Title: Scaffolding Thinking using Sentence Openers
1Scaffolding Thinking using Sentence Openers
- Dr Yiong-Hwee, TEO
- Ministry of Education (Singapore)
- ICCE 2007
- Knowledge Building Workshop
- 6 November 2007
2Outline
- Scaffolding thinking in knowledge building using
sentence openers - Context
- Methodology
- Platform design
- Findings
- Conclusion
3Scaffolding thinking using sentence openers
- Goal of KB get our students engaged in
discussion to share with each other to improve
the knowledge advancement of the community
(Scardamalia, 2002) - Quality of discussion depends on quality of
thinking involved - Socrates invented a question answer method of
discussion called Socratic Thinking
4Scaffolding thinking using sentence openers
- Scant literature on use of Socratic thinking in
online discussion - Aim to scaffold students thinking using a
knowledge building tool (sentence opener) in
order to improve quality of discussion - Sentence opener a predefined way to start
arguments (e.g. I am looking from the point of
view of ) - Scaffolds such as these are epistemological
markers to encourage students to probe deeper
into the issues being investigated, thereby
promoting KB discourse (Scardamalia Bereiter,
2006)
5Using sentence openers to scaffold Socratic
Thinking
6Context National Institute of Education,
Singapore
- Elective unit on educational video production to
pre-service teachers - Face-to-face lessons (7 weeks)
- Online discussion (3 weeks)
- Group video project (4 weeks)
- Participants
- 42 pre-service teachers
- Self-formed groups of 3-4 members (scriptwriter,
cameraman, editor)
7Learning from examples critiquing examples
- Examples can help students learn a new skill (Chi
Bassok, 1989) - Novice students involved in design studies
project-based learning have problems applying
theories to practice - Use examples of professional work to establish
standards (Thomas Mergendoller, 2000) - Use examples of students work to define high and
low quality work (Thomas Mergendoller, 2000) - How critiquing helps in learning
- Expand students awareness and reinforce what has
just been learned (Hartung, 1995) - By recognising strengths weaknesses of others
work, students can improve upon their own (Reist,
2005) - Why collaborative critiquing?
- Social constructivism
- Situated cognition
8Collaborative Critique
- The Video Examples
- No Looking Back (gangsterism for sec schools)
- Strangers (meeting strangers for pri schools)
9Developing the 4-step critique model for
collaborative critiquing
- No literature on using critiquing to teach the
production process of video - Developed 4-step critique model
- Participants identify project purpose, audience
expertise - Participants evaluate strengths of design
suggest improvements - Participants evaluate weaknesses of design
suggest improvements - Participants summarise impt points for transfer
to own project
10Scaffolding collaborative critiquing with
technology
- Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL)
environment - Purpose to support students in learning
effectively - Example of CSCL asynchronous conferencing
- Benefits of asynchronous conferencing
- participation any place and any time (Bourne,
2000 Romiszowski Mason, 1996), - reduced social barriers due to shyness and
language problems or gender (Groeling, 1999 Hsi,
1997) - reduced social barriers due to Confucianist
Heritage Culture - recorded opinions enable easy reference later
- increased reflection as participants can take
their time ordering and composing their thoughts
(Fey, 1992 Garrison, 1993 Newman et al., 1997) - Peer tutoring learn from diverse perspectives
11Methodology
- Qualitative case study
- Had dry run on using the critique procedure in KC
on a trial topic - 4-week Online discussion log spliced into units
of message ideas - Content analysed 2 coders
- Triangulated with data from reflection log,
online survey, interviews
12The research question
- To what extent did the Socratic sentence openers
promote in-depth statements?
13Designing the asynchronous discussion forum
Knowledge Community
14Designing the asynchronous discussion forum
Knowledge Community
- No literature on how to critique video on the
production process - The 4-step critique model
15Designing the asynchronous discussion forum
Knowledge Community
Step 3
Step 4
16Using sentence openers to scaffold Socratic
Thinking
17Results Discussion
- Statements that use sentence openers had the
highest percentage of in-depth statements
18Results Discussion
- Sentence openers were used successfully as
metacognitive scaffolding by prompting students
to think from various perspectives when they were
critiquing the video examples online. - In developing the pre-service teachers in-depth
thinking, some categories of Socratic Thinking
were found to be under-developed. - By analyzing the use or non-use of sentence
openers, a facilitator can monitor students
Socratic Thinking and help them develop those
aspects that were under-developed.
19Results Discussion
- Sentence openers contributed to in-depth
discussion and supported students discourse in
many ways - Help to start a message by offering
possibilities. - Help reflection by making participants pause and
think. - Show participants intent of message.
- Offer teachers coaching information on types of
thinking that is lacking. - Allow participants to self-code the message
intent. - Focus participants thoughts.
- Help thinking from multiple perspectives.
- Promote in-depth statements and quality
questions. - Help communicate clearly.
- Help in problem solving.
- Help in critiquing.
20Implications for practice
- Design of asynchronous discussion environment
- Prompting learners to think about certain issues
and to think in different ways are powerful
scaffolding techniques - Findings show how sentence openers are phrased,
how prominently they are located, and how much
they involved in-depth thinking, affect their use
21Conclusion What is the value-add of technology?
- Face-to-face discussion is more teacher-led and
online discussion is more student-centred. - CSCL technology has facilitated collaborative
critiquing by - playing the role of organiser of critique
- playing the role of coach
- listing important discussion areas
- monitoring thinking
- playing the role of a fair, patient listener and
recorder
22Future Research
- Implementing two phases of critique First phase
could be to critique other peoples design work
(e.g. this study). After novice designers have
embarked on their own project, another online
critique forum could be set up for peers to
critique each others work in a second phase. - Track whether students transfer what they learnt
from critique to own video projects
23- THANK YOU!
- yhteo3_at_gmail.com
Yiong Hwee, TEO
QUESTIONS?