Extreme Apprenticeship: Experiences and lessons learned

Gabriella DoderoFree University of Bozen-Bolzano

Trondheim, 17 sep 2015

Contents

● Extreme Apprenticeship principles● Extreme Apprenticeship @ universities ● … @ high schools● Lessons learned

Motivation

● Computer Science is a curricular subject @ university, and @ high schools (in Italy)

● Many students find it tough !!!● Low marks, drop-outs, low retention of concepts once

the exam is passed ● Typical courses start with „theory“ and after a while,

„labs“ can start ● Can we improve on this ?

Extreme Apprenticeship

● Based on Cognitive Apprenticeship: pay attention to the learning process

● Learning as apprentices in a workshop, under the guidance of a „master“, until a skill is acquired

● Traditional examples are craftsmen (tailor, cobbler, painter...) to learn manual skills

● It works also for cognitive skills !● Three phases:

● Modeling, scaffolding, fading.

Modeling

● The apprentice acquires a conceptual modeling of the activity, by observing the „master“ at work !

● Lectures, if needed, consist on worked examples, (but they are usually avoided)

● The „master“ thinks aloud to show what mental processes are activated

Scaffolding

● Apprentices solve exercises while the master is watching them. If they are stuck, they ask for help

● The master does not give solutions, just enough hints to let apprentices discover the solution by themselves

● … as suggested by Bruner

Fading

● As the apprentices start working independently, scaffolding gradually decreases

● The more the apprentices work independently, the more their skills grow

XA and exercises

● Exercises are NOT „applications of a theory“● Roumani considers exercises:

● We think of them as teaching instruments that complement lectures by teaching the same material but in an exploratory fashion

● Exercises are the key to increase students' motivation

XA and motivation

● Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation● Difficult exercises kill the intrinsic motivation of weaker

students● Exercises should be proposed as „challenges“, and

should be short-term, reachable goals for all apprentices

● Feedback from the master increases motivation ● Self-esteem and self-efficacy increase motivation

Basic XA principles

(1) Learning by doing. A skill is acquired by practicing it, as long as it is needed

(2) Continuous bidirectional feedback. Apprentices receive a feedback on their work, the master receives a feedback by observing how the apprentice works

XA @ Helsinki

● Reducing-cancelling lecture hours● Programming: one hour for course introduction● Maths: two hours a week to recap exercises

● Increasing lab hours, and increasing lab assistants● Correcting EVERYTHING ! Allowing to redo wrong

exercises (obliging to redo wrong exercises)

Pass rates of Programming @ Helsinki

● Programming course for computer scientists

● Programming course for non- computer scientists

Traditional XA 58.5% 71.3%

Traditional XA 43.7% 70.1%

Bolzano: Operating systems

● Bsc, 3. semester, approx 30 students/year● Assessment: theory (50%) as written exam; lab (50%) as

a project● The first part of the lab (2 ECTS) has been given as XA for

three courses (2011 - 2013)● Lab topics: bash scripting

Pre self assessment● Some students knew bash scripting since high school● Many students did not know the command line ...

Lab

● The teacher is (alone) 6 hours/week in the lab Impossible to assess in real time what students

deliver● Blended lab: exercises may be done at home, and

may be delivered on a LMS (Moodle)The teacher grades them and gives a feedback

via email

Feedback

● Moodle automatically informs the student that a grade has been given

● The student reads the grade and the teacher's comment

● If the exercise is wrong, the comment explains the mistake without giving the solution

● If the exercise is correct, the comment is a smiley or an „ok!“

● Each student sees only own grades and comments

Grades @ Bolzano● More students passed at first call (out of three)● „Traditional“ indicates the total of three cohorts before

the first XA edition (101 students)● After three editions, no more „dropouts“ ...

Traditional % XA %33 33% 22 52%

Lessons learned @ unibz

● XA works, both in presence and blended ● Students work more, and are happy of that ● Students respect deadlines, and know that they have

learned ● Drop-outs of previous years take the course and pass

the exam● Those who drop, are NOT desperate ...

Students post questionnaire ● 1: Self-efficacy: I

know how to write bash scripts

● 2: Exercises helped in understanding OS theory

● 3: Lab required too much time

Students comments● A student that initially self assessed as „poor“:

This is new way of teaching. It is very interesting. I didn't expected from myself, that without any knowledge about bash and without any lectures, it is possible to learn so much!

● A student that initially self assessed as „knowledgeable“:

writing a shell [a complex take-home activity] would have been interesting, but anyway writing this script was a nice experience

XA @ schools

● Pilot experience 2 years ago, in a „professional“ school (12th grade), technician of enterprise services

● Javascript programming (usually it was not part of the curriculum)

● Students react enthusiastically, half of them want to become programmers

● Let's train in-service CS teachers in high schools !!

What was done and where ● Computer Science and Math teacherss in high

schools ● Teachers from Trento and Bolzano (and one

from Verona)● In-service in various high schools and years,

including evening courses for working students

● Teaching to teenagers ● Teaching to adults 50+

What was taught with XA

● Digital literacy (word processor, spreadsheet)● Programming in Pascal, python, scratch● HTML, CSS, javascript● Linux CLI + bash scripting● Algebraic expressions, fractions,...

Key rules ● Correcting (almost) every exercise● Concluding at home and elivering later

(via email, on a LMS, on a usb stick...)● Scaffolding, that is never tell the solution, just a hint to

spot the error● Working a lot without realizing ● Learning and being aware of learning (students and

teachers)

www.mycutegraphics.com

Open issues

● How can large classes be managed by one teacher alone? ● Does peer tutoring work between students of the same

class? ● Does peer tutoring work between students of different

years? ● What happens when students refuse to work at home?

ww.mycutegraphics.com

Nice surprises● „Professor, please do no lecture any more with

the textbook!“● „Students are too silent.. are they hacking?“● WOOOOWWWW!!!!!!● The teacher of literature starts,

too● Parents understand „how much“

the children learn ●

www.mycutegraphics.com

More on XA● E3osvideos: youtube channel providing „open

educational resources“ on Linux + bash

● OS 2015-16: a new „format“....

Fig. 5. A video screen-shot showing: (1) the teacher-avatar addressing the learning goal, (2) with a discovery element for engaging, (3) the iconic representation of a terminal and folders for favoring recognition rather recall

Credits

● RAGE webpage:http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/en/rage/● OS Collaborators: F.Di Cerbo, N.El Ioini, V.Del Fatto,

F.Persia● Co-authors of papers : R.Gennari, F.Ravanelli, N.

Mastachi, and a dozen of teachers ● Interdisciplinary collaboration: University of Verona (psy)

Takk, Grazie, Danke, Thanks, Kiitos!!gdodero @ unibz . it