icicte invited talk

THE PROBLEM OF CONTEXT: THE CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH ICT CAN SUPPORT LEARNING

Rosemary Luckin, in collaboration with Wilma Clark and Joshua Underwood

[email protected]

http://www.lkl.ac.uk/cms/index.php

Premise

Context with respect to the use of technology to support learning is under-examined, under-theorized and under-developed: we need to

re-connect technology, learning and context in the way in which we design and use

technology to support learning.

How can we talk about these circumstances to support design?

What can we learn from theory?What can we learn from previous work?

Testing the EoR

Theoretical Background

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Theoretical Background to ‘Context’

A complex multiplicity to which we are serially exposed. Language makes reference to local issues, local conditions, local knowledge, social, interactional and institutional elements and a sense of history through ‘sedimented structures’ (Williams, 2002). Linked to Space and Place with the attribute of Landscape and thus horizon and boundaries.


Context as a container OR as distributed in the artifacts which are woven together in concert with and as part of the permeable, changing, events of life. (Cole, 1996).

Artefact-mediated action - the existence of both the mediated and unmediated link between subject and object.

Situated Cognition, LPP and Activity Theory -> Vygotsky and the ZPD

Every function has two levels: the interpsychological and the intrapsychological. All the higher functions originate as actual relations between human individuals. (Vygotsky, 1978).

The Zone of Proximal Development Pedagogy


Distributed Cognition (Hutchins,1995) cognition has been ‘unhooked from interactions with the world’ –uses the metaphor of an ‘ecology of thinking’ to describe human cognition as interactions within an environment ‘rich in organizing resources’. Goodwin (2003; 2007) - we need to take the structure of the environment into account through ‘environmentally coupled gestures’


Context = ‘any information that can be used to characterize the situation of an entity. An entity is a person, place, or object that is considered relevant to the interaction between a user and an application, including the user and applications themselves’ (Dey, 2001).

Dourish (2001) proposes embodied interaction as a feature of interaction; ‘embodiment is a question of how the technology is used’.

Rogers (2006) impossible to implement context – we need the creation of technologies that can be ‘ecologies of resources’ that meet people’s needs, with people as the drivers in control.


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A proposition: Context re-defined

Context matters to learning; it is complex and local to a learner.

A learner is not exposed to multiple contexts, but rather has a single context that is their lived experience of the world that reflects their

interactions with multiple resources: people, artefacts and environments.

The partial descriptions of the world that are offered to a learner through these resources act as the hooks for interactions in which

action and meaning are built through internalization.

Context and the role of technology

It is the role of the more able participants to scaffold a learner’s construction of a narrative that makes sense of the meanings

distributed amongst the resources.

Designers of technology-rich learning environments need to support activity across multiple locations and with multiple people.

Mixed methods of human and computer distributed scaffolding as part of the wider task environment in a meta-scaffolding process to

orchestrate the fading of the whole environment as well as its components

Putting Theory into Practice:

Empirical Background

OPEN MIND PRODUCTIONS, CHANNEL 4Learning, Joshua Underwood, Joe Holmberg, Hilary Smith, Hilary Tunley, Ben du Boulay

The Homework project: participatory design with teachers, learners, parents

A = Zone of Available Assistance

B = Zone of Proximal Adjustment

ZPDlearner

more able partner

From Empirical work suggestions for Scaffolds and Adjustments

• The need to quantify assistance and value of meta-level scaffolding

• The potential for building relationships between those who act as MAPs for learners

• The potential for timely interventions to prompt vocalization and facilitator action

What is the role of technology here – when can it be smart and when can it support people to be smart?

How can we look at learners holistically and map out their interactions so that we can identify the role for technology?

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The Zone of Proximal Development Pedagogy

learner

A = Zone of Available Assistance

learner

learner

Key = context category

element

Tools and People

Knowledge and Skills

Environment

learner


element = filter element

Tools and People


Environment

Filter

Filter

Filter

learner



Tools and People

Filter

Filter

Filter Knowledge and Skills

Environment

learner



Tools and People

Knowledge filter

Tools and People Filter

Environment filter Knowledge and Skills

Environment

learner

The Ecology of Resources model of context

The Ecology of Resources model represents the learner holistically with respect to the

interactions that make up his or her context

Modelling context as a set of inter-related resource elements, including people and objects, the interactions between which

integrate with their interactions with the learner to provide a particular context.

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The Homework project as an Ecology of Resources

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School

Rooms

Class Library

Playground

School ‘rules’

Timetable

Where work is allowed

Numeracy

Numbers

Addition

Subtraction

Time

Additionadding 2 numbers to equal 10

adding and subtracting numbers 9 and 11

Family Tablet

Mum Dad

Sibling

Family Norms

Household ‘rules’

Bedtime

Where work is allowed

Home

Rooms

Lounge Bedroom

Garden

Key= influence= cxt. cat. element= filter element= part of= type of= social/family

Tablet use ‘rules’

Battery Pen

Keyboard

Screen

learner

What can the Ecology of Resources approach offer?

• The Ecology of Resources approach offers a way to:

• Talk about learners holistically – to sensitize us to the range of interactions that constitute their contexts

• Frame the participatory design process

• Explore data to understand more about learners’ contexts

• Identify the assistance that could be available and the way that learners’ interactions with it might be filtered and supported

• Identify situations where scaffolding might be used

Identify situations where scaffolding might be used• A Design framework and a set of associated tools and

methods

• Phase 1: Create an Ecology of Resources Model to identify and organize the potential forms of assistance that can act as resources for learning.

– Step 1 – Brainstorming Potential Resources

to identify learners’ ZAA – Step 2 – Specifying the Focus of Attention– Step 3 – Categorizing Resource Elements– Step 4 – Identify potential Resource Filters – Step 5 – Identify the Learner’s Resources – Step 6 – Identify potential More Able Partners.

• Phase 2: Identify the relationships within and between the resources produced in Phase 1. Identify the extent to which these relationships meet a learner’s needs and how they might be optimized with respect to that learner.

• Phase 3: Develop the Scaffolds and Adjustments to support the learning relationships identified in Phase 2 and enable the negotiation of a ZPA for a learner.



Testing the EoR

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Example

People: Learners (11-15) and their mentors at a self-managed learning centre in the southeast of England.

Aim: To explore and model learners and their contexts, with a particular focus on technologies. identify the range and types of resource, in particular technology resources, available to learners and to identify relationships between these resources and the varying contexts, in and beyond the centre, in and through which the learners sought to fulfil their learning needs.

Method: An iterative, participatory design approach. The project was a collaborative effort between academic researchers, learners and their parents, and staff at the learning centre.

learner

Phase 1 Design Framework, Step 1 – Brainstorming Potential Resources to identify the learners’ ZAA

Design Problem: (Generic)

Characterising the learner, the learning context and learners’ interactions with their context and available technologies.

Design Motivation

Design Activity ZAA Issue

1 Characterising learner, learning context and available technologies

Exploring the learning context using informal chat, observations, photographic data, documentary data

Generic, general overview of spaces, people, tools, practices, technologies and activities

Skills gap – technical supportmulti-context use of technologies

2 Linking learners, contexts and technologies

3 Linking learners and technologies to trips/visits

4 Linking learners and technologies to specific trips

Exploring learner perceptions of relationships between trips, technologies and learning - group discussion (semi-structured interview)

Focus down on practices and learner’s resources Distinctions made between studying/ learning; leisure / learning;interests/ learning;and intrinsic/ extrinsic motivations

Skills and knowledge gap – use of technologies for learning, green issues problematic (locale, transport, rules in public spaces)

Phase 1 Design Framework, Step 1 – Brainstorming Potential Resources to identify the learners’ ZAA

Refined ZAA (Trip to Royal Observatory to learn about Astronomy): Category Elements

Knowledge Environment Resources

Astronomy, information on the sky at night (stars, galaxies, Milky Way, etc.)

Royal Observatory, Planetarium, shop, cafe, GPS networks, wifi connectivity, Internet connectivity, Planetarium Exhibit spaces, Planetarium learning workshops

Learners, staff from learning centre, peers, researcher-designer, museum guides, show narrators, museum attendants, shop assistants, other museum staff), other learners/visitors, interactive exhibits, simulations, models, digital information screens, mobile phones, text messaging, batteries, memory cards, voice recorder, digital still image camera, digital video camera, combined still image/video camera, headphones, Planetarium shows and exhibits with information on the universe, galaxies, stars, black holes, Milky Way, films, video clips, DVDs.

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Step 2 – Specifying the Focus of Attention

How to support learners and their mentors to make effective and appropriate selections and use of available technologies to support learning on a trip.

How to support learners and their mentors to make effective and appropriate selections and use of technologies to support learning about astronomy at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.

How can we support the learner to make appropriate selection and use of available technologies to learn about the Milky Way whilst on a trip to the London Planetarium?

(R=Researcher, P = participant). R: ... what we’re interested in doing is finding a way of talking to you about the stuff where, together, we can work out what the right things to use for particular learners, for particular activities might be, …P: Well… T’s organising a London Planetarium visit… we could agree on a community meeting that you could come to where we plan the planetarium and the college visit.R: … it needs to be part of your normal process…P: Because what we’ve just initially been doing, often it’s spontaneous, often not a lot of planning but we’re trying to move towards a situation where people are more planned, more thinking about what they want to learn from particular activities, you know, not just going on a visit but what do you actually want to get from this.


element

Tools and People


Environment

learner

Step 3 – Categorising category elements

Step 3 – Categorising category elements

learner

Step 4 – Identifying filter elements



Tools and People

Filter

Filter

Filter Knowledge and Skills

Environment

learner

Step 4 – Identifying filter elements

Resources (can also be potential MAPs) Filters (can be positive or negative)

Astronomy, Planetarium show, interactive exhibits, simulations, models, digital information screens, information about the universe, galaxies, stars, black holes, Milky Way, film or video clips, audio commentaries, Planetarium learning workshops, Planetarium shop

Milky Way, design and layout of exhibit space, content/relevance/organisation of exhibits, access (to show, exhibits, workshops, shop), Internet connectivity, network connectivity, language, location, Planetarium rules, time

Learners, staff from learning centre, peers, researcher-designer, Planetarium show narrator, museum guides, Planetarium ticket collectors, shop assistants, other museum staff, other learners/visitors

Relationship, accessibility, time, location, existing knowledge, environment, confidence, opportunity, group/community rules

Mobile phones, batteries, memory cards, voice recorder, digital still image camera, digital video camera, combined still image/video camera, headphones, mp3 player/iPod, DVDs

Connectivity, Planetarium rules, copyright, power, storage capacity, technology skills, availability, quality, ambiance (e.g. light levels, sound levels)

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Step 5 – Identifying learner resources

Learner Resource Purpose Capture

Confidence Secure in existing levels of knowledge and motivated to seek out new learning

Ability to approach specialists in a formal context

High level of dexterity, technical acumen in use of technology, willing to take risks, experiment

Willingness to seek help from others

At home in ‘formal’ or ‘strange’ environments

Developing social skills

Learner self-assessment Pre- or post-tripReflective journalLearning journalLearning AgreementLearning Goals

Step 6 – Identify potential More Able Partners

Name Explicit/ImplicitMAP

Relationship and constraints Resources

Planetarium Show Narrator

Implicit Infrequent, formal interaction constrained by show timing and constraints of employment

Low familiarity with learnerSocial skillsAstronomy knowledge

Learning Mentor

Explicit Frequent, formal and informal interactions constrained to time at learning centre/on trip

High familiarity with learnerSocial skillsSome astronomy knowledge

Peer Learner Implicit Frequent, formal and informal, constrained by time at centre

Some familiarity with learnerSome social skillsSome astronomy knowledge

Technology Explicit Frequent (if personal to the learner), infrequent (if access is shared, local, static); constraints (other people, space, skills, time)

Astronomy knowledgeInformation storage/retrievalSimulations, play, interactivityVisualisationCommunicationEvaluationParticipatory dialogue

Identify situations where scaffolding might be used• A Design framework and a set of associated tools and

methods

• Phase 1: Create an Ecology of Resources Model to identify and organize the potential forms of assistance that can act as resources for learning.

– Step 1 – Brainstorming Potential Resources

to identify learners’ ZAA – Step 2 – Specifying the Focus of Attention– Step 3 – Categorizing Resource Elements– Step 4 – Identify potential Resource Filters – Step 5 – Identify the Learner’s Resources – Step 6 – Identify potential More Able Partners.

• Phase 2: Identify the relationships within and between the resources produced in Phase 1. Identify the extent to which these relationships meet a learner’s needs and how they might be optimized with respect to that learner.

• Phase 3: Develop the Scaffolds and Adjustments to support the learning relationships identified in Phase 2 and enable the negotiation of a ZPA for a learner.

Phase 2: Identifying Relationships and Filters

learner

Milky Way

Andromeda

Cigar

Event Schedule

Access

Activities

Peers, Mentor, Sibling

Researcher - Designer

Museum Staff

Astronomy questions

Astronomy inspires

Astronomy explores

Exhibits

GalaxiesPlanetarium Rules

Modelling the Learner’s Context – The Planetarium Project

Phase 3: Identifying Scaffolds and Adjustments

Actions to be completed by learner and MAP

Actions to be completed by design team to adjust and scaffold

Negotiate a shared representation of the goal or sub-goal of potential interactions (identify the recognition-production gap).

Provide facilities or tools to enable learner and MAP to negotiate the gap.Astronomy example: Learner and MAP can explore the range of available technologies and discuss their suitability for a particular activity.

Explore the resources identified in the learner’s EoR model. In particular the filter elements and the extent to which these need adjustment.

Provide accessible descriptions of available resources.Astronomy example: Learner consults with museum staff to establish rules of engagement with setting; local signage also contributes to this; researcher-designer and learner discuss functionalities of technologies.

Select the resources most suitable for the learner and identify at what levels of difficulty and in what way these should be introduced.

Provide specifications of the range of resources, e.g. level of difficulty or range of locations.Astronomy example: learner and researcher-designer discuss opportunities for in situ transfer of data using mobile phone and Flickr.

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Trajectories of Learning in Learners’ Digital Worlds

T1 T2

T3

T4

T5

Student D – playing game (iteration 4 prior to trip) – card selection – and taking photo at Planetarium



Testing the EoR

Joshua Underwood – language learning

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Example design interaction data example

1) I get asked if I want ‘un* poche’ in the supermarket. Tentative ideas about meaning

2) Use phone to note ‘un poche’ and add photo

3) Later reviewing entries on phone can’t remember pronunciation, use TTS, not convinced.

4) Later still on laptop look up pronunciation on forvo, can’t find it, request it

5) Search for gender and meaning of une poche and translations of plastic bag - they don’t coincide - un sac plastique

6) Send item to Blogger & tweet it from phone

7) Later get e-mail Blogger comment from Breton friend. I add a comment and link from the blog to forvo for someone to provide pronunciation for pochon

8) Later get a comment from another friend with a link to fr.wiktionary definition for pochon

9) Read article - find poche for small plastic bag used in south-west France, which is where I heard it :-)

Resources for investigating, making & sharing meaning

Resources for investigating, making & sharing meaning

TV & Film

Newspapers, Books & Magazines, e-mail…

Songs & Radio

Language in action…

End result 1 – initial technology design for m-iLexiconC

ap

ture

of

lan

gu

ag

e in

tera

ctio

ns

& C

on

text

Note

s, im

ag

es,

sou

nd

s, w

here

& w

hen

Collected language itemsResources

FiltersStructuredlanguage item record

Interaction history Send item to resources

e.g.

The Intelligence Dilemma

• We can’t scaffold everything: We can’t build intelligent systems to encompass all the interactions in a learners’ context.

• We can identify situations where we can use technology (&AI) smartly and people smartly to build appropriate relationships to support learners’ interactions.

• The EoR can help us to do this and to promote increasing learner autonomy by developing within learners the skills that enable them to build conceptual links between the networks of people, places and things that form their personal Ecology of Resources.

Resources

• Wiki:

http://eorframework.pbworks.com/

Thank you

icicte invited talk

Education

context context

theoretical background

context acomplexmultiplicity

premise context

problem of context

empirical background

use of technology

previous work