Designing argumentation for conceptual development
If Virtual Learning Environments are to support real learning, they must promote effective teaching-learning processes and interactions. In this paper we describe a collaborative, computer-based framework for argumentation that supports the dialogue process in ways which stimulate belief revision leading to conceptual change and development in science. This pedagogy is specified as a prescriptive 'dialogue game', which models features of the tutorial process. Within this scheme, the learner adopts the role of an 'explainer' whilst the system plays a facilitating role, and these participants collaborate to develop a shared explanatory model of a qualitative, causal domain. The design framework includes an abstract world model of a qualitative causal system, some 'commonsense' reasoning rules, an interaction language and dialogue strategies and tactics, that are co-ordinated within a facilitating dialogue game. A prototype CoLLeGE (Computer based Lab for Language Games in Education) system implements the framework and operates as a dialogue modelling work-bench for demonstrating, investigating and developing the approach. An empirical study showed that students revised their beliefs and improved their explanatory models, and held to their revised and improved conceptions in a delayed post-test. In using CoLLeGE to simulate these dialogues, we found that the tutor's low-level tactical pedagogies emerged and developed reactively during the dialogues, in response to conceptual difficulties experienced by the students. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
learning in virtual environments teaching in virtual environments theories of learning and virtuality the changing role of the learner