Saturday, April 01, 2006
Reflections after the GSC Forum
After talking to different people yesterday, I kept thinking about the ideas of communities of learners and discourse analysis.
Developing communities of learners in the classroom: The question was related to the expectations a teacher could have in order to develop a community of learners with the students in a math course, especially when it is offered at a distance. My first answer was yes; it is possible. It might not be that easy, but there are many activities and technologies that can be used to help people interact, collaborate and learn, while developing a community. Some researchers in this area are: Palloff & Pratt (1999, 2005), Stepich & Ertmer (2003), Trentin (2001), Dunlap (2004), Nichini & Hung (2002), and Shumar & Renninger (2002).
The Math Forum is an example of such a community of learners, one that has matured through out more than a decade. Discussion forums are just one of the many interactive tools available for the math learner and the teacher. The question then is, how are the discussions developed in this environment, and how can these be examined to identify practices that will help the distance learner teacher in developing communities of practice in the classroom. Many do not view mathematics as a discursive discipline. Many think about mathematics in terms of numbers and symbols, nothing else. But the way we manipulate numbers and symbols in mathematics is discursive, there are reasons why one step is taken instead of another, and this is more than just numbers and symbols, it is discursive.
Then, when math is looked at as a discursive discipline, mathematical stories can be identified and analyzed. Discussion forums present stories fragmented into the postings of a thread. They inform how mathematics knowledge is constructed. Three phases can be identified in this process: the first includes the setting [where the scene takes place in terms of time, space, and characters] and the catalyst, a posting that presents the problem. Interaction takes place during the second phase where the problem is investigated and evaluated, building the problem to a point where a resolution is required (crisis). And finally, the solution and coda gives the participants one or more endings to the story and follow up possibilities. According to Gee (2005), each of these components of a story can inform the discursive process.
References:
Gee, J. P. (2005). An Introduction to Discourse Analysis: Theory and method. (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.
Nichini, M., & Hung, D. (2002). Can a community of practice exist online? Educational Technology 42(4), 49-54.
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (1999). Building Communities in Cyberspace: Effective strategies for the online classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2005). Collaborating Online: Learning together in community. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Shumar, W., & Renninger, K. A. (2002). Introduction: On conceptualizing community. In K. A. Renninger and W. Shumar (Eds.) Building Virtual Communities: Learning and change in cyberspace (pp. 1-17). NY: Cambridge University Press.
Stepich, D. A., & Ertmer, P. A. (2003). Building community as a critical element of online course design. Educational Technology 43(5), 33-43.
Trentin, G. (2001). From formal training to communities of practice via network-based learning. Educational Technology 41(2), 5-14.
Developing communities of learners in the classroom: The question was related to the expectations a teacher could have in order to develop a community of learners with the students in a math course, especially when it is offered at a distance. My first answer was yes; it is possible. It might not be that easy, but there are many activities and technologies that can be used to help people interact, collaborate and learn, while developing a community. Some researchers in this area are: Palloff & Pratt (1999, 2005), Stepich & Ertmer (2003), Trentin (2001), Dunlap (2004), Nichini & Hung (2002), and Shumar & Renninger (2002).
The Math Forum is an example of such a community of learners, one that has matured through out more than a decade. Discussion forums are just one of the many interactive tools available for the math learner and the teacher. The question then is, how are the discussions developed in this environment, and how can these be examined to identify practices that will help the distance learner teacher in developing communities of practice in the classroom. Many do not view mathematics as a discursive discipline. Many think about mathematics in terms of numbers and symbols, nothing else. But the way we manipulate numbers and symbols in mathematics is discursive, there are reasons why one step is taken instead of another, and this is more than just numbers and symbols, it is discursive.
Then, when math is looked at as a discursive discipline, mathematical stories can be identified and analyzed. Discussion forums present stories fragmented into the postings of a thread. They inform how mathematics knowledge is constructed. Three phases can be identified in this process: the first includes the setting [where the scene takes place in terms of time, space, and characters] and the catalyst, a posting that presents the problem. Interaction takes place during the second phase where the problem is investigated and evaluated, building the problem to a point where a resolution is required (crisis). And finally, the solution and coda gives the participants one or more endings to the story and follow up possibilities. According to Gee (2005), each of these components of a story can inform the discursive process.
References:
Gee, J. P. (2005). An Introduction to Discourse Analysis: Theory and method. (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.
Nichini, M., & Hung, D. (2002). Can a community of practice exist online? Educational Technology 42(4), 49-54.
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (1999). Building Communities in Cyberspace: Effective strategies for the online classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2005). Collaborating Online: Learning together in community. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Shumar, W., & Renninger, K. A. (2002). Introduction: On conceptualizing community. In K. A. Renninger and W. Shumar (Eds.) Building Virtual Communities: Learning and change in cyberspace (pp. 1-17). NY: Cambridge University Press.
Stepich, D. A., & Ertmer, P. A. (2003). Building community as a critical element of online course design. Educational Technology 43(5), 33-43.
Trentin, G. (2001). From formal training to communities of practice via network-based learning. Educational Technology 41(2), 5-14.
