#10. MOST Multimedia

Specifically targeting literacy and reading comprehension in young children, I'm surprised how much the MOST Multimedia system speaks to me on a personal level. When I first attended public school, I could barely understand or speak English. It was a side effect of growing up in a Chinese family speaking mainly Cantonese. My parents prepared me as much as they could while struggling with English themselves.

For the first few years, I was probably an at-risk student, not able to keep up with the material and pace of the class as well as my peers did, so I can empathize with the attitudes and sentiments of students who are part of the MOST Multimedia programs. I did not have the opportunity to participate in such a program; computers were rarely used at the time. Fortunately, some very caring elementary school teachers tutored me one on one in English and saved me from my learning situation. Thanks to my teachers, my English competency was academically acceptable by second grade.

But...that's not the end of my story. I can also attest, from personal experience, the effectiveness of using multimedia to learn a language. Here's the twist: it was to learn Chinese, not English.

Despite the struggles with the English language, I remain proud of my Chinese heritage and continued speaking Cantonese with my family. When I was around thirteen, my parents installed a satellite dish that received Mandarin Chinese channels. I was enamored by the entertaining shows, so novel and different from American TV and yet strangely familiar. The problem was, I could not enjoy the channels to the full extent because I did not understand the Mandarin dialect at all.



To briefly explain the difference between Cantonese and Mandarin, they are two different dialects of Chinese. They have different tones and pronunciation but share the same written language. My parents grew up with Cantonese and learned Mandarin in school. They only spoke Cantonese with me because it was their native tongue.

Continuing on...instead of simply giving up the Mandarin channel, I decided to learn the language. Through watching the TV series with distinct characters and plot, I trained my ear to the languge and repeated bits and pieces of dialogue to myself. A vital component to this process was the Chinese subtitles in the shows. I matched them with Cantonese song lyrics in order to learn the meaning and develop reading comprehension. The written form was the bridge between Cantonese and Mandarin. I adopted a strategy to evaluate and categorize characters, like learning first those characters that appeared most frequently, next selecting combination characters that expressed one meaning, and then noticing the pattern of a complete sentence.

To me, learning Mandarin was like putting together a puzzle.

Though there was no lesson plan, I did have a learning goal: to understand the Chinese shows and maximize entertainment value! Eventually, I began to comprehend the distinctions and similarities between Mandarin and Cantonese. After about three years of this type of self-paced independent study, I was able to comprehend and enjoy Mandarin TV. When I encountered a new word, I saw it as a learning opportunity. This process brought me from knowing a handful of basic characters to being able to read an entire Chinese newspaper article.

Well, that's my story. The method was unconventional and I would not necessarily recommend it as a "program" for a student. However, I do believe that multimedia in the form of TV shows, video stories, and songs plus motivation and some sense of direction made it work for me. But there were some ways it did not work. While taking Mandarin Chinese courses in college, my reading and listening comprehension were well-developed but my speaking ability was quite weak. I think it was a result of the overly isolated learning environment, lack of collaboration, and no direct use of the language. This emphasizes the importance of dialogue practice and interaction with other individuals when learning a new language.

Referring back to the article, I agree with Bransford on the benefits of multimedia as a learning tool. Presented with dynamic visual information, students are able to create mental models and interpret language better than with plain text (Bransford, 1996, p.231). We should also understand the concerns associated with multimedia; video and movies for educational purposes should direct students towards being active rather than passive viewers (Bransford, 1996, p.228). Since the MOST Multimedia model has a very specific target audience, young children who are at-risk learners, the age, behaviors, and perhaps ethnic background need to be taken into consideration. Each case may be unique so I would recommend a pre-program evaluation of students before program development and implementation.

References:

Bransford, J. D., Sharp, D. M., Vye, N. J., Goldman, S. R., Hasselbring, T. S., Goin, L., O'Banion, K., Livernois, J., Saul, E., & the Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt (1996). MOST Environments for accelerating literacy development. In S. Vosniadou, E. DeCorte, R. Glaser, & H. Mandl (Eds.), International perspectives on the design of technology-supported learning environments (pp. 223-255). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

#9. STAR Legacy

Since the STAR legacy system stems from Anchored Instruction, it includes benefits similar to its predecessor.  The advantage of STAR legacy is its clearly defined structure that makes the process of planning an educational program more organized for instructional designers and instructors. I think instructors would find the STAR Legacy system approachable with potential to evolve into a variety of educational scenarios.

Schwartz opens with a discussion about the roles of the instructor and instructional designer in creating a program. There is need "to strike a balance" and share responsibilities instead of letting it all rest on one party, and the term used to describe the product of this partnership is "flexibly adaptive designs" (Schwartz, 1999, p.188). Such designs would be able to draw on respectively unique skills, expertise on multimedia applications and program functionality from instructional designers and content and pedagogical techniques from instructors.

A web-based environment seems quite natural for the STAR legacy system. Free website creators such as Google sites and Weebly make development of an entire program and archiving projects very feasible and economical. On the web, students work can "go public" through a published website, blogs, Google Docs, and online journals (Schwartz, 1999, p.203). The ability to revisit and share lessons is a great way to allow students to review and reflect on the material. This is helpful to many areas of study including foreign language. If I created a Chinese language course with the STAR Legacy system, I can develop it around many culturally relevant themes. However, it would not be completely in Chinese so as not to be too overwhelming and intimidating for students learning Chinese as a second language.

STAR Legacy has a consistent learning process which helps to reinforce student's understanding of course goals and what is expected of them. A meaningful challenge and appropriate use of multimedia are some factors that may determine if students maintain interest in the course.

References:

Schwartz, D., Lin, X., Brophy, S., & Bransford, J. D. (1999). Toward the development of flexibly adaptive instructional designs. In C. M. Reigeluth (Ed.), Instructional design theories and models (2nd ed., pp. 183-214). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

#8. Anchored Instruction

Think outside the box---that is my impression of the goal for anchored instruction. Though it bears similarity to PBL, GBS, and probably other systems, several aspects of anchored instruction make it impressive and insightful. Implementation in various age groups, from first grade to college level, resulted in positive responses and reflects the system's versatility and relevance to a wide range of learners. Anchored instruction benefits both instructors and students. Very realistic situations are presented in the program, and there is opportunity to solve sophisticated problems that experts may encounter (Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt, 1992, p.248). The goal is to get the learner to start thinking like an expert, to promote "sustained exploration" and evolve their own knowledge as experts do. Thinking outside the box, so to speak.

Anchored instruction addresses many higher order thinking skills and prides on "macrocontext" or complex contexts that could be explored and revisited in multiple perspectives (Goldman, 1996, p.259). The learner should be able to transfer the knowledge and skills learned  to a variety of disciplines repeatedly, also known as "generative learning" (Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt, 1992, p.67). To take a very general example like "how to solve a problem", a student learns the procedures to take when faced with a problem such as define the issue, consider possible solutions and outcomes from the solutions, and select the best solution. This particular problem solving skill can be administered in all types of situations.

Video technology is the driving tool for the anchored instruction system, and it is appropriate to the learning goals and purpose. However, conception, copywriting, design, and production of the videos contribute to the bulk of the positive educational experience so those tasks should not be taken lightly. The Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt University sums up why video is used very succinctly: video is "dynamic, visual, and spatial" and may help students "form rich, mental models of the problem situations" (Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt, 1992, p.249). Since it is not possible for an expert to be at a student's disposal throughout their education, video is a good compromise as it also has the ability to reach a wide audience. Today we have even more flexibility with how to share and redistribute video with course webpages, websites, and file sharing sites.

The articles focused on anchored instruction programs developed for math and science. How it would apply to other subject areas would require some thought. The "Scientist in Action" series mentioned in the readings gives me the idea to consider something similar for foreign language lessons. Episodic scenarios can be created that build on one another in the areas of vocabulary, grammar, and cultural information. Topics for a beginner can be a student's first visit to China or a Chinese family's home. For more advanced students, the scenarios can be more complex. By participating in the constructed scenarios, students would be able to immerse themselves in the language and to internalize instead of just translate the language. The video medium works perfectly for foreign language instruction. I think students can better associate vocabulary with images rather than plain text. A dictionary would be provided as part of the reference materials and it encourages the student to find information independently.

Construction of a strong program is key in order to elicit the desired responses and active participation from students and instructors. It seems that anchored instruction programs like "The Jasper Woodbury Series" and "The Overturned Tank" have been well-received. Evidently, the amount of planning and design put into them has paid off. Furthermore, the program developers were interested in and listened to stakeholder feedback and suggestions. They responded quickly and followed up with improvements to the system which shows that evaluation is also important to the entire development process.

References:

Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt (1992). The Jasper experiment: An exploration of issues in learning and instructional design. Educational Technology Research and Development, 40(1), 65-80.

Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt (1992). Anchored instruction in science and mathematics:
Theoretical basis, developmental projects, and initial research findings. In R. A. Duschl, & R. J. Hamilton (Eds.), Philosophy of science, cognitive psychology, and educational theory and practice (pp. 244-273). Albany, NY: SUNY Press.

Goldman, S. R., Petrosino, A. J., Sherwood, R. D., Garrison, S., Hickey, D., & Bransford, J. D. (1996). Anchoring science instruction in multimedia learning environments. In E. De Corte, R. Glaser, H. Mandl, & S. Vosniadou (Eds.), International Perspectives on the Design of Technology-Supported Learning Environments (pp. 257-284). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

#7. Goal Based Scenarios

Being offered the chance to learn in a way that motivates and provides opportunity for real life practice, as with the GBS system, makes me wonder why I was not educated that way my entire life. The system calls on higher level thinking skills for tasks such as processing one's role, the cover story, and the mission, and making critical decisions in scenario operations.  I recall very few GBS experiences in my education. However, I will refrain from wondering why not. There are probably valid reasons why GBS programs may be administered infrequently in traditional education.

After observing the various programs, such as the Sickle Cell Counselor and the Statistics Specialist, I  believe that GBS is the most complex learning system for instructors and designers to develop. It involves multimedia applications such as video and audio. Furthermore, the media is interactive and multiple scenarios and outcomes need to be created for the learner to choose from. This is definitely a very intensive process. If it is to be executed successfully, a team may also be established to evaluate and test the program. One of the paper's authors Chung-Yuan Hsu has a background in game design, and I can see how that would be relevant and applicable to GBS development. The amount of resources, manpower, and time to invest in a GBS program should not be underestimated.

The learner is again the primary focus in this system. Schank states that motivation and interest play a big  part in how well the student learns. The lesson shifts away from factual knowledge to more about learning how to do (Schank, 1999, p.166). It equips students with the skills to handle realistic situations that they may possibly encounter. Given these efforts to engage the learner, GBS goes beyond artificial motivators for learning such achieving grades and adhering to social situations and strives to make learning an intrinsic, personally meaningful experience.

I think GBS, if successfully created, is a flexible, multifaceted system that can be used across all disciplines. A realistic role within any subject matter can always be defined for the learner. As Schank explains, stories that build up the topic are much more memorable to learners than decontextualized information on the topic (Schank, 1999, p.177). In Chinese language class, a lesson begins with a list of vocabulary. It is then applied in dialogue practices, short paragraphs, and cultural supplements, which is much more effective than rote learning of only the vocabulary. Keeping with the goals of GBS, it's necessary to ensure that students are interested in the pre-written texts. Composing new passages is also an option.

Technology-wise, there are many capable tools to create video and audio for GBS programs but consideration should be extended to include interactivity. Computer games are ideal but require programming, writing, graphic design, art direction, and a combination of many other specialized skills to create them. Second life may be the most well-known computer game to date that is used for educational purposes.

References:

Schank, R.C., Berman, T.R., & Macpherson, K.A. (1999). Learning by doing. In C.M. Reigeluth (Ed.), Instructional design theories and models (2nd ed., pp. 162-182). Mahwah, NJ. Erlbaum.