Jasper Series = POTENTIAL

My initial impression of the Jasper series is POTENTIAL!  It has Potential to engage learners.  And Potential to support good pedagogical practice.  Plus it has Potential topromote use of technology!  After watching the Jasper ‘movies’ and reading the initial introductory research I have identifed the following:

• it is directly inline with curriculum requirements
• designed by educationalists for teachers to promote integration of technology
• created to utilize the affordances of technology
• taps into constructivist strategies (PBL), knowledge-building opportunties and problem solving skills development
• uses motivational hooks & promotes collaboration
• empowers students and generates opportunties for differentiation with tiered approaches
• allows for ‘think time’ through asynchronous type communication
• perfect for ‘just in time’ learning and connects with prior knowledge and contextualizes learning
• adds visual and auditory components to Maths appealing to a larger group of learners,
• use of technology to present as well as produce
• encompasses an integrative approach which is ideal for combining/connecting maths with science, social sciences, technology, art & design, language arts etc.
• has enlimited potenital to engage students who traditionally are classed as ‘less able’ and increase performance while decreasing anxiety towards maths, reading and problem solving

As a teacher, I appreciate how the Jasper series is underpinned by the ’embedded data design’ which scaffolds learning and promotes success.  It does not provide a criteria based assessment but learners are provided with all requirements to find a suitable solution (and plenty of extension opportunties for more able students).  Overall, though it is dated, it provides educators in the 21st century with a solid framework for designing their own PBL activities (which can integrate some more progressive/modern technologies if desired/applicable).  Overall, it spells POTENTIAL for all!

Jasper Series and Learning Theories…

• What is the theoretical framework underpinning the development of the Jasper series?

The Jasper Series (JS) is presented to middle school learners as authentic, complex and meaningful problems through video over the span of a week of instruction time (Cognition and Technology Group, 1992).

I think it is safe to say that we all immediately see the connection to Constructivism with the JS so I believe this is the theoretical framework underpinning its development.  These Problem Based Learning (PBL) activities enable learners to construct their own knowledge through cognitive experiences that are situated in authentic contexts, socially negotiating their knowledge through discourse with others.  But what other learning theories are inherently active here?  I believe the basic tenets of many learning theories are evident in the JS:

• Vygotsky and Piaget’s Sociocultural Learning Theory which credits the child’s culture and interactions as being paramount to their overall development is in the JS because the students could work collaboratively in mixed ability groups to solve the problems.  The ‘anchored instruction would enable learners to internalize dialogues and use this data to inform future decisions and acquire new skills. (Technology and Learning Symposium for ETEC 512, 2011).

• Situated Cognition, as viewed by J. Lave in the 1980-90s, postulates that human knowledge and interaction cannot be separated from the world without losing authenticity and that what is most essential in a situation is the roles that people play.  Explains that all human thought is situated, because what people perceive, how they visualize their activity, and what they physically do develop together in a fundamentally socio-cultural context. Thus, there is huge potential within the JS for COPs to develop, cognitive apprenticeships to unfold and just in time scaffolding (Lave, 1991).

• Social Cognitive Learning Theory as Albert Bandura and Walter Mischel 1960s stipulates that people will learn from their social environments because there are many real-direct and vicarious-indirect interactions in these environments that contribute to learning.  (Technology and Learning Symposium for ETEC 512, 2011).

• Discovery Learning as described by Bruner in the1960-70s encompasses the idea that ‘knowing’ is a process and that the objective of education is to produce self-propelled learners which involves learning from the ‘outside in’ as well as the ‘inside out.’ The JS encourages: active engagement, promotes motivation, promotes autonomy, responsibility, independence, the development of creativity and problem solving skills and a tailored learning experience all of which are in line with Discovery Learning. (Discovery Learning, Bruner, 2008).
• Distributed Cognition as explained by Edwin Hutchins in the 1980s stipulates that cogntion is distributed across the individual, other people and tools.  It suggests that knowledge is in an individual’s cognitive space as well as in their social and physical surroundings.  This is present in the JS because the learner, other learners, technology are all working together to make meaning. (Technology and Learning Symposium for ETEC 512, 2011).

I also found the “How People Learn Framework” as described by Peligrino & Brophy (2008) a very valuable framework which supports ‘anchored instruction’.  The four basic tenets being:

1. Effective learning environments are knowledge-centered.
2. Effective learning environments are learner-centered.
3. Effective learning environments are assessment-centered.
4. Effective learning environments are community-centered

The JS, if used appropriately and modernized, meets these 4 dimensions easily.

• What kind of teaching and learning activities do the materials support and what is the role of technology? In your view, what are the potential cognitive and social affordances of the technology; in other words, how does the technology enhance learning and collaboration?

Essentially, I think the JS materials support Constructivist learning activities because the learning experiences focus on collaboration and social interaction, coupled with individual cognitions to create a safe learning environment where students construct meaning through problem solving. I believe that the technology needs an ‘upgrade’ to motivationally hook our 21st century, digital native learners but the potential is huge.

Cognitive affordances:  opportunities to scaffold learning, for learners to work within their ZPD, just in time learning, anchored instruction sets learners up for success, ‘what if’ problems-generation of cognitive disturbance

Social affordances: less able learners working in mixed ability groups learn vicariously while more able would benefit from teaching others, extension opportunities for learners if in ability groups, tenets of Discovery Learning promote autonomy in JS but Situated Cognition enables cognitive apprenticeship to take place, problem solving generates discussion and a CoL could evolve

Peligrino and Brophy (2008) state that “learning activities related to the challenge are designed to scaffold learners’ knowledge construction by fostering a community of learning and inquiry” which clearly highlights both cognitive and social opportunities.  Ultimately, I think that the JS (or PBL TELEs like it) have huge potential to extrinsically motivate our students potentially propelling them into becoming intrinsically motivated learners.  In my opinion, the pedagogy at play here is sound, however an infusion of progressive technology for the problem solving components as well as the presentation of solutions is required to make it contemporary.

References:

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.

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.

Discovery Learning, Bruner.  2008.  Retrieved from http://www.learning-theories.com/discovery-learning-bruner.html

Lave, J. (1991). Situated learning in communities of practice. In L. B. Resnick, J. M. Levine, & S. D. Teasley (Eds). Perspectives on socially shared cognition (pp. 63-82). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

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.

Technology and Learning Symposium for ETEC 512.  2011.  Jackie Da Ros, Doug Smith, Jacqueline Smith, Diana Wilkes.  Retrieved from: http://dryfly.ca/etec512/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=38&Itemid=59

How does this technology support learning and conversely how might it confound learning? What suggestions do you have for how the Jasper materials might be improved?

The JS supports learning because:

• it makes learning more meaningful through the use of contextual scenarios and provision of what if inquiry
• empowers learners to find a solution, where more than solution, or path to the solution, is not just possible but encouraged
• it employs constructivist strategies, taps into prior knowledge and challenges
• built in support to ensure success with anchored instruction and embedded data design
• promotes collaboration- either ability groupis or mixed ability and scaffolds knowledge building and problem solving skills development
• opportunties for integrated curriculum approach while meeting individual subject objectives

Suggested improvements:

• involve students in creating their own PBL scenarios- now that’s powerful!
• use modern technology affordances to make the videos themselves more appealing (ie. animations, toons, slowmation, Web 2.0 etc.)
• use of global issues to make it authentic (if to be packaged) as local contexts are not applicable to all
• include built in formative assessment strategies and a blended learning approach would allow for synchronous and asynchronous feedback from instructors/peers
• increased opportunty for the use of technology (other than SMART) in the problem solving process
• accessed in the cloud in a collaborative space where the PBL scenarios and supporting tools/docs can be edited/manipulated/adapted as needed or desired thus operating under a Constructivist-Connectivist umbrella