Promoting cognitive access, processes and knowledge building towards deeper learning and creativity
Motivation
In the 21st Century, the nature of knowledge and learning is changing rapidly. In all levels of education, interdisciplinary research and instruction is increasing. For example, Finland, whose students consistently excel in international assessments of achievement, is moving towards project-based interdisciplinary learning throughout elementary and secondary school. But all such instructional innovations must be consistent with what we know about how people, particularly young people, learn. We are proposing a special session focused on the latest research and findings about cognition-knowledge building towards deeper learning and creativity.
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MOTIVATION
The development of cultures of innovation involves knowledge building in collaborative-supported learning (CSCL). Knowledge building may be defined simply as "the creation, testing, and improvement of conceptual artifacts” (Bereiter & Scardamalia, 2003). The grand challenge in CSCL, subsequently, involves identifying how to best support learning, how much instructional assistance to provide to students as they learn, and what kind of support to provide. The nature and form of Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development changes in these new instructional contexts.
Due to the very nature of innovation, the design of problem-based learning-learning-by-design (Kolodner, Camp, Crismond, Fasse, Gray, Holbrook, Puntambekar, & Ryan, 2003; Hmelo-Silver, 2004) approaches to suit different expectations, abilities and learning environments and corresponding scaffolds to promote deeper learning have become crucial. These require methodological diversifications, aimed at reinforcing disciplinary concepts and introducing/synergizing related cross-disciplinary concepts. For example, Cress and Rose (2016) have led explorations into more social and fun methodologies such as Facebook, gaming, and Scratch in contrast with Wikipedia in advancing and informing what the next steps in CSCL should be. Many other distinguished works such as by Chen and Looi (2014) have also addressed these key questions using different paradigms, approaches, techniques and assessments.
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Furthermore, Wang, Kirschner and Bridges’ (2016) investigation into the issue of Computer-Based Learning Environments for Deep Learning in Inquiry and Problem-Solving Contexts, points out the importance of viewing effective design holistically, complementing authentic whole task experience with discovery-based design, and analysing learning in terms of not only complex cognitive processes, but also this holistic design. Findings highlight how deep learning in inquiry and problem-solving contexts can be empowered and evaluated, the challenges experienced (e.g., methodological complexity, extended research process, need for domain knowledge, and commitment to advancing both theory and practice) and useful strategies to improve learning outcomes.
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For developing creativity, researchers such as Wills & Kolodner (1994), Resnick (2007) and Goel (1997) provide sound theoretical foundations. Scratch (Peppler & Kafai, 2007) provides a thriving example of media-community-design-driven pedagogy, suitable for both formal and informal learning. Lee, Kolodner and Goel’s (2011) special issue consequently raised some questions:
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How, precisely, can design and creative capabilities be promoted in formal and informal education?
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What are the principles for generating activities and curricula that promote creative design?
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What scaffolding do learners need to become more creative and to learn to design?
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How can responsibility for scaffolding be distributed between teacher, peers, and computing technologies?
