Computers have transformed how we think, discuss and learn--as
individuals, in groups, within cultures and globally. However, social
media are problematic, fostering flaming, culture wars and fake news.
This volume presents an alternative paradigm for computer support of
group thinking, collaborative learning and joint knowledge construction.
This requires expanding concepts of cognition to collectivities, like
collaborative groups of networked students.
Theoretical Investigations explores the conditions for group
cognition, supplying a philosophical foundation for new models of
pedagogy and methods to analyze group interaction. Twenty-five
self-contained investigations document progress in research on
computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL)--both in Stahl's own
research and during the first decade of the CSCL journal.
The volume begins with two new reflections on the vision and theory that
result from this research. Representing both ethnomethodological and
social-constructivist research paradigms, the investigations within this
volume comprise a selection of seminal and influential articles and
critical commentaries that contribute to an understanding of concepts
and themes central to the CSCL field. The book elaborates an innovative
theory of group cognition and substantiates the pedagogical potential of
CSCL.
Theoretical Investigations: Philosophical Foundations of Group
Cognition is essential as a graduate text for courses in educational
theory, instructional design, learning and networked technologies. The
investigations will also appeal to researchers and practitioners in
those areas.
