Video Cases Online:Cognitive Studies of Pre-Service Teacher Learning

Sharon J. Derry

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Cindy Hmelo-Silver

Rutgers University

Funding Provided by The National Science Foundation

Unsolved Problem: Spontaneous Transfer to PracticeCan conceptual systems we

“market” in university professional programs be truly useful in students’ future professional lives?

A search for practical instructional approaches that can be implemented on a large scale.

Context of Work:

Learning Sciences Courses for Preservice Teachers at Rutgers & UW-Madison

Goal: Help teachers acquire useful knowledge of learning science concepts.

Ideas are powerful things, requiring not a studious contemplation but an action, even if it is only an inner action.

Midge Decter, American writer

Knowledge in Action

Needed for Transfer: Meshed Cognitive Representations Produce representations that mesh:

Perceptual visions of (teaching) practice Conceptual understanding learning science Plans for (teaching) practice Mindsets for reflective practice

Courses that systematically intertwine: Video case study Conceptual processing (e.g. readings) Lesson design activities

STELLAR (Socio-technical Environment for Learning & Learning Activity Research) System for Building High-Mesh Online Courses Configurable Tools:

Learning Activity Constructor Interactive Group Whiteboard Individual Student Notebooks Asynchronous and Synchronous Discussions Research Library Multimedia Hypertext

Upload video and digital resources Integrate with course text

Interface for Viewing Video

An Example STELLAR Activity: A Lesson Design Problem for Math Educators

Designer Constructs

Steps in Activity

Designer Configures Tools for Learning

Designer Creates

Instructions & Activities for Each Step:

This is Problem at Step 1

Group Whiteboard ToolGroup Whiteboard Tool

VotingVoting UtilityUtility

FeedbacFeedbackk

ConfigurablConfigurable Spaces e Spaces and and PromptsPrompts

Video Case Interface

Links to Hypertext (differs for each mini-

case)

Active Mini-case

A Hypertext Page on Transfer

Access to mini-cases on Transfer

CFT-Based Navigation

Tool

Ratings of STELLAR Activity Fall 2002 (5 = high)

Activity Components UW Rutgers

Overall Activity 4.35 4.43

Individual prep 3.71 3.93

Sharing design ideas 4.36 3.70

Group design online 4.39 4.26

Individual reflection 3.86 3.93

Overall group interaction

4.39 4.32

Ratings of Online Tools and Features (5 = high)

Tool Feature UW Rutgers

Video cases 4.03 4.00

CFT hypertext 4.47 4.50

Links from cases to CFT hypertext

4.19 4.52

Individual notebook 4.07 4.43

Group whiteboard 4.16 4.36

Types of Data

Group instructional plans developed on line

Online discourse related to group work

Individual reflections & analyses of group work

Pre and post-course analyses of teaching/learning video cases

Self reports of beliefs and attitudes related to teaching & learning

Evaluative ratings of system activities and tools

Psychometrically Validated Assessments: Examples Concepts-in-Use Rubrics

• Used to score pre- and post video analyses and other student products to determine the level of sophistication in students use of target concepts.

• Example target concepts: understanding, transfer, metacognition,

Bridging Instruction Rubric• A complex rubric used to evaluate

instructional designs and design discourse

About Rubrics

Features to guide coding

Calibrated to the STEP scoring scale

Can be used across multiple types of student products and documents

Are psychometrically sound (validity and reliability studies)

1. Generally considers, mentions, or refers to understanding but does not explicitly or implicitly refer to any of the specific features listed below

2. Understanding is actively constructed knowledge

3. Understanding builds on prior knowledge

4. Understanding in context is an active process of comprehension that involves constructing a situation model.

5. Understanding supports the making of inferences and/or application in new contexts

6. There are different depths or forms of understanding

7. Understanding involves grasping the underlying principle, theme or big idea.

8. Understanding is socially negotiated and distributed in “communities of practice” (broadly defined to include classrooms and groups)

Features Coders Consider in Judging Student Ability to Use the Concept Understanding to Inform Teaching

Results from Fall 2002(0 = no knowledge; 3 = expert)

Rutgers UW-Madison

N 33 60

Level & Course

Ed Psy prerequisite for entering TE

Learning Sci required in final year of TE

Pre-course concept “use score”

Mean = 0.42

SD = 0.35

Mean = 0.65

SD = 0.46

Post-course concept “use score”

Mean = 1.56

SD = .63

Mean = 2.09

SD = .63

STELLAR vs. Traditional Course: Understanding Score Spring 2004 (Rutgers)

N Mean Std. Dev

Pre STEP 32 .97 .55

Comparison 37 .93 .50

Post STEP 33 1.92 .77

Comparison 37 .78 .48

ANCOVA F(1, 67)= 69.62, p<.001

Delayed Performance (%) Under Different Activity Designs

Task

Contrast Video

Cases then Texta

Text then Contrast

Video Casesb

Text-Notes (no Video)c

Term Recall 12.3 (2.3) 39.2 (2.3) 24.0 (2.4)

Gist Recall 7.4 (1.2) 15.4 (1.2) 14.0 (1.2)

Transfer 24.3 (1.6) 32.4 (1.6) 32.5 (1.7)

Recognition 73.9 (4.2) 86.6 (4.2) 84.3 (4.4)

an = 52 bn = 51 cn = 50

What Predicted Understanding Score?

1. Pretest

2. Site (Rutgers vs. UW)

3. Success with collaborative tool (whiteboard)

4. Success with video-text links

5. Website “hits”

R Square = .38

What Predicted Perceptions of Learning?

1. Success with individual work activity steps2. Success with Knowledge Web exploration

R Square = .42Comment:

Course components promoting individual study and exploration in accordance with personal interests enhanced perceptions of learning but did not improve performance on targeted learning goal.

Regression Analysis For MSLQ Variables Predicting Academic Success in a STEP Course

Variable B SE (B)

Task Value 5.38 1.04 .63** Effort 2.90 1.11 .32*

Note. R2 =.71. ** p<.01 * p<.05

Conclusions STELLAR designs produce significant

increases in teacher-learners’ abilities to teach for understanding and are more effective than traditional approaches.

STELLAR collaborative tools are effective. There are order effects in contrasting cases

instructional activities that inform design and support a schema-elaboration view of learning over several other theories.

Targeted course outcomes are strongly related to effort, perceived task value, and successful use of tools that scaffold collaboration and site exploration.

A Former Student, A Reflective Practitioner

The Concepts of Professional VisionGG's Conceptual Lenses for Viewing Critical Teaching Incidents

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