Emergent pedagogy: learning to enjoy the uncontrollable—and make it productive

Emotive characters can make learning more productive and enjoyable: It takes two to learn to tango

In this paper we explore a new direction for pedagogical computer agents, also called computer characters, which we believe will maximize students’ learning gains and enjoyment. To the traditional scenario where students interact primarily with a single coach or tutor character on-screen, we introduce the addition of both a social, animate colearner, and the student’s own avatar character. Vari...

Productive Physical Education Pedagogy Scholars: Why They Do It and How

Collaborative or Individual Learning within Productive Failure: Does the Social Form of Learning Make a Difference?

Productive Failure (PF) – comprising initial problem solving and delayed instruction – has been proven effective for learning when compared to Direct Instruction (DI) in multiple studies with high school and university students. Although the problem-solving phase is usually implemented in a collaborative setting, the role of collaboration for the effectiveness of PF remains unclear. In two quas...

Managing To Make It: Afterthoughts

The context of learning anatomy: does it make a difference?

This study set out to ascertain whether the context in which anatomy is learnt made a difference to students' perceptions of learning. An Approach to Learning Inventory (ASSIST) and a 31-item Anatomy Learning Experience Questionnaire (ALE) were administered to 224 students (77 dental, 132 medical and 19 speech and language) as a multi-site study. Results revealed that 45% adopted a strategic, 3...