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Islands of Expertise

Pirkko Hyvönen, PhDLearning and Educational

Technology Research Unit (LET)

© pirkko.hyvonen@oulu.fi

ISLANDS OF EXPERTISE

(Crowley & Jacobs, 2002; Palmquist & Crowley, 2007)

• Children and adult novices can develope knowledge constructions and deep understanding of phenomena, which they are deeply interested in (Chi & Koeske, 1983). – Child & parent/adult; novice & expert

• Domain approach to cognition applied to social interactions. It recognizes and requires that environmental inputs are matched to child/novices capacities and expectations. (Gelman, 2010)

”BUILDING” AN ISLAND (knowledge construction)

Building is seen as social and cognitive process, where learning habits are practiced and developed.

Island is woven throughtout multiple activities, hence it is essential to be occupied in many ways (negotiating, activities, reading, teaching, problem-solving, memorising etc.) with the phenomen, learn in activity, particularly in conversations.

Abstract and general themes Building may continue for weeks, months or years Generally building takes place in informal settings, like in home,

museums etc.

© Pirkko Hyvönen

YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN THE ISLAND! (learning is social) Construct knowledge and deepen your understanding with other

people by negotiations, explanations and problem-solving situations in everyday practices. Explanatoids

Long series of collaborative interactions with peers and experts that seems to be relatively unmarcable when viewed individually, but they collectively create a strong linkage between understanding and interest.

Other people support you in maintaining the interest.

© Pirkko Hyvönen

ISLANDS WILL FORM AN ARCHIPELAGO! (Conceptual construction) Through various activities individuals can develop larger

epistemic frames, which will support the connections between earlier knowledge and new domains (Shaffer, 2006)

– Epistemic frames can be seen as a transfer (more Schaffer, 2006)

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COOKING

COUNTRIES, CONTINENTS VEHICLES

TRAINS

AN EXAMPLE OF ISLANDS3-year child: vocabulary, declarative knowledge, schemas, memories are numerous, well-organised, and flexible.

Their shared knowledge, conversational space, allow their talk to move on deeper levels than is typically possible if the boy were a novice.

Unerstanding can be transfered to other situations and domains.

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Religion

Healt sciences

Finnish language

English

Biologie

Statistics

Mathe

mat

ics

Health sciences

Chemistry

Educational sciences, Learning

Common ground

English

Economics

Philosophie

Media sciences

Cultural anthropology

Communication

Physiotherapy

ARCHIPELAGO OF A ONE GROUP

psykologia

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YOUR TASK IS TO

SOLO:1) Name keywords for islands of expertise.2) Make deep reflections of the social and cognitive ways, you

have learned your expertise in a domain of learning and educational technology.

3) Make a presentation of your islands / archipelago.

COLLABORATION (3x4):4) In your group, present your design. A presenter is a novice and

the peers are experts who concentrate on making conversation to provide deeper understanding.

Both, the interested novice and the supportive expert reflect and interpret declarative knowledge and practices, making interferences to connect new knowledge to existing knowledge. Expert aims to support interest and challenge and deepen novice’s understanding

3) Make a syntheses of the results: archipelago of the peer group and present it to other groups.

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REFERENCES

Chi, M.T.H. & Koeske, R. (1983). Network representation of a child’s dinosaur knowledge. Developmental Psychology, 19, 29–39.

Crowley, K., & Jacobs, M. (2002). Building islands of expertise in everyday family activities. In G. Leinhardt, K. Crowley, & K Knutson (Eds.), Learning conversations in museums (pp. 401–423). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Gelman, S.A. (2010). Modules, theories, or islands of expertise? Domain specifity in socialization. Child Development, 81(3), 715–719.

Palmquist, S. D. & Crowley, K. (2007). Studying dinosaur learning on an island of expertise. In R. Goldman, R. Pea, B. Barron, & S. Derry (Eds.), Video research in the learning sciences (pp. 271–286). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Shaffer, D.W. (2006). Epistemic frames for epistemic games. Computers & Education, 46, 223–234.