Theme 2: Innovations Aimed at Higher Learning Outcomes Science and Mathematics

Collaborative structures supporting knowledge building: Grade 4 Richard Messina, Institute of Child Study, OISE/University of Toronto, ON, Canada Richard Reeve, & Marlene Scardamalia, IKIT, OISE/University of Toronto, ON, Canada

Poster Abstract This paper and multimedia poster presents the knowledge building structures/processes that developed over a four-year period by a grade four teacher at the Institute of Child Study Laboratory School at the University of Toronto as he and his students attempted to build knowledge about the concept of light. In the first two years the students were focused on specific topics and worked in specific Knowledge Forum® views. In the third and forth years the students worked in all of the research views in the database. Several database analyses were done along with pre & post testing and ratings of student portfolio entries and the results strongly suggest that this later technique of not assigning views led to the most productive knowledge building community in the third and forth years.