Fong-lok Lee

Folklore-Based Learning on the Web--Pedagogy, Case Study, and Evaluation.

Folklore-based learning is a kind of situated learning paradigm in which students learn by solving problems embedded in a near-real situation. The proposed learning approach employs further interesting story plots from folklores as the background situation to motivate students to participate in learning activities. It is believed that such a paradigm has, on one hand, the advantages of helping students to learn in an authentic situation and, on the other, the provision of interesting story episodes as a stimulating agent for less initiated students. This article reports a folklore-based learning system based on the well-known Chinese folklore called “Tong Pak Fu and Chou Heung,” and its effects on learning the subject of probability by a group of 454 Hong Kong secondary school tsudents when compared with 3 teacher-guided methods. Results show that although no significant differences can be found among the different methods initially, when students with high pre-test scores were excluded the folklore-based learning group outperformed the other groups. Also, from student perception of the system it was found that the students prefer using this system to learn. Consider that no guidance on the subject matters was given to the students learning through this system, while students using the other methods were guided by experienced teachers, the results are very encouraging so that improvement and future developments to cover more topics are warranted.

An Evaluative Study on VISOLE—Virtual Interactive Student-Oriented Learning Environment

Virtual Interactive Student-Oriented Learning Environment (VISOLE) is a constructivist pedagogical approach to game-based learning. It encompasses the creation of a near real-life online interactive world modeled upon a set of multidisciplinary domains, in which each student plays a role in this “virtual world” and shapes its development. With sophisticated multiplayer simulation context and teacher facilitation, VISOLE aims at providing opportunities for students to acquire subject-specific knowledge in a multidisciplinary manner as well as sharpen their generic skills for problem solving. With a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods of inquiry, an evaluative study on VISOLE was conducted in Hong Kong, involving the deployment of VISOLE in 16 schools (with 254 students and 28 teachers). Notwithstanding, the positive quantitative findings (the students advancement in the knowledge and problem-solving generic skills concerned) of the study, the qualitative data revealed that some phenomena which emerged during the VISOLE process impeded the students learning process. On the other hand, some of the teachers, who also observed the same impeding phenomena, initiated or suggested some new interventions to mitigate these phenomena. The findings threw light on the issue of how to enhance the current design of VISOLE.

An Attempt To Design Synchronous Collaborative Learning Environments for Peer Dyads on the World Wide Web

This article describes the design, implementation, and preliminary evaluation of three synchronous distributed learning prototype systems. Each of these systems supports a particular style of interaction, referred to as a socio- activity learning model, between members of student dyads (pairs). The first two systems, Co-Working System and Working Along System, are realizations of two basic models of collaborative, one-on-one, synchronous, and networked learning, while the third one, the Hybrid System, is a combined model of the two. This work intends to identify a set of domain independent tools necessary for these models and collect information for future development through some preliminary evaluation of some experimental trials of these systems. All these systems were implemented on WWW using the computer language Java.

Using Posting Templates for Enhancing Students' Argumentative Elaborations in Learning Villages

Learning Villages (LV) is a game-based computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) platform, which facilitates studentspsila issue-based discussion in a massively multiplayer gaming environment to attain the goal of argumentative knowledge construction. However, such construction can be achieved only if students can make argumentative elaborations properly in order to benefit from CSCL. This paper discusses our research on the use of posting templates to enhance studentspsila argumentative elaborations in LV. Seventy-four fifth-grade students and two of their teachers from two Hong Kong elementary schools participated in the present study. Results confirm that posting templates, to a certain extent, could assist the students in constructing arguments containing reasons and grounds to rationalize and warrant these arguments. In addition to the provision of the posting templates, we also found studentspsila face-to-face peer-sharing (facilitated by the teachers) could help them reach and sustain a relatively higher level of attainment of argumentative knowledge construction.

A Case Study of a Non-gamer Student's Learning Process in VISOLE

VISOLE (Virtual Interactive Student-Oriented Learning Environment) is a constructivist pedagogical approach to empower game-based learning. With near real-life simulation gaming context and teacher facilitation (scaffolding and debriefing), VISOLE aims at providing students with opportunities to acquire subject-specific knowledge in a multi-disciplinary fashion as well as sharpen their higher-order thinking skills. This paper discusses a case study carried out in Hong Kong for investigating a non-gamer student’s learning process in VISOLE. The study revealed there were a number of impeding phenomena emerged during the course of this non-gamer student’s participation in VISOLE. Nevertheless, it was found that teachers’ facilitation (the designated teacher facilitation tasks specified in VISOLE, and some new teacher interventions) was able to mitigate or overcome these impeding phenomena. The findings provided insight into the enhancement of the existing design and classroom implementation of VISOLE.

USING POSTING TEMPLATES FOR ENHANCING STUDENTS' ARGUMENTATIVE ELABORATIONS IN COMPUTER-SUPPORTED COLLABORATIVE INQUIRY LEARNING

Learning Villages (LV) is a computer-supported collaborative inquiry learning (CSCIL) platform, which facilitates students issue-based discussion in a massively multiplayer online role-play gaming (MMORPG) environment to attain the goal of argumentative knowledge construction. Regarding argumentative knowledge construction, it can be achieved only if students are able to make argumentative elaborations properly in the discussion process. This paper discusses a study of using posting templates to enhance students argumentative elaborations in LV. Seventy-four fifth-grade students and two of their teachers from two Hong Kong elementary schools participated in this study. The results showed that the posting templates proposed in the study, to a certain extent, could empower the students to construct arguments containing reasons and grounds to rationalize and warrant their arguments. In addition to the provision of the posting templates, it was also found the students face-to-face peer-sharing (facilitated by the teachers) could help them reach and retain a relatively higher level of attainment of argumentative elaborations in CSCIL.

A Case Study of an Academic Achievement-oriented Student in Game-based Learning

VISOLE (Virtual Interactive Student-Oriented Learning Environment) is a teacher-facilitated constructivist pedagogical approach to empower game-based learning. In combination with scaffolding, situated cognition, reflection, and debriefing, VISOLE aims at providing students with opportunities to acquire subject specific knowledge in a multi-disciplinary fashion and sharpen their higher-order thinking skills for problem solving. Farmtasia is the first online game designed to facilitate the VISOLE approach. We conducted a qualitative case study, in the setting of formal curricular teaching in a secondary school, to look into the course of students¡¦ learning in VISOLE. This paper discusses a part of the entire study, focusing on delineating an impeding phenomenon, arbitrary gaming, which emerged in an academic achievement-oriented student¡¦s learning process. The findings provided insights into the issue of implementing VISOLE and game-based learning in general in school education.