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Encyclopedia of Science Education pp 1–6Cite as

Knowledge-Building Communities

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Synonyms

Collective inquiry; Knowledge building; Knowledge communities

Introduction

In recent decades, it has been the goal of many science curricula and projects to develop inquiry-based learning in science classrooms. Many such projects, often of short duration, involve students’ learning from inquiries and investigations, exploring science phenomena firsthand, carrying out experiments, practicing scientific skills, and applying scientific ideas in new situations. However, critics have pointed out that these approaches fall short of what scientists actually do, as theories emerge within a sustained community of inquiry and knowledge exchange. In classrooms, scientific inquiry is often limited to sequenced activities designed to meet predetermined goals and fixed standards, rather than helping students to develop authentic scientific practices within a community of their peers.

What Is the Knowledge-Building Community Model?

The model of Knowledge-Building Community(KBC), developed...

Keywords

  • Knowledge-building Communities (KBC)
  • Knowledge Forum
  • Progressive Problem Solving
  • Collective Cognitive Responsibility
  • Pursue Lines

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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References

  • Scardamalia M, Bereiter C (2003) Knowledge building. In: Guthrie JW (ed) Encyclopedia of education, 2nd edn. Macmillan, New York, pp 1370–1373

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  • Scardamalia M, Bereiter C (2006) Knowledge building: theory, pedagogy, and technology. In: Sawyer RK (ed) The Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences. Cambridge University Press, New York, pp 97–115

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  • van Aalst J, Chan CKK (2007) Student-directed assessment of knowledge building using electronic portfolios. J Learn Sci 16:175–220

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  • Zhang J, Scardamalia M, Reeve R, Messina R (2009) Designs for collective cognitive responsibility in knowledge-building communities. J Learn Sci 18:7–44

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulm, Hong Kong, China

    Carol K. K. Chan & Jan van Aalst

Authors
  1. Carol K. K. Chan
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  2. Jan van Aalst
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Carol K. K. Chan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Monash University Fac. Education, Clayton, Victoria, Australia

    Richard Gunstone

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© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Chan, C.K.K., van Aalst, J. (2014). Knowledge-Building Communities. In: Gunstone, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Science Education. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6165-0_54-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6165-0_54-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-6165-0

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