"Ideas first" in collaborative second language (L2) writing: An exploratory study
Drawing from sociocultural perspectives, this paper argues for the necessity of distinguishing the activity of "brainstorming ideas" from the activity of "generating words/phrases" in collaborative L2 process writing. We designed a series of Chinese writing lessons based on the online collaborative learning software GroupScribbles (GS) to explore students’ participation and performance with "ideas first" versus "words/phrases first" activity designs. Quantitative data collected from an analytical tool reveal that students engaged more actively in the "ideas first" collaborative L2 writing than in the "words/phrases first" approach. Our research findings suggest that "ideas first" supported by the affordances of the GS tools a viable approach for collaborative L2 writing.
Scripting peer-rating for collaborative knowledge improvement: A study on pre-service teachers’ collaborative lesson design
This paper examines the effect of a scripted peer-rating procedure for collaborative knowledge improvement in a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment. The context of the study was in pre-service teacher education. Participants underwent two rounds of computer-supported collaborative lesson design (CSCLD) guided by the five-phase Spiral Model of Collaborative Knowledge Improvement (SMCKI) script. The intergroup peer-rating phase (phase 3 of SMCKI) provided opportunities for participants to view and critique lesson ideas of other design groups. To ensure the quality of peer-rating, the rating procedure was micro-scripted so that the issues of social loafing, the bias in opinion, and avoiding criticism in the attempts to maintain harmony in the Asian culture norm can be averted. The findings show that the micro-scripted intergroup peer-rating bring forth quality feedback. Results also reveal that the feedback helped develop the pre-service teachers' TP A CK competencies in Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) design, indicating that micro-scripted peer-rating was effective in supporting collaborative knowledge improvement.
Active participation and collaborative learning leveraged by interactive digital sticky notes technology
This study examines 10 weeks of collaborative learning activities that are supported by the GroupScribbles (GS) software technology in 2 Singapore Primary 4 Science classrooms. It is found that GS supports instant formative feedback from students and from teachers effectively. GS plays a positive role at both the level of individual learners and that of group learners. Several emergent collaboration behaviors manifested by students in GS were observed. With GS, the construction of knowledge is distributed across individual learners when they engage in social discourse within the activities. Students were found to have more opportunities to participate in class discussions to share and were better able to organize their ideas by using GS. The results show that the GS classes performed better than non-GS classes as measured by traditional assessments.
Analysis of small group interactions in a seamless language learning environment: An artifact-oriented approach
We present a study in “Move, Idioms!”, a mobile Chinese Language learning approach that emphasizes learner created content and contextualized meaning making with their daily encounters. Students used smart-phones on a 1:1, 24x7 basis to capture photos of the real-life contexts pertaining to Chinese idioms or conjunctions, made sentences with idioms/conjunctions, and posted them onto a wiki space for peer review. This paper focuses on students’ on-campus face-to-face collaborative learning process. We derive a novel visualization approach for descriptive analysis of the small group activities inspired by the notions of mediation by artifacts and distributed cognition to provide a synoptic view of the process of student artifact co-creation in such collaborative activities. The artifact-oriented analysis and visualization approach is our preliminary attempt in making sense of how the seamless learning process may look like in the perspective of learners’ individual and collaborative learning experiences.
How does feedback formulation pattern differ between more-improvement and no-improvement student groups? An exploratory study
Accumulating studies suggest including multiple feedback components such as evaluation and suggestion within one feedback unit is beneficial, yet how various feedback components are formulated and their learning effect remain understudied. This study examined the formulation pattern of different feedback components in the feedback given and received by groups with different levels of learning improvement. In social studies classrooms in Singapore, fourteen groups of secondary schoolers (n=61, female=61) participated in giving peer feedback during collaborative argumentation activities. Collaborative argumentation and feedback components of each group were collected and analyzed. The result reported that more-improvement groups tended to give and receive feedback that included an evaluation or position component before giving suggestions. No-improvement groups were more likely to give and receive feedback that started with a supportive standpoint of the reviewed content before opposing standpoints. The findings provide insights for the implementation of effective peer feedback in authentic classroom settings.
Towards a framework for seamless learning environments
The purpose of this study is to explore the complex nature of Singapore teachers’ beliefs about knowledge and learning and how these beliefs influence pedagogical practices in their classes. This paper presents findings from a large-scale survey study with 1806 teachers in Singapore. Data revealed that while teachers’ beliefs about pedagogies, knowledge and learning were largely consistent, they also believed and practiced both teacher-centered and learner-centered pedagogies and assessment methods.
ICT experiences and competencies of pre-service teachers in the digital age
This study examined the information and communications technology (ICT) ownership, usage and competencies of the new generation of Singapore preservice teachers who were born and had grown up in the Digital Age, roughly after 1980. This project surveyed preservice teachers at the National Institute of Education and interviewed volunteers who were also asked to keep a journal reflecting their ICT-related activities and thinking to provide further insight. Data analysis shows that they had good access to mainstream ICT devices such as computers and mobile phones. The lack of homogeneity with regard to ICT experiences, competencies and improvement was identified. The majority of pre-service teachers were found competent in using the core applications, including email, chatting, searching for information online and frequently for entertainment, using productivity tools, communication and socialization rather than for study and work. And they remained passive consumers instead of active creators of digital content.
Evaluation of implementation of the IT Masterplan 3 and its impact on Singapore schools: Instrumentation and baseline study
This evaluation study aimed to assess the implementation of the Third Masterplan for Information and Communication Technologies in Education (mp3) and its impact on Singapore schools through a 5-year survey of more than 8,000 participants and case studies of 12 schools. This research brief focuses on findings from the 2009 baseline study. In general, Singapore students reported high competencies in basic ICT skills and perceived themselves to be frequently engaged in self-directed learning (SDL) and collaborative learning (CoL) using ICT. Their perception of SDL revolved around achieving better academic results, and they tended to adopt a divide-and-conquer strategy for CoL. The teachers also reported high competencies in basic ICT skills. They tended to associate SDL with independent learning using ICT-mediated resources while associating CoL with group work. Recommendations are made on ways to harness ICT to enhance the achievement of the mp3 goals.
Peer assessment for knowledge improvement: Do the type and the affective nature matter?
Peer assessment is an important component in collaborative learning. Its effects have been substantially evidenced to vary with the types of feedback. This mixed-method study was conducted in a pre-service teachers’ TEL design learning context. It aimed to examine the different types of feedback and their affective nature on knowledge improvement. Specifically, the types of peer comments and their affective nature on pre-service teachers’ TPACK knowledge improvement were examined. The results showed that feedback that raised questions and concerns about the work and suggestive feedback gained the highest response rate leading to further improvement. Both positive and negative comments had the same impact on supporting the improvement of their work. The emoticon at the technology platform did not influence the participants with the affective state of the peer comments. The implications of future peer assessment implementations and the design of technology platforms to promote effective peer feedback are discussed.