Scaffolding information problem solving in web-based collaborative inquiry learning

This study investigated the impact of different modes of scaffolding on students who are learning science through a web-based collaborative inquiry project in authentic classroom settings and explored the interaction effects with students’ characteristics. The intervention study aimed to improve domain-specific knowledge and metacognitive awareness during online information problem solving (IPS) as part of an online inquiry project. Three experimental conditions (teacher-enhanced scaffolding, technology-enhanced scaffolding, and both forms of scaffolding) were compared with a control condition in a two-by-two factorial quasi-experimental design. Moreover, gender and prior knowledge were examined as two factors which may have a significant impact on Web-based learning. In a four-week field study in secondary science education, pretest-posttest differences were measured. In total 347 students from 18 secondary school classes were involved and the classes were randomly distributed over the 4 conditions. Our findings support the notion of multiple scaffolding as an approach to enhance both knowledge acquisition and metacognitive awareness with respect to IPS-processes and to meet a mix of students with different needs within the context of a web-based inquiry learning project.     

网络型支架式教学评价

随着信息技术的发展,网络教学作为一种新型的教学形式得到了日益关注,将支架式教学模式恰当地融入到网络教学中是当前有关支架式教学研究的一个重要方向。本文将从课程内容、教学设计、技术设计这三个维度对网络型支架式教学进行评价。     

Biomechanical evaluation of scaffolding tasks

A field study was conducted to identify tasks and activities that increase the risk of overexertion injury associated with the erection and dismantling of frame scaffolds, and to determine strategies that would prevent or reduce the worker's risk of injury. Twelve construction sites involving 29 workers were visited. The investigation identified that lifting scaffold end frames, carrying end frames, handling scaffold planks, removing cross braces, and removing guardrails are activities that increase the risk of overexertion injuries during task performance. This paper has focused on end-frame handling problems. Although the techniques used to handle end frames varied among the construction sites and subjects, six lifting and five carrying strategies were commonly used. Computer simulations of these work techniques show that considerable biomechanical stress occurs to most of the workers at their shoulders, elbows, and hips. To reduce overexertion injuries during erection and dismantling of frame scaffolds, design of an assistive device to lift scaffold end frames and modifications to the end-frame fixtures are suggested. Future research areas for the prevention of injury during scaffolding work are also proposed.     

Scaffolding problem solving in technology-enhanced learning environments (TELEs): Bridging research and theory with practice

With the expanding availability and capability of varied technologies, classroom-based problem solving has become an increasingly attainable, yet still elusive, goal. Evidence of technology-enhanced problem-solving teaching and learning in schools has been scarce, understanding how to support students’ problem solving in classroom-based, technology-enhanced learning environments has been limited, and coherent frameworks to guide implementation have been slow to emerge. Whereas researchers have examined the use and impact of scaffolds in mathematics, science, and reading, comparatively little research has focused on scaffolding learning in real-world, everyday classroom settings. Web-based systems have been developed to support problem solving, but implementations suggest variable enactment and inconsistent impact. The purpose of this article is to identify critical issues in scaffolding students’ technology-enhanced problem solving in everyday classrooms. First, we examine two key constructs (problem solving and scaffolding) and propose a framework that includes essential dimensions to be considered when teachers scaffold student problem solving in technology-rich classes. We then investigate issues related to peer-, teacher-, and technology-enhanced scaffolds, and conclude by examining implications for research.     

The role of scaffolding and motivation in CSCL

Recent findings from research into Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) have indicated that not all learners are able to successfully learn in online collaborative settings. Given that most online settings are characterised by minimal guidance, which require learners to be more autonomous and self-directed, CSCL may provide conditions more conducive to learners comfortable with greater autonomy. Using quasi-experimental research, this paper examines the impact of a redesign of an authentic CSCL environment, based upon principles of Problem-Based Learning, which aimed to provide a more explicit scaffolding of the learning phases for students. It was hypothesised that learners in a redesigned ‘Optima’ environment would reach higher levels of knowledge construction due to clearer scaffolding. Furthermore, it was expected that the redesign would produce a more equal spread in contributions to discourse for learners with different motivational profiles.     

Rethinking scaffolding in the information age

This paper addresses the use of scaffolding in learning contexts that incorporate technologically based novel problems. We suggest that in computer contexts extended conceptualisations of scaffolding are needed in order to gain greater insights into teaching and learning processes. Our work has revealed that traditional forms of scaffolding, based on the “expert’s” view of how the problem should be solved, need to be modified in order to accommodate the child’s perspective and that three different types of scaffolding which we refer to as cognitive, technical and affective can be conceptualized. This paper discusses the ways in which the performance of pairs of children is enhanced in such scaffolding contexts, to include more examples of metastrategic processes and strategies for problem-solving, than when the pairs are left to spontaneously solve the problems. This study provides additional support that cognitive, affective and technical scaffolding are beneficial for learning and that children are able to support each others learning via sharing strategies and articulating the reasons behind them to each other.     

Shaky foundations of hierarchical biological materials

It is popular stance that successful growth – be it structural, economic or biological – requires a stable foundation. The hierarchical structure of native biological materials and tissues introduces variations in form and function across a multitude of scales. Yet, many synthetic scaffolds and substrates in which such materials are assembled, the foundation, are designed at a single scale. The result is an uncertain or shaky foundation for material assembly and tissue growth, where changes in the scaffold properties and architecture result in unpredictable behaviors in tissue development, and proven, reliable scaffolds for one tissue type may be completely unsuitable for another. This is in contrast to the behavior of foundations for civil engineering structures, which provide a decoupling of the foundation from the building design since different foundations can support equivalent functional structures. Current advancements in the design of biologically active foundations shed light on proven scaffolds and substrates, but cannot be used to design and predict success from the bottom-up. This is because while the phenomenological coupling between materials and substrates has been well investigated and has yielded methodologies for biomaterial synthesis, the underlying mechanisms of self-assembly and growth are not fully understood. A potential solution lies in the utilization of hierarchical material foundations, with molecular, fibrillar and other interactions designed across all length- and time-scales with engineered, predictive, and repeatable outcomes. The potential to realize such hierarchical multiscale scaffolds can be found in the exploitation of responsive, or mutable, polymer systems that exhibit precise control and variegated chemical functionalities for applications in diverse areas such as regenerative medicine, cancer treatment or drug delivery.     

我国建筑施工技术的进步与展望

从基础工程、混凝土工程、脚手架技术、高层钢结构、防水技术和计算机应用等方面介绍我国施工技术进步与展望。