Group work as an arena for learning in STEM education: negotiations of epistemic relationships

Abstract

The relationship between learning and group work is often treated as self-evident, but the finer workings of this relationship require further study into the social organisation of group work. The aim of the research that forms the basis for the current article is to locate, describe, and gain new understanding of how peers organise their group work with a focus on epistemic negotiations. Based on detailed micro-analyses of several situations where pupils express their knowledge and orient to other's expressions of knowledge regarding the current assignment, we focus on describing and exemplifying how participants organise their social interaction and cooperation in group work. There appear to be important factors that may affect the group work. These include access to physical resources, participants' expressed knowledge and orientation to co-participants' expressed knowledge, and access to new knowledge. Through a micro-analysis of group work, we can better understand the dynamics of group work and better pinpoint cooperation and communication skills and strategies that are important to consider as learnables, themselves.

A New Application in Biology Education: Development and Implementation of Arduino-Supported STEM Activities

“…Different students designed different models to solve the same problem and fixed the Arduino in different places. Unlike traditional education, STEM education is an education method where students are at the center, work in groups, and develop ideas [24]. The use of technology in education is a necessity for the twenty-first century generation that grew up with technology [25].…”

A New Application in Biology Education: Development and Implementation of Arduino-Supported STEM Activities

“…Different students designed different models to solve the same problem and fixed the Arduino in different places. Unlike traditional education, STEM education is an education method where students are at the center, work in groups, and develop ideas [28]. The use of technology in education is a necessity for the twenty-first century generation that grew up with technology [29].…”

Peer Learning through Pedagogical Observation in Driving Teacher Education in Norway

“…The latter is closest to this article's use of the term peer insofar as it concerns same-year students. In peer learning, students work together in groups of two or more, and those involved need access to physical resources, participants' expressed knowledge, and new knowledge (Rusk & Rønning, 2019). The advantage of learning from peers is that they are or have been in the same position as the learner (Boud et al, 2013).…”