Bereiter theory presentation

Carl Bereiter
Laura Woodward, BSN
Texas Woman’s University
NURS 5203
Fall 2010

Discussion Item Three – Knowledge building
environments
Discussion Item One – Theorist history and
selected works
Discussion Item Two – Knowledge building
Discussion Item Four – The future of education
theory.
The future of education?
Carl Bereiter
& Marlene Scardamalia
Click on any Discussion Item to go there

Carl Bereiter
•Currently professor emeritus at the University of
Toronto
•Co-founder, with Marlene Scardamalia, of the Institute
for Knowledge Innovation & Technology (IKIT).
•Member of the U.S. National Academy of Education
•Twice a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the
Behavioral Sciences, most recently for participation in a
study of the cognitive bases of educational reform.
•Along with Marlene Scardamalia, he developed CSILE,
the first networked system for collaborative learning. The
current version, Knowledge Forum®, is being used in
innovative applications worldwide at all educational
levels from primary grades to university.
Carl Bereiter (2009). http://www.ikit.org/people/bereiter.html

Carl Bereiter
Selected Publications
Bereiter, C., & Scardamalia, M. (2007). Toward research-based innovation. In F. Benavides (Ed.), Emerging
models for learning and innovation. OECD.
Bereiter, C., & Scardamalia, M. (2006). Education for the knowledge age: Design-centered models of
teaching and instruction. In P. A. Alexander & P. H. Winne (Eds.), Handbook of educational
psychology (2nd ed., pp. 695-713). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Bereiter, C., & Scardamalia, M. (2005). Technology and literacies: From print literacy to dialogic literacy. In
N. Bascia, A. Cumming, A. Datnow, K. Leithwood, & D. Livingstone (Eds.), International handbook of
educational policy (pp. 749-761). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer.
Bereiter, C., & Scardamalia, M. (2003). Learning to work creatively with knowledge. In E. De Corte, L.
Verschaffel, N. Entwistle, & J. van Merriënboer (Eds.), Powerful learning environments: Unraveling
basic components and dimensions (pp. 55-68). Oxford, UK: Elsevier Science.
Bereiter, C. (2002). Education and mind in the knowledge age. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Bereiter, C. (1997). Situated cognition and how to overcome it. In D. Kirshner & J. A. Whitson (Eds.),
Situated cognition: Social, semiotic, and psychological perspectives (pp. 281-300). Hillsdale, NJ:
Erlbaum.
Bereiter, C., & Scardamalia, M. (1993). Surpassing ourselves: An inquiry into the nature and implications of
expertise. La Salle, IL: Open Court.
Bereiter, C., & Scardamalia, M. (1989). Intentional learning as a goal of instruction. In L. B. Resnick (Ed.),
Knowing, learning, and instruction: Essays in honor of Robert Glaser (pp. 361-392). Hillsdale, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Bereiter, C., & Scardamalia, M. (1987). The psychology of written composition. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates.
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Carl Bereiter (2009). http://www.ikit.org/people/bereiter.html
Discussion
Items

Knowledge Building
What is it?

1960’s reform efforts:
•Learning by discovery
•Guided discovery
•Inquiry learning
Since then:
Greater emphasis on
collaborative rather than
Individual inquiry
Knowledge Building
(Scardamalia, 2006)

(Paavola, n.d.)
Knowledge Building
What it is NOT:
acquisition metaphor (cognitive perspective)
•traditional view according to which learning is mainly a
process of acquiring desired pieces of knowledge
•'folk theory' of mind according to which the mind is a
container of knowledge, and learning is a process that fills
the container, implanting knowledge there.
•learning is a matter of individual construction, acquisition,
and such outcomes, which are realized in the process of
transfer; it consists in a person's capability to use and apply
knowledge in new situations.
•Knowledge is a property and possession of an individual
mind

(Paavola, n.d.)
Knowledge Building
What it is NOT:
the participation metaphor (Situated perspective)
•examines learning as a process of participating in various
cultural practices and shared learning activities.
•the focus is on activities, i.e., on "knowing", and not so
much on outcomes or products
•Knowledge does not exist either in a world of its own or in
individual minds but is an aspect of participation in cultural
practices (Brown, Collins, & Duguid, 1989; Lave, 1988; Lave & Wenger,
1991).
•Cognition and knowing are distributed over both individuals
and their environments, and learning is "located" in these
relations and networks of distributed activities of
participation.
•learning is a matter of participation in a social process of
•knowledge construction (Greeno, 1998; Vygotsky, 1978),
•"enculturation"(Brown, Collins, & Duguid, 1989),
•guided participation (Rogoff, 1990),
•or legitimate peripheral participation (Lave & Wenger,
1991).

(Scardamalia, 2006)
Knowledge Building
Traditional education practice
&
newer constructivist methods
Limited in scope
shift from treating students as
learners and inquirers
treating them as
members of a knowledge building community

Knowledge Building
Need:
Design and problem solving in technology education
Not to be framed in terms of methodologies of
engineers,
As opportunities for students to step outside of
conventional reasoning processes imposed by
the rest of the curriculum.
Creativity has compelling claims to being
the anchoring idea in such a framework.
(Lewis, 2005)

(Scardamalia, 2006)
Knowledge Building
 Knowledge advancement as a community
rather than individual achievement
 Knowledge advancement as idea
improvement rather than as progress toward
true or warranted belief
 Knowledge of in contrast to knowledge about
 Discourse as collaborative problem solving
rather than as argumentation
 Constructive use of authoritative information
 Understanding as an emergent
Click on any theme to find further explanation
Click here to advance beyond themes

(Scardamalia, 2006)
Knowledge Building
It provides a straightforward way to address
the contemporary emphasis on
knowledge
creation and innovation.
These lie outside the scope of most
constructivist approaches whereas
they are at the heart of knowledge building.
People are not honored for what is in their minds
but for the contributions they make to the
organization’s or the community’s knowledge.
1 of 2
Click anywhere to go to 2nd part of this theme
Nobel Prize
winners?
MENSA
members?

(Scardamalia, 2006)
Knowledge Building
the main uses of knowledge
creation of further knowledge
student-generated theories and models
are to be judged
not so much by:
their conformity to accepted knowledge
as by:
their value as tools enabling further growth.
2 of 2
Click anywhere to return to themes

(Scardamalia, 2006)
Knowledge Building
Generating ideas
appears to come naturally to people,
but sustained effort to improve ideas
does not.
All ideas are improvable
1 of 2

(Scardamalia, 2006)
Knowledge Building
When asked about the effects of learning:
Students in regular classrooms tend to say that
the more they learn and understand, the less
there remains to be learned and understood
⇐during last semester of senior year
⇐during high school
⇐during K - 12
⇐set number of objectives to learn for all standardized testing
Students in knowledge building classrooms tend
strongly toward the opposite view.
by researching a topic students are exposed to more interests
that lead to more research that leads to other topics
(downfall can be information overload - what we term as “surfing the web” is an example)
2 of 2

(Scardamalia, 2006)
Knowledge Building
Knowledge about
Knowledge of
(Implicit or
Intuitive
knowledge)
Procedural knowledge
(e.g. knowing how to open a
parachute and guide its descent) Declarative knowledge
(e.g. knowledge of equipment
characteristics an maintenance
requirements, rules of particular
events)
1 of 2
Student
Nurse vs.
experienced
Nurse?

(Stephenson, 2010)
Knowledge Building
To be useful outside of areas in which
knowledge about is sufficient,
knowledge needs to be organized around
problems
rather than topics.
Example: it is useful for learners’ knowledge of water skiing to
be activated when they are studying flight, because it provides
a nice experiential anchor for the otherwise rather abstract
angle of attack explanation of lift. Making this connection
promotes the realization that Bernoulli’s principle is not the
whole story in explaining what keeps airplanes aloft. Ordinarily
the teacher is responsible for alerting students to such
connections, but in the out-of-school world people need to be
able to do this themselves if they are to succeed as knowledge-
builders.
2 of 2

(Scardamalia, 2006)
Knowledge Building
For last 50 years:
Discourse: way of sharing knowledge and
subjecting ideas to criticism (formal publications, oral
presentations, and Q & A sessions after these presentations)
Lakatos (1976) (and recent empirical studies like Dunbar in
1997)
Cooperative discourse: oriented toward
understanding and actively improving on ideas
rather than only acting as a critical filter
1 of 2

(Scardamalia, 2006)
Knowledge Building 2 of 2
Knowledge building discourse
distinguishing commitments (Bereiter, 1994, 2002):
•a commitment to progress (not dinner party
conversation, or discussions devoted to sharing
information and venting opinions)
•a commitment to seek common understanding
rather than merely agreement (not political and
policy discourse)
•a commitment to expand the base of accepted
facts (not attacking the factual claims of opponents
like in court trials and debates)Would we
learn more if
we weren’t
“defending”
ourselves?

(Scardamalia, 2006)
“Because I say so” and “because the book says so” are no
longer regarded as acceptable responses to students’
skeptical queries.

(Scardamalia, 2006)
Knowledge Building
Quality of information is always an issue, but its
importance varies with the task.
Information of all kinds has value insofar as it contributes
to knowledge building discourse.
2 of 2

(Scardamalia, 2006)
“Learning paradox” (Pascual-Leone, 1980; Bereiter, 1985)
If learners construct their own knowledge, how is it possible for
them to create a cognitive structure more complex than the one
they already posses?
(How do the sum of the parts equal more than the whole?)

Discussion
Items
The emergence of complexity form the
interaction of simpler elements is found at
all levels from the physico-chemical to the
socio-cultural.
Constructivist principle: “Learners
construct their own knowledge.”
Knowledge Building: “All understandings
are inventions; interventions are
emergents.”
(Scardamalia, 2006)
2 of 2
Click anywhere above to return to themes
Knowledge Building

(Scardamalia, 2006)
Knowledge Building Environments
“Intentional learning.” - Intermediate concept: something more
than “active” or “self-regulated” learning - more of having life goal
that include a personal agenda (Bereiter & Scardamalia, 1989).
Picture: (Stephenson, 2010)

Research labs.
Multiple purposes on many different aspects of
student development
Reproduction of existing ideas in activities and
assessment
What and when = knowledge about
Wide range of purposes: self expression to
knowledge recitation
Viewed as that which is to be learned.
Major concern is acquisition of knowledge that
already exists as part of the culture.
Using knowledge building themes and considerations of successful
research laboratories like those studied by Dunbar (1997):
Defining Purpose
Markers of Success
Type of Knowledge Used
Discourse
Use of Authoritive Information
Emergents
Knowledge advancement
Idea Improvement (publications, speaking
invitations, patents & grants)
How and why = knowledge of (Knowledge about
gains little credit)
Advancing group’s knowledge building goals.
Argumentation about knowledge claims takes place in public arenas.
Original work is built upon previous work & theories
are tested.
Significant advances = knowledge that didn’t pre-
exist = emergents
Traditional Schools

Altered information flow so
that questions, ideas,
criticisms, suggestions,
and the like are
contributed to a public
space equally accessible to
all.
Students themselves
represent a resource
previously largely wasted.
Teacher is the hub through
which all information
passes.
Students employ strategies
that minimize learning
while efficiently meeting
the demands of school
tasks.
Traditional Classroom KBE
(Scardamalia, 2006)

www.ikit.org
Poster presented at IKIT - The Institute for Knowledge Innovation
and Technology: an institute started by Bereiter for the sake of
furthering KBE’s in the classroom setting.

www.blackboard.com
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
Look
familiar?

Great YouTube Video on Knowledge
Building and how the internet helps to
facilitate this
Knowledge Building & Web 2.0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_nXoWwms8E
As presented at the knowledge media research center in
Tübingento during the seminar “Responses to web 2.0”
Posted March 28, 2009

Other web-based venues that might
be used along side a KBE:
http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english
"Wikis in Plain English" introduces a "wiki" website as a resource for
helping a group of campers organize and coordinate information for a
camping trip. The video includes:
ｷ Why email is a poor choice for coordinating a group's
input
ｷ The basics of using a wiki
ｷ How the group edits the wiki to add, remove and edit their
camping supplies list.
ｷ Adding a new wiki page to account for diverse needs

http://www.commoncraft.com/podcasting
"Podcasting in Plain English" introduces the differences between
broadcasting shows and making shows available for download on the
Internet so that they can be enjoyed at any time. The video includes:
ｷ How podcasts differ from TV and Radio
ｷ What's needed to publish and subscribe to a podcast
ｷ How podcasting democratizes media
ｷ A real world example of podcasting in practice

QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
There were three respondents who chose "Other", and here are their specific responses: Managing
classroom information, garbage trash, and audits. Now, I can't really say much about garbage trash, but I
can comment on the other two "other" uses:
Managing classroom information is an excellent wiki use. In fact, I got started using wikis doing something
very similar - building a wiki-based science curriculum.
Using a wiki for audits is a great use too - besides having all your information easily accessible in one
place, the revision history the wiki maintains for every page is very audit-friendly since it shows a complete
trail of who contributed information, when they did so, and what was added, changed and removed.
(Keefer, 2010)

http://www.commoncraft.com/rss_plain_english
"RSS in Plain English" introduces RSS as a way to subscribe to
websites and save time on the Web. An "old vs. new" theme
illustrates how RSS differs from visiting web sites. The video
includes:
ｷ The new and old ways of reading news on the web
ｷ An introduction to RSS Readers (using Google Reader
as an example)
ｷ How to identify and subscribe to an RSS feed
ｷ What to expect when using an RSS reader

http://www.commoncraft.com/blogs
"Blogs in Plain English" introduces the concept of a blog as a
way for every person to have the power to share news. The video
includes:
ｷ How blogs are changing the idea of news in the 21st
century
ｷ How blogs are created and organized
ｷ The role of blogs in bringing like-minded people
together
ｷ How blogs facilitate conversation

http://www.commoncraft.com/wikipedia-video
Wikipedia is an amazing resource, but it’s not always clear what
helps to ensure that the articles are factual and high quality. This
video discusses wiki technology and the policies that make
Wikipedia work. We worked with the Wikimedia Foundation to
ensure that it refelcts Wikipedia's values and practices. It teaches:
ｷ Why an online encyclopedia is needed
ｷ The basics of editing a wiki website
ｷ How volunteers work to ensure quality
ｷ The two big rules that govern every article
Surprised? ….. Wikipedia actually meets all of Bereiter’s
criteria for
a KBE…

Discussion
Items
(Stahl, Koshmann, & Suthers, 2006)
Computer-supported collaborative learning:
The shift from mental models of individual cognition
to support for collaborating groups
has had enormous implications
for both the focus and the method of research on learning.
The gradual acceptance and unfolding of these implications
has defined the evolution of the field of CSCL.
Future Studies…

References
Bereiter, C. (1985). Toward a solution of the learning paradox. Review of
Educational Research, 55, 201-226.
Bereiter, C. (1991). Implications of connectionism for thinking about rules.
Educational Researcher, 20, 10-16.
Bereiter, C. (1992). Referent-centered and problem-centered knowledge:
Elements of an educational epistemology. Interchange, 23, 337-362.
Bereiter, C. (1994). Implications of postmodernism for science, or, Science as
progressive discourse. Educational Psychologist, 29(1), 3-12.
Bereiter, C. (2002). Education and mind in the knowledge age. Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Bereiter, C., & Scardamalia, M. (1989). Intentional learning as a goal of
instruction. In L. B. Resnick (Eds.), Knowing, learning, and instruction:
Essays in honor of Robert Glaser (pp. 361-392). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates.
Bereiter, C., & Scardamalia, M. (2003). Learning to work creatively with
knowledge. In E. D. Corte, L. Verschaffel, N. Entwistle, & J. V. Merri ］
boer (Eds.), Powerful learning environments: Unravelling basic
components and dimensions (pp. 73-78). Oxford: Elsevier Science.
Bereiter, C., & Scardamalia, M. (in press). Models of teaching and instruction
in the Knowledge Age. In P. A. Alexander and P. H. Winne (Eds.),
Handbook of educational psychology (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates.

References
Bereiter, C., Scardamalia, M., Cassells, C., & Hewitt, J. (1997).
Postmodernism, knowledge building, and elementary science.
Elementary School Journal, 97, 329- 340.
Bruce, B. C., & Rubin, A. (1993). Electronic quills: A situated evaluation of
using computers for writing in classrooms. Hillsdale, NY: Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates.
Cole, M. (1996). Cultural psychology: A once and future discipline.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Dillenbourg, P. (2005). Designing biases that augment socio-cognitive
interactions. In R. Bromme, F. Hesse & H. Spada (Eds.), Barriers and
biases in computer-mediated knowledge communication--and how they
may be overcome. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publisher.
Dunbar, K. (1997). How scientists think: Online creativity and conceptual
change in science. In T. B. Ward, S. M. Smith, & S. Vaid (Eds.),
Conceptual structures and processes: Emergence, discovery and change
(pp. 461-493). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Friesen, N. (2004, May 7). Interoperaabiliby in asynchronous collaborative
learning forums. Retrieved from http://learningspaces.
org/n/papers/ACLF.pdf. doi=10.1.1.96.3614
Gruber, S., Peyton, J. K., & Bruce, B. C. (1995). Collaborative writing in
multiple discourse contexts. Computer-Supported Cooperative Work, 3,
247-269.

References
Hicks, D. (1996). Contextual inquiries: A discourse-oriented study of
classroom learning. In D. Hicks (Ed.), Discourse, learning and schooling
(pp. 104-141). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Koschmann, T. (2002). Dewey's contribution to the foundations of CSCL
research. In G. Stahl (Ed.), Computer support for collaborative learning:
Foundations for a CSCL community: Proceedings of CSCL 2002 (pp. 17-
22). Boulder, CO: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Lakatos, I. (1976). Proofs and refutations : The logic of mathematical
discovery. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral
participation. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
LeBaron, C. (2002). Technology does not exist independent of its use. In T.
Koschmann, R. Hall & N. Miyake (Eds.), CSCL 2: Carrying forward the
conversation (pp. 433-439). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
LeFever, L., & LeFever, S. (2007, April 23). RSS in plain English, [Video].
Retrieved from http://www.commoncraft.com/rss_plain_english
LeFever, L., & LeFever, S. (2007, May 29). Wikis in plain English, [Video].
Retrieved from http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english
LeFever, L., & LeFever, S. (2007, November 30). Blogs in plain English,
[Video]. Retrieved from http://www.commoncraft.com/blogs

References
LeFever, L., & LeFever, S. (2008, April 21). Podcasting in plain English,
[Video]. Retrieved from http://www.commoncraft.com/podcasting
LeFever, L., & LeFever, S. (2010, May 5). Wikipedia explained by common
craft [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.commoncraft.
com/wikipedia-video
Lewis, T., (2005). Creativity – A framework for the design/problem solving
discourse in technology education. In Journal of Technology Education
17(1). Retrieved from
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/v17n1/lewis.html
Mader, S. (2008, March 29). How do you use a wiki? Poll result [Web log].
Retrieved from http://blogs.atlassian
.com/news/2008/03/how_do_you_use.html
Nicolopoulou, A., & Cole, M. (1993). Generation and transmission of shared
knowledge in the culture of collaborative learning: The fifth dimension,
its playworld and its institutional contexts. In E. Forman, N. Minnick &
C. A. Stone (Eds.), Contexts for learning: Sociocultural dynamics in
children's development. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Pascual-Leone , J. (1980). Constructive problems for constructive theories:
The current relevance of Piaget's work and a critique of information
processing simulation psychology. In R. H. Kluwe & H. Spada
(eds.), Developmental models of thinking (pp. 263-296). New York:
Academic Press.

References
Scardamalia, M., & Bereiter, C. (2006). Knowledge building: Theory,
pedagogy, and technology. In K. Sawyer (Ed.), Cambridge
Handbook of the Learning Sciences (pp. 97-118). New York:
Cambridge University Press.
Stahl, G. (2002). Rediscovering CSCL. In T. Koschmann, R. Hall & N.
Miyake (Eds.), CSCL 2: Carrying forward the conversation (pp. 169-
181). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Retrieved from
http://www.cis.drexel.edu/faculty/gerry/cscl/papers/ch01.pdf.
Stahl, G. (2006). Group cognition: Computer support for building
collaborative knowledge. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Retrieved
http://www.cis.drexel.edu/faculty/gerry/mit/.
Stahl, G., Koschmann, T., & Suthers, D. (2006). Computer-supported
collaborative learning: An historical perspective. In RK Sawyer (Ed.),
Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences (pp. 409-426). Cambridge,
UK: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.
edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.73.6085&rep=rep1&type=pdf.
doi:10.1.1.73.6085
Stephenson, N. (2010). Not all constructivism is created equal. In Thinking in
mind. Retrieved from http://www.thinkinginmind.com/2010/05/not-all-
constructivism-is-created-equal/

Thank you for your time!
It was a technologically
educative experience!
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