The Jasper series is a collection of authentic problems presented in a video format. It is under-pinned with a constructivist philosophy, which emphasizes student exploration and development of questions and data. Problems are intended to be solved collaboratively with only some information being explicitly provided. Students must then decide which subsets of questions are needed in order to obtain the data, and methods of obtaining the data necessary to solve the initial problem. As well as having several teachable approaches for the series, this TELE also provides opportunities for the educator to take on a “learner” role. Thereby the teacher can model problem solving strategies or scaffold for the other learners.
While the videos look somewhat antiquated today, the principle and concept hold a great deal of potential to foster learning and student engagement. As an educator and designer, several questions stand out:
- What types of scenarios would appeal to today’s learners?
- How much scaffolding is necessary to promote engagement and learning for the students and teachers who have never been exposed to this type of model?
- As a follow up, at what rate do the scaffolds need to be removed?
- How much time does it take to create authentic problems, scenarios, and accompanying videos?
- What achievement indicators should be created to assess the actual impact of a similar TELE on learning, achievement, and engagement?