Spaces and Pathways

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Spaces and Pathways

• Conceptual Integration and the Design of
  Interdisciplinary Study

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The HOOK !

• Conceptual blending. is responsible for origins
  of language, art, religion, science, and other
  singular human feats (Fauconnier Turner,
  2002, p. vi.)
• If that is correct then conceptual integration is
  a critical fundamental cognitive process for
  learning

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Rationale for the Study

• Learners engaged in interdisciplinary distance
  education face the daunting task of integrating
• chaotic pieces of information
• various ways of knowing and seeing
• dissimilar concepts from various disciplines
• And the languages of the disciplines

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What is conceptual integration ?

• From a cognitive linguistic perspective The
  blending of two mental spaces into a third
  emerging mental space with some but not all of
  the properties of the original two mental spaces.

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Strength
Character
Rust
Strength
Lady
Iron
Generic
Character
Strength
Emerging blend
Iron Lady
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Research Questions

• Can Conceptual integration be identified and
  measured in a quantifiable manner?
• Can the identification and measurement
  demonstrate that conceptual integration is a
  force in an emerging framework?
• Can the measurement indicate the extent of its
  presence and the level of excellence?
• Can conceptual integration be enhanced through
  design?

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Context of the Study

• College of Liberal Studies, a non-traditional,
  adult education program offers interdisciplinary
  Bachelor of Liberal Studies and the Master of
  Liberal Studies degrees in delivered totally
  online.

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Methodology

• Content Analysis
• Word counts and key words in context
• Examining for fixed and novel meanings, predicate
  and argument structure, and figurative versus
  literal construction
• Examining for metaphors, analogies, and
  counter-factuals as indicated by key words
• Concept maps will be created to visually
  demonstrate the mental spaces involved and
  establish the linking relationships and
  connections
• Fauconniers framework will be applied using a
  Likert scale to measure the existence and level
  of conceptual integration

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Design Considerations

• We want our students to consider and integrate
  concepts from multiple perspectives and
  disciplines.
• Our learning environments should contain
  instructional strategies and activities that
  enable integration and retain the flexibility for
  the students to create their own special blends.

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Fauconniers Framework

• Cross space mapping
• Generic space
• Blend
• Emergent structure with
• Composition that projects new relation
• Completion of background frames
• Elaboration

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Possibilities!

• Use visual and audio media as triggers and
  reinforcements of critical thinking
• Use hyper-links to introduce learners to multiple
  perspectives and non-linear thinking
• Use concept mapping to visually demonstrate
  mental spaces and stimulate integration

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Learner-centered paradigm for improving
conceptual integration

• Fink, D. (2003). Creating Significant Learning
  Experiences. San Francisco, CA Jossey-Bass
  Publishers.
• Using multiple dimensions of learning to push
  teaching and learning in the direction of
  learning how to learn

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Dimensions of the learning-centered paradigm

• Foundational knowledge
• Application
• Integration
• Human Dimension
• Caring
• Learning How to Learn

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Incorporating those dimensions in LSTD 5673

• Through Course Goals/Objectives
• Foundational Knowledge
• Application
• Integration
• Human Dimension
• Caring
• Learning to Learn

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Foundation Knowledge

• The student will understand the key concepts from
  a cognitive perspective and from a social
  institutional perspective

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Application

• The student will have developed a framework for
  personal decision-making from a better
  understanding of personality and the behavioral
  aspects of decision-making

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Integration

• The student will develop an understanding of the
  variety of perspectives on decision-making and
  how this diversity produces an enormous variety
  of decisions in all areas of life.

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Human Dimension

• The student will gain an understanding of the
  uniqueness of individuals, and how that
  uniqueness contributes to the decision-making
  process and behaviors. The student will also
  better understand the context and the stress
  under which people sometimes behave foolishly.

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Caring

• The student will develop an interest in
  decision-making theory and application

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Learning to Learn

• The student will further develop the pattern of
  study used in this course to inquire into other
  aspects of decision-making from an individual and
  social perspective

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Learning Activities

• Suggested peer dialogue
• Synthesis assignments course spanning
• Application assignments
• Reflective assignments
• Guiding questions
• Simulation creation in progress

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Summary

• Conceptual Integration a blending of two or
  more mental spaces
• Use of triggers, concept mapping, and multiple
  dimensions of learning
• Developing a pattern to the learning enterprise
  through our course design

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Some Hmmm thoughts !!!

• From Researching the Metaphor to the processes
  involved in conceptual integration

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If thought is structured metaphorically

• Then should learning be structured around the
  same process?

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Dynamic flow of thought

• The work of Barsalou (1987, 1989) on concept
  stability and ad hoc categories suggests that
  conceptual domains are not stable and stored in
  memory, but RATHER ARE CREATED IN PROCESSING, and
  influenced by recent experience and other
  contextual factors (Cameron Low, 1999, p.19)

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The connectionist analogy in applied context

• Activation of mental representations will spread
  through various types of motivated links (e.g.
  sound semblance, exemplar memory, sensory memory,
  contextual information).
• Spreading activation is controlled (i.e. concept
  domains are bounded) when no pathways are found
  from certain nodes.

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The connectionist analogy in applied context

• Because of spreading activation, the mind can
  successfully process partial information.
• Gradability is inherent in the activation,
  because pathways can be differentially
  strengthened through multiple links.
• (Cameron Low, 1999, p.19)

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