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Bereiter and Scardamalia (1996) argue that there is a difference between learning and knowledge building. Learning is activity directed towards improving personal knowledge. Knowledge building is trying to improve knowledge itself by considering ideas in regard to their strengths, weaknesses, applications, limitations, and potential for further development. Both learning and knowledge building are needed in schools. This paper traces the development of both in a Grade 5/6 classroom studying physical science. Knowledge transforming discourse is central to knowledge building because it is the means through which knowledge is formed, criticized, and amended (Scardamalia, Bereiter & Lamon, 1994). In this knowledge building classroom, the capacity for transformative discourse was afforded by Knowledge Forum® and classroom processes. Our paper deals with how this class engaged in the process of articulating and changing their learning goals as they reflected on and evaluated their class' knowledge building progress. Our sources of data come from discourse in the Knowledge Forum® database and videotapes of classroom discussion. A second set of analyses designed to capture students' activity in the database used data from the Analytic Toolkit, a suite of tools designed to track each student's use of Knowledge Forum. A third set of measures came from a pretest and post-test of students' knowledge of physical science. Our results showed that students who engaged in knowledge building discourse around central features of physical science also improved their learning.

" What makes a learning organisation (Word, 43kb) This document explores the characteristics of a learning organisation Find out what your learning style is (Word, 52kb) An activity you could do with your staff or users to discover their preferred learning styles Defining learning: outline for a training session (Word, 52kb) This training session is designed to be used with groups of up to 15 staff, working with a facilitator to help them explore the broad definition of learning adopted by Inspiring Learning. The session should run for up to 1.5 hours. Building a learning team (Word, 58kb) A document to support you to build a learning team. It identifies that a balance needs to be struck between achieving a task and providing opportunities to reflect on the process itself to promote individual and collective learning within your organisation."

strengthfinder

"Lumzy is a mockup and prototyping tool for websites and applications. By "mockup", we mean a quick sketch that gives an idea of what the site or application you are planning to build will look like. When we say "prototype", we're referring to something functional, and with Lumzy we're NOT talking about simply page-linking (like so many other so-called "prototyping" tools provide). No way, we're talking about functional prototypes - where a user can perform events such a clicking on buttons, selecting values from dropdowns, filling in text fields, scrolling lists, etc..., and those events can trigger actions. These actions provide the client with the experience they'd expect from a functioning site or application, such as seeing popup windows, or alert messages, or being taken to other pages or even to other websites (yes you can launch real "live" URLs from within your prototype). "

Welcome to the companion website to our ELI presentation on Assessing Learning Spaces. We have made many of our instruments and resources available for your reference. However, since we have worked in cooperation with several institutions and modified their instruments for our use, we'd ask that you contact them directly to get permission to do the same. The San José State University Academic Success Center opened in October 2006 with a goal to increase student success by providing 21st-century technology, informal and formal learning spaces, and the services and support. The objective was to build an integrative center that provides students with an innovative space and technology tools for collaboration and promotes faculty pedagogical innovation through the use of our Incubator Classroom, winner of the 2007 Campus Technology Innovators Award. By combining physical space, technology tools, and an intensive professional development program, the ASC exemplifies a new synergistic model for the campus.

transforming knowledge into change - tons of free resources for evaluation and capacity building.

personalized brain games

"A Parent's Guide to 21st-Century Learning Discover the tools and techniques today's teachers and classrooms are using to prepare students for tomorrow -- and how you can get involved. More Resources: How to Strengthen Parent Involvement and Communication A Teacher's Guide to Generation X Parents Facebook Group for Parents blue cover with students Six Tips for Brain-Based Learning By understanding how the brain works, educators are better equipped to help K-12 students with everything from focusing attention to increasing retention. More Resources: Neuro Myths: Separating Fact and Fiction in Brain-Based Learning Brain-Based Learning: Resource Roundup Big Thinker: Neurologist Judy Willis on the Science of Learning Yellow cover with students Ten Tips for Classroom Management Learn how to improve student engagement and build a positive climate for learning and discipline for grades K-12. More Resources: How to Develop Positive Classroom Management Classroom-Management Video Tips for Teachers Positive Discipline Strategies Yield Quick Results Purple cover with faces framed in circles Top Ten Tips for Teaching with New Media Whether you're new to teaching or a classroom veteran, this resource-packed collection of 10 new media tips provides fresh ideas and easy-to-use tools to engage your students and make learning more collaborative. (Updated: 6/14/11) More Resources: Twittering, Not Frittering: Professional Development in 140 Characters Google for Educators: The Best Features for Busy Teachers Social Media in Education: The Power of Facebook Blue 2010 cover with faces framed in circles Summer Rejuvenation Guide Whether it's reading a good book or starting a new hobby, this resource-packed guide highlights ten fun ways to spend your summer. (Updated: 5/24/11) More Resources: Teacher-Tested Travel Grants Creating a Summer Reading Network How to Create a Professional Learning Community Orange c

Building an online community

Design-Based Research Collective is a small group of researchers who engage in design-based research, often in technology enhanced learning environments. In our own work, we have come to recognize the need to better define the nature, methods, and outcomes of design-based research so that we may more easily share our own research and build on the work of others.

Free online library of thinking guides; build your own and/or customize existing guides

professional networking on facebook (app)

Take and build online courses on any subject