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Little Learning, Big Learning: In Defense of Authentic Tasks

UGA Spring

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• Challenge some of your existingexisting assumptions

• Raise important questionsq

• Encourage change

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First Three Keynotes

TaraStephen Dave

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Keynote

Twitter

Beach

Can you focus?

Kirschner, P. A., Sweller, J., & Clark, R. E. (2006). Why minimal guidance during instruction does not work: An analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery, problem-based, e periential and inq ir based teachingexperiential, and inquiry-based teaching. Educational Psychologist, 41(2), 75-86.

Paul John Dickhttp://www.cogtech.usc.edu/publications/kirschner_Sweller_Clark.pdf

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Stephen Downes already did this!

http://halfanhour.blogspot.com/2007/11/response-to-kirshner.html

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The standard view, which I ask you now to reject as being rare in history and not at all the essence ofhistory and not at all the essence of the scientific enterprise, is that the scientist creates hypotheses and theories and sends them out to be tested and tried confirmed or (withtested and tried, confirmed or (with Popper) falsified by making a trial of the prescribed “experiment.”

Problems abound with Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark’s thesis.

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21st Century Outcomes– Accessing and using information– Communication skillsCommunication skills– Demonstrating understanding– Applying rules and procedures– Being creative– Thinking critically – Making sound judgments– Problem-solving– Life-long learning– Exhibiting intellectual curiosity

Traditional Learning Domains

• Cognitive

• Affective

• Psychomotor

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Evaluation

Cognitive Cognitive Domain Domain What

we saySynthesis

Analysis

Application

say we value

What Application

Comprehension

Knowledge

What we teach and test

Characterization

Affective Affective Domain Domain

Characterization by Value Set

Organization

ValuingValuing

Responding

Receiving

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Non-discursive Communication

Psychomotor Psychomotor Domain Domain

Skilled Movements

Physical Activities

Perceptual SkillsPerceptual Skills

Basic Fundamental Movement

Reflex Movement

Unfortunately, Kirschner, Sweller andSweller, and Clark totally neglect thethe conativedomain.

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Conative Domain• Will• DesireDesire• Level of effort• Drive• Striving• Mental energy• Self-determination• Intention

History of the Conative Domain

Orexis: (Greek) Striving; desire; the conative aspect of mindaspect of mind

Aristotle

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cognitive affective

conative

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Cognitive – Affective – Conative

• To know • To feel • To act• Thinking• Thought• Epistemology• Knowing

• Feeling• Emotion• Esthetics • Caring

• Willing• Volition• Ethics • Doing

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You are absolutely

right.

You are absolutely

right.

Formidable Opponent

Our research is having a

significant positive impact onpositive impact on

society.

Our researchis just a vehicleis just a vehicle

for our own academic career

advancement.

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Rationales for what we as researchers do:• Increase access to

education for those who would otherwise not have it.

• Improve the processes and outcomes of education.

Increasing Access

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Improving Quality

I just received my new

e-learning course I amcourse. I am

so happy.

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Wow. This is confusing. What am I

supposed tosupposed to do?

They said this would be easy. I am so

frustrated.

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This e-learning course is a disaster. I’m dropping out.

Number 1 ChallengeCreating learning environments that promote active learning, critical thinking,thinking, collaborative learning, and knowledge creation.

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Improving quality hasquality has never been moremore important.

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Our “research” remains primarily pseudoscientific.

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We as researchers have little impact on enhancing the quality and effectiveness of teaching and learning.

Our Research Reality• Isolated researchers conduct

individual studies rarely linked to a h d d ithresearch agenda or concerned with

any relationship to practice.• Studies are presented at

conferences attended by other researchers and published inresearchers and published in journals few people read.

• Occasional literature reviews and meta-analyses are published.

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Slavin’s 5 Questions for Valid Educational Research• Is there a control group? • Are the control and• Are the control and

experimental groups assigned randomly?

• If a matched study, are the groups extremely similar? g p y

• Is the sample size large enough?

• Are the results statistically significant? Robert Slavin

“It Won’t Work” Position• Double blind experiments

impossible in educationp• Implementation variance

reduces treatment differences

• Causal agents are under-ifi d i d ispecified in education

• Goals, beliefs, and intentions of students and teacher affect treatments David R. Olson

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Thomas Kuhn The Structure of Scientific Revolutions

"I'm not sure that there can now be such a thing as really g yproductive educational research. It is not clear that one yet has the conceptual research categories, research tools, and properly selected problems that will lead to increased understanding of the educational process.

Complexity of Interactions• We cannot store up

generalizations and constructs for ultimate assembly into a network.

• When we give proper weight toproper weight to local conditions, any generalization is a working hypothesis, not a conclusion.

Lee Cronbach

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Two Key Points• Introducing

technology alone istechnology alone is never enough.

• Big gains in productivity come when new t h l itechnologies are combined with new ways of doing business.

Keeping learning designdesign ahead of technology is anis an ongoing struggle.

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ISD

It’s still alive.

Web 2.0 and 3.0 tools are enabling the new

generation to develop th i i dtheir minds as never

before.

Unfettered access to new technologies are

reducing the intellects of the young to new lows!

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Generational DifferencesBoomers – Gen Xers – Net Gen

“The Net Generation has arrived… combining demographicdemographic muscle with digital mastery…who in profound and fundamental waysfundamental ways learn…very differently than their parents.”

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“…today's teens are recasting the image of youth from downbeat and alienated to upbeat and engaged.”

“Our students, as digital natives, willnatives, will continue to evolve and change so rapidly that we won't be able to keep up.”

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Generational Differences• Surveys of elites

using poor sampling • Generalizations

are extremely under supportedunder-supported by data

• Caution is advised

Diana Oblinger, President, EDUCAUSE

Although they [the NetGen] are comfortableNetGen] are comfortable using technology without an instruction manual, their understanding of the technology or source quality may be shallow.

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“Today's young people have been raised to aim for the stars at a time when it is more difficult than ever to get into college, g g ,find a good job, and afford a house.”

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“Their expectations are very high just as the world is becoming more competitive, so there's a huge gclash between their expectations and reality.”

In 2002, 74% of high school studentsstudents admitted to cheating whereas in 1969 onl 34%1969 only 34% admitted such a failing.

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In 2004, 48% of American college freshmen reported

An A or else….

earning an A average in high school whereas in 1968 only 18% of yfreshmen reported being an A student in high school.

In the 1960s, 42% of high school students expected to work in professional jobs whereas in the late 1990s, 70% of high , gschools expected to work as a professional.

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In the 1950s, only 12% of young teens agreed with

It’s all about me.

teens agreed with the statement “I am an important person” whereas by the late 1980sthe late 1980s, 80% claimed they were important.

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The most “shocking” discovery is the “non-aggression pact” between professors and students.

National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)

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• 2007: 607 colleges and universities 2006 557 ll d i iti• 2006: 557 colleges and universities

• 2005: 529 colleges and universities • 2004: 473 colleges and universities • 2003: 437 colleges and universities 003 3 co eges a d u e s t es• 2002: 367 colleges and universities • 2001: 321 colleges and universities • 2000: 276 colleges and universities

NSSE results

• Work expectations for students:–10-15 hrs

in class –25-30 hrs

studying

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NSSE results

• Work Reality:20% st d 5 hrs–20% study 5 hrs per week or less

–25% 6-10 hrs–48% 11-30 hrs48% 11 30 hrs–7% > 30 hrs

Average faculty hours in USA• 53 hours per week:

ranging from 47 in it ll tcommunity colleges to

57 in research universities

• 11 hours per week teaching: ranging fromteaching: ranging from 16 hours in community colleges to 7 in research universities

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NSSETime

OnTask

Studentfaculty

Interaction

HighAcademic Challenge

I went to Wikipedia to find out about World War II…..3 hours of li ki l t I’ till clicking later I’m still

on goofoff.com.

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• Summation is not enough

• We need criticalcritical analysis

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Our students don’t knowdon t know that 63.7% of all statistics

dare made up on the spot?

I find everythingeverything I need withwith Google.

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• 60% could not name a single supreme court judgejudge

• 48% did not know what Roe vs. Wade was62% ld t• 62% could not name a country in Bush’s Axis of Evil

So what should weshould we do to resolve these two problems?

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Design Researchis driven by the desire for

IMPACT.

AkkerGravemeijer

McKenney Nieveen

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Key Criteria for Design Research• Design research is rigorous, relevant, and

collaborative. (McKenney, Nieveen & van den Akker)

• Design research (Kelly) is:– Interventionist– Iterative– Process focused– Collaborative

M ltile el– Multilevel– Utility-oriented– Theory-driven

• The products of design-research are effective change and warranted design principles (Reeves).

Design Research Characteristics:• Focused on broad-based, complex

problems critical to education.• Intensive collaboration among

researchers and practitioners.• Long-term engagement

involving continual refinement of protocols and questions.

• Commitment to theory construction and explanation.

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Design Research Strategies:• Define a pedagogical outcome and create

learning environments that address it.• Emphasize content and

pedagogy rather than technology.

• Give special attention to supporting human pp ginteractions.

• Modify learning environments until outcome is reached.

http://www.authentictasks.uow.edu.au/

Reeves, Herrington, Oliver

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It’s the task that matters most!

http://www.authentictasks.uow.edu.au/

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Authentic Tasks Design Elements1. Real world relevance2. Ill-defined and complex3 Sustained effort over time

KeepIt

real3. Sustained effort over time4. Multiple perspectives5. Collaboration6. Reflection 7 I t di i li

real.

7. Interdisciplinary8. Articulation with assessment9. Polished products10.Competing solutions

We must seek to weaken the cult of self-esteem.

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Stop telling young people they can bebe anything they want.

Stop telling young people they can bebe anything they want.

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McDonald's to offer burger bar 'A-Levels' Monday, 28 January 2008

The QualificationsThe Qualifications and Curriculum Authority said it had approved the company tocompany to develop courses up to the equivalent of A-level standard.

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i’m learning it

Make

Thanks, but you still got a B.

Make grades meaningful again.

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Assessment

Reward achievement, not justnot just participation.

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“Quality is a characteristic of thought and statement that is recognized by a non-thinking process. Because definitions are a product of rigid, formal thinking, quality cannot be defined.”

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impact

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"The best thing for being sad," replied Merlyn…."is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake

t i ht li t i t th di dat night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honor trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one ything for it then––to learn… That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting."

Thank You!Professor Tom ReevesProfessor Tom ReevesThe University of GeorgiaInstructional Technology604 Aderhold HallAthens GAAthens, GA 30602-7144 USAtreeves@uga.eduhttp://it.coe.uga.edu/~treeves