university teaching as epistemic fluency: frames, conceptual blending and experiential resources in...

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University teaching as epistemic fluency: Frames, conceptual blending and experiential resources in teacher pedagogical and ICT choicesLina Markauskaite

CoCo Research CentreThe University of Sydney

2011 May

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Outline

1. Epistemic fluency and teaching2. Conceptual framework3. Unpacking tasks: Frame blending 4. Teacher mental resources5. Next steps

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Expectations from knowledge worker

Working across the boundaries of disciplinary and professional domains

move between the theoretical and the practical integrate knowledge from several disciplines contribute to multi-professional teams

(Argyris ‘98; Sennett ‘06)

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Complexity of learning design & teaching

Domains of knowledge1. Subject matter 2. General pedagogical kn3. Pedagogical content kn4. Knowledge of curriculum5. Knowledge of learners6. Educational contexts7. Educational ends

(Shulman ‘86/7)

Ways of knowing1. Instrumental-analytic2. Communicative-interpretive3. Emancipatory-critical

(Kreber & Cranton ‘00)

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Adding ICT to teacher knowledge bases

TPACK & beyond1. Technological knowledge2. Technological pedagogical kn3. Technological content kn4. Technological pedagogical content5. Etc

(Mishra & Koehler ‘06)

5Source: http://tpack.org/.

“Effective technology integration for pedagogy around specific subject matter requires developing sensitivity to the dynamic, [transactional] relationship between all three components”

http://tpack.org/

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Complex knowledge & epistemic fluency

Epistemic fluency – the capability to work with different kinds of knowledge and switch between different ways of knowing

(Morrison & Collins ‘96)

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Questions

1. How do teachers work with different kinds of knowledge?

2. How much mental effort does knowledge (& ICT) integration require?

3. What sorts of mental resources do teachers use?

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Expert vs. naïve intuition & mental resources

Mental resources - various kinds and forms of knowledge that someone can potentially bring to bear in order to work upon a task (eg. explaining an educational design decision)

Some features Originate from

experience Are not necessarily

coherent Are activated in specific

contexts

Based on Elby & Hammer ’02;diSessa ’93; Minsky ’06

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April 16, 2004

Structures of knowing, action & technology

Human knowledge, thinking and practices, at least in part, could be described by certain characteristic structures and patterns that recur in their thinking and actions

Disciplinary knowledge & inquiry Substantive & syntactical structure

(Schwab ‘67)

Epistemic forms & games (Collins ‘93;

Perkins ‘96)

Pedagogy Teaching script (Leinchardt & Greeno ‘86)

Technology/material Socio-material forms & structures

(Orlikowsky ’07; Hutchins ‘05)

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Conceptual spaces & frame blending

Conceptual spaces (Mental spaces) – selective cognitive configurations of domains of existence

Frame blending – two or more distinct sets of mental resources are brought together in the mind and new conceptual space and frame are created

Some features: Mainly intuitively constructed Minimally explicit Have a referential structure Plays modelling function

Based on Fauconnier ‘94; Turner ‘01

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Kinds of conceptual & frame integration

Single-scope networks

Based on Turner ‘08

Surgeon Butcher

Double-scope networks

“This surgeon is a butcher”

Incompetent

Boxing Business

“Will iPad knock out Kindle?”

Boxing(Products)

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An example: A single-scope network

Frame 1: Select two words to input to the search engine and record your results (the first five URLs)

Frame 2: Interact with the simulation model and figure out how distance is related to speed and time

Blend: Select speed and time values to input to the simulation model and record your results (distance travelled)

Information search frame Simulation frame

Information search frame

Improvisation based on Laurillard ‘08

One frame is selected to organize the blend

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An example: A double-scope network

Blend frame contains elements of both

Frame 1: Select two words to input to the search engine and record your results (the first five URLs)

Frame 2: Discuss with your partner words to input and results

Blend: Discuss with your partner and select the two best words to input to the search engine, then record and discuss your results (five URLs that you and your partner think are the best)

Information search frame Discussion frame

Information search with discussion

framework

Improvisation based on Laurillard ‘08

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Empirical studies

2. Assessment design study 16 professional practice

courses Pharmacy, nursing, education,

social work Focus – assessment design 26 tasks Interviews with teachers Course resources

1. One participant study Postgraduate 1 sem course Modelling and system thinking Mainly online All design resources Class observations 8 retrospective-

epistemological interviews

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Task 1: Teacher guided problem-solving

Teacher guides discussion, students explain and represent different types of feedback in causal loops

Teacher:: Wed 24 Sep 2008 19:39:46 does someone want to label the flowNick: Wed 24 Sep 2008 19:39:48 the cloud is the birthsLeonie: Wed 24 Sep 2008 19:40:11 The cloud is the unlimited source of births?Rita: Wed 24 Sep 2008 19:40:25 and what about the converter?Nick: Wed 24 Sep 2008 19:40:40 birth rate?

The idea is that I put the boxes up on the whiteboard with the variables in them, and I add one arrow each time and I get the class to discuss whether they think that if one variable changes, the other variable would change in the same direction or in a different direction and that determines whether there's a plus or a minus next to that arrow. Then at the end we go through and talk about…

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ICT as a replaceable unproblematic substituteTask 1: Teacher guided problem-solving


I'd probably just use a physical whiteboard. I'd probably get discussion, I'd probably get someone up there as a scribe <…> it's structured very much the same…

…whiteboard is a whiteboard…

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ICT as a replaceable unproblematic substituteTask 1: Teacher guided problem-solving


PedagogyGuided discussion &

representation

TechnologyChat & whiteboard

Create qualitativerepresentations while discussing in class

Discipline Modelling concepts

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Task 2: Independent learning following step-by-step instructions

Students learn to build models in Stella using step-by-step written instructions and use the chat to consult with the teacher


Constructing the Model 1. Open STELLA by double-clicking on the STELLA icon. 2. STELLA has several layers and operating modes. For this tutorial we need to be in the Modeling mode. Click on the earth icon. It should change to a model icon. 3. You should now have a blank area, a window, labeled "STELLA." Note each of the icons and the names for each icon.

…They're quite detailed steps in how to use the software to build this particular model so it's not left up to them to figure it out. <…> That's what they do, they do that on their own computers, they end up with a model at the end. They can ask questions anytime during the class through the chat, or they can email me outside class.…

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ICT as a replaceable problematic substituteTask 2: Independent learning following step-by-step instructions



…I don't think it would have made any different with them if they were face-to-face or online.

…what was most difficult was the first year for me to try and figure out how I would teach how to use software online…

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ICT as a replaceable problematic substituteTask 2: Independent learning following step-by-step instructions


PedagogyDemonstration & hands on

with software

Discipline Model building

software

TechnologyChat & whiteboard

Independent learning using step-by-step

instructionsConstructing the Model 1. Open STELLA by double-clicking on the STELLA icon. 2. STELLA has several layers and operating modes. For this tutorial we need to be in the Modeling mode. Click on the earth icon. It should change to a model icon. 3. You should now have a blank area, a window, labeled "STELLA." Note each of the icons and the names for each icon.

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Task 3: Researching learning process

Students identify and classify instances of decision-making in discussion logs and create a wiki analysing knowledge-building process

They have to find these things we call “knowledge nuggets” or “process nuggets”<…> they identify that moment, they classify it according to a taxonomy we have on the website <..> specific knowledge is about conceptual change, chain change processes, integrating theory with evidence, reflecting on their own experience <…> There's a lot of links between pages and all the rest

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ICT as an irreplaceable unproblematic enablerTask 3: Researching learning process

[without technology] it just doesn’t work <…> you couldn't have the same type of assignment

Sometimes I put more instructions but I don't change the task itself…

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PedagogyLinking theory & practice

Discipline Analysis of knowledge

change

TechnologyWiki pages & logs

Write a wiki report linking data, theory

& interpretation

ICT as an irreplaceable unproblematic enablerTask 3: Researching learning process

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Task 4: Inquiry-based model exploration

Students follow given guidelines to analyse the model and answer questions about system behaviour

They had three questions. <…> They all have access to the model. They change numbers in the model, they run the model, they see how the graph looks at the end, and then they discuss what that might mean in terms of the answer to the question.

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ICT as an irreplaceable troublesome enablerTask 4: Inquiry-based model exploration

[I]f you don't have some sort of visual aid do that <…> it's not something you would normally physically see…

I had to think about how I would present this information <…> I've been thinking about that for the past 6 months or so…

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ICT as an irreplaceable troublesome enablerTask 4: Inquiry-based model exploration

Discipline System structure &

behaviour

Explore models that allow to see system

structure & behaviour

TechnologyModelling software

PedagogyInquiry-based learning

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Mental Resources: Linking pedagogy & ICT tools

The whiteboard feature which is the main different feature of that I use because everyone can see it that can actually do an activity as a group. I can put things up there quickly <...> and then get them to do a bit more each time. It's pretty flexible like that.

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Mental Resources: Linking discipline with pedagogy & ICT

That was an important concept <…> I went looking for materials rather than developing it myself for the first time. I wanted to use something that someone else had developed because the idea for doing it in this online setting in groups was new enough.

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Mental resources: Integrating discipline with pedagogy & ICT

[S]tudents are able to either download the model or interact with an online model simulation, but <…> those students couldn't see that there was this extra carrying capacity and were confused about why there were these different behaviours…

This year I made the models myself…

I changed the questions slightly. The idea behind the question was still the same, but I changed the wording and I gave them more specific things <…> - much more guidance.

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Sources of Mental Resources

How did you come up with this design?

…it just made sense to me …I don't remember why I thought it was a good idea …the chat was probably because I watched Fred in the

first year …the research says that they're going to remember

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Intuitive epistemic resources

Robust foundations p-primKnowledge of the discipline

involves key concepts and skills

Definitions are not tricky. They're things you need to know…

Speed p-primKnowing means speed in

applying knowledge in specific tasks

There's being able to fairly quickly and simply decide on the feedback loops in the causal loop diagram…

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Intuitive pedagogical resourcesClarity p-primInstructions, explanations,

examples should be clear …I use some of them [examples

from X book] to look at transfer because there are really good examples and really good ways of explaining that.

Building-on p-prim The instructional principle of starting

from a simple concept or task and making it gradually more complex

…There's nothing new in each causal loop diagram, they're just a bit more complicated, but there's nothing new in the system dynamics language that describes them and they build on each other….

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Combining resources

That [diagram] related it back to what they'd done in class [anchoring p-prim] so they could see the difference between the two models [application-variation p-prim]. The week that we did behavior and structure I kept repeating [reiteration p-prim] this is what behavior is, this is what structure [explicitness p-prim] is, so that was the point of doing that over and over again [repetition p-prim] because I knew they could easily forget [remembering p-prim]

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Concluding comments

1. Frame blending requires more mental effort

2. Technology tends to be important when it contributes to the organising (disciplinary) frame

Next steps3. How does teacher’s design thinking match

forms embedded in design resources?4. How one could assist teachers to use

intuitive resources in productive ways?

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Professional practice tasks: Single-scope

Pedagogical frameDescriptive-analytical-reflective

artefacts (7/26)

Report about aboriginal officer Analysis of a lesson plan Analysis of a community

pharmacy Medication information report Maze: Critical practice

reflection

Professional frameProfessional ‘design’ artefacts

(13/26)

E-Resource for language learning

Arts lesson plan Disease management service Behaviour assessment & plan Dispensing role play

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Professional practice tasks: Double-scope

Design of ‘rare’ artefacts for practice (3/26) Artist case study for teaching Nursing guidelines Nursing pre/post operative

assessment and teaching plan

‘Educationalised’ practice (3/26)

Action learning project Arts lesson role play Family assessment

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Next stepsWhat is the epistemic structure of “structuring devices”?

What are cognitive features of artefacts?

ExamplePrimary Activity handout

Secondary-Inscriptional Guide for teacher

-Functional Medication review & plan

-Conceptual Justification of recommendations

Tertiary (Epistemic)

Design of a new service

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Next steps

What do students make from these forms?

… But if I just say to them, with no headings, just write a report on this kid – oh dear, believe me, brrr.... Because a psychological report has a certain structure and that’s pretty well established.

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Thank you

[email protected]

Acknowledgements Peter Goodyear ARC grant for Epistemic Fluency project