21CLD Knowledge Construction

Knowledge Construction Summary

Learners construct knowledge by engaging in deep learning through:

• Interpretation,
• Analysis,
• Synthesis, and
• Evaluation

By engaging learners in such activities, the role of the educator changes from being a mere transmitter of content to a co-constructor of knowledge. By paying attention to learners’ knowledge, skills, attitudes, and beliefs, we are shifting to a learner-centered environment that encourages learners to:

• Ask questions,
• Engage in social discourse, and
• Find their own answers.

Knowledge construction occurs when learners do more than reproduce what they learned. They go beyond technology production to generating ideas and understandings that are new to them. Therefore, the skill of knowledge construction is often also referred to as critical thinking.

Does the learning activity require knowledge construction?

• Interpretationmeans drawing inferences beyond the literal meaning. For example, learners might read a description of a historical period and infer why people who lived then behaved the way they did.
• Analysismeans identifying the parts of a whole and their relationships to one other. For example, learners might investigate local environmental factors to determine which are most likely to affect migrating birds.
• Synthesismeans identifying the relationships between two or more ideas. For example, learners might be required to compare and contrast perspectives from multiple sources.
• Evaluationmeans judging the quality, credibility, or importance of data, ideas, or events. For example, learners might read different accounts of a historical event and determine which ones they find the most credible.

The following scenarios don’t qualify as knowledge construction:

• Learners writing a paper describing the crime a character committed
• Learners using Bing to search the internet for information about local activities to help the environment and giving a presentation to describe what they found
• Learners familiar with the barometer using one to measure atmospheric pressure
• Learners who have already learned the definition of “parallel” using the definition to decide whether several sets of lines are parallel

The following scenarios qualify as knowledge construction:

• Learners using details in a story to infer the reasons why a character committed a crime
• Learners using Bing to search the internet for information about local activities to help the environment and analyzing it to find additional ways to help
• Learners comparing different explanations for changes in atmospheric pressure to determine which explanations are credible
• Learners who have not learned about parallel lines examining several different pairs of lines to develop a definition of “parallel”

Is knowledge construction the main requirement?

The main requirement is the part of the activity that learners spend the most time and effort on and the part that educators focus on when grading. If the learning activity does not specify how much time learners spend on each part, use professional judgment to estimate how long learners are likely to spend on different tasks.

In the following scenarios, the main requirement isn’t knowledge construction:

• Learners spending 35 minutes listing details from a story and then spending 10 minutes using those details to infer why a character committed a crime
• Learners earning 70% of their grade for finding information and 30% for analyzing what they find

In the following scenarios, the main requirement is knowledge construction:

• Learners spending 10 minutes listing details from a story and then spending 35 minutes using those details to propose why a character committed a crime
• Learners earning 30% of their grade for finding information and 70% for analyzing what they find

Are learners required to apply their knowledge in a new context?

Learners apply their knowledge when they use the knowledge they have constructed in another knowledge construction task in a new context. For example, learners in a physics class might construct knowledge about heat principles from a study of the earth’s inner core and then apply that new learning to investigate the environment of Jupiter. The second knowledge construction task deepens understanding because learners abstract what they learned to apply it in another situation.

The following scenarios don’t require learners to apply their knowledge in a new context:

• Learners analyzing demographic statistics from their hometown and then analyzing demographic statistics from a second location of their choice
• Learners examining photos enlarged at different sizes to develop an understanding of similarity and then describing their understanding
• Learners in theater class analyzing the characters in a play to learn about character development and then writing an essay about what they learned
• Learners designing and executing a procedure for testing the qualities of the tap water at their school, testing the water, and redesigning the procedure iteratively until they have accurate data

The following scenarios require learners to apply their knowledge in a new context:

• Learners analyzing demographic statistics from their hometown and then using their understanding of population trends to develop a plan for an upcoming housing development project
• Learners examining photos enlarged at different sizes to develop an understanding of similarity and then applying that knowledge to abstract geometric shapes, thinking about size, ratios, and angles to determine which shapes are mathematically similar
• Learners in a theater class analyzing the characters in a play to learn about character development; then using Microsoft Video Editor to create their own one act play demonstrating character development
• Learners designing and executing a procedure for testing the qualities of the tap water at their school, and once they have accurate data, using that information to determine which water filtration system would be most appropriate for the school

Is the learning activity interdisciplinary?

• Interdisciplinary learning activities have learning goals that involve content, important ideas, or methods from different academic subjects such as mathematics and music, or language arts and history. Subjects that are typically taught together do not count as interdisciplinary for the purposes of this rubric.

Additionally, even though learners often use ICT (Information & Communication Technologies) as a tool for learning in other subjects, ICT is not considered a separate academic subject within this rubric. For example, learners might build ICT skills when they do online research for a history project, but this activity isn’t considered interdisciplinary.

The following scenarios aren’t interdisciplinary:

• Learners in science class writing persuasive letters to an environmental organization about the results of their experiment, and educators grading students only on the quality of their data
• Learners in science class plotting points on a graph and no learning goals for math are defined
• Learners in physics using ICT to present their work to the class

The following scenarios are interdisciplinary:

• Learners in science class writing persuasive letters to an environmental organization about the results of their experiment, and educators grading students on the quality of their data and their writing skills
• Learners in science class plotting points on a graph and learning goals for both math and science are defined

Support knowledge construction with Microsoft tools

• Microsoft Edgesupports organization with the Collections feature which allows learners to create collections to organize their research.
• Microsoft Teamsoffers educators a location to house all the content that learners need to construct knowledge. Educators add tabs to Teams with digital textbooks, websites, and other supplemental content.
• OneNote Class Notebookalso allows educators to share content. Additionally, educators store graphic organizer templates in OneNote that encourage interpretation, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. As learners research a topic that they will apply in a new context, they store key concepts from the research in OneNote. With digital inking, learners can annotate and analyze the research they collect. As learners work in OneNote, immersive reader offers reading and translation support.
• SmartArt graphicsin Word and PowerPoint provide additional support for knowledge construction in the form of graphics that help learners demonstrate their understanding, interpretation, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of information.

Knowledge construction is the foundation of 21st century learning. Learners who think critically, make connections, and generate new ideas will have more success in the workforce.