extreme apprenticeship - experiences and lessons learned
TRANSCRIPT
Extreme Apprenticeship: Experiences and lessons learned
Gabriella DoderoFree University of Bozen-Bolzano
Trondheim, 17 sep 2015
Contents
● Extreme Apprenticeship principles● Extreme Apprenticeship @ universities ● … @ high schools● Lessons learned
Motivation
● Computer Science is a curricular subject @ university, and @ high schools (in Italy)
● Many students find it tough !!!● Low marks, drop-outs, low retention of concepts once
the exam is passed ● Typical courses start with „theory“ and after a while,
„labs“ can start ● Can we improve on this ?
Extreme Apprenticeship
● Based on Cognitive Apprenticeship: pay attention to the learning process
● Learning as apprentices in a workshop, under the guidance of a „master“, until a skill is acquired
● Traditional examples are craftsmen (tailor, cobbler, painter...) to learn manual skills
● It works also for cognitive skills !● Three phases:
● Modeling, scaffolding, fading.
Modeling
● The apprentice acquires a conceptual modeling of the activity, by observing the „master“ at work !
● Lectures, if needed, consist on worked examples, (but they are usually avoided)
● The „master“ thinks aloud to show what mental processes are activated
Scaffolding
● Apprentices solve exercises while the master is watching them. If they are stuck, they ask for help
● The master does not give solutions, just enough hints to let apprentices discover the solution by themselves
● … as suggested by Bruner
Fading
● As the apprentices start working independently, scaffolding gradually decreases
● The more the apprentices work independently, the more their skills grow
XA and exercises
● Exercises are NOT „applications of a theory“● Roumani considers exercises:
● We think of them as teaching instruments that complement lectures by teaching the same material but in an exploratory fashion
● Exercises are the key to increase students' motivation
XA and motivation
● Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation● Difficult exercises kill the intrinsic motivation of weaker
students● Exercises should be proposed as „challenges“, and
should be short-term, reachable goals for all apprentices
● Feedback from the master increases motivation ● Self-esteem and self-efficacy increase motivation
Basic XA principles
(1) Learning by doing. A skill is acquired by practicing it, as long as it is needed
(2) Continuous bidirectional feedback. Apprentices receive a feedback on their work, the master receives a feedback by observing how the apprentice works
XA @ Helsinki
● Reducing-cancelling lecture hours● Programming: one hour for course introduction● Maths: two hours a week to recap exercises
● Increasing lab hours, and increasing lab assistants● Correcting EVERYTHING ! Allowing to redo wrong
exercises (obliging to redo wrong exercises)
Pass rates of Programming @ Helsinki
● Programming course for computer scientists
● Programming course for non- computer scientists
Traditional XA 58.5% 71.3%
Traditional XA 43.7% 70.1%
Bolzano: Operating systems
● Bsc, 3. semester, approx 30 students/year● Assessment: theory (50%) as written exam; lab (50%) as
a project● The first part of the lab (2 ECTS) has been given as XA for
three courses (2011 - 2013)● Lab topics: bash scripting
Pre self assessment● Some students knew bash scripting since high school● Many students did not know the command line ...
Lab
● The teacher is (alone) 6 hours/week in the lab Impossible to assess in real time what students
deliver● Blended lab: exercises may be done at home, and
may be delivered on a LMS (Moodle)The teacher grades them and gives a feedback
via email
Feedback
● Moodle automatically informs the student that a grade has been given
● The student reads the grade and the teacher's comment
● If the exercise is wrong, the comment explains the mistake without giving the solution
● If the exercise is correct, the comment is a smiley or an „ok!“
● Each student sees only own grades and comments
Grades @ Bolzano● More students passed at first call (out of three)● „Traditional“ indicates the total of three cohorts before
the first XA edition (101 students)● After three editions, no more „dropouts“ ...
Traditional % XA %33 33% 22 52%
Lessons learned @ unibz
● XA works, both in presence and blended ● Students work more, and are happy of that ● Students respect deadlines, and know that they have
learned ● Drop-outs of previous years take the course and pass
the exam● Those who drop, are NOT desperate ...
Students post questionnaire ● 1: Self-efficacy: I
know how to write bash scripts
● 2: Exercises helped in understanding OS theory
● 3: Lab required too much time
Students comments● A student that initially self assessed as „poor“:
This is new way of teaching. It is very interesting. I didn't expected from myself, that without any knowledge about bash and without any lectures, it is possible to learn so much!
● A student that initially self assessed as „knowledgeable“:
writing a shell [a complex take-home activity] would have been interesting, but anyway writing this script was a nice experience
XA @ schools
● Pilot experience 2 years ago, in a „professional“ school (12th grade), technician of enterprise services
● Javascript programming (usually it was not part of the curriculum)
● Students react enthusiastically, half of them want to become programmers
● Let's train in-service CS teachers in high schools !!
What was done and where ● Computer Science and Math teacherss in high
schools ● Teachers from Trento and Bolzano (and one
from Verona)● In-service in various high schools and years,
including evening courses for working students
● Teaching to teenagers ● Teaching to adults 50+
What was taught with XA
● Digital literacy (word processor, spreadsheet)● Programming in Pascal, python, scratch● HTML, CSS, javascript● Linux CLI + bash scripting● Algebraic expressions, fractions,...
Key rules ● Correcting (almost) every exercise● Concluding at home and elivering later
(via email, on a LMS, on a usb stick...)● Scaffolding, that is never tell the solution, just a hint to
spot the error● Working a lot without realizing ● Learning and being aware of learning (students and
teachers)
www.mycutegraphics.com
Open issues
● How can large classes be managed by one teacher alone? ● Does peer tutoring work between students of the same
class? ● Does peer tutoring work between students of different
years? ● What happens when students refuse to work at home?
ww.mycutegraphics.com
Nice surprises● „Professor, please do no lecture any more with
the textbook!“● „Students are too silent.. are they hacking?“● WOOOOWWWW!!!!!!● The teacher of literature starts,
too● Parents understand „how much“
the children learn ●
www.mycutegraphics.com
More on XA● E3osvideos: youtube channel providing „open
educational resources“ on Linux + bash
● OS 2015-16: a new „format“....
Fig. 5. A video screen-shot showing: (1) the teacher-avatar addressing the learning goal, (2) with a discovery element for engaging, (3) the iconic representation of a terminal and folders for favoring recognition rather recall
Credits
● RAGE webpage:http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/en/rage/● OS Collaborators: F.Di Cerbo, N.El Ioini, V.Del Fatto,
F.Persia● Co-authors of papers : R.Gennari, F.Ravanelli, N.
Mastachi, and a dozen of teachers ● Interdisciplinary collaboration: University of Verona (psy)