Students’ No. of No. of No. of No. of
group groups group notes note
discussions discussions Group 1, T1 5 5 2 1 Group 1, T2 6 6 3 1 Group 1, T3 5 5 5 5 Group 1, T4 6 1 4 2 Group 2, T1 4 4 0 0 Group 2, T2 4 4 0 0 Group 2, T3 5 5 0 0 Group 2, T4 4 4 0 0 Group 3 5 4 2 2 Group 4 8 8 6 6 Group 5 4 1 1 0 Group 6 4 4 5 4 Total 60 51 28 21
Table 6.5: Number of groups and notes created, and the corresponding number of discussion activities.
Table 6.5 presents a quantitative analysis of the number of groups and notes created during each mystery trial, and the number of associated discussions. The sticky tape actions are not included here because they were used very often during stage three and it is not possible to identify discussions that are directly related to them. From the table, we see that of the 60 groups created (counting groups that were created, temporarily used, then deleted), 51 (85%) were accompanied by some form of discussion regarding the group and its name. Also, of the 28 notes created, 21 (75%) were accompanied by discussions regarding the contents of the note. Figures 6.13, 6.14, and 6.15 show sample conversations from three different groups around the act of creating a group, naming it, or putting a slip into it. The conversations demonstrate the importance of assigning names to groups in promoting valuable discussion.
Figures 6.16 and 6.17 show sample discussions related to creating notes. Again, these conver- sations demonstrate how the act of creating a note attracted the attention of other group members and promoted discussion. Using the sticky tapes to mark relations also created space for discus- sions. For example, in one case a student pointed to two slips linked with a sticky tape and asked “Why are they related?” Moreover, having an arrow shaped sticky tape increased the space for (i.e. increases the probability of) such discussions where in a number of cases students displayed the commands menu and discussed which type of tape to use (e.g. Figure 6.18). All these examples demonstrate that, in addition to making the students’ thinking visible on the table, the externaliza- tion tools (groups, notes, and the sticky tapes) served to promote discussion and created space for disagreements and the need to provide explanations.
The previous discussion established the success of the application in encouraging external- ization and the benefits of such externalizations in making students’ thinking more accessible to observers. The sample conversations provided, give a good indication as to the type of active discussions that can arise as a consequence of such externalizations. Consequently, encouraging externalization should be considered as a main design recommendation for collaborative learning applications (Refer to section 7.4 “Encourage externalization”)
Student 1:Put that one in ‘red herrings’?
Student 2:What does that one say, I don’t remember.
Student 1 makes the slip larger.
Student 1 and student 2 read the slip content aloud.
Student 3:It’s kind of a reason to go because she doesn’t want to waste her education but she loves
Student 1:It could be for staying.
Student 2:It’s kind of in the middle.
Student 3:Or make another group like for I don’t know.
Student 2:Like pie, like overlapped and it goes in the middle.and makes circular gestures with the pen. Student 3:Let’s make a group and put it in the middle. What shall we call it?
Student 2:For and against.
Student 2:That’s population. What will that be, for or against? The population being really small.
Student 1:I don’t know.
Student 2:The population getting small. That’ll be bad because there hardly be any business.
Student 3:Yeh.
Student 2:That’ll be against.
Figure 6.13: Examples of discussions around grouping (group 1 solving Windy Creek).
After the students are provided with a hint that indicated some related slips that could be put in one group, they had the following discussion for selecting a name for the group for these slips.
Student 1 enlarged the first slip referred to in the hint. Student 2:She can’t afford.
Student 1 minimises the slip and enlarges the second one. Student 2:So she can’t go to her best friend.
Student 1 minimises the second slip and enlarges the thrid. Student 3:And near the cinema.
Student 2:Yeh, she can’t afford a car so she can’t go there and she can’t go there.
Student 3:So how about this could be
Student 2:Can’t afford. (Laughing)
Student 3:No we can’t put, can’t afford.
Student 2:Emm, no money.
Student 3:Yeh, no money.
Student 1 (pointing to a slip):Could that be education?
Student 2:That’s like a hobby.
Student 3:It’s a hobby. Do you want me to make a thing for the hobby?
Student 3 creates a group and names it ‘hobbies’. Student 1 creates a group and names it ‘1122’
Student 2:Shouldn’t we put like em (pause) so we know what’s it’s about and stuff than 1122?
The group is deleted, and student 2 creates a new group. Student 2:We are going to call it, where she lives.
Figure 6.15: Examples of discussions around grouping (group 4 solving Windy Creek). After a long discussion about a slip about getting robbed and another about insurance and whether this keeps them in or out of business, the students linked the two slips with a sticky tape and student 2 wrote: “getting robbed would put them out of business but since they have insurance it keeps them in business”. Student 2:Does that make sense?
Then the students linked the note to the two slips with another sticky tape.
Student 1:We need one for that. What was that one about?(pointing to one of the slips) Students 2:A farm shop that was opened then closed.
Student 1 types while student 2 dictatesFarm shop open but closed a year later.
Figure 6.16: Discussion around creating notes (group 1 solving The Village Shop). Student 1:(Referring to student 2 by name) is making something.
Student 2:I am making a note.
Student 3:What’s the note? Move the note so I can see it.
Student 3 started reading what student 2 was typing.
Mean while, student 2 was typing “well if it is hot she will suffer and if she goes 2 a cold place it is sometimes hot so where can she go”.
Student 1 addressing student 3:What are you typing?
Student 3:Maybe stay for the boy ranch for her boyfriend.
Student 1:Yeh.
Student 3 finished typing the note: “maybe stay for the boy ranch for her boyfriend and to see her family but will be dangerous because it is sunny and suffers alergies caused mainly by the sun.”
Student 3 then read what he wrote to the rest of the group.
Figure 6.17: Examples of how the act of creating a note attracts attention of the other students. Student 3 pointed to a group of slips and said:I think we should do an arrow here because it iscausing
allergies.
Student 2:That’s what it is.
Student 1:It’s not an arrow.
Student 3:It’s a sticky tape.
Student 1 then creates an arrow sticky tape and passes it to student 3 to use it instead of the normal sticky tape
Figure 6.18: Discussion around the type of the sticky tape to use to mark a relation between two slips.