Online discussion forums have been an integral part of the effort to provide social learning experiences for students online. An area of concern, however, is that frequently social learning and deep, multilevel cognitive learning are treated separately rather than as an inclusive package, with practices and outcomes that are separate and distinct rather than intertwined and co-generative. This proposal describes an approach that recognizes the tricky concept of time, the importance of scaffolding and social constructivism, and the need to ground online practices in a spiral approach (Bruner, 2009; National Research Council, 2000) with Bloom's revised taxonomy (Krathwohl, 2002; Wedlock, 2017) as a guide. Students are paired in online discussions over three-week units in which the unit follows a scaffolded Understanding-Analyzing-Transforming structure. Pairs provide each other feedback in order to support each other's growth and learning. It is hoped that the roundtable format will strengthen this framework and help to identify theoretical and practical shortcomings in the approach and in the analysis to provide more robust learning opportunities across time in online courses.
A Spiral Approach to Partner-Based Online Discussions
About the presenters
Jeremy Price, Ph.D.
School of Education
IUPUI
jfprice@iupui.edu
Dr. Jeremy Price (he/him/his) is Assistant Professor of Technology, Innovation, and Pedagogy in Urban Education and serves as the Primary Investigator and Project Director for the Digital Education Hub for Rigorous Remote Learning with Communities and the Primary Investigator and Project Director for the nationwide Community Studies of Antisemitism In Schools (CSAIS) project. As a public scholar-advocate, Dr. Price is invested in using his experiences and expertise to engage and build capacity and capital in educational settings for marginalized and minoritized youth and communities to build, strengthen, and sustain an inclusive and just democratic project. He works to prepare preservice and inservice educators to use technology for just, equitable, and inclusive purposes that honors learners, their identities, and their communities through online and in-class experiences. Dr. Price also works to provide educators in all fields with opportunities to interrogate, examine, and learn to teach through and discuss topics such as race, religion, hate, and extremism.