Problem solving and collaborative communication are among the key 21st century skills educators want students to develop. This paper presents results from a study of the collaborative work patterns of 133 participants from a university level course designed to develop transferable problem-solving skills. Most of the class time in this course was spent on actually solving puzzles, with minimal direct instruction; students were allowed to work either independently or in small groups of two or more, as they preferred, and to move back and forth between these two modalities as they wished. A distinctive student-driven pattern blending collaborative and independent endeavour was observed, consistently over four course offerings in four years. We discuss a number of factors which appear to be related to this variable pattern of independent and collaborative enterprise, including the thinking and learning styles of the individuals, the preference of the individuals, the types of problems being worked on, and the stage in a given problem at which students were working. We also consider implications of these factors for the teaching of problem solving, arguing that the development of collaborative problem solving abilities is an important metacognitive skill. La résolution des problèmes et la communication collaborative sont parmi les compétences clés que les éducateurs du XXIe siècle veulent que leurs étudiants acquièrent. Cet article présente les résultats d’une étude menée sur les modèles de travail collaboratif de 133 participants d’un cours universitaire conçu pour développer des compétences en matière de résolution des problèmes. La plupart des activités de classe de ce cours ont été consacrées à résoudre réellement des casse-tête avec un minimum de directives; les étudiants avaient la permission de travailler soit indépendamment soit en petits groupes de deux ou plus, selon leur préférence, et de passer de l’une à l’autre de ces modalités, comme ils voulaient. On a observé un modèle distinct dirigé par les étudiants eux-mêmes qui était un mélange de travail collaboratif et de travail indépendant, et ce dans quatre cours séparés offerts en quatre ans. Nous discutons un certain nombre de facteurs qui semblent être liés à ce modèle variable d’entreprise indépendante et collaborative, y compris les styles de réflexion et d’apprentissage des individus, les préférences des individus, les types de problèmes sur lesquels les étudiants ont travaillé et l’étape, lors de la résolution d’un problème donné, où les étudiants travaillaient. Nous prenons également en considération les implications de ces facteurs pour l’enseignement de la résolution de problèmes et nous discutons le fait que le développement de compétences pour la résolution de problèmes en collaboration est une compétence métacognitive importante.
This case study examines the physical aspects of a particular university classroom, and what affect specific changes to the classroom had on the perceptions of students, instructors and observers regarding the room as an effective learning space. We compare survey and focus group data collected from students taking courses in the classroom prior to changes to the physical environment with comparable data from students taking courses in the same classroom after specific changes had been made. Immediately following changes to the classroom, notable increases were observed in reported perceptions of student satisfaction with the physical environment, including perceptions of the classroom as a more effective and engaging learning space. Similar perceptions of improvement as a teaching-learning space were reported by instructors and observers. However, subsequent follow-up data collection and analyses suggested little if any sustained increase in perceptions of efficacy of the room as a learning space; indeed, most reported variables returned to baseline levels. The implications of these findings and their relevance to classroom design nevertheless may provide insight regarding the manner in which physical space might support or even enhance teaching and learning.
Problem-solving skills are of ten identified as a key component of 21 st century education. This study collected data from students enrolled in a university-level Liberal Education science course called Problems and Puzzles, which introduced students to the theory and practice of problem solving via puzzles. Based on classroom observation and other qualitative data collected over three semesters, we have identified three significant changes in student behaviour at specific points in the course. These changes can be posited to reveal three underlying threshold concepts in the evolution and establishment of students' problem-solving skills.
Learning organizations rely on collaborative information and understanding to support and sustain professional growth and development. A collaborative self-assessment instrument can provide clear articulation and characterization of the level of adoption of innovation such as the use of instructional technologies. Adapted from the “Level of Use” (LoU) and “Stages of Concern” indices, the Level of Adoption (LoA) survey was developed to assess changes in understanding of and competence with emerging and innovative educational technologies. The LoA survey, while reflecting the criteria and framework of the original LoU from which it was derived, utilizes a specifically structured on-line, self-reporting scale of “level of adoption” to promote collaborative self-reflection and discussion. Growth in knowledge of, and confidence with, specific emergent technologies is clearly indicated by the results of this pilot study, thus supporting the use of collaborative reflection and assessment to foster personal and systemic professional development. Résumé : Les organisations apprenantes s’appuient sur des informations et une compréhension issues de la collaboration afin de soutenir et d’entretenir la croissance et le perfectionnement professionnels. Un instrument d’auto-évaluation collaboratif permet d’articuler et de caractériser de manière explicite le niveau d’adoption des innovations, comme l’utilisation de technologies éducatives, par exemple. Adapté à partir des indices de « niveau d’utilisation » (ou « LoU » pour Level of Use) et de « niveaux de préoccupation », l’instrument d’enquête sur le niveau d’adoption (ou « LoA » pour Level of Adoption) a été conçu afin d’évaluer les changements qui surviennent dans la compréhension des technologies éducatives émergentes et innovatrices ainsi que dans les compétences relatives à ces technologies. L’instrument d’enquête LoA, bien qu’il reflète les critères et le cadre de l’indice original LoU dont il est dérivé, utilise une échelle d’autodéclaration en ligne du « niveau d’adoption » qui est structurée spécifiquement afin de promouvoir l’autoréflexion et les discussions collaboratives. Les résultats de cette étude pilote démontrent clairement une croissance des connaissances et de la confiance relatives à certaines technologies émergentes en particulier, ce qui vient du même coup appuyer l’utilisation de la réflexion et de l’évaluation collaboratives afin de favoriser le perfectionnement personnel et professionnel systémique.
Problem-solving skills are of ten identified as a key component of 21 st century education. This study collected data from students enrolled in a university-levelLiberal Education science course called Problems and Puzzles, which introduced students to the theory and practice of problem solving via puzzles. Based on classroom observation and other qualitative data collected over three semesters, we have identified three significant changes in student behaviour at specific points in the course. These changes can be posited to reveal three underlying threshold concepts in the evolution and establishment of students' problem-solving skills. KEY WORDSproblem solving, threshold concepts, persistence, novice-to-expert transition, transformative experience, liminal state. INTRODUC TIONProblem solving is recognized among the criti cal attributes identified in Kay's 21 st century learning framework (2010). Specific problem-solving skills such as analy sis, transfer and metacognition also fig ure prominently in the revised Bloom's taxonomy (Bloom, 1956;Krathwohl, 2002) and in the facets of understanding described by Wiggins and McTighe (2005). But how might we ensure that our students learn and practice such skills? At the post-sec ondary level, problem-solving courses are regularly offered within the confined contexts of particular disciplines such as engineering, business or medicine, or to develop specific and distinct skills in subjects like mathematics or computer science. The problem-based learning approach (Savery, 2006; Wilkerson & Gijselaers, 1996), which grew out of education for medical students, also tends to focus on student learning in a content area through the use of open-ended problems in that area that students are required to research and address. These approaches are generally disposed to using problem solving to teach content rather than using content to explicitly teach problem solving skills.We have studied the development of problem-solving skills in a less content-focused environment, as a learning outcome rather than using "problem-based learning" to achieve other content or context specific learning objectives. The locus of our study is a Liberal Education problem-solving course for university students called Problems and Puzzles. The course approaches the study of problem solving and the development of problemsolving skills in a general way, using puzzles as a learning vehicle to help students develop Wismath, Orr, Mackay a generic and transferable set of problem-solving skills. Pedagogically, we are interested in whether there are particular skills or strategies that are helpful to students at different times during the course, and in our research study we have looked for changes in student behaviour that could indicate development of strategic problem-solving skills. We also wish to explore whether observable behavioural changes are related to threshold concepts, in the sense suggested by Meyer and Land (2003). Meyer and Land define threshold concepts in a particular area of study as concept...
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