Knowledge Building Network Learning (International) was held on 12 and 13 March 2019. This event was supported by the Office of Education Research (OER) and spearheaded by OER Senior Research Scientist, Dr Teo Chew Lee.
The Knowledge Building Network Learning (KBNL) event attracted participants from institutions and schools from Canada, China, Japan and Scotland, to name a few. The participants comprised KB teachers, school leaders, researchers, computer engineers and the founders of KB theory, pedagogy and technology – Professors Marlene Scardamalia and Carl Bereiter. | Read More |
The 1.5-day programme featured keynote presentations by Professors Scardamalia and Bereiter on the first day, followed by breakout sessions where participants shared ideas on the philosophies behind formative assessment and the challenges faced in the execution of these ideals in classrooms. The interactions aimed to enrich participants about current developments of KB research and to challenge their thoughts on research possibilities.
The programme on the second day provided opportunities for professional sharing by teachers and researchers. Held at St Hilda’s Primary School (SHPS), participants were invited to a variety of activities on KB including classroom visits, workshops, poster sessions facilitated by students as well as a plenary discussion. The Principal of SHPS, Mrs Daphne Yeoh, and school Head of Department (Gifted Programme), Mr Andy Ng, gave a warm welcome to kickstart the event.
Participants were particularly interested in the classroom visits where they had the opportunity to observe four classroom sessions on Grade 5 Chinese Language, Grade 6 English Language, and Grade 5 Science. Participants engaged with students during their discussion while others watched the discussion unfold without intervention.
The poster session was facilitated by students from several schools, including a poster on KB work from classrooms in Taiwan. This allowed participants to hear students’ personal experience in KB learning and their reflections on knowledge gains and cognitive improvement from engaging in the Knowledge Forum. Posters on English Literature, History, and Science were also featured.
Participants were invited to a lecture by OER Research Fellow Dr Erik Jahner on neuroscience research in education settings, and a workshop by OER Research Fellow Dr Aloysius Ong on assessment based on KB principles and KF analytics. They also attended a lecture by Professor Hayashi Yusuke from Hiroshima University, who shared with participants on his current work using a concept mapping tool to support teachers in formative assessment.
At an insightful plenary session led by Associate Professor Mark Baildon, Associate Dean (Partherships) at OER, Dr Teo and Dr Jahner, recent work and current understanding on the roles of environment and assessment for deep disciplinary knowledge and 21st century competencies were discussed.
The event concluded with participants sharing their understanding and viewpoints on 21st century competencies and markers of knowledge creation. Student groups were also invited to contribute ideas on design improvements for KB and assessment.
KBNL International has provided a productive space for engagement and exchange of ideas across institutions and networks, and brought together the local and international KB community to facilitate the expansion of current understanding of KB as a means of transformative assessment. The programme and activities have not only served to interest new participants in the KB approach, but also to advance KB practice and research and push frontiers for learning in our education system.