posted on 2007-01-01, 00:00authored byNikol Rummel, Dejana Diziol, Hans Spada, Bruce M McLaren
Interest in developing improved instructional methods for mathematics has increased since TIMSS
and PISA. In our project, we introduce a new way to promote knowledge acquisition in
mathematics: we enhanced the Cognitive Tutor Algebra, an intelligent tutoring system for learning
mathematics in high school that only has been used for individual learning so far, to a
collaborative learning setting. Although the Tutor has shown to increase learning, there also are
several shortcomings. For instance, learning with the Tutor places emphasis on improving
students’ problem solving skills, yet a deep understanding of underlying mathematical concepts is
not necessarily achieved. To reduce these shortcomings, we extended the learning environment to
a dyadic setting, adding new learning opportunities such as the possibility to mutually elaborate on
the learning content. A script was developed to guide students’ interaction and to ensure that
students profit from these new learning opportunities. The script structured students’ collaboration
in an individual and a collaborative phase and prompted students to engage in fruitful interaction.
An adaptive script component provided hints when the dyad encountered difficulties in their
problem solving. Finally, dyads engaged in a reflection activity following each problem to
improve their collaboration over subsequent interactions. The scripts’ effect on students’
collaborative learning was tested in a classroom study that took place over the course of one week.
We compared the learning of dyads collaborating at the Tutor without script support to the
learning of dyads scaffolded by the script. To measure different aspects of learning, students
solved several post-tests on the Tutor and with paper and pencil. The results of the paper and
pencil test assessing improvement of students’ conceptual understanding show significantly better
performances of the script condition. The Tutor log data are still being analyzed and the results
will be presented at the conference.