A2-report-pair2

//Contributors: Rebeca & Stelios// (pair 2)
 * A2 Report: EduTech case**

__**I ntroduction**__ The EduTech case studies whether it is possible to transform classroom teaching into a blended learning process. More specific it addresses the question when and how the Learning by Design (LBD) project-based inquiry pedagogical approach to teach science for Middle Schools can be applied online so as to expand classroom walls and enable cooperation with students from other institutions (schools).

The main advantage of using ICT to enhance learning is the possibility to make it available to people anytime, anywhere. Accordingly to Collis & Moonen, the U-Approach and other collaborative Learning approaches are adequate for an online learning environment since it allows students to interact an d collaborate accordingly with their availability of time. However, to this collaborative learning to occur, it is needed to plan and implement a set of before, during and after activities to guide and stimulate learners during the learning activities it self.
 * //a)//** **//The theoretical-pedagogical underpinning of using ICT to support and enhance learning;//**

The LDB model was developed to help //“students to learn science content deeply, and at the same time develop the skills and understanding needed to undertake solution of complex, ill-structured problems.”// This goal was achieved by //“having students learn science in the context of trying to achieve design challenges... Rather than memorizing facts and formulas to be reproduced on tests, students become involved in the scientific concepts being covered and learn them in services of completing the design challenge before them. As they work towards successfully achieving design challenges, they get practice designing and running experiments, analyzing data and drawing conclusions, making informed decisions and justifying them with evidence, collaborating, and communicating. They not only learn facts and formulas; they also learn science practices and scientific reasoning and how to apply the facts and skills they are learning.”// The LBD™ Cycle is based in two main activities - design/redesign and investigation. The learners are asked to reflect on the proposed task and find solutions to the design problem. The next step is to perform public presentations that will help them interpret the learning experiences, and identify what they are learning and connect their actions with their proposed goals.
 * //b)//** **//Analysis of the LBD approach; theoretical underpinning and practical implementation (principles and consequences);//**

The LBD model was developed based on the Problem Based-Learning (PBL) and Case Based-Reasoning (CBR), and its pedagogy model shares some structure similarities with those models such as: student-centered group projects, learning content integrated with hands on activities, system thinking and decision making, research and record keeping, collaboration, learn from errors, and doing reflection. (Kolodner et all, 1998)

//__What are the focal events (Collis & Moonen) in LBD learning units?__//

In their Pedagogy Model, Collis & Moonen propose that a collaborative learning active should be divided into three main activities: before, during and after activities. The organization of the LBD learning units follows the same kind of structure.

The “during activity” or focal event is where the hands on activities happen in this model. In this stage, the learners get together as a class for the focal event that takes place “//around a specially-formatted [|whiteboard] to share their experiences and ideas for achieving the challenge and to articulate what they need to learn more about.”// The students are provided with guidelines that will help them formalize questions about the proposed design problem. Following that the class divided itself into small groups to investigate and reflect on the problem, trying to find answer to their questions.

Next, //“students report to each other in a [|poster session] about their methods and results, and peers ask questions and make suggestions. They might send their peers back to redo their experiments if they think that a group's methodology wasn't good enough… The class tries to extract design [| rules of thumb] from investigative results - to help them connect the science they are learning to its application. When students agree that they can trust the investigative results of their peers, the class breaks into small groups again and moves on to making a first pass at achieving the challenge. They present their ideas to the class in a [|pin-up session], reporting to the class about their design decisions, why they think each is a good one, and predicting how their design will behave when constructed. After class discussion, they move on to constructing and testing their designs.//

Most of the time the work doesn’t happen as expected, and an important part of the learning process is to understand and explain why it happens. The work is presented in a type of gallery wall, where the students have to explain the work to their peers. New discussions arouse from that stage, and the “c//lass discussion after gallery walks leads to generating more questions and additional investigations or reading about and discussing science content together. The design/test/explain/present-results cycle is repeated until everyone has reached an appropriate degree of success.//

//__What activities take place before, during and after these events?__// Firstly, the students receive a design challenge, and work in small groups, where they can [|mess] //“with materials or devices that will help them understand what they need to learn to successfully achieve the challenge//” which can be considered the before activity in the Collis and Moonen Model. Secondly, they get together as a class for the focal event where the design / test / explain / present results cycle takes place. Finally, the after activities consist of a rerun of the LBD cycle that happens until every learner has achieved a satisfactory level of success.

//__What are the "products" of these activities?__//

Besides the final designed product, a high thinking process and decision making abilities developed by the learners through the LBD process are also a product of this model. //“Students need to experience a variety of contexts of use of what they are learning to allow them to transfer flexibly; they need to be encouraged to think about their experiences in ways that will allow easy recognition of similarity when a similar situation arises. They also need practice trying their hands at transfer, with useful hinting (scaffolding) along the way to help them remember things they've forgotten, notice similarities, and apply what they've learned.“//

In that context, the main product of these activities is to enable learners to be able to develop a higher thinking process that will allow them to find solutions to similar problems and / or transfer knowledge to different problems and situations. Which is really close to the situations and problems that they face pr will face in real world.

//__How do you characterize these activities: as (predominantly) acquisition or contribution oriented?__// Accordingly to Coolis & Moonen’s model, the activities of the LBD model can be characterized as both acquisition and contribution oriented. The contribution comes from the learners’ interactions and peers evaluations, and acquisition comes from the learning by doing part of the model. This type of interaction requires multifaceted teacher training, and cooperative mentality in students

//__How do the students work on their tasks: individually, in classes, in groups?__//

Most of the time, the students work in small groups or in a class environment. Once the task, or the design problem, is presented to the class, they get as a class to discuss the problem, possible solutions, and receive guidelines. With those information in hand, students gather in small groups to work the design project. When the groups feel confident with their finds they get together as a class again to expose their findings and receive suggestions and comments. That is cycle that can happen as many time as needed for the entire group figure out a comfortable solution for their design problem.

//__How do they communicate with each other and with the teacher?__//

The LBD model includes an online Design Discussion Area (DDA), and a whole set of forms to help the students to register their progress, and monitor their progress. Even though the Design Discussion Area (DDA) has been proved to help students to collaborate online, and enhance the in class communication (Kolodner and Nagel, 1999); it seems that most of the communications between students, and students and teachers happens during the focal events’ (or in class) activities such as: whiteboard, pin-up session, and gallery walk among others.

 In the LBD pedagogy the ICT was implemented through the use of a Supportive Multli-user Interactive Learning Environment (SMILE). SMILE is used in the LBD model to help provide different case-based reasoning scenarios that emulate the real world environment, and can help teachers promote knowledge transfer in the classroom environment.
 * //c) //****//The role and functions of ICT in LBD pedagogy;//**

In order to facilitate knowledge transfer and access to cased-based design problems, SMILE’s design discussion suites provides learners with the opportunity to publish their notes in a on-line case library, the possibility to revisited and reflect upon their own experiences help to enhance the level of the discussion among the course participants.

In the LBD context, ICT has been being used a complimentary tool that helps to enhance the overall students’ learning experience. 


 * //d)//** **//Consequences and implications of transition of LBD from classroom to on-line learning situation; //**

__**Conclusion**__ 5 rules for the designing of educational hypermedia material and environments

Design with a compass: design material, activities & environment according to defined learning outcomes Multiple alternative communication channels (student - student, student - teacher)

__**Links**__
 * Cooper-Hewitt: Learning by Design - Keynote, Meredith Davis (video, 50')

__**Notes**__
 * Quotations are from the LBD website
 * Citation are based on the references presented on the case approach.