Enhancing Project-Based Learning Through Online Between-Group Collaboration

Lou, Yiping; MacGregor, S. Kim

doi:10.1080/13803610512331383509

Cited by 52 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Additionally, Tassainari (1996) and Worthy (2000) assert project-based approaches offer learners opportunities to guide, manage and monitor their learning through self-direction and self-regulation. Project-based learning also has the potential to integrate collaboration and cooperation meaningfully (e.g., Helle et al, 2006;Lou & MacGregor, 2004;Mitchell, Foulger, Wetzel, & Rathkey, 2009), where student teams remain intact throughout a project or individuals use peer reviews and more informal social negotiations. Lessons employing project-based learning also use a variety of resources, tools, and scaffolds (Dodge, 1995(Dodge, , 1998Helle et al, 2006;Williams van Rooij, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning, Beliefs, and Products: Students' Perspectives with Project-based Learning

Grant¹

2011

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

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Project-based learning offers promise as an instructional method that affords authentic learning tasks grounded in the personal interests of learners. While previous research has presented results of learning gains, motivations, and teacher experiences, limited empirical research has presented student perspectives in project-based learning. This research sought to explore how learners created projects. A qualitative case study design was employed with five purposively selected participants from eighth grade geography at a private day school. From interviews, observations, and document collection, five themes emerged from what influenced participants' projects and what the participants learned: (1) internal influences, (2) external influences, (3) beliefs about projects, (4) tools for technology-rich environments, and (5) learning outcomes and products. The first four themes describe influences to shape the fifth theme, learning products. The term learning products was used to describe both the learning acquired by the participants and the learning artifacts the participants produced as part of the instructional unit. Implications for practice and future research are considered.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning, Beliefs, and Products: Students' Perspectives with Project-based Learning

Grant¹

2011

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

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“…Johnson, 1985;Lazonder, 2005;Warschauer, 1997), in this paper I am more concerned with how computers mediate the existing shared creative activity of children. In shared online learning environments, computers can be viewed both as a medium through which the collaborative activity takes place and also, perhaps inevitably, as an integral part of that process (Lou & MacGregor, 2004). In the case of the study reported in this paper, and in most creative activities within the music classroom involving computers, the children could have completed the task using other means (albeit not as easily).…”

Section: The Mediating Role Of Technologymentioning

confidence: 94%

Children's creative collaboration during a computer-based music task

Hewitt¹

2008

International Journal of Educational Research

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The purpose of this study was to identify and analyse specific instances of transactive communication as children engaged in a paired melody writing task using a computer-based composing environment.Transactive communication has been identified as one of the features of general collaborative engagement that is most helpful in an educational sense, and which makes collaborative learning an important tool for learning and teaching. The paper reports the results of an empirical study in which a group of 10 and 11 year olds worked in pairs to compose short melodies using computers. Analysis of between-pupil dialogue suggested that levels of transactive communication varied between pairs, and also within pairs as pupils took on different roles at the computer. Factors of individual difference, such as musical expertise or whether the pair were friends, did not appear to have a significant influence on the extent of, or nature or, transactive communication.2

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“…These CIC interactions expand the learning beyond the limitations of one pair by providing more opportunities for the students to exchange insights, ideas, and strategies, and to learn from each other's strengths and weaknesses (Lou, 2004;Lou & MacGregor, 2004). Furthermore, in the CIC, the context and progress of other working projects provide the students with both motivational support and new insights (Lou, 2004;Lou & MacGregor, 2004). The students provide feedback to each other, and in doing so, they are able to develop critical thinking, self-regulation skills, and metacognition.…”

Section: Supporting Students' Metacognition and Developing Their Envimentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of explicit environmentally oriented metacognitive guidance and peer collaboration on students' expressions of environmental literacy

2015

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The prevalence of habitat and life-threatening environmental problems has motivated environmental researchers to develop education programs to strengthen students' environmental literacy. We argue that the connection between environmental literacy and metacognition is theoretically promising. Therefore, we developed the Meta-CIC model, which is designed to develop students' environmental literacy, in parallel to supporting their metacognition. The core of this model is open inquiry-based learning. An explicit environmentally focused metacognitive guidance (Meta) was embedded within the inquiry setting. This guidance referred to the components of metacognition and the strands of environmental literacy. The model includes two levels of collaboration: the Collaborating Inquiry (CI), which refers to the interactions between a pair of students working on an inquiry project; and the Collaborating Inquiry Community (CIC), which refers to the interactions among pairs of students working on different projects. We investigated the contribution of the Meta-CIC model to students' expression of environmental literacy. For this purpose, 250 seventh and eight grade students, who conducted open inquiry projects throughout a full school year, participated in this research. We examined students' environmental literacy using two tools: an environmental literacy questionnaire, which adopts a positivist, outcome-based approach; and an innovative Environmental Literacy INventory (ELIN), which adopts a phenomenological process-based approach. The environmental literacy questionnaire served as pre-and post-test measurements. The ELIN was used to analyze students' reflections, following their involvement in the inquiry process. The results of this study provide supporting evidence for the theoretical relationship between metacognition and environmental literacy, and demonstrate the different effects of the Meta and the CIC components on students' expressions of environmental literacy. The results also point to the importance of providing explicit and context-based metacognitive support. This study highlights the importance of developing students' high order thinking and implementing the Meta-CIC model, within the framework of environmental education. The crucial role of environmental education in the face of environmental conflicts has long been acknowledged. According to the Tbilisi Declaration, the goal of environmental education (EE) is to develop a world population that is aware of, and concerned about, the environment and its associated problems (UNESCO, 1977). Specifically, EE should empower students worldwide with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, motivations, and commitment to work both individually and collectively toward solving current problems and preventing new ones (UNESCO, 1977). These goals can be achieved by developing "environmental literacy," which Roth (1992) defines as the capacity to perceive and interpret the relative health of environmental systems, and to take appropriate action to maintain, restore, or...

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Enhancing Project-Based Learning Through Online Between-Group Collaboration

Cited by 52 publications

References 36 publications

Learning, Beliefs, and Products: Students' Perspectives with Project-based Learning

Learning, Beliefs, and Products: Students' Perspectives with Project-based Learning

Children's creative collaboration during a computer-based music task

The effect of explicit environmentally oriented metacognitive guidance and peer collaboration on students' expressions of environmental literacy

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