Teaching With Technology So That Students Learn With Understanding: Authoring to Construct Knowledge Donald P. Buckley, Ph.D. Professor of Biology Director of Learning Technology, School of Health Sciences Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT Apple Distinguished Educator Smithsonian Computerworld Laureate Donald P. Buckley, Ph.D. Professor of Biology Director of Learning Technology, School of Health Sciences Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT Apple Distinguished Educator Smithsonian Computerworld Laureate Apple NE Leadership Institute, Key West, Florida. 6 April 2003 The Evolving Education Digital Library or Why the Plumbing Matters Apple NE Leadership Institute, Key West, Florida. 6 April 2003 The Evolving Education Digital Library or Why the Plumbing Matters

“Let’s Make History” Apple NELI Team Key West, April 2003 Apple NELI Team Key West, April 2003

The Information Age Has Changed the Educational Landscape 1800’s1900’s2000’s Industrial Age Information Age Learning Goals Have Changed The meaning of ‘knowing’ has shifted from being able to repeat and remember information able to repeat and remember information to being able to find and use it Herbert Simon, Nobel Laureate Bransford et al., 2000 The meaning of ‘knowing’ has shifted from being able to repeat and remember information able to repeat and remember information to being able to find and use it Herbert Simon, Nobel Laureate Bransford et al., 2000

But Student Preparation May Be Poorer Now Vocabularies of entering college freshman 1962: 10,000 words Today: 4,000 words The region of our brain most related to language has multiple duties: 1.Communication 2.Synthesis 3.Long term memory Vocabularies of entering college freshman 1962: 10,000 words Today: 4,000 words The region of our brain most related to language has multiple duties: 1.Communication 2.Synthesis 3.Long term memory

Educational Consequences: e.g., Scientific Literacy In the early 1990's... The United States ranked 13 out of the top 14 industrial nations of the world By the late 1990's... The United States ranked only halfway among the worlds nations In the early 1990's... The United States ranked 13 out of the top 14 industrial nations of the world By the late 1990's... The United States ranked only halfway among the worlds nations

A Revolution in Education? 1. Soul-searching about alarming levels of literacy: 1. Soul-searching about alarming levels of literacy: Emergence of the Learning Paradigm 2. The Decade of the Brain: 2. The Decade of the Brain: New insights about the cognitive development of learning 3. Information technology: 3. Information technology: Authoring tools promote the construction of knowledge Simulations enable students to experience investigation Communication tools promote learning in a social context Formative Assessment …the glue that holds it all together Authoring tools promote the construction of knowledge Simulations enable students to experience investigation Communication tools promote learning in a social context Formative Assessment …the glue that holds it all together

emphasis on Delivery of Content emphasis on Delivery of Content emphasis on Learning with Understanding emphasis on Learning with Understanding What Is Our Greatest Challenge? Institutional Transition to the Learning Paradigm Learning Paradigm Instructional Paradigm Barr and Tagg, 1995

A New Foundation 1980’s1990’s2000’s A Revolutionary Opportunity Has Emerged Learning Standards NRC How People Learn today Content Standards NRC National Science Education Standards

Bransford, Brown and Cocking, 2000.

High Priority Educational Goals 1.Learning with understanding 2.Experiencing investigation 1.Learning with understanding 2.Experiencing investigation

High Priority Educational Goals 1.Learning with understanding 2.Experiencing investigation 1.Learning with understanding 2.Experiencing investigation

Learning with Understanding Memorizing Facts Is Not Enough Students Need to Construct Knowledge Transfer Learn with Understanding Application to Later Learning & Real World Problems

Learning with Understanding Requires Student Construction of Knowledge Major Conclusion of HPL Project Bransford, Brown and Cocking, 2000.

Key Principles about How People Learn 1. Learning must be reconstructive 2. The path to expertise has cognitive structure 3. Students must develop metacognitive skills 1. Learning must be reconstructive 2. The path to expertise has cognitive structure 3. Students must develop metacognitive skills Bransford, Brown and Cocking, 2000.

Key Principles about How People Learn 1. Learning must be reconstructive 2. The path to expertise has cognitive structure 3. Students must develop metacognitive skills 1. Learning must be reconstructive 2. The path to expertise has cognitive structure 3. Students must develop metacognitive skills Bransford, Brown and Cocking, 2000.

Reaching Students: Teaching Hamlet Steve’s Pedagogy: Connecting with student emotions, first asking: How would you feel if your father died all of a sudden? …and then your mother immediately remarried? …and her new husband took over the family business? …and the new guy may have murdered your Dad? …and your Mom might have helped him to do it? How would your feel? How desperate would you be? What would you do? Would you be yourself? What circumstances might drive someone to extremes? Steve’s Pedagogy: Connecting with student emotions, first asking: How would you feel if your father died all of a sudden? …and then your mother immediately remarried? …and her new husband took over the family business? …and the new guy may have murdered your Dad? …and your Mom might have helped him to do it? How would your feel? How desperate would you be? What would you do? Would you be yourself? What circumstances might drive someone to extremes? Jake's Pedagogy: Passion for formal literary scholarship Linguistic flexivity Modernism In-depth analysis of soliloquies Memorization of long passages Jake's Pedagogy: Passion for formal literary scholarship Linguistic flexivity Modernism In-depth analysis of soliloquies Memorization of long passages Bransford, Brown and Cocking, 2000.

Key Principles about How People Learn 1. Learning must be reconstructive 2. The path to expertise has cognitive structure 3. Students must develop metacognitive skills 1. Learning must be reconstructive 2. The path to expertise has cognitive structure 3. Students must develop metacognitive skills Bransford, Brown and Cocking, 2000.

Construction of Knowledge: Novice versus Expert “Big Ideas” expert novice factoid

Constructing of Knowledge Requires Chunking with Background Knowledge (schema) Then same with letters …back to 7 again, but no progress thereafter because there was no schema to organize letter strings Train to remember digit strings From 7 to over 70 within 30 days Train to remember digit strings From 7 to over 70 within 30 days Break big strings into smaller number of elements (chunking) Each chunked element was remembered with a trick: races (background knowledge …schema) = 9.41 seconds for 100 yards 3591 = 3 minutes, 59.1 secs for 1 mile Break big strings into smaller number of elements (chunking) Each chunked element was remembered with a trick: races (background knowledge …schema) = 9.41 seconds for 100 yards 3591 = 3 minutes, 59.1 secs for 1 mile

Learning for Understanding Involves an Iterative Construction of Knowledge Expertise TRANSFER new chunked content revised schema new chunked content revised schema new chunked content Expertise schema chunked content new chunked content early schema student interests, emotions and prior understanding revised schema new chunked content

Key Principles about How People Learn 1. Learning must be reconstructive 2. The path to expertise has cognitive structure 3. Students must develop metacognitive skills 1. Learning must be reconstructive 2. The path to expertise has cognitive structure 3. Students must develop metacognitive skills Bransford, Brown and Cocking, 2000.

Learning with Understanding Requires Student Construction of Knowledge

the Barbara Johnson model Teaching so students Learn with Understanding… Barbara starts a unit by asking her students:  How does this topic relate to you?  How do these issues relate to the world? Students connect with prior understanding Student groups identify and prioritize issues and seek themes Barbara starts a unit by asking her students:  How does this topic relate to you?  How do these issues relate to the world? Students connect with prior understanding Student groups identify and prioritize issues and seek themes Bransford, Brown and Cocking, 2000.

the Barbara Johnson model Teaching so students Learn with Understanding… Groups create a research agenda together In conducting research, they are constructing knowledge In these investigations, students have:  engaged prior knowledge, interest, and emotions  reconstructed previous knowledge  constructed new knowledge on previous foundations  developed critical inquiry skills  assumed the authority of knowledge-making  built a community of learners and team mates Groups create a research agenda together In conducting research, they are constructing knowledge In these investigations, students have:  engaged prior knowledge, interest, and emotions  reconstructed previous knowledge  constructed new knowledge on previous foundations  developed critical inquiry skills  assumed the authority of knowledge-making  built a community of learners and team mates

What enables Barbara to use this method? PEDAGOGICAL-CONTENT KNOWLEDGE FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT …guides individualistic student paths: from their prior knowledge and interests to the her curriculum and their competencies Teachers model metacognition in formative assessment PEDAGOGICAL-CONTENT KNOWLEDGE FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT …guides individualistic student paths: from their prior knowledge and interests to the her curriculum and their competencies Teachers model metacognition in formative assessment

High Priority Educational Goals 1.Learning with understanding 2.Experiencing investigation 1.Learning with understanding 2.Experiencing investigation

study understanding defer judgement BELIEF study understanding Hypothesis A Hypothesis B Hypothesis A Hypothesis B The Process of Critical Inquiry BELIEF This is how the brain seems to be wired! This is how the brain seems to be wired! consider alternative explanations & jeopardize with evidence

COMMUNICATING VISUALIZING ANALYZING MODELING DATA COLLECTION Technology can be an Enabler COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS SIMULATING BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium

Pedagogical Feature Set of Instructional Technology Interactivity: Interactivity: fosters active-learning Multimedia: Multimedia: engages important cognitive processes Communication: Communication: promotes social construction of knowledge Computing components: Computing components: experience with professional tools & skills experience with professional tools & skills simulations to develop critical inquiry skills simulations to develop critical inquiry skills authoring tools for construction of knowledge authoring tools for construction of knowledge integration of powerful formative assessment tools integration of powerful formative assessment tools

Goals of Formative Assessment To improve the communication of learning goals To foster mindful engagement …by promoting reflection and metacognition To punctuate iterative learning cycles...”chunking” To provide timely feedback To build incentive systems for competency-based learning To collect diagnostic clues about individual needs To provide a pedagogical “steering wheel” to support individualistic constructivist experiences To improve the communication of learning goals To foster mindful engagement …by promoting reflection and metacognition To punctuate iterative learning cycles...”chunking” To provide timely feedback To build incentive systems for competency-based learning To collect diagnostic clues about individual needs To provide a pedagogical “steering wheel” to support individualistic constructivist experiences

Instructional Technology Assessment Tools Vary with Learning Goals Open-ended assessment styles Structured assessment styles Utility of CompetingAssessmentStyles Learn Facts Learn Inquiry Learn Concepts main learning goal foundational information

Examples

S U M M A R Y Grappling With Facts Is Necessary, But Memorization Is Not Enough Grappling With Facts Is Necessary, But Memorization Is Not Enough Students Need to Construct Knowledge Transfer Learn with Understanding Application to Later Learning & Real World Problems

Key Principles about How People Learn 1. Learning must be reconstructive 2. The path to expertise has cognitive structure 3. Students must develop metacognitive skills 1. Learning must be reconstructive 2. The path to expertise has cognitive structure 3. Students must develop metacognitive skills Bransford, Brown and Cocking, 2000.

Authoring Promotes Construction of Knowledge Facilitates Formative Assessment

Buckley, D EDUCAUSE Review 37(1): (Jan/Feb)