Initial use of knowledge forum for Chinese students: Productive discourse and knowledge building
Year: 2000
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Across different societies and sectors globally, it is now widely accepted that education in the 21 st century needs to prepare citizens adept at facing changes in the knowledge-based era.Concomitant with such changes is the idea that information technology needs to be infused into teaching and learning to prepare students for the new era.How could school and classroom practices support students to become self-directed learners and knowledge workers?The goal of this paper was to examine how Chinese students participated and engaged in collaborative knowledge building in a computer supported learning environment.Recent advances in cognitive research has shown the importance of learning as acculturating the practices of the community (Brown, Collins, & Duguid, 1989) and developing students as communities of learners and scientists (Brown, 1990;Collins, Brown, & Newman, 1989).Specifically, the theoretical notion of "knowledge building" seems particularly relevant for rethinking learning in the knowledge-based era (Bereiter and Scardamalia, 1997).Knowledge building involves more than completing school tasks or individual knowledge acquisition, it refers to students' productive practices of knowledge elaboration, creation, and advancement.In knowledge building communities, students or members are committed to developing and extending shared understandings.Knowledge is treated as conceptual artifacts that can be examined, tested, compared; and more importantly, artifacts that could be improved upon for developing deeper collective understandings.Whereas it has been widely accepted that computer networks or web-based discussion would promote collaboration, computer supported collaborative learning takes on deeper meanings when viewed from the perspective of knowledge building.Research studies on computer-supported intentional learning environments (CSILE) now called "Knowledge Forum" primarily involved having students working on their own generated databases using notes, graphics, and commenting to build on others' work.Students generated their own problems or worked on research projects as they engaged in collaborative inquiry to advance their collective understanding.As students create, revise, and build on each others' notes in the networks, knowledge
Author: HW Chui
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2122379537