Theoretical Constructs Operationalized

Based on my current readings, these are my thoughts on operationalizing identified theoretical constructs...
Knowledge Building and Discourse: Scardamalia & Bereiter (1994); Communities of Practice and Communities of Learners: Lave & Wenger (1991) and Wenger (1998); Situated Cognition and Expertise Building: Brown, Collins & Duguid (1989); Scaffolding and Zone of Proximal Development: Vygotsky (1978)
Knowledge Building allows for discourse, negotiation and sharing of ideas. KB also provides opportunities for the construction and development of knowledge artifacts. Knowledge building is centered in pedagogical practice (authentic activity, problem-based learning,situated cognition, etc). KB requires keeping a persistent record of discourse and providing common spaces for group members to share.
Communities of Practice/Communities of Learners requires common space for members and establishes that group size should be small. Scaffolding and supports should be created for multiple perspectives (small groups' preferences as well as individual learning preferences). Activities should reinforce transforming personal perspective to group perspective.
Scaffolding and ZPD: Activities should support interactions and enable the co-creation of knowledge and the development of knowledge artifacts. Should provide opportunities for reflection.
1. Build instruction based upon students' prior knowledge and community knowledge advancement. 2. Provide scaffolding that is tailored to the learners needs in achieving the goals of the moment. 3. Scaffolding is added gradually, modified, and removed based on the needs of the learner. 4. Allow opportunities for students to Externalize and Articulate their unformed and still developing understanding of concepts. Discourse becomes a means for collaborative problem solving. As understanding becomes more developed, articulation and externalization act as reinforces for learning in an interative knowledge building process where knowledge develops as ideas improvement.
5. Provide opportunities for reflection on cognitive activities or metacognition. Give students time to reflect on the process of learning and on the knowledge they are acquiring. Understanding is emergent 6. Build instruction from the concrete to the abstract.
Learning groups should be unstructured and students should be the facilitators. The learning environment of the group should be informal and roles of the participants should be emergent. Tasks are undefined for individual group members. Assessment should be in the form of group assessment as shared meaning and knowledge artifacts are produced.