1 IDEAS FIRST 2 My Research on Knowledge Building Communities in Classrooms Can we build a theory of how to support teachers and students in making a shift from traditional classrooms to KBC? 3 Goal State of KBC Model in Classrooms? The basic premise of the knowledge building approach is that, although achievements may differ, the process of knowledge building is the same across the trajectory running from early childhood to the most advanced levels of theorizing, invention, and design, and across the spectrum of knowledge creating organisations. ---- Scardamalia & Bereiter 4 ONE BIG IDEA KBC classrooms KCC in the world Consistent Trajectory 5 ONE BIG IDEA KBC classrooms KCC in the world Advancing the frontiers of knowledge is the central aim of the community. Students develop the epistemic agency to identify problems of understanding, create theories, carry out research and investigations to refine their theories, share and monitor the progress of the community Consistent Trajectory 6 Ideas First Project: Shifting Singapore Primary Science Classrooms zNeighborhood Primary School zInitiated by John Ow, Science Head-of- Department --- a former P6 teacher who used Knowledge Forum in his own classes zHas involved approximately 30+ teachers and 1500 students at TVPS since zOf the current 14 P3 and P4 teachers, 3 of the teachers have been involved for 5 years 7 Developing KBC in Singapore Classrooms 8 ONE BIG IDEA The importance of TIME Not weeks, not months, but YEARS 9 Developing Knowledge-Creating Communities in Classrooms NEED TO SHIFT THE CULTURE OF THE CLASSROOM (if you visit Paris for a week, do you become Parisian?) 10 ONE BIG IDEA THERE ARE NOT PROCEDURES TO FOLLOW --- THERE IS NO FORMULA INSTEAD NEED TO TAKE A PRINCIPLE-BASED APPROACH 11 We are part of a community that is making progress on important problems Make the principles visible to ALL members of the community