Learning through interaction and co-construction of knowledge objects in teacher education

This article presents an empirical study of student teachers' learning through collaborative, small group projects and work on shared knowledge objects. The aim is to understand how knowledge objects, e.g., teaching and learning materials, emerge through students' interaction, are developed through iterative co-construction, and play a role in the learning process. The study employed a design-based research approach and involved the re-design of three courses in a teacher education institution. The analyses focused on the activities of three student groups conducting collaborative projects, which required them to identify and address open-ended problems in their placement schools, by means of developing shared knowledge objects of various kinds. Interaction data and knowledge objects generated by groups were analyzed through qualitative methods, with a focus on the types of interaction, the uptake of ideas and concepts, and their co-elaboration. The findings reveal patterns on interaction featuring individual, discourse-based and object-oriented approaches to collaboration. Within the latter, interaction of an epistemic nature, the strategic uptake of concepts, the co-elaboration based on shared insights and constructive feedback appear as the most important aspects for a successful co-construction process. The study illustrates the relationship between the students' social interaction and object construction and elaboration, and provides support for a more sophisticated understanding of how joint work on knowledge objects can facilitate learning in collaboration. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.