What is Four in Balance? - PDST
What is Four in Balance? - PDST
What is Four in Balance? - PDST
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Pupils learn skills and acquire knowledge <strong>in</strong> simulations. The simulationsmust have a properly balanced design, however – not too structuredand not too amorphous. Pupils must have sufficient prior knowledgeto make any headway <strong>in</strong> such an environment, and the simulation itselfmust provide scaffolded <strong>in</strong>struction, i.e. support the pupils and offerthem sufficient guidance (Hagemans, 2008; Van de Schaar, 2009). It takestime to develop a powerful simulation or game. It <strong>is</strong> also expensive andrequires considerable professional expert<strong>is</strong>e, with technicians, designers,pedagogical experts, and subject special<strong>is</strong>ts all work<strong>in</strong>g together (De Jong,2009a).One unusual example of a simulation <strong>is</strong> a four-dimensional globe that canmove backwards and forwards <strong>in</strong> time and accurately represents the world<strong>in</strong> m<strong>in</strong>iature (cities, countries, oceans). Pupils were allowed to use theglobe to learn topography. Th<strong>is</strong> did not work very well, however; pupilsmade better progress study<strong>in</strong>g a textbook, <strong>in</strong> part because the globe wasnot designed for th<strong>is</strong> particular purpose and could not be used efficiently(Luyten, 2011g).Mean<strong>in</strong>gful contextThe best context for <strong>in</strong>quiry-based learn<strong>in</strong>g <strong>is</strong> one that <strong>is</strong> rich andmean<strong>in</strong>gful. ICT can provide such a context. Pupils at a primary school, forexample, used a digital sensor when study<strong>in</strong>g various subjects to measurelight, sound and temperature (Luyten, 2011a). Other pupils <strong>in</strong> preparatoryvocational education who wanted to specialize <strong>in</strong> ICT were given studymaterial <strong>in</strong> basic subjects (such as Dutch and mathematics) that had been<strong>in</strong>tegrated <strong>in</strong>to vocational subjects (Claessens, 2011b). In yet anotherexample, a mobile phone was used to bridge the d<strong>is</strong>tance between formallearn<strong>in</strong>g at school and <strong>in</strong>formal learn<strong>in</strong>g outside the classroom (Sandberg,2010). In none of these cases did the use of ICT <strong>in</strong> a mean<strong>in</strong>gful contextproduce additional learn<strong>in</strong>g effects. Additional effects were found,however, when pupils downloaded educational games to their mobilephones. Because they were allowed to take the phones home with them,they cont<strong>in</strong>ued play<strong>in</strong>g the games after school hours and consequently gotbetter marks.26