Beyond best practice:
Research-based innovation in
learning and knowledge work
Marlene Scardamalia
Project Director
Beyond best practice: Research-based innovation
in learning and knowledge work
 Interdisciplinary (represents at least 20 disciplines)
 Intersectorial (participants range from Junior
kindergarten to higher education, health care,
small businesses, railroad workers, advocacy groups,
community enterprises)
 Cross-age (4 year olds to 70+)
 Cross-cultural (active participants from 12 nations)
ikit.org
ikit.org/knowledgesocietynetwork
Beyond Best practice Research Network: the Big Picture
http://builder.ikit.org:19010/view?DB=KSN&ViewID=82
-BBP: Knowledge Society Network (KSN) Research Model: Organizational Framework
http://builder.ikit.org:19010/view?DB=KSN&ViewID=81
Beyond best practice: Research-based innovation
in learning and knowledge work
Publications:
A full listing of outputs: http://ikit.org/ikit_ref/masterlist.php
 Book = 13
 Peer-reviewed journal publications = 137
 Articles in peer reviewed conference proceedings = 49
 Chapters for edited volumes = 94
 Presentations at high-caliber conferences = 314
 Technical reports = 2
Beyond best practice: Research-based innovation
in learning and knowledge work
Students, Workshops, Courses:
 Students - Canadian = 81; Worldwide = 146
Beyond best practice: Research-based innovation
in learning and knowledge work
Students, Workshops, Courses:
 Students - Canadian = 81; Worldwide = 146
Beyond best practice: Research-based innovation
in learning and knowledge work
Students, Workshops, Courses:
 Students - Canadian = 81; Worldwide = 146
Beyond best practice: Research-based innovation
in learning and knowledge work
Students, Workshops, Courses:
 Students - Canadian = 81; Worldwide = 146
Beyond best practice: Research-based innovation
in learning and knowledge work
Students, Workshops, Courses:
 Students - Canadian = 81; Worldwide = 146
 Workshops and training or professional development
events = 59
Beyond best practice: Research-based innovation
in learning and knowledge work
Students, Workshops, Courses:
 Students - Canadian = 81; Worldwide = 146
 Workshops and training or professional development
events = 59
 Specially designed online courses to support the work
of the network = 31
Beyond best practice: Research-based innovation
in learning and knowledge work
Growth in the Knowledge Society Network collaborators
and partnerships
 Letter of Intent, Nov. 2001 = Researchers from 6
countries
 INE proposal submitted July 2002 = Researchers from
9 countries
 Summer Institute, August 2003 = 122 researchers and
practioners from 11 countries, and 6 provinces &
territories in Canada
 Summer Institute, August 2004 = 144 researchers and
practioners from 13 countries, and 6 provinces &
territories in Canada
 IKIT website, Sept 17, 2004 = 29 countries
Beyond best practice: Research-based innovation
in learning and knowledge work
Knowledge Building: Catching On
1980’s - “knowledge building” enters the educational
literature
2002 -
32,000 ‘hits’
2004 -
88,400 ‘hits’
Beyond best practice: Research-based innovation
in learning and knowledge work
Virtual Meetings:
http://ikit.org/calendar.html
Average of 1.4 a month since April 1, 2003
40 people on average participate in each event with an
average of 7 countries and 15 different communities
represented each time
The “Knowledge Triangle”
Policy Makers/Knowledge Mobilization
http://ikit.org/KnowledgeSocietyNetwork/view?DB=KSN&ViewID=122
Knowledge
Building
Communities
Researchers
Practitioners
http://ikit.org/world_map
http://ikit.org/world_map
Emergent Leaders: Scandinavia
In Sweden:
Emergent Leaders: Scandinavia
Emergent Leaders: Scandinavia
Emergent Leaders: Scandinavia
Emergent Leaders: Scandinavia
In Finland:
Emergent Leaders: Scandinavia
In Finland:
Emergent Leaders: Scandinavia
In Finland:
Emergent Leaders: Scandinavia
In Finland:
Emergent Leaders: Scandinavia
In Finland:
Emergent Leaders: Scandinavia
In Finland:
Emergent Leaders: Scandinavia
In Norway:
Emergent Leaders: Scandinavia
In Norway:
Emergent Leaders: Scandinavia
In Norway:
Emergent Leaders: Other European colleagues
At EARLI: 32 presentations from IKIT members
<http://ikit.org/EARLI2003.html>
Emergent Leaders: Other European colleagues
Italy
Emergent Leaders: Other European colleagues
Italy
Emergent Leaders: Other European colleagues
Spain
Emergent Leaders: CANADA
Emergent Leaders: CANADA
Emergent Leaders: USA
USA
Emergent Leaders: USA
USA
Emergent Leaders: USA
USA
Emergent Leaders: USA
USA
Emergent Leaders: South America
Brazil
Emergent Leaders: South America
Brazil
Emergent Leaders: Asia
Singapore
Emergent Leaders: Asia
Singapore
Emergent Leaders: Asia
Japan
Emergent Leaders: Asia
Japan
Emergent Leaders: Asia
Japan
Emergent Leaders: Asia
Taiwan
Emergent Leaders: Asia
Taiwan
Emergent Leaders: Asia
Hong Kong
Emergent Leaders: Asia
Hong Kong
Emergent Leaders: Asia
Hong Kong
Emergent Leaders: Asia
Hong Kong
The Institute for Knowledge Innovation and Technology
Creating Knowledge to Drive Knowledge Creation
Create the science, environments, and networks of
support that make knowledge innovation “part and
parcel of the ordinary.”
The Knowledge Society Challenge:
Generating New Knowledge
From Learning to Knowledge Building
Learning
Knowledge Building
Keeping abreast of advancing
knowledge
Contributing new knowledge
Cultural replication; lifelong
learning
Lifelong innovation
Dissemination inherited
information and best practices
Going beyond best practice
Foundational and Design Research
1. Theoretical Development
2. A Developmental Pathway Model of Individual and Group
Innovativeness
3. A Shared Resource for Cross-Sector Research and Innovation
4. Exploring the Potential of Semantic Analysis to aid Knowledge
Building
5. Focus on Idea Improvement
6. Comprehending Difficult Text as a Task for Collaborative
Problem Solving
7. Controlling the time demands of on-line teaching and
knowledge building
8. Building on Intuitive Understanding
9. Shared problem spaces as a basis for cross-age, cross-sector
learning and knowledge creation
Strand 1A - Theoretical Development
A scientific basis for knowledge building must
draw not only on the learning, information,
management, and cognitive sciences, but also on
such diverse areas of inquiry as dialogue, selforganizing systems, emergence, and memetics
Strand 1A - Theoretical Development
Learning
Guided Discovery
Knowledge Building
Process of expertise and
innovation
Theoretical Development Challenge
A new educational science is needed,
which recognizes the self-organizing character
of learning and creativity and which takes as its goal
the advancement of education toward higher levels
of functional organization.
Strand 2: A Developmental Pathway Model of Individual and Group
Innovativeness
Learning to Knowledge Building
The rich get richer-- as close to a law of nature
as learning research has come
The more you know, the more you can learn.
.
Knowledge Building Drives Learning
Strand 2: A Developmental Pathway Model of
Individual and Group Innovativeness
The Learning to Knowledge Building Pathway
Learning: Guided Discovery
KB:
Processes of
expertise and
innovation
Project-Based Learning, Inquiry-Driven
Learning, Collaborative Learning, E-Learning;
Distance Education
Sustained
Idea
Improvement
Strand 2: A Developmental Pathway Model of
Individual and Group Innovativeness
The Learning to Knowledge Building Pathway
Learning
Best Practice
Knowledge
Building
Beyond Best
Practice
Elementary Secondary Tertiary Graduate Post Graduate
Education Education Education
Practitioners, Teachers, Managers
Research
Scientist;
Designers
Strand 2: A Developmental Pathway Model of Individual and Group
Innovativeness
Knowledge Building Drives Learning
Creative work with ideas part and parcel of the ordinary.
Knowledge Building: The Knowledge Creation Pathway
Knowledge Building Environment: Increasing intellectual capital
Knowledge Building Community: Taking Responsibility
for the Advancement of Community Knowledge
Grade 1 Student:
Where will my ideas go?
Who will help me improve them?
Sustained Idea Improvement
Epistemic Agency
Research Results
• Standardized test scores in reading
comprehension, vocabulary, and spelling
• Ability to read difficult texts
• Quality of questions and comments
• Depth of explanation
• Graphical literacy
• Conceptual change
• Math problem solving
• Portfolio commentaries
• Collaborative processes
• Inquiry processes
Blake, P., Fischer, K., Lamon, M. & Teplovs, C.
Understanding students’ conceptual development in a knowledge
building environment through skill theory analyses.
Impact of Task Design on Learners’ Developmental Trajectory in
Knowledge Building
Nancy Law, Allan Yuen
Elaine Wong & Johnny Yuen
• Students were able to reach higher levels of KB
• Student took off faster along the KB developmental trajectory at
early stage of the course and were able to sustain idea
improvement throughout the process
• Played with ideas, identified knowledge gaps and worked on
cutting edge of knowledge in order to improve the contraption,
promoted theory refinement & idea evolution, “moving beyond
current best practice”
HANDHELD COMPUTERS TO SUPPORT ONLINE AND
OFFLINE DISCOURSE
Latika Nirula
•Handheld notes to identify individual level misconceptions
(ONLINE)
•Transcripts of small group face-to-face discussions using
handheld computers where students discuss and negotiate their
ideas (OFFLINE)
 Linking OFFLINE/ONLINE
Creation of co-authored handheld notes from small group
discussions (ONLINE)
•Subsequent threads of KF notes in the form of
‘Build-Ons’ or ‘Rise Aboves’ marking moves towards
conceptual change (ONLINE)
From the lesson study toward the design study:
Teacher development through their participation in
design research practice
Oshima, Oshima, & Horino
Resistances to Knowledge Building
An Analysis of Student Practices in Asynchronous
Computer Conferencing Environments:
Implications for Distance Education
Peters and Hewitt
Learners complained of information overload and compensated by
skimming notes or ignoring some discussion threads. These strategies
saved students time, but it limited their engagement in the kind of
progressive discourse that computer conferencing was intended to
engender.

Students searched for topics of interest or notes containing questions
to fulfill requirements rather than adopt learning-related goals.

Learners
are sensitive to the social dynamics of the course and how
they are perceived by others (especially the instructor). There is a certain
level of insecurity and uncertainty, and reluctance, among some, to take
risks.
Resistances to Knowledge Building
Pre-service Teacher Education: Supporting Learning and
Engagement Through Online Knowledge Building
Brett & Moosabhoy
Students
found the online environment to be less supportive
Possible
Reasons:
(1) Two courses integrated through online conference, this year, rather
than just one
(2) Lack of experience using WebKF or an online forum in deepening
ideas
(difficulty navigating views & not recognizing importance of build-ons)

(3) Epistemology of learning for group appeared more transmissionoriented
(4) Several preferred face-to-face interaction than online
(5) For some, time required and redundancy of ideas covered in class
discouraged engagement

Strand IC: A Shared Resource for Cross-Sector Research
and Innovation
Emergence and Self Organization
Patterns of Use in Knowledge Forum
Philip, Burtis, Laferriere, Lamon, Allaire
Frequency of Note Creation
Frequency of note creation
50
45
40
35
30
25
Note Creation
20
15
10
5
0
1
8
15 22 29 36 43 50 57 64 71 78 85 92 99
Students/ Users
Chart Title
1.8
1.6
Log of note creation
Note creation data
Notice the shape of the
curve--it’s not a normal
distribution curve.
This represents a Zipf’s
Law or power law relation.
R-squared = 0.94
1.4
1.2
Log of note creation
1
Linear (Log of note
creation)
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
y = -0.0133x + 1.501
R2 = 0.941
0
1
9
17 25
33 41 49 57 65 73 81 89
Users
97
Emerging social positions in a Computer-Supported
Collaborative Learning Community
Li Sha & Jan van Aalst Simon Fraser University
Results
Four sub-groups (blocks) with structural equivalence were found by
blockmodel analysis. This means that the 24 students clustered
around four different “social positions” as their interactions
unfolded
A logistical regression analysis shows that FSA scores for reading
and numeracy were statistically significant discriminators of group
membership, after adjusting for gender (p<.05)
Significance
The disclosure of social positions of students provides an insight
into mechanisms of collaboration in the course of constructing
collective knowledge, particularly when the social positions are
obtained empirically rather than pre-assigned.
This study may be one of the first attempts to explore the existence
of naturally emerging social positions in knowledge building
communities.
Non-linear dynamical development of knowledge
building communities
Li Sha and Jan van Aalst Simon Fraser University
A nonlinear regression model
with Lyapunov exponent
(Guastell, 2002) was introduced
to test whether the targeted KB
communities were undergoing a
chaotic expansion corresponding
to a positive Lyapunov exponent,
were gravitating toward to a
stable state (fixed-point attractor)
in the end corresponding to a
negative Lyapunov exponent, or
were showing a kind of oscillated
progression over time.
R-sq. =.37, p<.000
READNOTE
.6
.5
.4
.3
.2
.1
Obs erv ed
0.0
Linear
-.1
Logarithmic
0
TIME
20
40
60
80
100
KBC - Japan elementary school
Research Purposes
1. Use of authoritative texts
2. Teacher progression from
traditional Japanese lesson
study to design research
2nd Japanese iteration
Using scaffold supports
KF database with texts on genetically modified
foods (notes from biologists & Grade 5/6 students
KBC - Toronto elementary school
Research Purposes
1. Use of authoritative texts
2. Effects of scaffold supports
for reading comprehension
Analyses
Notes translated and entered into a
KF database in Toronto. Students read texts
to understand GM foods.
Harvard
Microgenetic analyses
IKIT
ATK
Strand ID: Exploring the Potential of Semantic Analysis to
aid Knowledge Building
The Measurement of Idea Diversity
Teplovs, C., Reeve, R. & Scardamalia, M.
Total ideas
Unique ideas
New idea contributions
Plateau in new ideas
Latent Semantic Analyses
ATK comparative
“Read” & “Link To”
measures by IP group
Highly Read
Concurrent Feedback
Innovation Strand 1: Focus on Idea improvement
There is the tendency to fall back on routines,
to accept or reject ideas, and to abandon old ideas
when new ones come along. We have elaborated a
more fruitful way: sustained idea improvement, by
which the strengths of ideas are developed and
weaknesses eliminated.
Real Ideas in the Real World
Coding Epistemological Shifts in Teachers’ Levels of
Approach to Knowledge
Ruffus & Keefer
University of Missouri-St. Louis
Using Knowledge Forum for an introductory Educational
Technology course in Barcelona
Álvarez
University of Barcelona
Results (from ATK analyses)
1) Helping students to reflect upon their own learning process
in early stages,
2) Increasing peer-aid to plan out activities collaboratively,
3) Facilitating all students’ voices to be heard
(remarkable with 40 students in a group) and,
4) Showing that Knowledge Forum 4.0 is an important tool to
help computer-challenged students to overcome their
fears much easier.
Exploring a scalable mechanism for changing learning
culture in an examination-oriented setting
Law, N.,Yuen, A., Wong, E. & Yuen, J.
University of Hong Kong
•A curriculum activity framework can facilitate
engagement with ideas & bootstrap
understanding of KB principles
•Common framework can build up teachers’
understanding of KB & their facilitation ability,
foster engagement of teachers as participant
researcher in a community of practice
Fostering Scientific Inquiry in Schools
Tan, Hung & So - National Institute for Education, Singapore
Significant differences for the class using scaffold supports (Class A) emerged
for identifying variables and stating hypotheses (p<.001).
Design Experiments in Japanese elementary schools.
Oshima, J., et al (2004)
A t-test on the proportion showed that students were more likely to access other groups in a
collaboratively oriented classroom than in an hypothesis one ( t(186) = 3.33, p < .001).
Algebraic Reasoning with Grade Four
Students at two different schools
Barkin & Shillolo
•
Improved metacognition to communicate with unknown
students
Innovation Strand 2: Comprehending difficult Text as a Task
For Collaborative Problem Solving
Team members are developing means to turn comprehension
of difficult texts into a task for collaborative problem solving,
and to support the shift from reading for comprehension to
reading for idea improvement.
Knowledge Building: Fostering Reading Comprehension
Lamon, M., Melnick, B., Klonsky, K. & Scardamalia, M.
Controlled Study with Grade 9 students in an English literature course
Literacy as a by-product of knowledge building
Group
Pretest Mean
SD
Post-test Mean
SD
Experimental (N=17)
8.69
1.83
11.21*
2.26
Control (N=14)
8.41
2.61
7.45
3.23
Table 1: Mean Pretest and Post-test problem solving scores for experimental and control classes.
Pretest scores used as a c ovariate for the post-test problem solving scores revealed that the experimental
class performed significantly better than the control class F (1,28)=18.42, p<. 0005.
Andrews & Lamon: First Nations Program
Comprehending difficult text through problem solving:
What is the problem? - Lamon, M., Oshima, J.,
Caswell, B. & Reeve, R.
Results
• Students successfully used the scaffold
support “interpretation” to aid text
comprehension.
• Scaffold supports such as “This text does
not explain” led to shallow processing.
• Responses to the difficult texts showed
more depth than did student led
investigations.
COMPUTER SUPPORTED COLLABORATIVE READING FOR
FOREIGN LANGUAGE VOCABULARY ACQUISITION
Wible, Chen, Chen & Kuo
Tamkang University, Taiwan
• All students used English to annotate unknown words
• Scaffold supports led to Insightful perspectives on
L2 vocabulary acquisition.
Innovation Strand 3: Controlling the Time Demands of Online
Teaching and Knowledge Building
Team members are developing research-based methods for
turning high-level responsibilities for knowledge work
(e.g. evaluation, contributing resources, monitoring difficulties)
over to participants and creating systems of participatory
mentorship.
Hamilton Health Science and IKIT partnership
E-Learning Outcomes
Technology reduc ed the number and frequency of face-to-face
meet ings
Technology support ed/encouraged part icipat ion by Task Force
members
Technology helped to keep Task Force’s work on schedule
Task force reported that their knowledge and expert ise
using technology increased as a direct result of using t he
technology
Task force reported that knowledge of professional pract ice issues
increased
Task force reported an improvement in inter-professional
communicat ion
Knowledge Forum facilitated access to resources (documents and
ideas)
Knowledge Forum supported individual learning
Knowledge Forum supported team learning
Knowledge Forum supported t heir professional practice
Knowledge Forum assisted in the development of the emergent
pat ient centred care philosophy
Knowledge Forum supported product ive work between HHS T ask
Force and IKIT researchers
Knowledge Forum helped to developed new or more product ive
relat ionships with peers and colleagues
Knowledge Forum supported shared responsibility for project
complet ion by part icipants
IKIT researchers provided t imely responses to ques t ions and
concerns
Percentage (N=12)
73%
73%
64%
100%
45%
73%
91%
55 %
64 %
36%
82%
45%
64%
64%
64%
INNOVATIVE EDUCATIONAL DESIGN STRATEGIES IN HEALTH CARE
Russell
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Dec-00
Nov-00
Oct-00
Technical
Support
Planning Feb. 12
Txing Day
Interprofessional
Care Delivery
Strategic
Planning Day
Evidence Based
Practice
Knowledge
Buildilng vs
Pain Guidelines
(CPG)
Sep-00
Ethics & Prof.
Practice
Clinical Practice
Committee
Frequency Note Reads
S1 4 Freq uency Read s (N -2 28 ) Emergent Views
Emergent Views (N=1 8)
High frequency of ‘unassigned views’ (N=29) visited and
note reads (N=346) by the Nurse-Intern, positive evidence of
epistemic agency-in-practice.This extends work in assigned
views.
Innovation Strand 4: Building on Intuitive Understanding
Intuitive understandings are being used as a driving
force for sustained idea improvement, rather than as
misconceptions or beliefs to be contrasted with
alternative beliefs.
How does Knowledge Work in Classrooms: Knowledge Dynamics in
an online Knowledge Building Environment
Zhang, J., Scardamalia, M., Lamon, M., Messina, R. & Reeve, R.
Stage 1 Stage 2
Mean
Stage 3
Total
1.93
2.45
2.86
2.40
SD
.90
.90
.99
1.00
N
57
55
50
162
Rating of ideas in 15 large inquiry threads over time.
Anova results showed a significant improvement in scientific ideas over
time (F(2, 159 = 13.51, p=.000). Multiple Comparisons (LSD) showed
significant differences between Stage 1 and 2 (p=.003) as well as
between Stage 2 and 3 (p=.027).
To elaborate the process of conceptual growth, we examined the largest inquiry thread:
how light travels consisting 60 notes and six annotations, entered between Feb. 8 to
May 10, 2002. Notes were grouped into three stages of 20 notes. ANOVA demonstrated
a significant growth in the rating of personal ideas between the three stages (F(2,
44)=14.21, p=.000).
To support the process of conceptual growth: opportunistic and participantdriven incorporation of new information
Video Notes as a Support for Telementoring
in a Knowledge Forum Classroom
Robertson, Hewitt, Messina and Scardamalia
•Students who have poor reading or writing skills can still interact with mentors;
•Video conveys emotional content (through facial expressions and voice)
•Video notes allow children to display classroom artifacts to mentors
•Students can create and watch videos when it is convenient for them (unlike real-time
videoconferencing)
•Video notes can be replayed over and over again and shared among students.
Innovation Strand 5: Shared problem Spaces as a basis for
Cross-age, cross-sector learning and knowledge creation
We are identifying problem spaces from the discourse
of participants and through negotiation and explication
of shared goals across ages, sectors, and cultures. These
methods promise to lessen the need to “reinvent the wheel.”
Pre-service teachers' use of
knowledge building scaffolds during field experiences
and student teaching
Laferriere, T. & Allaire, S.
Across years, pre-service teachers showed little variability in their use of
scaffold supports - following a model?
Dynamic Web Reporting
VIRTUAL DESIGN STUDIO
AS A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
Seitamaa-Hakkarainen & Hakkarainen
University of Joensuu & University of Helsinki
Collaborative design: shared objects; patterns of collaboration
Participatory design: integrating conceptual design with sketches;
user as information source or co-designer
Experts participation: integrating conceptual designing with
sketches; expert support for virtual design process
Exploring the use of Squeak for modeling
mathematical ideas
Amy Paradine
• students demonstrated facility using Squeak to
create unique slope representations
• modest amount of collaboration and
communication among students about math
concepts and Squeak tools
Knowledge building in Home Economics education
Kivilehto
ACTICVITY CARD B
Yeast experiment
Ingredients and equipment: bottles (2 dl), balloons, yeast (dry yeast),
sugar, ice cubes, tape, pencil, two large water containers (shallow)
- Mark the bottles: A, B, C and D
- Measure to the bottles the ingredients mentioned in the work sheet
- Put the balloons on the tops of the bottles and shake carefully
- Fill one water container with 10ºC water (add ice cubes) and the other container with 40ºC water
- Move the bottles to the containers filled with water
TABLE_____________________________________________________________
Yeast
Water
Sugar
Water in container
(dry)
(lukewarm)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Bottle A
1 spoon
1 dl
1 spoon
10°C
Bottle B
1“
1“
1 spoon
40°C
Bottle C
1“
1“
-
10°C
Bottle D
1 “
1“
40°C
_____________________________________________________________________________
OBSERVE (5-10 min.) the bottles and the balloons. Answer the questions:
1. What happens to the balloons?
Bottle
A: _________________
Bottle
B: _________________
Bottle
Bottle
C:_______________
D:_______________
What is the effect of the temperature? (Water in the containers)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What is the effect of the sugar?
_____________________________________________________________________
2.What substance makes the balloon expand? ____________________________________________________________________
Make conclusions on the grounds of an experiment
3.Under what conditions does the yeast grow best?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________