Schools as Knowledge Building Organizations

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Schools as Knowledge Building Organizations

• Marlene Scardamalia and Carl BereiterOntario
  Institute for Studies in Education of the
  University of Toronto

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Schools as service organizations

• aimed at the promotion of learning in their
  clients, the students
• School reform for a better service (above)
• New standards and new curricula
• Layers of management
• Site-based management
• Teacher control over curriculum

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A knowledge society

• What kind of education will best prepare students
  for life ?
• flexibility,
• creativity,
• problem-solving ability,
• technological literacy,
• information-finding skills, and
• a lifelong readiness to learn.

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Another way

• Experience in a learning organization
• The function of schools
• from that of service provider to that of a
  productive enterprise to which the students are
  contributors
• The role of students
• From clients to participants in producing new
  knowledge (constructing collective knowledge)

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Schools as Knowledge Building Organizations

• Knowledge-Building Community
• a group of individuals dedicated to sharing and
  advancing the knowledge of the collective (in the
  society)
• an elementary school class that takes a knowledge
  building approach is to construct an
  understanding of the world as they know it.
• aimed at developing from an early age the social
  practices that make people responsible
  participants in the work of a knowledge society.

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The class that takes a knowledge building approach
Student
Teacher
Student
The world Knowledge problems
Student
Teacher
Expert
Student
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Knowledge building pedagogy

• Problem focus versus topic focus
• Production of knowledge objects versus media
  objects
• Contribution versus display
• Theory improvement versus finding answers
• Sustained versus single-pass knowledge creation
• Public versus person-to-person communication
• Opportunity for reflection versus 1-second wait
  time

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CSILE(Computer Supported Intentional Learning
Environments)

• CSILE is a networked, collaborative learning
  environment designed to support a classroom-based
  Knowledge-Building Community (expanding the
  knowledge building community)
• Each computer workstation is connected to a
  multimedia database that contains the ongoing
  research of the class
• Each student's files are segregated into a
  separate folder or "account
• All files are placed in a common area (which in
  CSILE are called "notes"), viewable by all.
• CSILE Allows students to connect their notes to
  the notes of others
• share information, answer each other questions,
  and provide advice

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Knowledge Forum

• a second generation CSILE product
• http//www.learn.motion.com

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Study Activities

• For access
• http//kforum.motion.com27320/
• For usernames and passwords
• From guest1 to guest 10
• For better viewing
• Install client (No Chinese characters)

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User interactions by

• creating notes which users contribute for the
  knowledge base
• quoting the work of their peers
• building on the work of their peers
• co-authoring notes
• annotating work
• rising above a series of notes to synthesize the
  ideas in a way that creates a knowledge advance
• publishing (after peer voting) their best work
  for peers to read and comment on

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Interface design

• Scaffolds that direct users toward particular
  cognitive operations
• Keywords that help users focus on concepts
• My reader to organize users own readings
• Visualized Links (build-on, reference) between
  notes
• Pictures to facilitate discussions

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Another approach of courseware design

• To mimics the cognitive processes of expert
  learners
• To help students
• Learn how to learn
• Learn how to set cognitive goals
• Learn to apply effective strategies for
  comprehension, self-monitoring, and organization
  of knowledge