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Seow, Peter Sen Kee
- PublicationOpen AccessDeveloping computational thinking: Using TurtleStitch and physical computing(Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education, 2023)
; ;Ker, Chin-LeeXue, HaoranIn this paper, we describe how the use of physical computing devices like an embroidery machine and TurtleStitch software can be used to engage learners in coding and developing their Computational Thinking (CT) skills. Two lessons are described on how novice learners can create geometric patterns with code while applying CT skills. In the first lesson, students learn to create polygon shapes such as square, triangle, pentagon, and hexagon. Through abstraction, pattern recognition, and algorithmic thinking, they must develop a modularized code block to create a polygon with sides and length of the polygon as input parameters. In the second lesson, they must create pinwheel geometric patterns through decomposition, pattern recognition and algorithmic thinking. The accompanying approaches such as tinkering, creating, debugging persevering, and collaborating were used to develop CT skills as learners generate geometric patterns with block-based codes in TurtleStitch. The use of embroidery machines and coding on TurtleStitch can provide opportunities for novice learners to develop coding and computation thinking skills as they creatively generate patterns with codes that can be embroidered in a tangible textile form.62 68 - PublicationMetadata onlyLearning in the workplace through partnershipsThis article examines how a partnership between schools and external organisation provide learning opportunities for teachers and other partners to develop new competencies and practices. The partnership was formed between a school, science centre, community social service agency and education research institute to design programmes to improve lower-track students science learning and well-being. Using a design-based implementation research methodology, the partnership sought to design, implement, and evaluate innovative tinkering-based science lessons iteratively while learning about the profile of the lower-track students. Over the span of three and a half years of the partnership, we documented the partnership process, meetings, lesson design and enactments, and interviews with students and partners. We found that the learning outcomes of the partnership included the development of skills for design, new practices and changed mindsets about failure which was facilitated by collectively building capacity in the partnership and developing the understanding of students. Through a social cultural lens of collaboration, context, and tools, we found that participating in partnerships can move members towards the development of knowledge, practices, and experience that they contribute to the growth of other members in culture of sharing, openness, and power balance.
64 - PublicationMetadata onlyComputational thinking in mathematics: To be or not to be, that is the question(World Scientific, 2021)
; ; ;Huang, Wendy; Wu, LongkaiComputational Thinking is a paradigm for problem solving with the goal that problems and their solutions can be executed by a computer. Because of one’s natural association of computer and computer programming, one is often misguided to think that computational thinking is solely reserved for the computer scientists and computer programmers. This chapter takes the stance that computational thinking is a generically useful way of thinking that is applicable across all disciplines, and in particular, mathematics. We highlight four design principles that mathematics teachers in Secondary Schools and Junior Colleges can apply to create lessons that promote computational thinking to forge mathematical ideas and enhance mathematics learning, which we term as “Math + C” lessons.Scopus© Citations 6 165 - PublicationOpen AccessDesign for scalability: From a class intervention to a level intervention(2014)
; ; ;Chia, Gean ;Kim, Mi Song; Sun, DanerStudying teacher enactment of an innovation helps us understand the process of effective spread of a curricular innovation to teachers who have differing levels of content readiness, pedagogical orientations, and different student profiles. Towards this, we explore how different teachers in the same grade level appropriated a common science curriculum enabled by mobile technologies in their classrooms. As curriculum designs are not self-sufficient by themselves, the enactments of the teachers differ in how they leverage on students’ artifacts, how they integrate the technology into the class and in which way they interact with students in a mobile learning setting. We draw implications for the innovative curricula implementation and for teacher professional development of such innovations with the ultimate purpose of scaling and sustaining.515 190 - PublicationOpen AccessPromoting sustainable teacher change during design research on seamless learning(2011-11)
;Zhang, Baohui; ; ;Chia, GeanDesign research has been the major methodology when learning sciences researchers design and implement interventions to bring education change in schools. However, how to promote systematic and sustainable change in design research remains a big challenge. The study is part of a three-year project that brought a seamless learning innovation to transform primary three (P3) and four science learning. During the first year enactment, we had one teacher and one P3 experimental class. We followed the same teacher and class to Primary four. Another teacher and experimental class joined the project at P4. Audio/video recordings of teacher-researcher weekly meetings, research team weekly meeting minutes, selected audio/video recordings of science lessons and field notes, teacher reflection and interview audios, and student artefacts were collected over about three years of time. We identified teacher to be the major agency for sustainable education change. We apply a Structure/Agency framework and a teacher qualification model when describing and analyzing teacher learning and teacher change during the seamless learning project. Our results showed teacher knowledge, belief, and practice change was facilitated and constrained by the school environment and the change was not of the same pace and synchronized but affected by each other. The paper provides empirical data and analytical framework for teacher change in design research context.143 226 - PublicationMetadata onlyLearning with conversational AI and personas: A systematic literature review(2023)
;Drobnjak, Antun ;Botički, Ivica; Kahn, KenThis paper describes the results of a systematic review dealing with the use of personas, avatars, and characters in conjunction with AI-supported tools such as chatbots or generative AI in education. Although the use generative AI in education is gaining traction, this study seeks to systematically review the body of knowledge dealing with personified and conversational approaches to education with both pre-generative and generative AI. The results of the study emphasize the importance of the three key elements of such systems: the use of pedagogical agents, interaction, and personalization. These key elements can be relevant when considering the adoption of the new generation of generative AI in education. Such systems should scaffold learners’ understanding providing guidance and support, promote self-directedness and ensure effectiveness in learning, provide customized learning paths, and promote ethical use.
102 - PublicationOpen AccessAn evaluation of design and enactment of smartphone-enabled primary science curriculum(2013)
;Wu, Longkai; ; Kim, Mi Song418 973 - PublicationOpen AccessTowards a framework for seamless learning environments(2008-06)
; ;Zhang, Baohui ;So, Hyo-Jeong; 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.343 269 - PublicationOpen AccessFlowgorithm: A possible passage from algorithmic reasoning to creatively founded mathematical reasoning(2021)
; ; ;Huang, Wendy; ;Chan, Shiau WeiWu, LongkaiThis paper argues that algorithm design in the sense of computational thinking (CT) does not involve only routinized procedural applications void of deep conceptual understanding of mathematics. By using the programming language Flowgorithm, we demonstrate how classroom tasks centred around algorithm design may be used to activate creatively founded mathematical reasoning (CMR) in mathematics students.212 328 - PublicationOpen AccessConnecting learning spaces using mobile technology(Educational Technology Publications, 2010)
; ; ;So, Hyo-Jeong ;Toh, YancyThe use of mobile technology can help extend children's learning spaces and enrich the learning experiences in their everyday lives where they move from one context to another, switching locations, social groups, technologies, and topics. When students have ubiquitous access to mobile devices with full connectivity, the in-situ use of the mobile devices in different contexts may allow students to make connections to what they learn in the classroom with their daily life experiences outside the classroom. This article proposes mobile technology supported seamless learning to illustrate how learning occurs seamlessly across time and places mediated by mobile devices. The authors' approaches to nurturing a seamless learning environment are also discussed.297 470