| Images of connected features: |
| | | TAPPED IN uses familiar academic setting |  |
| | | Alternated Individual and Group Discourse (eStep) |  |
| | | Whole-class collaboratively constructed Wiki table |  |
| | | Supports for teacher collaboration in eStep |  |
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Connections 
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| Description: |
| This principle calls for the interlace of group activities with individual and whole class activities. |
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Theoretical background:
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In activities that allow the transition between individual, group, and class work the individual knowledge and the team knowledge interacts with and influence each other: The contribution of the individual shapes the team knowledge-building process, and the team process molds the knowledge of the individual (Salomon, 1993).
This principle also helps dealing with the need for individual feedback and assessment for the individual learners when working as part of a group. For example, Kolodner, et al (2003) recommend combining personal reports and reflections with the work on a collaborative project.
Working in small teams is, at times, more efficient then working in big groups. In the Computer as Learning Partner research, students were most successful when they collaborated with one peer on a complex project (Linn & Hsi, 2000). This stemmed from the comfort individuals felt in one-on-one discussions as well as from the logistic difficulties of working with large groups. However, larger groups also offer students opportunities. In larger groups students need to justify their opinions more coherently to get them heard and to negotiate tasks more carefully than they do when working with one partner. Multiple social formats also increase the likelihood that all the participants will find an effective format for their learning.
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| Tips (Challenges, Limitations, Tradeoffs, Pitfalls): |
When the learner acts as an individual in a social context, we can refer to anonymous participation in the group as a different social structure then non-anonymous participation. Anonymous participation seems to reduce the anxiety and encourage the engagement of shy individuals, while non-anonymous participation allows for personal treatment of the individual contributors.
In some cases environmental and circumstantial conditions may influence the decision which social structure should be used for a given activity. An example for such a case is the logistic difficulties of working with large groups and a small computer screen.
This principle and the principle "Reuse student artifacts as resource for further learning" strengthen each other |
| References (Off-line): |
Kolodner, J. L., Camp, P.J., Crismond, D., Fasse, B., Gray, J., Holbrook, J., Puntambekar, S., & Ryan, M. (2003). Problem-based learning meets case-based reasoning in the middle-school science classroom: Putting learning by design TM into practice. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 12, 4, 495-547.
Linn, M. C., & Hsi, S., 2000. Computers, Teachers, Peers: Science Learning Partners. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Salomon, G. (1993). Distributed cognition: Psychological and educational considerations. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
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| Summary of changes (wiki): |
| Changed from a specific principle to pragmatic |
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History
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