Knowledge building and vocabulary growth over two years, Grades 3 and 4

High-level literacy and productive knowledge work are central to educational reforms. In the research reported in this article, students were engaged in sustained, collaborative knowledge building in science and social studies. The vocabulary growth of 22 students over Grades 3 and 4 was traced, based on their entries to Knowledge Forum—a knowledge building environment used as an integral part of classroom work. It is the communal space where ideas, reference material, results of experiments, and other inquiry work are entered and continually improved. Analysis of lexical frequency profiles indicated significant growth in productive written vocabulary, including academic words. In a Grade 4 inquiry, students incorporated almost all the domain-specific terms at and below their current grade level, and most of those expected for upper grade levels (5-8) based on the curriculum guidelines. Domain-specific and academic words were correlated with depth of understanding. High correlations between student engagement in knowledge building and vocabulary growth suggest that productive vocabulary can be developed through sustained knowledge building in subject areas

Developing Deep Understanding and Literacy while Addressing a Gender-Based Literacy Gap

Online discourse from a class of 22 students (11 boys and 11 girls) was analysed to assess advances in conceptual understanding and literacy. The students worked over a two-­‐year period (Grades 3-­‐4), during which they contributed notes to an online Knowledge Building environment—Knowledge Forum®. Contributions revealed that both boys and girls produced a substantial amount of text and graphics, and that their written texts incorporated an increasing proportion of less-­‐frequent, advanced words, including academic vocabulary and domain-­‐specific words from grade levels higher than their own. Brief accounts of classroom discourse indicate how deep understanding and vocabulary growth mutually support each other in online and offline exchanges. The gender differences that were observed show boys doing slightly better than girls, suggesting that Knowledge Building has the potential to help boys overcome weaknesses in literacy

Knowledge Society Network: Toward a dynamic, sustained network for building knowledge

The Knowledge Society Network (KSN) “takes advantage of new knowledge media to maximize and democratize society’s knowledge-­‐creating capacity” (www.ikit.org/KSN). This article synthesizes the principles and designs of this network which were initiated over 15 years ago, and presents an exploratory study of interactions in the KSN over four years, elaborating different network structures and the potential of each for knowledge advancement. Four major sub-­‐network structures for participant and idea interaction are described, as reflected in social network analysis of discourse in the KSN. Strengths and weaknesses of work within each sub-­‐network were identified with suggestions for creating a more dynamic, sustained network for knowledge advancement

Early Development of Graphical Literacy through Knowledge Building

This study examined growth in graphical literacy for students contributing to an online, multimedia, communal environment as they advanced their understanding of biology, history and optics. Their science and history studies started early in Grade 3 and continued to the end of Grade 4; students did not receive instruction in graphics production, nor were they required to produce graphics. Results show that students spontaneously produced graphics that advanced along seven dimensions, including effective representation of complex ideas, use of source information and captions, and aesthetic quality. On average, the scores for the seven dimensions were higher for Grade 4 students with two years of experience with Knowledge Building pedagogy and technology (Knowledge Forum®) than for Grade 6 students with one year of experience. The overall pattern of results suggests reciprocal enhancement of graphical, textual, digital, and scientific literacy, with students exceeding expectations by available norms, and performance enhanced through extended Knowledge Building experience

Sustaining Knowledge Building as a Principle-Based Innovation at an Elementary School

This study explores Knowledge Building as a principle-based innovation at an elementary school and makes a case for a principle- versus procedure-based approach to educational innovation, supported by new knowledge media. Thirty-nine Knowledge Building initiatives, each focused on a curriculum theme and facilitated by nine teachers over eight years, were analyzed using measures of student discourse in a Knowledge Building environment--Knowledge Forum. Results were analyzed from the perspective of student, teacher, and principal engagement to identify conditions for Knowledge Building as a school-wide innovation. Analyses of student discourse showed interactive and complementary contributions to a community knowledge space, conceptual content of growing scope and depth, and collective responsibility for knowledge advancement. Analyses of teacher and principal engagement showed supportive conditions such as shared vision; trust in student competencies to the point of enabling transfer of agency for knowledge advancement to students; ever-deepening understanding of Knowledge Building principles; knowledge emergent through collective responsibility; a coherent systems perspective; teacher professional Knowledge Building communities; and leadership supportive of innovation at all levels. More substantial advances for students were related to years of teachers’ experience in this progressive knowledge-advancing enterprise

Scripted and unscripted aspects of creative work with knowledge

Advances in scripting theory and advances in support for student-driven knowledge construction call for a reconsideration of long-standing issues of guidance, control, and agency. This symposium undertakes a fresh analysis based on the relations between two widely adopted approaches that may be poles apart but arguably viewed as variations within a common applied epistemological framework. The two approaches are scripted collaboration and Knowledge Building. Rather than focusing on similarities and differences, the symposium will address deeper problems such as reconciling external supports of all kinds with the self-organizing character of knowledge construction and integrating such supports into classrooms viewed as knowledge-creating communities. The centerpiece of the symposium is a panel discussion that includes experts who provide different theoretical viewpoints. In its synthesis the symposium will capture and make sense of what is strongest in the two approaches and provide a broad conceptual basis for next-generation initiatives

Innovación y calidad en educación en América Latina

Reúne los estudios presentados en la II Conferencia Regional de Ilaipp "Innovación y Calidad en Educación", realizada en Lima el 5 y 6 de abril de 2016. El tema fue seleccionado por la Asamblea de Ilaipp, entre muchos de alta relevancia para el desarrollo de la región, que Ilaipp y sus centros integrantes irán tratando en conferencias, estudios, publicaciones y otras actividades durante los próximos años. La alfabetización es un indicador comúnmente usado para evaluar el nivel de avance educativo de los países. Se ha avanzado bastante en este tema en las últimas décadas, con tasas de alfabetización (estimadas al 2015) que van de 82% en Guatemala a 96% en Bolivia y Paraguay. Sin embargo, en este como en muchos indicadores hay retos vinculados a la equidad; por ejemplo hay más mujeres analfabetas que hombres. En cuanto a cobertura en educación básica, también se han visto avances en la región. De acuerdo a la Unesco (2015), las tasas netas de cobertura en primaria son relativamente altas, pues van de 83% en Paraguay a 97% en Ecuador. Las tasas de secundaria e inicial son un poco menores, pero con tendencia creciente. Si bien se ha avanzado en cuanto a cobertura, subsisten retos en cuanto a acceso a educación formal, pues esta es menor entre estudiantes de zonas pobres, rurales e indígenas. A partir de lo anterior, queda claro que la búsqueda de programas para incrementar la cobertura y evitar que los estudiantes abandonen la educación antes de finalizar la secundaria es de importancia prioritaria en la región. El capítulo de Montero y Uccelli sobre programas para la secundaria rural se vincula a este tema, que es de particular relevancia justamente porque es en este contexto donde se notan altas tasas de deserción. Las autoras hacen un balance de los programas orientados a este contexto en América Latina, a la vez que extraen lecciones para política, con el fin de mejorar la calidad del servicio en esta población. En el capítulo de Benavides, Chávez y Arellano se discute el caso de las reformas universitarias en el Perú y Ecuador, países que a través de diferentes modelos se propusieron elevar la calidad de este nivel; de su lectura se deducen lecciones para el resto de países. En el capítulo de Elías, Walder y Portillo se hace un balance de la investigación. La evidencia sugiere, en general, impactos positivos, aunque con retos importantes para lograr una implementación que, más allá de extender el número de horas de clase, mejore la calidad del servicio en su conjunto. Este es un tema relevante para toda la región, aunque tal vez con mayor prevalencia en los países de Centroamérica, tema abordado en el capítulo de Cuéllar-Marchelli, Morán, Góchez y Cuadra, en el presente libro. El balance que se hace de los programas existentes, seguramente, será de mucha utilidad para tomadores de decisiones interesados en reformar programas existentes o en diseñar nuevos programas. En el capítulo que firman Stojnic y Carrillo se aborda la relación entre educación y actitudes democráticas. Para ello utilizan una encuesta de opinión administrada en varios estudios, la cual les permite realizar un estudio comparado. El modelo planteado por Scardamalia y Bereiter levanta la necesidad de innovar en la forma tradicional de educar, que ha consistido en poner énfasis en los conocimientos del docente que deben transmitirse a los estudiantes; ello en una relación vertical en la que el estudiante cumple un rol pasivo.Innovación y calidad en educación : estado de la cuestión y la agenda pendiente / Cueto, Santiago --Innovación y calidad : mover las ideas hacia el centro / Scardamalia, Marlene; Bereiter, Carl -- ¿Más tiempo, mejores resultados? Un análisis crítico de las investigaciones sobre jornada escolar extendida en América Latina / Elías, Rodolfo; Walder, Gabriela; Portillo, Ana -- La secundaria rural en América Latina : propuestas y experiencias para mejorar su cobertura y calidad / Montero, Carmen; Uccelli, Francesca -- Estrategias de prevención de la violencia escolar en América Latina / Cuellar-Marchelli, Helga; Morán, Jenniffer, Góchez, Gabriela; Cuadra, Rodrigo -- La construcción política e institucional de la reforma universitaria : los casos de Perú y Ecuador / Benavides, Martín; Chávez, Carmela; Arellano, Adriana -- Influencia de los años de educación formal y de calidad educativa en las actitudes democráticas de jóvenes latinoamericanos / Stojnic, Lars; Carrillo, Sandra -- Llevando innovaciones en programas educativos a gran escala : perspectivas, estrategias y desafíos / Anderson, Stephe