Tag Archives: PBL

The Jasper Series, and perspectives on students with disabilities.

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Anchored instruction situates the lesson in a real-world, problem-rich environment (CTGV, 1992a) Using generative techniques (using the concepts over and over) and with an eye to both cooperative work and promoting independent thinking, the Jasper Series is most definitely anchored.
CTGV (1992a, 1992b) reports strong results in student populations in basic math concepts, word problems, generative problems, and attitudes. Students without disabilities showed a marked increase in post test scores, and heightened abilities in a related math areas. However, students with disabilities experienced different results. While the authenticity of the Jasper Series was sufficient to encourage these children to continue trying, there were some findings that are not that perhaps suggest caution in exploring Anchored Instruction with children with learning disabilities. The children with disabilities often solved the simpler aspects quickly enough, but lost interest in the more complicated multi-step problems. The study showed that these students often received too much OR too little help. The conclusion suggest that while able students benefitted wholesale from the Jasper Series, the disabled students required a carefully controlled level of guidance and encouragement in order to show improvements (Bottge et al., 2002).
Pellegrino (2008) suggests the SMART (Scientific and Mathematical Arenas for Refined Thinking) Model with its scaffolding and visual aids components that would help refine student thinking. While not specifically addressing the learning needs of disabled students, this is still a way to increase the depth of understanding in an AI environment. Biswas et al. (2001) focus on learning more thoroughly by preparing to teach, implementing instruction, and monitoring feedback. But an AI situation can still be problematic for learning disabled students.

References

  • Biswas, G. Schwartz, D. Bransford, J. & The Teachable Agent Group at Vanderbilt (TAG-V) (2001). Technology support for complex problem solving: From SAD environments to AI. In K.D. Forbus and P.J. Feltovich (Eds.)Smart Machines in Education: The Coming Revolution in Education Technology. AAAI/MIT Press, Menlo, Park, CA.
  • Bottge, BA, Heinrichs M, Mehta, ZD, Hung, Y. (2002). Weighing the benefits of anchored math instruction for students with disabilities in general education classes. Journal of Special Education, 35, 186-200. http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/002246690203500401
  • Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt (1992a). The Jasper experiment: An exploration of issues in learning and instructional design. Educational Technology, Research and Development, 40(1), 65-80. http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02296707
  • Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt (1992b). The Jasper series as an example of anchored instruction: Theory, program, description, and assessment data. Educational Psychologist, 27(3), 291-315. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=18982115&site=ehost-live
  • Pellegrino, J.W. & Brophy, S. (2008). From cognitive theory to instructional practice: Technology and the evolution of anchored instruction. In Ifenthaler, Pirney-Dunner, & J.M. Spector (Eds.) Understanding models for learning and instruction, New York: Springer Science + Business Media, pp. 277-303. http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-76898-4_14

Jasper Series and PBL

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Vanderbilt University’s Jasper Series

The Adventures of Jasper Woodbury


I don’t know how I have never heard of this series! After teaching Math for 15 years I am embarrassed to admit that I am seeing it now for the first time. What struck me right away as I began reading about it was the fact that it is Problem-Based Learning at its best. Regardless of the fact that the laserdisc series was released 25 years ago, it is still a great example of PBL.
Some of the primary tenets of PBL that the Jasper series fits very well are; the problem should be authentic; the problem should require the use of technology to solve; and the problem should involve working cooperatively in a group to solve the problem. There are no dry textbook examples in the Jasper series. Real questions about fuel consumption in boats or ultra-lights are more accessible for the students. The use of technology to review the video, and calculators to figure problems satisfy this requirement. Working in a group to construct meaning, thereby co-creating knowledge in a constructivist environment is a hallmark of PBL.
The problem with Jasper series, as I see it, is the dated appearance of the video content. Clothing, vehicles, gas prices, and any number of other elements would detract somewhat from the authenticity of these vignettes. If the students see them as too remove from a real-world context, it may detract from the value of the lesson. The other problem, not insurmountable, is the format of the series.. laserdisc technology was great, but technologically we have moved past that.