Freedom vs Control

Freedom vs Control:
Effective Learning in Exploratory Environments
Sergio Gutiérrez Santos
Birkbeck College, Univ. of London

Valladolid, 14-Nov-2011 Orchestrating Educational Reflected Spaces
Initial assumptions

Focus is on discussion

Focus is on discussion
not on lecture

I may pass over details quickly

I may pass over details quickly
I am happy to answer questions at the end

“Hello. Results are good.
Results are on paper. Thanks.”

I did not come to talk about my book.

I would like to share some ideas
and hope that they are helpful.

Exploratory Environments

Exploratory Learning Environments

Exploration

Wander about the environment

Follow dead tracks

Make mistakes

Make mistakes
learn from mistakes

Games have been doing this for years

Adventure games
encouraged different
kinds of exploration:
talking to different
people, moving to
different places...

More modern games
provide additional
opportunities for
exploration: different
terrains, different avatars /
abilities, different
constraints...

Strategy games take exploration
to a new level: what would you do
if you had a blank slate on which
to build the perfect city? Different
types of buildings, of citizens, of
enemies... what is your most
pressing challenge at every
moment?

Games like The Incredible
Machine allowed players to
play with the Laws of
(Classical) Physics...

Why is exploration so important?

Exploration is personal

Exploration is meaningful

When you explore a world...

...it becomes your world.

You develop a sense of ownership.

Is this relevant for learning?

A lot.

Learning is the process of acquiring knowledge.

ownership

ownershipexploration

Since Piaget we know that we learn

by adapting what we perceive from the world

into our own mental structures.

New knowledge becomes our knowledge

New knowledge becomes our knowledge
ownershipexploration

In the same way

that technology has allowed games
to be more exploratory

so we must use technology to
make learning more exploratory.

Why?

Education is not (should not be) about drilling,

Education is not (should not be) about repetition,

Education is (should be) about finding original solutions
to problems...

...like sharing information with colleagues
WWW

...like finding the right stuff on the internet

...like finding new materials

provide learning opportunities

and stimulate creativity.

Exploration is not necessarily positive for learning

?

Exploration can be harmful

Learning is more than just exploring

There are many potential pitfalls

in exploratory learning:

Greater opportunities for distraction

Lack of criteria to recognise good information

Development of bad habits

Lack or loss of goals

Therefore, we need guidance and support

“Exploration is not learning without support”

Guidance/support means many things

Support means providing a goal

Support means providing a goal
(or goals)

Support means keeping focus on the goal(s)

This is especially true with young children

Support means providing help with difficulties

Support means providing feedback on mistakes

Support means providing hints for exploration

e.g. where others have gone

e.g. where you have not gone yet (but should)

Support means putting it all together

Connecting to other learners

Connecting to the learner's past

Connecting to the learner's past
Connecting to the learner's future

In the end,
support/guidance is
what (good) teachers do

The art is in finding the right balance
Support
Exploration

<main-idea>

Exploratory environments

with appropriate support and guidance

are extremely positive for learning.

Supportive Exploratory Learning Environments

can be positive for learners

can be positive for teachers

can be positive for collaboration.

</main-idea>

First

Positive for learners

The problem of support

Support is usually provided by a human

But... what happens in the classroom?

But... what happens in the big classroom?

We do not have enough teachers...

...the only way forward is computer-based support

But how?
There are many problems

Problem: too much data

Problem: too unstructured data

Problem: where is support needed?

Problem: when is support needed?

Problem: how should support be provided?

Attacking all these problems at the same time
is extremely difficult

(and maybe pointless)

Solution: Divide and conquer!

Layered design for Intelligent Support

Three layers: analysis, reasoning, feedback

Analysis

Purpose: analyse the traces from ELE

Layer contains many specialised modules

One module, one purpose
(unix-style)

Different computational techniques for each case

Each module focuses on one aspect
(easier to design and program)

Exploratory Learning Environment

Problem1

Problem1 Problem2

Problem1 Problem2 Problem3

Analysis

But analysis alone is not enough to
produce feedback:

produce feedback:
- Who sets priorities between different results?

produce feedback:
- Not all modules can produce feedback on their own

produce feedback:
- Not all modules can produce feedback on their own
Another layer is necessary

Reasoning layer

The reasoning layer combines information
from different analysis modules

The reasoning layer decides
what feedback to show

and when

Different reasoning techniques can be applied

Analysis
Microworld (e.g. eXpresser)

Analysis
Aggregation / Reasoning

But still there is something missing...

The analysis layer finds evidence in the flow of
unstructured data...

The reasoning layer decides what feedback to
provide and when to provide it...

The reasoning layer decides what feedback to
provide and when to provide it...
...but how to provide it?

How to provide feedback involves
several important pegagogical questions:

Level of interruption

Level of interactivity

Modality

Point of view

A new layer that takes care of this issues

facilitates the design
(separation of concerns)

and allows collaboration with
non-technical partners

Analysis
Aggregation / Reasoning
Feedback

This separation in layers has a double benefit:

first, it facilitates the design

second, it facilitates the evaluation

Evaluation of a SELE is costly

- A fully assembled system takes a long time to build

- When errors are detected, it can be difficult to identify the cause

Separation in layers reduces cost

- More precise problem detection

- Earlier problem detection

- Earlier problem detection
- Facilitates involvement of non-technical partners

How is this relevant for EEE?

Exploratory activities on
digital whiteboards and
multi-touch tabletops

Exploratory
activities in the
(augmented)
real world...

Exploratory
activities in 3D
worlds...

Positive for teachers?

Teachers need support too!

In order to support their students

they need to understand their students' needs

They also need to keep control of the classroom

They also need to keep control of the classroom:
“where am I needed the most?”

Class Dynamics teacher tool

They need to know what students have done

Goal Tracking teacher tool

They also want to know if students learn

They also want to know if students learn
(we are working on this)

Orquestration of activities

knowledge
requires

knowledge
students' achievements students' activity
requires

Collaboration in exploratory environments?

Collaborative learning, anyone?

Collaborative learning means discussion

Collaborative learning means reflection

Collaborative learning means deeper learning

Collaborative learning means deeper learning
(if done right)

What is the key for productive discussion?

A common goal (of course)

and complementarity

Using some intelligent analysis techniques

we can find complementary approaches
to the same tasks

and make groups for collaborative activities
based on that information

And they are the future of (technology-enhanced) learning

Thanks for listening!

Learning rests on one basic assumption:

Motivation

“You cannot teach anyone
who does not want to learn”

Motivation is usually negative...

...positive motivation works better, but is
harder to achieve (ELE work well here)

“Exploration needs more time”

Of course!

But learning needs time!
???

Do we want students to learn
or just to pass the exams?

Freedom vs Control

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