Pedagogical Patterns and Learning Design

Pedagogical Patterns and Learning Design When Two Worlds Cooperate Workshop UNFOLD/PROLEARN Valkenburg, September 22th and 23th 2005 César Olavo de Moura Filho USTL/CEFET-CE

Agenda (1/2) 1. Introduction 2. Learning Scenarios 3. Patterns 4. Patterns and e-learning

Agenda (2/2) 5. What PP can provide to LD 6. What LD can provide to PP 7. From a PP to an LD 8. Conclusion

Introduction • Different ways of representing a learning scenario: • Trigone/USTL (France) • CEFET-CE (Brazil)

Dai’s 1st step… Introduction Trigone/USTL CIM PIM PIM/PSM Code Automatic code generation Automatic Transformation refining Most manually refining refining PHP Patterns, Narrative, UML, 8LEM, Dialog+, etc. CMSs: Moodle, Claroline, etc. IMS-LD MISA XPDL UML,etc. Java OMG MDA for Learning Scenarios Java COW, MOT+, Reload Player, etc.

Patterns • What are patterns? • Why use patterns? • Pattern form • Pattern mining • Pattern language • Patterns and e-learning

Patterns • “Each pattern is a three-part rule, which expresses a relation between a certain context, a problem, and a solution” (Alexander) • The scope of the patterns has expanded to include domains as diverse as group work, software design, human computer interaction, education, etc.

Why patterns (Appleton)? • Solve "real world" problems; • Capture domain expertise; • Document design decisions and rationale; • Reuse the wisdom and experience of master practitioners; • Convey expert insight to novices; • Form a shared vocabulary for problem-solving discussion.

Pattern Form • Core elements – title, problem (+forces), context and solution • Metadata-type elements – author, date, version, also known as. • Other elements: examples, related patterns, contra indications, resources, consequences, etc.

Pattern Mining/Writing • Deductive (bottom-up, opportunistic): • “You come across a situation that seems to work particularly well and get a sense that there is something ‘right’ about it.” • Inductive (top-down): • “You try to identify those things for which you know that you need a good pattern” (E-LEN project) • PLoPs

Pattern Language • Defines a collection of patterns and the rules to combine them into an architectural style. (Coplien) • Making use of relations like uses, refines and conflicts, composite patterns can be created that possess a set of characteristics exceeding those of the individual contributing patterns • Whereas patterns can be a good solution for fine grained problems, linking related patterns can also be useful in addressing more complex processes in a step-by-step approach.

Ideas on Patterns • Today’s original ideas will be the patterns of the next decade (Coplien) • Writing good patterns is very difficult (Appleton) • A pattern in which no forces are present is not a pattern. (Appleton) • Patterns guide humans, not machines (Coplien)

Patterns and e-learning • Patterns for designing web courses (Frizell) • Patterns for designing learning management systems (E-LEN project) • Patterns for networked learning (Goodyear – based on Paulsens’ Report on Pedagogical Techniques) • Patterns,LD and LAMS (McAndrews, Goodyear and Dalziel) • Pedagogical Patterns (Bergin et al)

What Patterns can provide to IMS-LD • A repository of well-documented (best) practices in education that can guide learning designers when constructing UoLs. • More targeted elements: • R_Learner_with_Shortage_of_Time • R_Unmotivated_Learner • R_Inexperienced_Teacher • Pattern language: • Pattern composition => LD composition?

What Patterns can provide to IMS-LD • Anti-patterns: enables a learning designer, by consulting a catalog of pedagogical “worst practices”, to save a precious time and avoid lots of to-ing and fro-ing when creating UoLs. • Handle: the title of the pedagogical pattern can act as a handle and make up a vocabulary that practitioners and designers can use to easily express sometimes complex strategies, practices, etc. The same handle can be used to identify learning designs as well.

What Patterns can provide to IMS-LD • QWAN • Tries to explain why some designs are considered to be unique, insightful, aesthetical and really useful and others are not. • IMS-LD designers, by pursuing the QWAN property, might conceive more “live” designs. • Reveals the intention of the author of the pedagogical strategy.

What LD can provide to Patterns • A way of validating a pattern (“in action”). • Less ambiguous patterns… • By trial and error, a learning design can evolve with time and give origin to new best practices.

From a Pedagogical Pattern to an LD • Patterns used as guidance: • « [a pattern] describes a problem which occurs over and over again in our environment and then describes the core of the solution to that problem, in such a way that you can use this solution a million times over without ever doing it the same way twice. » (Alexander) • Peer Feedback, from the Feedback Pattern Language (Bergin et al)

Peer Feedback (1/3) • [Context] The students have produced some artifacts and you want them to learn both how to improve their own artifact, and how to help others improve. The artifacts might be developed via TRY IT YOURSELF. Furthermore you want to Build and Maintain Confidence. • [Forces and Problem (in bold)] *** Typically people assume that learning involves receiving feedback, but this is a rather reactive way of learning and ignores the fact that students can learn a lot by giving feedback. Students are knowledgeable and are able to give helpful feedback, but often they are not confident about the relevance of their experience and are unsure about the value of their own knowledge. • [Solution (in bold) and Consequences] *** Therefore, invite students to evaluate the artifacts of their peers. The students will provide feedback to their peers by drawing on their own experience and because each student will also have produced the artifact for himself or herself, their experience and knowledge will be explicitly relevant. Students often expect to learn from the teacher, but if you also want them to learn how to learn they have to be less dependent on the teacher. Note that peer feedback has value both for the one giving and the one receiving the feedback, but perhaps more for the giver.

Peer Feedback (2/3) As soon as the students have completed their artifacts they will pass the artifact on to the next student or group of students. Every receiver now has the task of understanding the artifact and to provide constructive feedback. Carefully introduce good ways of providing feedback, to ensure that the feedback will be constructive and not destructive. See FEEDBACK SANDWICH. If the artifacts were produced in teams consider one team member accompanying the artifact as an agent. The agent can provide valuable insights for the review team. Give each team the chance to report to the whole group on what they have learned, when evaluating the artifact as well as what the agent has learned from the reviewers. If the artifacts were produced by individuals instead, ask the students to pass the artifact around. Depending on the size of the whole group, either again give everybody a chance to report on what they have learned, or assign some time so the artifact producer and the reviewercan discuss what they have learned in a dialog. You can provide special feedback forms to facilitate this. You have to make sure, that the critique is always formulated in a positive way, so that the students who produced the work learn rather than feel offended. You can support the students accepting the feedback (and perhaps admitting mistakes) by admitting yourself that Nobody is Perfect [VF].

Peer Feedback (3/3) • [Discussion] *** Students will learn by providing feedback to peers: through critiquing they learn from others' mistakes and insights. This enables them to also learn from their colleagues, which in turn draws the students’ attention away from the teacher. In addition they learn how to critique in a way that will further help their peers to improve their work. When the student moves later to the world of work she will be called on to critique the work of others, so this is good early practice under your guidance. Furthermore allowing all participants to produce an artifact as well as to review an artifact reinforces self-confidence. Because even a student who has struggled producing the artifact will be able to give valuable feedback on an artifact produced by another student. This way every student learns that s/he can contribute something to the final production of an artifact. A variation on this pattern, PEER GRADING, suggests that it may be appropriate for students to provide part of the grade for other students. This is especially useful in team projects. The portion of the overall grade provided by peers should be small and objectively assigned. • [Examples] *** Writers’ workshops at pattern conferences

Reviewer/Creator Reviewer: Creator: Creator/Reviewer Instructor: Instructor Start Start Request Artifact Request Artifact Discuss Experiences Create Artifact Provide Feedback Review Artifact Discuss Experiences Discuss Experiences Provide Feedback Create Artifact Provide Feedback Review Artifact Discuss Experiences Provide Asistance Provide Asistance Create Artifact Review Artifact Listen Feedback Listen Feedback : : End End Peer Feedback: UML Activity Diagram

Conclusions (1/2) • Informal to formal (CIM -> PIM): • Semantic ambiguity • How to capture the author’s intention • Conformance and Quality • Early modeling or late modeling • Informal and formal should go together • Open approach (like in open source) • « Social filtering » • with time, the initial inputs tend to improve. • “Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow” (Raymond)

Conclusions (2/2) • •Not all patterns focus on activity only: • « Therefore , give the participants exercises […] that challenge their understanding» • So, patterns may have impact on the activity, content and services. • Most patterns give template UoLs, not full-fledged UoLs. • Pattern language: • Pattern composition => LD composition?

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Pedagogical Patterns and Learning Design