Instilling Low Carbon Awareness through Technology-Enhanced Cooperative Problem Based Learning

Abstract

Cooperative Problem-Based Learning (CPBL) is a highly Student-Centred Learning (SCL) method for students to develop self-directed learning skills. Previous studies show that CPBL succeeded in instilling environ-mental awareness, deep learning in Science, Technology and Mathematics (STEM) and 21st century skills among students. In this study, digital tech-nologies were utilised to form learning communities during the planning and implementation of CPBL: Low Carbon Society program in two sec-ondary schools in the Iskandar Region in Malaysia. CPBL requires the stu-dents and the facilitators to be proactive and sensible in seeking knowledge and information needed to solve the problem. Google search engine were predominantly used by the CPBL students to search for information, while WhatsApp and Telegram were primarily used to communicate and form learning support communities during the CPBL learning process. CPBL provides early exposure for the students to use software programs in plan-ning and delivering their findings. Students’ reflective journals and obser-vation reports were collected and analysed to identify low carbon aware-ness developed through CPBL. It is found that students’ active involve-ment in understanding the issues and the external motivation and pressure given enabled them to embrace the concept and awareness. The findings of this study indicate that technology assists and provides much needed support in the learning environment to develop low carbon awareness among the students.

Comparison of School Based-Cooperative Problem Based Learning (Sb-Cpbl) and Conventional Teaching on Students’ Attitudes Towards Science

“…The results suggest that learning via SB-CPBL is more efficient than conventional teaching approaches to develop more positive attitudes towards science. As previously found by other studies (i.e., Chen & Kuo, 2019;Nawi et al, 2019;Siew et al, 2017), that highlighted the effectiveness of the cooperative problem-based learning approach on students learning, the SB-CPBL students emerged as active learners, engaging in a safe learning environment where they are actively engaged in group discussions, peer dialogues, and are unafraid to ask questions or dissect ideas. Contrary to a conventional classroom, more opportunities for discussions were allocated for the SB-CPBL class, which contributes towards an open climate environment where students can say whatever comes to mind, be they suggestions, comments, or opinions.…”

“…The SB-CPBL module was also aligned with the HPL framework, as presented by (Bransford et al, 2004). HPL is a guide for designing environments that promote high-quality learning (Nawi et al, 2019) by emphasizing four overlapping focus; a) learner-centered, b) knowledge-centered, c) community-centered, and d) assessment-centered used as criteria for planning effective learning environments. For example, using problematic scenarios that are crafted based on the level of learners' prior knowledge is in alignment with the knowledge-centered element.…”

“…CL establishes a learning community where learners can support and obtain help from each other. PBL and CL's natural synergy is vital in producing a supportive and cooperative learning environment (Nawi et al, 2019). At the level of students' attitudes, several studies have highlighted how PBL strategies combined with CL can create more positive attitudes towards science amongst students (Adi et al, 2012;Gok & Sylay, 2010).…”

Project-Based Learning as a Pedagogical Tool in Teaching the Safe Management of Pesticides in an Agricultural-Rural Community

“…To that effect, different pedagogical strategies can be applied to address the range of teaching and learning contexts. Among the most significant are problem-based learning, collaborative learning, selfmanagement or self-learning, and discovery teaching and project-based learning (Farahwahidah et al, 2019;Feo, 2010).…”

Learning Processes and Agency in the Decarbonization Context: A Systematic Review through a Cultural Psychology Point of View

“…Following Sovacool and Hess [53], we defined a theory as any reference to: general presuppositions, models, and frameworks that specify a precise view in the research design. Thus, as detailed in Table A3, we found that 10 articles (36%) [54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63] used a theory that directly addresses the function of the learning process. These studies include perspectives on social learning [55] and situated learning [54,57,58,62].…”