Showing papers on "Knowledge building published in 2006"

Knowledge Building: Theory, Pedagogy, and Technology

Abstract: There are substantial similarities between deep learning and the processes by which knowledge advances in the disciplines. During the 1960s efforts to exploit these similarities gave rise to learning by discovery, guided discovery, inquiry learning, and Science: A Process Approach (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1967). Since these initial reform efforts, scholars have learned a great deal about how knowledge advances. A mere listing of keywords suggests the significance and diversity of ideas that have come to prominence since the 1960s: approaches have changed in response to some of these developments; there is a greater emphasis on collaborative rather than individual inquiry, the tentative nature of empirical laws is more often noted, and argumentation has become an important part of some approaches. But the new " knowledge of knowledge " has much larger educational implications: Ours is a knowledge-creating civilization. A growing number of " knowledge societies " (Stehr, 1994), are joined in a deliberate effort to advance all the frontiers of knowledge. Sustained knowledge advancement is seen as essential for social progress of all kinds and for the solution of societal problems. From this standpoint the fundamental task of education is to enculturate youth into this knowledge-creating civilization and to help them find a place in it. In light of this challenge, both traditional education, with its emphasis on knowledge transmission, and the newer constructivist methods, appear as limited in scope if not entirely missing the point. Knowledge building, as elaborated in this chapter, represents an attempt to refashion education in a fundamental way, so that it becomes a coherent effort to initiate students into a knowledge creating culture. Accordingly, it involves students not only

Knowledge building in asynchronous discussion groups: Going beyond quantitative analysis

Abstract: This contribution examines the methodological challenges involved in defining the collaborative knowledge-building processes occurring in asynchronous discussion and proposes an approach that could advance understanding of these processes. The written protocols that are available to the analyst provide an exact record of the instructional transactions at a given time in the online discussion. On the basis of a study of online discussion forums used in a higher education context, a model for the analysis of collaborative knowledge building in asynchronous discussion is presented. The model allows examination of the communication from the multiple perspectives of interaction, cognition and discourse analysis. The investigation was conducted using a qualitative case study approach and involved an in-depth examination of three cases. Content analysis of the discourse was done at a number of levels, focusing on the discussion forum itself, the discussion threads, the messages, and the exchanges and moves among the messages. As a result of correspondences found among the variables representing the different levels of the analysis, the most important being the relationship between type of interaction, phase of critical inquiry, and move in the exchange structure, it was possible to build a scheme for assessing knowledge building in asynchronous discussion groups. The scheme integrates the interactive, cognitive and discourse dimensions in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL). The study represents a merging of quantitative analysis within qualitative methodology and provides both an analytic and a holistic perspective on CSCL.

Students assessing their own collaborative knowledge building

Abstract: We describe the design of a knowledge-building environment and examine the role of knowledge-building portfolios in characterizing and scaffolding collaborative inquiry. Our goal is to examine collaborative knowledge building in the context of exploring the alignment of learning, collaboration, and assessment in computer forums. The key design principle involved turning over epistemic agency to students; guided by several knowledge-building principles, they were asked to identify clusters of computer notes that indicated knowledge-building episodes in the computer discourse. Three classes of 9th grade students in Hong Kong used Knowledge Forum in several conditions: Knowledge Forum only, Knowledge Forum with portfolios, and Knowledge Forum with portfolios and principles. Results showed: (1) Students working on portfolios guided knowledge-building principles showed deeper inquiry and more conceptual understanding than their counterpart (2) Students' knowledge-building discourse, reflected in portfolio scores, contributed to their domain understanding; and (3) Knowledge-building portfolios helped to assess and foster collective knowledge advances: A portfolio with multiple contributions from students is a group accomplishment that captures the distributed and progressive nature of knowledge building. Students extended their collective understanding by analyzing the discourse, and the portfolio scaffolded the complex interactions between individual and collective knowledge advancements.

Learning and Knowledge-building in Open-source Communities: A Social-experiential Approach

Abstract: Open-source communities are innovative online communities, some of which have recently attracted increasing attention. The study suggests that members of innovative online communities learn and build collective knowledge through the use of ‘technologies’ and the establishment of discursive practices that enable virtual re-experience. Theories of knowledge creation and learning have been reviewed and a social-experiential view of learning has been applied in order to examine the reflective inquiry processes and collective learning practices. The findings demonstrate that re-experience is enabled by code, transactive group memory, instructive content and discourse, and reflective discourse. The manifestations of learning processes lead to concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation at the individual level. Collective reflection, collective conceptualization, virtual experimentation, and participative practice are initiated at the social level. Empirica...

Bridging the distance: Managing cross-border knowledge holders

Abstract: This article examines the micro-level operational difficulties for multinational corporations (MNCs) to generate value from its highly geographically dispersed cross-border knowledge and studies the strategies for overcoming them. Using China as the research context, we identify key geographical, institutional and cultural features of cross-border knowledge holders and examine the dimensions of distance that separates them. We then link these dimensions to the conditions that facilitate cross-border knowledge building processes. In doing so, we propose a conceptual model for overcoming these context-specific knowledge management barriers.

Knowledge building in mathematics: Supporting collaborative learning in pattern problems

Abstract: While it has been suggested that patterning activities support early algebra learning, it is widely acknowledged that the shift from perceiving patterns to understanding algebraic functions—and correspondingly, from reporting empirical patterns to providing explanations—is difficult. This paper reports on the collaborations of grade 4 students (n = 68) from three classrooms in diverse urban settings, connected through a knowledge-building environment (Knowledge Forum), when solving mathematical generalizing problems as part of an early algebra research project. The purpose of this study was to investigate the underlying principles of idea improvement and epistemic agency and the potential of knowledge building—as supported by Knowledge Forum—to support student work. Our analyses of student-generated collaborative workspaces revealed that students were able to find multiple rules for challenging problems and revise their own conjectures regarding those rules. Furthermore, the discourse was sustained over 8 weeks and students were able to find similarities across problem types without the support of teachers or researchers, suggesting that these grade-4 students had developed a disposition for evidence use and justification that eludes much older students.

Analyzing CMC content for what

Abstract: Computer mediated communication (CMC) refers to communication between individuals and among groups via networked computers. Such forms of communication can be asynchronous or synchronous and serve a wide variety of useful functions ranging from administration to building understanding and knowledge. As such there are many reasons for interest in analyzing the content of CMC. Foremost among these is the opportunity that the written text is able to offer for various types of analysis. Others have to do with the need to understand human communication patterns in this medium, their conventions, form and functions, the nature of the subtext within it, and how people derive meaning and understanding in such contexts. The papers in this special section of this journal have attempted to closely examine the subject of CMC content analysis. It includes examination of what is involved in the analysis of CMC content, schemes and frameworks for analyzing them, and knowledge building within such contexts.

Research and knowledge building in management studies: an analysis of methodological preferences.

Abstract: The overall aim of this paper is to explore the nature of the methodology employed in research published in some of the top business and management journals, with a view to understanding aspects of the creation of management knowledge The article commences with a review of earlier research and commentary on the nature and appropriateness of competing research methodologies and designs It reports the early bias in favour of positivism and quantitative methodologies, and explores the evolving recognition of the potential contribution of phenomenological research design and qualitative methodologies An analysis was conducted of the research methodologies adopted by 120 articles drawn from twenty leading management journals published between 1991 and 2000 The findings section discusses key characteristics of authorship, and aspects of the research methodologies adopted The conclusion notes the wide range of different methodological approaches adopted in pursuit of the development of management knowledge, and different research agendas Further research needs to characterize and profile the relationship between these agendas and specific methodological approaches, and to develop understanding of the specific contributions of quantitative and qualitative approaches and their associated paradigms

Peer Scaffolding of Knowledge Building through Collaborative Groups with Differential Learning Experiences

Abstract: This article describes a case study of an international collaboration between two classes of fifth grade students through an online discussion platform with one group more experienced in online knowledge building activities than the other. Before the collaboration, the novice class tended to produce isolated notes filled with information and confined their efforts to their own selected topics. When the more experienced class joined in, the discourse of the students in the novice class changed from more information-centered toward meaning negotiations; many more of their notes were linked with one another and they no longer confined their reading and responses to their own study topic. The class more experienced in knowledge building was more ready to express disagreement in their discourse. There was also evidence that the novice class learned from the experienced class to ask more questions in their online discussion. When the joint-collaboration ended, the novice class could still maintain the changed i...

Engaged learning with emerging technologies

Abstract: Foreword by Gerry Stahl Preface About the Contributors Chapter 1-Modeling for meaningful learning David H. Jonassen and Johannes Strobel.- Chapter 2-Engaged learning: Making learning an authentic experience David Hung, Tan Seng Chee and Koh Thiam Seng.- Chapter 3-The contributing student: Learners as co-developers of learning resources for reuse in web environments Betty Collis and Jef Moonen.- Chapter 4-Situated learning in the process of work Reinhard Oppermann and Marcus Specht.- Chapter 5-Education in the knowledge age - Engaging learners through knowledge building Seng Chee Tan, David Hung and Marlene Scardamalia.- Chapter 6-Engaging learners through intuitive interfaces John G Hedberg and Susan Metros.- Chapter 7-Learning science through online threaded discourse Allan H.K. Yuen.- Chapter 8-Engage, empower, enable: Developing a shared vision for technology in education Geoff Romeo.- Chapter 9-Engagement with ideas and understanding: An essential for effective learning in the electronic age Alan Pritchard.- Chapter 10-Creating ICT-enriched learner-centred environments: Myths, gaps and challenges Kar Tin Lee.- Chapter 11-Cybergogy for engaged learning: A framework for creating learner engagement through information and communication technology Minjuan Wang and Myunghee Kang.- Chapter 12-Engaging learners through continuous online assessment Cathy Gunn.- Index

Rethinking the nature of online work in asynchronous learning networks

Abstract: Research on asynchronous learning networks (ALNs) has indicated that there are problems with both the quantity and quality of online interactions that can undermine the aim of inquiry. The goal of this paper is to offer a new way of thinking about these problems in the context of knowledge building, a specific form of collaborative inquiry supported by an ALN. Drawing from interviews with teachers following two teacher education courses that introduced teachers to knowledge building, it is argued that we need to rethink the role and purpose of online work in ALNs-as building a communal learning resource. A framework for doing this is proposed in terms of three notions: collaboration, learning how to learn and idea improvement. The framework is expected to contribute to the literature on knowledge building by providing a new way to distinguish knowledge building from other forms of collaborative inquiry.

Knowledge-building activity structures in Japanese elementary science pedagogy

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to refine Japanese elementary science activity structures by using a CSCL approach to transform the classroom into a knowledge-building community. We report design studies on two science lessons in two consecutive years and describe the progressive refinement of the activity structures. Through comparisons of student activities on- and off-line, it was found that the implementation of a CSCL environment facilitated students' idea-centered activity. The task requirement for students to engage in collective and reciprocal activities reflecting on their own ideas was also effective if it required students to use their conceptual understanding for producing something concrete.

Activity Theory as a Framework for Analysing Knowledge Building

Abstract: Content analyses of computer databases parsed into notes or ideas do not shed adequate light on the role of collaboration and the Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning environment in knowledge building; analysis of what is happening in the classroom and how students interpret that is also needed. This study used ethnographic methods to explore activity theory as an analytic framework for knowledge building, drawing from a class of Grade 4 students’ contributions to online and face-to-face discourse over a period of five months, as well as end-of-year interviews with the students. The analysis focuses on four issues: community; rules; mediating artefacts; and division of labour. The findings indicate how understanding such issues can lead to better understanding of collaboration and of the role of the online environment. The use of activity theory as a framework for improving pedagogy aimed at knowledge building is also outlined.

Collaborative Knowledge Building and Integral Theory:On Perspectives,Uncertainty, and Mutual Regard

Abstract: Uncertainty in knowing and communicating affect all aspects of modern life. Ubiquitous and inevitable uncertainty, including ambiguity and paradox, is particularly salient and important in knowledge building communities. Because knowledge building communities represent and evolve knowledge explicitly, the causes, effects, and approaches to this "epistemological indeterminacy" can be directly addressed in knowledge building practices. Integral theory's approach (including "methodological pluralism") involves accepting and integrating diverse perspectives in ways that transcend and include them. This approach accentuates the problems of epistemological indeterminacy and highlights the general need to deal creatively with it. This article begins with a cursory analysis of textual dialogs among integral theorists, showing that, while integral theory itself points to leading-edge ways of dealing with epistemological indeterminacy, the knowledge building practices of integral theorists, by and large, exhibit the same limitations as traditional intellectual discourses. Yet, due to its values and core methods, the integral theory community is in a unique position to develop novel and more adequate modes of inquiry and dialog. This text explores how epistemological indeterminacy impacts the activities and products of groups engaged in collaborative knowledge building. Approaching the issue from three perspectives—mutual understanding, mutual agreement, and mutual regard—I show the interdependence of those perspectives and ground them in relation to integral theory's concerns. This article proposes three phases of developing constructive alternatives drawn from the knowledge building field: awareness of the phenomena, understanding the phenomena, and offering some tools (and some hope) for dealing with it. Though here I focus on the integral theory community (or communities), the conclusions of the article are meant to be applicable to any knowledge building community, and especially value-oriented groups who see themselves fundamentally as working together to benefit humanity.

Young Children's Knowledge Building and Literacy Development Through Knowledge Forum®

Abstract: This study examined how the use of Knowledge Forum (KF)®, a networked, Internet-based learning environment, was related to the literacy development of 4-year-old children in a laboratory school affiliated with the University of Toronto. Over the course of the year, children participated in a longitudinal photo journal project. With adult support, children posted their photo journals and ideas to KF® in the form of electronic "notes," which allowed children to view each other's work and to build on ideas by posting their responses and comments. A comparison group employed a paper-only format to write notes about their photos. Results showed that children were motivated to read others' notes and to respond using invented spelling. There were gender differences in the number of notes posted. Implications of the study are discussed regarding the motivation for literacy among boys and girls and the benefits of having electronic archives of literacy development.

Teachers' Perceptions of Teaching and Learning in a Knowledge-Building Community: An Exploratory Case Study

Abstract: This study explores three teachers’ perceptions and developments as a result of experiencing learning and teaching in a knowledge‐building community (KBC). To understand the teachers’ views, in‐depth interviews were conducted. The transcripts were coded using a grounded theory approach. The findings indicate that KBC is reportedly viewed by the participants as a meaningful form of professional development that could promote them to move towards more constructivist‐oriented teaching. However, the KBC model is not easily adoptable in local school settings. The teachers also reported that time constraints due to the need to ‘cover the syllabus’ were the main barrier to progress. Systemic effort in co‐ordinating sustainable change is therefore needed.

Nursing education in telehealth.

Abstract: Many nurses around the world provide expert nursing care through distance technologies but few undergraduate programmes expose nursing students to the full range of technologies available. Nursing education in telehealth needs to reflect the roles, responsibilities and capacity for knowledge building and innovation of the various constituencies within the profession. Registered nurses and advanced practice nurses will need complementary but different knowledge and skills than nurse administrators. The former will need technical proficiency in using common telehealth modalities and the ability to integrate telehealth in their practices.

Teacher Development through Computer-Supported Knowledge Building: Experience from Hong Kong and Canadian Teachers.

Abstract: In Hong Kong and Canada, indeed globally, slogans about learning to learn and teaching for 21st‐century knowledge and skills are common. However, there are few examples of how teacher education courses or programs are responding to these new demands. In this paper, we propose a framework for designing teacher education premised on the theoretical perspective of knowledge building. We describe two courses, a pre‐service teacher education in course Hong Kong teachers and a joint graduate course for Hong Kong and Canadian teachers. In both cases, participants engaged in knowledge‐building discourse mediated by a computer‐supported learning environment. We present the design and illustrate how the teachers were able to work as collaborative inquirers and knowledge creators in a knowledge‐building community. Implications of knowledge building for teacher development as related to socio‐cultural contexts are discussed.

Discussion Tool Effects on Collaborative Learning and Social Network Structure

Abstract: This study investigated the social network structure of booking officers at the Honolulu Police Department and how the introduction of an online discussion tool affected knowledge about operation of a booking module. Baseline data provided evidence for collaboration among officers in the same district using e-mail, telephone and face-to-face media but showed minimal collaboration between officers in different districts. On average, knowledge of the booking module was low. After introduction of the online discussion tool the social network structure changed, showing an increase in collaboration between different districts and an increase in knowledge of the booking module, even though frequency of collaboration did not increase significantly. The study suggests that the formation of new collaborative ties is more significant for learning through information sharing in social networks than raw frequency of interaction. This work is framed by theories of knowledge building, social architecture, and communities of practice.

Education in the Knowledge Age — Engaging Learners Through Knowledge Building

Abstract: In this Knowledge Age or innovation-driven age, knowledge is a key asset for a society to create value. The health and wealth of societies depend increasingly on the capacity of people to innovate (Scardamalia & Bereiter, in press 2002). Since schools are responsible for preparing the young for the future they have to be models of innovation, where teachers and students are “willing to take new routes, try different methods, and occasionally break the mould” (Shanmugaratnam, 2003). Too often, however, we find classroom pedagogies varying between two extremes: didactic knowledge transmission where teachers are the “sage on the stage”, or constructivist approaches where students are actively engaged on activities. The former approach is often criticized for treating students as a passive party, assuming that knowledge can be transmitted and assimilated into the student’s mind. The latter approach, on the other hand, has the tendency to motivate students to complete tasks and activities, but not necessarily engaged with the knowledge creation process. In this chapter, we argue that we should engage our students directly in knowledge production, not so much of asking students to produce new knowledge or discoveries, but putting them into a development trajectory to be knowledge producers. Examples of knowledge building classrooms in Cananda and Singapore schools will be used to illustrate how we can engage students as knowledge producers, who take on ownership of learning by collaboratively and continually improve upon their initial ideas to better ideas, thus advancing collective knowledge within the community.

Knowledge-Building Quality in Online Communities of Practice: Focusing on Learning Dialogue

Abstract: This paper reports on a case study on the implementation of ‘language games’ as a pedagogical tool for analyzing, assessing and promoting the quality and the level of collaborative knowledge building in online learning dialogues. Part of the overall objective is to explore the use, strength, weaknesses, and limitations of using the method in the context of an online senior level university course (on-campus and off-campus continuing education) on Global Change. In this investigation, the insight from using a theoretical perspective of language games is elucidated and discussed in relation to the benefits of other theoretical approaches. Applying an analytical perspective of language games, sequences of online dialogues are analyzed in order to understand their specific characteristics and to diagnose the quality of the collaborative knowledge-building processes. To what extent do language games reveal true knowledge building in an online learning environment? Results of this study suggest that language ga...

The Digital Information Consumer

Abstract: Our findings in this respect raise a concern over knowledge building. The real problem is that the (false) sense of engagement and action associated with online searching/surfing makes the consumer feel that something is being achieved, while this may not always be the case. People tend to want fast knowledge and not just fast access to information.

Learning and Knowledge-building in Open-source Communities

Abstract: Open-source communities are innovative online communities, some of which have recently attracted increasing attention. The study suggests that members of innovative online communities learn and build collective knowledge through the use of ‘technologies’ and the establishment of discursive practices that enable virtual reexperience. Theories of knowledge creation and learning have been reviewed and a socialexperiential view of learning has been applied in order to examine the reflective inquiry processes and collective learning practices. The findings demonstrate that re-experience is enabled by code, transactive group memory, instructive content and discourse, and reflective discourse. The manifestations of learning processes lead to concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation at the individual level. Collective reflection, collective conceptualization, virtual experimentation, and participative practice are initiated at the social level. Empirical evidence is based on an interpretive investigation of the K Desktop Environment (KDE) community—an opensource software project that is administered online.

On the challenge of practice informed by theory

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to outline the challenge of practice informed by theory in public relations.Design/methodology/approach – The paper offers a brief discussion of theoretical understanding in public relations.Findings – The paper advocates that knowledge building must include theoretical research that explains and improves practice.Originality/value – The paper stresses the importance of scholars integrating their theory making with practice.