The Storyboarder’s Story: Scripted Cooperative Learning

(This is a blog that I should have posted here before, but instead posted in my blog about Cognitive engineering. The notion of cooperation scripts is becoming increasingly important here, so I want this item available here.)

Not so long ago, in an episode not far away, the Engineer suggested the notion of learning power-packs. One example was cooperative learning scripts. Here’s how something like that might work:

Parental power-packs. These are designed to look like innocent web pages. Each page carries a script for interactive homeworking. The script describes the roles to be played by the parent in this episode. Different scripts will assign different roles. For example, the parent may be a peer, cooperatively learning with the child. Or the parent may play the role of the learner, with the child doing the teaching. Or the parent may be an assistant, providing particular kinds of help.

Each script will also focus on a life-learning skill. Life-learning skills are general skills relevant to learning at any time (not just in school). Examples are goal-setting, question-answering, getting started, and Canter control. Specific mnemonic tricks may also be included.

Scripts will probably also come in several styles. Examples of styles might be auditory, imagery, and particular characteristics to be exhibited by the parents. The Vulcan points out that we will need a taxonomy of styles, skills, and other set designation that a Storyboarder can so easily throw around. We’ll leave that to the day of the Vulcan.

The parent will choose the power-pack that fits the particular assignment and the child. After the child has some experience with the power-packs, the parent will probably get advice from the child on the choice of power-packs. Because the power-packs deal with general skills, they can be reused many times.

The Networker points out that these power-packs are a lot like what educators call “instructional activities.” Since children and parents naturally hate “instructional activities,” it will be important to make clear the distinction. The parent is merely helping the child with the homework. The scripts merely vary details of the help. Parents should not let the script delay the work. The scripts will produce incidental learning over time, but this is incidental.
Example:

I’ll find it for you.
Skill: Question answering: specifying the content
Role: Parent as assistant
Application: Child is provided with questions, must find the answers in existing text.
Parent: Pick a question. I will read the text to find the answer for you. But you have to help me. How will I recognize the answer? What words will be in the answer? What words might be in a nearby heading? Are there any long words I could look for? (I can find long words without reading the whole thing.) What other ideas might come before this answer? What other ideas might come after it? Am I likely to find it in the beginning, the middle, or the end? Is there any place at the beginning that might help me know where to look?

Parent may be mechanical in following instructions given by the child. If the child gives a poor choice of words in the answer, the parent may begin the search and let the problems with the choice become evident to the child. When a useful passage is found, the parent may read it aloud or mark the important words (which will generally match the words in good search instructions.)