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26/07/2007

Mathematical Thinking: An Interdisciplinary Workshop

The LSRI is to host an interdisciplinary workshop to consider the nature of mathematical thinking. Taking place on the 21st and 22nd November at the National College for School Leadership on Nottingham's Jubilee Campus, the event will include talks from philosophers, mathematicians, psychologists and educators. For full details, see the Workshop website.

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24/07/2007

LSRI to host National Strategy Workshop on the Design of Learning Spaces

The LSRI is to host a pre-ALT-C workshop on the design of learning spaces. Taking place on 3rd September, the workshop is for practitioners and researchers in education, architecture, design and technology. It will address the issue of how to design new spaces, from rooms to cities, for 21st century learning. Confirmed speakers include Mick Gernon, Rose Luckin, Martin Mayfield, Neil Salton, Dominic Watts and Craig Watts.

For details see the Workshop's Website.

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18/07/2007

Summer Research at the LSRI

Researchers from the Learning Sciences Research Institute and the School of Psychology are running a "Summer Scientists Week" in the LSRI labs from August 6-10, aimed at children between the ages of two and eleven. The researchers will be running several different studies over the course of the week investigating learning and development, in which the children will be able to take part as volunteers. Other games and activities will also be taking place and there will be talks and posters about the University's research for parents. The studies are intended to be interesting, engaging and fun for the children who take part -- and they will also be helping to advance understanding of child development through the pre-school and primary school years.

To find out more information, and to book a slot on a particular day, parents can phone Florence Drouvin, at the Learning Sciences Research Institute, on 0115 846 7930.

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12/07/2007

Equipment rack arrives

The LSRI main equipment rack arrives

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02/07/2007

e-Portfolios in Education

Becta commissioned researchers from the Learning Science Research Institute, University of Nottingham, have been investigating the impact that e-portfolios can have on learners in schools, further education, higher education and work-based learning.

Case studies of eight e-portfolio projects were created from document analysis, interviews and surveys of learners and teachers. Findings relating to the impact of e-portfolio systems on learning outcomes and processes, and commencing and sustaining e-portfolio development were drawn from cross case analysis.

e-portfolios benefit learning most effectively when considered as part of a joined-up teaching and learning approach, rather than as a discrete entity. The approach should include online repositories, planning and communication tools, and opportunities for both students and teachers to draw out and present e-portfolios at particular times and for particular purposes. There is then likely to be substantial impact on both learning processes and learning outcomes.
e-portfolio processes support both pastoral or social needs and curriculum outcomes.
e-portfolio processes and tools for organisation and communication support the learning outcomes of students with a wide range of abilities.
e-portfolios make progress and attainment more obvious to both teachers and students, because viewing and revisiting the repository of work reveals development, achievements, strengths and weaknesses.
Some learners in all age ranges find that software that includes structured processes and organisational tools scaffolds their learning until they are confident enough to progress to working independently.
Although some institutions are working together across phases to use e-portfolios to support transition, teachers and learners rarely consider the nature of a 'lifelong' e-portfolio repository and how this might be managed.

Full reports are available here.

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12/06/2007

First LSRI PhD Student Completes Viva

Congratulations go to Wang Tong, who successfully completed her PhD viva last week, the first LSRI student to do so. viva

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04/06/2007

LSRI gains $70k Research Grant

The LSRI has been awarded a $70,000 research grant from HP Technology to study how contextualised and collaborative learning can be supported by new technologies. Peta Wyeth, one of the investigators on the project, writes: "The aim of our project is to examine the effectiveness of mobile technology in facilitating integrated, flexible and contextualised learning experiences within a design-focussed discipline. We aim to develop technological solutions which provide opportunities for students to develop connections between theoretical knowledge and real-world processes by engaging in practical design activities across a range of contexts."

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31/05/2007

Camilla Gilmore in Nature

Congratulations go to Camilla Gilmore, whose paper "Symbolic arithmetic knowledge without instruction" was published today in Nature. In the paper Camilla, together with colleagues from the Department of Psychology at Harvard, demonstrates that young children are capable of solving approximate arithmetic problems at an extremely young age, even though they have yet to receive any instruction. The data have interesting implications for our understanding of how number sense is developed, and for how it interacts with our abilities to perform arithmetic.

The research has received widespread press coverage, including articles in The Washington Post, The Scotsman, The Toronto Star, and Scientific American.

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