the assessment criteria of the course.The aim of the present study was to investigate the challenges that relate to the implementation of virtual inquiry practises in middle school. The case was a school course in which a group of Finnish students (N = 14) and teachers (N = 7) completed group inquiries through virtual collaboration, using a web-based learning environment. The task was to accomplish a cross-disciplinary inquiry into cultural issues. The students worked mainly at home and took much responsibility for their course achievements. The investigators analysed the pedagogical design of the course and the content of the participants' interaction patterns in the web-based environment, using qualitative content analysis and social network analysis. The findings suggest that the students succeeded in producing distinctive cultural products, and both the students and the teachers adopted novel roles during the inquiry. The web-based learning environment was used more as a coordination tool for organizing the collaborative work than as a forum for epistemic inquiry. The tension between the school curriculum and the inquiry practises was manifest in the participants' discussions of the assessment criteria of the course.Peer reviewe
Technology-supported learning innovation in cultural contexts
Many reform initiatives adopt a reductionist, proceduralized approach to cultural change, assuming that deep changes can be realized by introducing new classroom activities, textbooks, and technological tools. This article elaborates a complex system perspective of learning culture: A learning culture as a complex system involves macro-level properties (e.g., epistemological beliefs, social values, power structures) and micro-level features (e.g., technology, classroom activities). Deep changes in macro-level properties cannot be reduced to any component. This complex system perspective is applied to examining technology-supported educational change in East Asia and analyzing how teachers sustain the knowledge building innovation in different contexts. Working with the macro-micro dynamics in a learning culture requires a principle-based approach to learning innovation that specifies macro-level changes using principle-based instead of procedure-based terms and engages teachersâ deep reflection and creative engagement at both the macro- and the micro-level
Making Sense Through Participation
In this chapter we discuss the issue of social differences in relation to learning. In theories on co-operative learning or
collaborative learning social differences are treated as characteristics of individual learners. The focus on learning as
a social process is primarily elaborated in terms of interaction between pupils and the combined construction of knowledge. Sociocultural
theory (Vygotsky, Lave & Wenger), however, understands âsocialâ not only in terms of knowledge/meaning being constructed in
interaction with others, but also in terms of the cultural practices/activities informing these interaction processes. Learning
can be understood as increasing participating in communities of practice. As social differences are an intrinsic part of the
culture in which students are learning to participate, these are also an inherent aspect of learning processes in schools.
Students learn to participate in practices in different ways, depending on their social position, and thus develop distinguished
cultural identities. In this chapter we elaborate on this tenet, using examples from various empirical research projects on
learning in secondary education. We not only show how social differences in the cultural practices that underpin learning
influence what is learned by whom, but also explore the consequences of this perspective for the pedagogical space of the
school
Investigating studentsâ self-assessment skills
Abstract: Student modeling approaches predominantly focus on modeling student knowledge. For effective learning, however, it is necessary to teach students how to learn, as well as to provide support for learning domain knowledge. Recently, a number of projects focused on students â learning strategies, and initiated work on modeling students â metacognitive skills, such as self-explanation and reflection. This paper focuses on self-assessment as an important metacognitive skill. We present results of an initial study carried out in the context of SQL-Tutor, a system that helps students to learn a database language. We found that not all students are good at evaluating their own knowledge, and that their knowledge level is an important factor. The study is an initial step towards incorporating the meta-level into the existing student model in SQL-Tutor
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