While the role of computational thinking (CT) has been widely reported in technology applications and further integrated into interdisciplinary learning, the integration of pedagogy-supported interdisciplinary activities for the empowerment of girls’ learning must not solely emphasise CT problem-solving skills. Rather, it must scaffold them with interactive learning that supports their characteristics while catering to gender equality. In this study, a gender-balanced interdisciplinary activity, integrating CT with Mandarin learning (ML), was designed for an elementary school in the Mandarin as a Second Language learning context using Social Robots (SRs). It sought to verify the results of the proposed method along with focused activities and interaction in an SR-integrated activity on the CT abilities and target-language learning of young learners. A total of 46 Grade 5 students, 26 boys and 20 girls, participated in the experiment. The study used a quasi-experimental method by examining the result of pre- and post-tests on language acquisition, programming self-efficacy, the educational robot attitude, and learning perceptions in the activity. The results indicated that there were no gender differences in terms of ML, self-efficacy in programming, or attitudes toward using SRs in the SR-integrated interdisciplinary activities. However, the boys and girls had different perceptions of learning. Suggestions for conducting SR-integrated interdisciplinary learning are given, along with pedagogical implications for the further promotion of women in technology.
Computer-based writing is already a norm to a large extent in social communication for any major language around the world. From this perspective, it would be pedagogically sound for students to master the Chinese input system as early as possible. This poses some challenges to students in Singapore, most of which are learning Chinese as a second language, as inputting the non-alphabetic Chinese characters is not as direct as keyboard-based input. In this regard, an exploratory study that involved 419 students from three secondary schools was conducted. The aims of the study were three-folded, (1) To investigate if there is any differences between their performances in computer- and paper-based writing; (2) To determine the relationships between their Chinese input skills and their motivation in learning Chinese and using computers for Chinese assignments; (3) To recommend a cut-off level of pinyin input skill that students need to possess. The target students were first surveyed and then sat in two essay writing tests in the two different mediums. The collected data were quantitatively analyzed. The findings of this study will help to inform various strategies necessary to enhance students’ ability to carry out computer-based writing, and provide additional ground for the adoption of Chinese input system in formal curriculum and assessments.
As part of a learner’s learning ecology, the informal, out-of-school settings offer virtually boundless opportunities to advance one’s learning. This paper reports on “Move, Idioms!”, a design for Mobile-Assisted Language Learning experience that accentuates learners’ habit of mind and skills in making meaning with their daily encounters, and associating those with the language knowledge learned in formal learning settings. The students used smartphones on a 1:1, 24x7 basis to capture photos in real-life contexts as artifacts related to Chinese idioms, made sentences with the idioms, and then posted them onto a wiki space for peer reviews. In this paper, we focus on investigating students’ cognitive processes and patterns in artifact creations in informal settings. Our analysis and interpretation of such student activities is framed by the notion of Learner-Generated Context (LGC) (Luckin, 2008), a reconceptualization of ‘learning contexts’ that implies greater learner autonomy. Through two case studies, we gained better understanding in the impact of LGC and how it is crystallized in seamless learning processes with the interplay of physical settings, parental involvements and the mediation of mobile technology.
Abstract Numerous studies have shown that learning is enhanced when students show interest in the subject matter. However, educators continue to grapple with the challenges, or simply do not recognize their potential roles, in the development of students’ academic interest and interest in learning in general. This conceptual paper is written under the auspices of the interest-driven creator (IDC) initiative, a theoretical synthesis effort carried out by a group of educational researchers in Asia. The intention is to co-construct a holistic developmental/design framework to guide the students in fostering their learning interests, capabilities in creation, and learning habits—the three anchored concepts of IDC theory. This paper focuses on delineating a three-component “interest loop” to guide the design of a coherent learning process that encompasses a series of learning tasks. The three components are triggering interest, immersing interest, and extending interest. Underpinned by the rich literature on interest development, we will propose suitable design strategies for each of the three components, namely, curiosity, flow, and meaningfulness, respectively. We will then explicate their respective design considerations/principles to maximize the intended effects.
Introduction In recent years, language learning scholars (e.g., Little, 2007; Tedick & Walker, 1995) have become cognizant of the limitations of classroom-only language learning. Salient criticisms of classroom-only language learning include decontextualization of the learning material and processes, and the lack of autonomous learning and authentic social interactions. These issues typically undermine learners' holistic language development, especially for real-life interactions. In turn, there is an emerging consensus that the language learning process could be extended beyond the classroom, and that learners could be provided with opportunities to use the target language meaningfully and extensively in their daily life (Benson, 2013; Canagarajah & Wurr, 2011). The advancement of mobile technologies could potentially address the aforementioned problems that bedevil classroom-only language learning. Mobile technologies offer pedagogical affordances that educators can leverage to promote meaningful learning among learners, both inside and out of the classroom. The most salient pedagogical affordance of mobile devices is that they allow learning to happen in the real world, which contributes to the authenticity of the learning and situated meaning making (Pachler, 2010). Armed with their mobile devices, learners can actively construct digital artifacts whenever and wherever they have the intention to learn. Subsequently, they can upload the constructed artifacts for sharing, peer critiquing and coconstruction, thereby making learning more collaborative. Researchers have characterized this form of learning wherein there is 24/7 access to at least one mobile device (1:1) as seamless learning (Chan et al., 2006). Since 2006, emerging designs of seamless learning that aim to create holistic and perpetual learning experiences have been reported. Formal and informal learning, individual and social, and physical and digital spaces are thus woven together with the mediation of mobile technologies (Wong & Looi, 2011; Wong, Milrad, & Specht, 2015). Among the 40 seamless learning projects identified in a recent review (Wong, Chai, & Aw, 2015), ten projects were dedicated to the design of language learning tasks in multiple settings. Despite the emergence of studies on seamless language learning (SLL), few researchers have explicitly examined the role of motivation and learning strategies in SLL. This is an important gap given that the likelihood of success in any learning activity is largely determined by students' motivation and learning strategies (Weinstein, Husman, & Dierking, 2000). This lack of research is partly due to the lack of appropriate measures of motivation in technologyenhanced learning environments, as well as the lack of instruments to measure the relevant learning strategies that students use when they are engaged in seamless learning. Furthermore, most SLL studies reported to date have been limited by small sample sizes (e.g., Ogata et al., 2008; Wei, 2012). Students' perceptions of and strategies for SLL offer valuable data that can allow researchers to assess the efficacy of their designed activities, and that can be used for further refinement of the learning designs. In addition, how students' motivation contributes to SLL activities is also a crucial issue to consider, especially in second language acquisition (SLA) settings. Student-centered learning design is associated with learners' motivation and autonomy (self-directedness) to learn. This research therefore aims to address the stated gap by developing and validating an instrument, namely, the Mobile-Assisted Seamless Chinese Language learning Questionnaire (MSCLQ), to measure students' motivation and perceptions of strategies for seamless Chinese language learning through confirmatory factor analyses. Although the current questionnaire was focused on Chinese language learning, we believe that the instrument can easily be adapted for use with other languages. …
In this chapter we present and discuss the results and reflections based on our recent developments and experiences in Europe and in Asia regarding how novel educational design patterns, mobile te ...
This study aimed to develop a collaborative and manipulative virtual Tangram puzzle to facilitate children to learn geometry in the computer-supported collaborative learning environment with Tablet PCs. In promoting peer interactions and stimulating students’ higher-order thinking and creativity toward geometric problem-solving, we designed a collaborative Chinese Tangram activity with problem-solving learning strategies. Participants are 25 6th graders of a suburb elementary school of Tai-Chung City. The results suggest that children’s competency in rotation and space of shapes had been improved and the scores gap between lower and higher achievers had been narrowed. Such a collaborative Chinese Tangram activity may facilitate peer negotiation, enhance children’s belief toward problem solving, and benefit each child to share resources, and a positive interdependent learning context can naturally be developed.
'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='translate(288.889 -214.211)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='translate(108 342.749)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='translate(469.189 342.749)'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(144 450 300)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(216 450 300)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(288 450 300)'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(60)'/%3e%3ccircle r='17' fill='%23000095'/%3e%3ccircle r='15' fill='%23fff'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
'%3e%3cpath fill='%23012169' d='M0 0v30h60V0z'/%3e%3cpath stroke='%23fff' stroke-width='6' d='m0 0 60 30m0-30L0 30'/%3e%3cpath stroke='%23C8102E' stroke-width='4' d='m0 0 60 30m0-30L0 30' clip-path='url(%23b)'/%3e%3cpath stroke='%23fff' stroke-width='10' d='M30 0v30M0 15h60'/%3e%3cpath stroke='%23C8102E' stroke-width='6' d='M30 0v30M0 15h60'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/svg%3e)
'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(23.036 .093 25.536)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(45.87 1.273 16.18)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(69.945 .996 12.078)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(20.66 -19.689 31.932)'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='translate(0 -400)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='translate(0 -600)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='translate(0 -800)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='translate(0 -1000)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='translate(0 -1200)'/%3e%3cpath d='M0 0h1400v800H0z' style='fill:%23010066'/%3e%3cpath d='M576 100c-166.146 0-301 134.406-301 300s134.854 300 301 300c60.027 0 115.955-17.564 162.927-47.783-27.353 9.44-56.71 14.602-87.271 14.602-147.327 0-266.897-119.172-266.897-266.01 0-146.837 119.57-266.01 266.897-266.01 32.558 0 63.746 5.815 92.602 16.468C696.217 118.91 638.305 100 576 100z' style='fill:%23fc0'/%3e%3cpath d='m914.286 471.429-99.538-53.25 29.43 108.982-66.575-91.165-20.77 110.96-20.428-111.024-66.857 90.96L699.314 418l-99.701 52.943 74.065-85.192-112.8 4.441 103.694-44.62-103.555-44.94L673.8 305.42 600 220l99.538 53.25-29.43-108.982 66.575 91.165 20.77-110.96 20.428 111.023 66.857-90.959L814.97 273.43l99.702-52.944-74.065 85.193 112.8-4.441-103.694 44.62 103.555 44.94-112.785-4.79z' style='fill:%23fc0' transform='matrix(1.2738 0 0 1.2423 -89.443 -29.478)'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)