Teacher Education for Knowledge Creation: The Knowledge Building International Project (KBIP)

Thérèse Laferriere, Université Laval, Québec, Nancy Law, Hong Kong University, & Mireia Montané, Dpt. of Education, Catalonia, Spain.

Knowledge building as a pedagogical approach focuses on developing classrooms as communities for progressive problem solving and knowledge creation (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 2006). Unlike learning organized in traditional classrooms, the knowledge building process is necessarily an intentional community effort, and is simply not possible as an individual enterprise. Learning takes place as a “byproduct” of the knowledge creation process as learners tackle significant problems of understanding. Designing curriculum units for implementation as knowledge building experiences for school age children that can, at the same time, satisfy mandatory curriculum requirements is a challenge that has to be tackled to realize the vision of Education for Knowledge Creation in schools.
The Knowledge Building International Project (KBIP 2007-2009) operated on the basis of locally based networks of innovation distributed around the globe: Quebec, Catalunya and Hong Kong are the three main sites. The project was developed through pedagogical and research activities conducted within local university-school-government partnerships connected to one another. The core activity for KBIP at each of these three sites was centered on the understanding of the knowledge building principles for engaging students in knowledge building. Agents (students, teachers, school principals, school district personnel, ministry personnel, university teacher educators and researchers) used Knowledge Forum as a “collaborative space” (asynchronous online discourse) with school learners, and among themselves. For synchronous discourse, a multi-user web-based videoconferencing system was used. The focus of the students’ learning activities in the 2008-2009 school year was on understanding and tackling climate change. Students wrote hundreds of notes on Knowledge Forum. Over twenty videoconferences were held among collaborating classrooms. School personnel and ministry officers provided guidance and encouragement regarding curricular requirements, university teacher educators and researchers conducted onsite and online professional development workshops.
KBIP has met with great support from learners and their parents. As part of the ATEE program, a group of more than 60 school children (primary and secondary) and about 30 teachers from the three KBIP sites will be participating in the workshop Tomorrow’s Innovators: a workshop to experience knowledge creativity. During the workshop, the children will work on the theme of environmental problems and sustainable development, while teachers will be working on curriculum and activity design as well as facilitation and transformative assessment.
During this plenary session, we will provide an overview of the KBIP project, what we have learnt over the past several years on knowledge creation in schools and in teacher education. The teachers and children participating in the Tomorrow’s Innovators Workshop will also be giving a summary of their experience as part of the KBIP program.