DISCUSSION, COLLABORATIVE KNOWLEDGE WORK AND EPISTEMIC FLUENCY

ABSTRACT: 

This paper argues for an action-oriented conception of learning in higher education: one which marries higher order learning (coming to understand) with apprenticeship in knowledge work. It introduces epistemic tasks, forms and fluency as constructs that are useful in giving a more precise meaning to ideas about collaboration in knowledge construction. Discussion is seen as central to collaborative knowledge work and we examine the role of discussion in supporting weaker and stronger interpretations of collaborative knowledge construction.

Keywords:

• learning in higher education
• learning through discussion
• collaborative construction of knowledge
• epistemic fluency

8. Acknowledgements

Some of the ideas in this paper formed the basis of Peter Goodyear's keynote address at the Networked Learning conference at Lancaster University, April 2006. The paper has benefited from comments made by delegates at the conference. The research on students’ conceptions of learning through discussion conducted by Goodyear and Ellis has been part-funded by the Australian Research Council (DP0559282). Maria Zenios's work in co-authoring this paper has been facilitated by a Visiting Scholarship at the CoCo Research Centre, Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney.