13 research outputs found
Negotiation in online, synchronous, collaborative mathematics problem solving
The Virtual Math Teams (VMT) project is an NSF-funded research program through
which researchers at the College of Information Science and Technology (IST) and the
Math Forum investigate the innovative use of online collaborative environments to
support effective K-12 mathematics learning. Negotiation, provisionally defined as action
to achieve agreement, takes place in the constitution of a shared conception from multiple
perspectives, as evidenced by the agreement which takes place, in many cases, after
contentious debate. We hypothesize that negotiation is the guiding mechanism of
collaboration, especially in the resolution of situations whose complexity is such that
understanding them is enhanced by multiple perspectives made possible through
collaboration. A research methodology based on conversation analysis is used to identify
how negotiation is conducted in online mathematics problem solving, by locating its
methods as negotiation is initiated, processed and concluded in different computer
mediated environments ranging from an all-text environment such as AIMÂŽ to a webbased
collaboration environment with dual-interaction spaces such as VMTChat. Initial
findings show artful ways through which participants use both text and whiteboard
postings to initiate, process and conclude negotiation, and how participants allocate
participation in the choice of approaches to a problem, the sequence in which different
approaches are used and contribution to the execution of an approach. Findings from this
research can be consequential for the design of negotiation support for CSCL
environments; early results show how participants invent new uses for tools introduced
into iterations of the design of the VMTChat collaborative environment
The virtual math teams project: A global math discourse community
Paper presented at the International Conference on Computers and Education (ICCE '06), Beijing, China.The Virtual Math Teams Project is an on-going research effort conducted within the Math Forum online suite of educational services related to school mathematics. It is an iterative effort to evolve an online math discourse community and to design effective software support for collaborative learning within this community. A central research aim is to develop a systematic understanding of how math discourse takes place in an online chat environment. This is part of a larger research agenda of analyzing group cognition, the ability of small groups to engage in high-level intellectual processes like argumentation, problem-solving and inquiry
Methods of negotiation in online collaborative mathematics problem-solving
The Virtual Math Teams (VMT) project is an NSF-funded research program through which researchers at the College of Information Science and Technology (IST) and the Math Forum investigate the innovative use of online collaborative environments to support effective K-12 mathematics learning. Negotiation is an indispensable element in collaboration, especially in the resolution of situations whose complexity is such that understanding them is enhanced by multiple perspectives made possible through collaboration. Some mathematics problems which are described as âill-structuredâ because they admit of several possible interpretations and multiple solutions, are candidates for collaborative problem-solving. Negotiation is necessary to make this collaborative approach possible, inasmuch as sense- and meaning-making associated with this particular approach to problem-solving has for its distinctive characteristic, the dynamics of a group rather than the jig-saw style of cooperating individuals. A research methodology based on conversation analysis is used to identify how negotiation is conducted in online mathematics problem-solving by locating its methods as negotiation is initiated, processed and concluded. Initial findings show: - how changes in the tempo of turn-taking indicate shifts in the conduct of problem-solving, - how repetition and âforced conclusionsâ are used to negotiate a choice among several problems at hand, - how intervals and transitions are used by participants to indicate preferred responses and responders, - how referencing tools impact negotiation. Findings from this research can assist in the design of CSCL environments, especially in the transformation of generic communication applications to collaborative technology
Virtual math teams (VMT): Continuity and sustainability of collaborative knowledge building
How can we support online groups to better sustain their collaborative learning activity
over time? In this poster, we present a qualitative case study of group creativity online in
the domain of mathematics. We define collaborative learning work broadly, ranging from
the micro-level co-construction of novel resources for collective problem solving to the
innovative reuse and expansion of ideas across multiple virtual teams. Based on our
analysis of the collaborative interactions of five virtual math teams we characterize the
relationship between "synchronic" aspects of collaborative knowledge building (i.e.
single episode interactions) and their "diachronic" evolution across time and across
collectivities. Our analysis indicates that the synergy between these two types of
interactions and the resulting creative engagement of the teams relies on three
fundamental processes: (1) referencing and the âconfiguration of indexicalsâ, (2)
collective remembering, and (3) bridging across discontinuities. In addition we also
reflect on the aspects of the online environment used by these virtual teams which
promote, support or hinder diachronic and synchronic interactions leading to successful
knowledge building
Virtual math teams project: using conversation analysis for collaborative math problem-solving chats
The Virtual Math Teams (VMT) project is an NSF-funded research program aimed at investigating the innovative use of online collaborative environments to support effective K-12 mathematics learning. Among the methods it uses is Conversation Analysis (CA) -- to identify and investigate the methods by which these students collaboratively solve math problems when using computer chat programs such as AOLÂŽ Instant Messengerâ˘. Using CA, we treat problem-solving as an interactional achievement of participation rather than as an internal and private process of the individual. We examine chat logs and seek to describe, in detail, the publicly available and observable procedures by which these problem-solving collaborations are achieved. In these online, problem-solving chats, the production and distribution of text messages and â on occasion -- other artifacts such as drawings, diagrams, etc., constitute the principal resources for sense making for both participants and researchers. Interaction conducted through textually mediated technologies like AOLÂŽ Instant Messenger⢠is both similar to and significantly different from speech-based conversational interaction in important ways. As a text-based method of conducting interaction, chat offers different affordances for problem solving. In analyzing chats, we have begun to identify and describe: - how multiple threading of chat interaction is used as a resource in problem solving, - ways that participants put forward and take up proposed problemsolving strategies, - how understanding and misunderstandings are done as interactional achievements in chat, - different ways that collaboration and cooperation are organized as participation frameworks
Virtual math teams: virtual teams, real math
A 2004 report from the Pew Internet & American Life project indicates that 53 million American adults use instant messaging (IM), and its appeal is especially strong among younger Internet users. At the same time, according to the results of the 2003 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), the performance in mathematics and problem solving of 15-year-old American students is lower than that of the average student in most of the 30 countries examined. Could these two trends be made to intersect? The Virtual Math Teams (VMT) project is an NSF-funded research program that investigates the innovative use of online collaborative environments to support effective K-12 mathematics learning. VMT implements a multidisciplinary approach to research and development that integrates (a) the quantitative modeling of studentsâ interactions online, (b) ethnographic and conversation analytical studies of collaborative problemsolving, and (c) an iterative process of software design (see related VMT posters). Key research issues addressed include: how to group students for effective online collaboration; how to design rich mathematical problems that foster collaboration and deep mathematical reasoning; how to structure the online collaborative experience; and how to study the forms of collaboration and reasoning that take place. Preliminary findings point to unique features of collaborative interactions such as the multidimensional aspects of interaction; the use of expository and exploratory talk; and also to challenges of coordinating the participantsâ perspectives, resources, and strategies
Virtual math teams: Can the collaborative power of the Internet be used to help students learn mathematics?
Poster presented at the international conference on Computer Support for Collaborative Learning, CSCL 2005, Taipei, Taiwan. Retrieved July 19, 2007 from http://www.cis.drexel.edu/faculty/gerry/pub/csclp1.pdf