Uri Shafrir | University of Toronto (original) (raw)
Papers by Uri Shafrir
EDULEARN proceedings, Mar 1, 2017
Interactive Concept Discovery (InCoD), based on Concept Parsing Algorithms (CPA), is a novel lear... more Interactive Concept Discovery (InCoD), based on Concept Parsing Algorithms (CPA), is a novel learning tool in the context of pedagogy for conceptual thinking. It support semantic searches of Key Word In Context (KWIC), an interactive procedure that use text analysis (concordance; collocation; cooccurrence; word frequency) and allows students to explore the course Knowledge Repository (KR) for discovery of conceptual contents. InCoD guides sequential teaching/learning episodes in an academic course by focusing learners' attention on conceptual meaning.
INTED2013 Proceedings, 2013
His main area of research is Mathematics Education, more precisely: the learning of pre-algebra a... more His main area of research is Mathematics Education, more precisely: the learning of pre-algebra and algebra, geometry, and calculus in technological environments; embodiment and gestures in mathematics; curricular design and theoretical frameworks for learning and teaching. In the last two decades he has authored more than 130 publications, mainly in international Journals or Volumes.
Handbook of Research on Applied Learning Theory and Design in Modern Education
In this chapter we describe a novel pedagogy for conceptual thinking and peer cooperation with Me... more In this chapter we describe a novel pedagogy for conceptual thinking and peer cooperation with Meaning Equivalence Reusable Learning Objects (MERLO) that enhances higher-order thinking; deepen comprehension of conceptual content; and improves learning outcomes. The evolution of this instructional methodology follows insights from four recent developments: analysis of patterns of content and structure of labeled patterns in human experience, that led to the emergence of concept science; development of digital cyber-infrastructure of networked information; research in neuroscience and brain imaging, showing that exposure of learners to multi-semiotic inductive problems enhance cognitive control of inter-hemispheric attentional processing in the lateral brain, and increase higher-order thinking; research in evolutionary dynamics on peer cooperation and indirect reciprocity, that document the motivational effect of knowledge of being observed, a psychological imperative that motivate in...
Physics Today, Feb 1, 1965
EDULEARN11 Proceedings, 2011
This article serves as an introduction to the special issue, provides highlights from the E-Portf... more This article serves as an introduction to the special issue, provides highlights from the E-Portfolio Forum, and concludes with a call concerning new directions for rigorous ePortfolio research.
The core element of this paper is an innovative didactical and methodological tool, called MERLO ... more The core element of this paper is an innovative didactical and methodological tool, called MERLO (Meaning Equivalence Reusable Learning Objects) used in formative assessment activities. After a general presentation of the MERLO approach, we will focus on the design process of MERLO items for the teaching and learning of mathematics, especially in secondary schools. The paper presents several methodological choices in the setting up and deployment of the MERLO pedagogy. The data, analysis and results come from the research experience gained at the University of Turin in the context of a master's degree of second level for mathematics teacher educators. This is an ongoing research with a current focus on teachers' professional development, with future perspectives on MERLO implementation in the classroom.
The important role of conceptual thinking in learning language and for deep comprehension of a kn... more The important role of conceptual thinking in learning language and for deep comprehension of a knowledge domain is now widely recognized. Still, traditional pedagogy and learning assessments focus on memorization of facts and procedures, presented through structured items such as true/false and multiple-choice questions. In contrast, teaching and learning of language and content in the digital age is facilitated by pedagogy for conceptual thinking that focus learners’ attention on meaning. Conceptual thinking enhance ways of thinking that explore patterns of equivalence-of-meaning among ideas, relations, and underlying issues; and understanding of multiple representations of meaning that are encoded, in addition to natural language, also in other sign systems. Evolution of pedagogy for conceptual thinking follow insights from several recent developments, including the emerging digital cyber-infrastructure of networked information that facilitate searching for patterns of content and...
A study reviewed recent research on issues central to adult learning, learning disabilities, and ... more A study reviewed recent research on issues central to adult learning, learning disabilities, and study skills in seven important areas-reading and listening, writing, arithmetic, memory, metacognition, representational competence, and perceived competence. The review focused on recent findings that had direct implications for the assessment and remediation of study skill deficits in adolescents and adults. Findings indicated that understanding of important psychological processes underlying the ability to learn improved considerably over the past decade. The broad picture emerging from many studies showed the potential for new assessment and remediation procedures aimed at improving study skills in adolescents and adults. This approach served as the theoretical underpinning for the development of an assessment battery that combined new, standardized procedures with well-established, normed tests and a corresponding battery of instructional methodologies for the remediation of specific study skills. In contrast to the traditional deficit model of cognitive abilities that focused on specific information processing deficits, the present approach was multifaceted and included additional components that assessed both the cognitive and affective strengths and weaknesses of the student. The new approach was based on an initial dynamic assessment of processes and on a follow-up application of instructional-based assessment in a mediated learning environment. (Contains 528 references.) (YLB)
The important role of conceptual thinking in scholarship, teaching and learning for deep comprehe... more The important role of conceptual thinking in scholarship, teaching and learning for deep comprehension is now widely recognized. The recent onset of Digital Age facilitated the development of conceptual curation and pedagogy for conceptual thinking and peer cooperation that enhance ways of thinking that explore patterns of equivalence-of-meaning among ideas, relations, and underlying issues; and include assessments with multi-semiotic items, namely, inductive questions that focus on the meaning of conceptual situations represented in multiple sign-systems. The certificate program is offered by iSchool Institute - Faculty of Information at University of Toronto. It provides hands-on, experiential learning of practical tools for implementation of Conceptual Curation and Pedagogy for Conceptual Thinking and Peer Cooperation in the classroom. The certificate is designed for instructors and librarians in k-12 and post-secondary institutions, as well as in public and private organizations...
INTED2016 Proceedings, 2016
This paper discusses the management of learning for achieving deep understanding of concepts and ... more This paper discusses the management of learning for achieving deep understanding of concepts and techniques for the analysis of conceptual situations. Our goal is to to teach not only “how ” but also “why”. Conceptual understanding is a critical component of evidence-based management. The paper presents Meaning Equivalence Reusable Learning Objects (MERLO), a novel methodology for evaluating and enhancing deep comprehension of the essence of multidimensional, complex conceptual situations, often embedded in mixed data-sets. We take a broad view of conceptual understanding and use training of applied statisticians, architecture students, and Continuous Medical Education programs as examples. The next sections provide background to the evidence based management of learning; an introduction to MERLO; a concept mapping of information quality (InfoQ); and discussion and directions for future research. BACKGROUND Management decisions are usually based on two major inputs: Available eviden...
Analytic Methods in Systems and Software Testing
Handbook of Research on ePortfolios, 2000
Policy Implications of Research in Education
Pedagogy for Conceptual Thinking and Meaning Equivalence
Interactive concept discovery (InCoD), based on concept parsing algorithms (CPA), is a novel lear... more Interactive concept discovery (InCoD), based on concept parsing algorithms (CPA), is a novel learning tool in the context of pedagogy for conceptual thinking. It supports semantic searches of key word in context (KWIC), an interactive procedure that use text analysis (concordance, collocation, co-occurrence, word frequency) and allows students to explore the course knowledge repository (KR) for discovery of conceptual contents. InCoD guides sequential teaching/learning episodes in an academic course by focusing learners' attention on conceptual meaning. InCoD is part of a pedagogical approach that is very different from the usual classroom scenario where students are given a problem-solving exercise and asked to solve it individually.
Pedagogy for Conceptual Thinking and Meaning Equivalence
This chapter describes the effects of availability of digital knowledge on teaching, learning, an... more This chapter describes the effects of availability of digital knowledge on teaching, learning, and assessment, and the emergence of pedagogy for conceptual thinking with meaning equivalence in different knowledge domains in early digital era. It includes three proof-of-concept implementations of meaning equivalent reusable learning objects (MERLO) in three different contexts: 1) Course ‘Risk management in the Supply Chain' at Material and Manufacturing Ontario (MMO) Centre of Excellence, in 2002, to evaluate the potential of MERLO to assess and improve learning outcomes in workplace workshops to be offered jointly by MMO and University of Toronto Innovation Foundation; 2) in 2004, secondary school courses in mathematics, physics, and chemistry at Russian Academy of Sciences, Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute, Lycee ‘Physical-Technical High School' at St. Petersburg, to train teachers in administering MERLO formative assessments and evaluate learning outcomes in STEM courses...
Advances in Computational Intelligence and Robotics
This chapter describe Concept Parsing Algorithms (CPA), a novel methodology of using text analysi... more This chapter describe Concept Parsing Algorithms (CPA), a novel methodology of using text analysis tools for discovery of ‘building blocks' of concepts, with semantic searches of the full text of potentially relevant documents in relevant knowledge domains, for lexical labels of concepts in controlled vocabularies. The meaning of lexical label of a super-ordinate concept C' in a sublanguage with controlled vocabulary is encoded in a set that contains three sets of building blocks: Ci (set of co-occurring sub-ordinate concepts); Rj (set of relations); and Lk (set of linguistic elements/descriptors).
EDULEARN proceedings, Mar 1, 2017
Interactive Concept Discovery (InCoD), based on Concept Parsing Algorithms (CPA), is a novel lear... more Interactive Concept Discovery (InCoD), based on Concept Parsing Algorithms (CPA), is a novel learning tool in the context of pedagogy for conceptual thinking. It support semantic searches of Key Word In Context (KWIC), an interactive procedure that use text analysis (concordance; collocation; cooccurrence; word frequency) and allows students to explore the course Knowledge Repository (KR) for discovery of conceptual contents. InCoD guides sequential teaching/learning episodes in an academic course by focusing learners' attention on conceptual meaning.
INTED2013 Proceedings, 2013
His main area of research is Mathematics Education, more precisely: the learning of pre-algebra a... more His main area of research is Mathematics Education, more precisely: the learning of pre-algebra and algebra, geometry, and calculus in technological environments; embodiment and gestures in mathematics; curricular design and theoretical frameworks for learning and teaching. In the last two decades he has authored more than 130 publications, mainly in international Journals or Volumes.
Handbook of Research on Applied Learning Theory and Design in Modern Education
In this chapter we describe a novel pedagogy for conceptual thinking and peer cooperation with Me... more In this chapter we describe a novel pedagogy for conceptual thinking and peer cooperation with Meaning Equivalence Reusable Learning Objects (MERLO) that enhances higher-order thinking; deepen comprehension of conceptual content; and improves learning outcomes. The evolution of this instructional methodology follows insights from four recent developments: analysis of patterns of content and structure of labeled patterns in human experience, that led to the emergence of concept science; development of digital cyber-infrastructure of networked information; research in neuroscience and brain imaging, showing that exposure of learners to multi-semiotic inductive problems enhance cognitive control of inter-hemispheric attentional processing in the lateral brain, and increase higher-order thinking; research in evolutionary dynamics on peer cooperation and indirect reciprocity, that document the motivational effect of knowledge of being observed, a psychological imperative that motivate in...
Physics Today, Feb 1, 1965
EDULEARN11 Proceedings, 2011
This article serves as an introduction to the special issue, provides highlights from the E-Portf... more This article serves as an introduction to the special issue, provides highlights from the E-Portfolio Forum, and concludes with a call concerning new directions for rigorous ePortfolio research.
The core element of this paper is an innovative didactical and methodological tool, called MERLO ... more The core element of this paper is an innovative didactical and methodological tool, called MERLO (Meaning Equivalence Reusable Learning Objects) used in formative assessment activities. After a general presentation of the MERLO approach, we will focus on the design process of MERLO items for the teaching and learning of mathematics, especially in secondary schools. The paper presents several methodological choices in the setting up and deployment of the MERLO pedagogy. The data, analysis and results come from the research experience gained at the University of Turin in the context of a master's degree of second level for mathematics teacher educators. This is an ongoing research with a current focus on teachers' professional development, with future perspectives on MERLO implementation in the classroom.
The important role of conceptual thinking in learning language and for deep comprehension of a kn... more The important role of conceptual thinking in learning language and for deep comprehension of a knowledge domain is now widely recognized. Still, traditional pedagogy and learning assessments focus on memorization of facts and procedures, presented through structured items such as true/false and multiple-choice questions. In contrast, teaching and learning of language and content in the digital age is facilitated by pedagogy for conceptual thinking that focus learners’ attention on meaning. Conceptual thinking enhance ways of thinking that explore patterns of equivalence-of-meaning among ideas, relations, and underlying issues; and understanding of multiple representations of meaning that are encoded, in addition to natural language, also in other sign systems. Evolution of pedagogy for conceptual thinking follow insights from several recent developments, including the emerging digital cyber-infrastructure of networked information that facilitate searching for patterns of content and...
A study reviewed recent research on issues central to adult learning, learning disabilities, and ... more A study reviewed recent research on issues central to adult learning, learning disabilities, and study skills in seven important areas-reading and listening, writing, arithmetic, memory, metacognition, representational competence, and perceived competence. The review focused on recent findings that had direct implications for the assessment and remediation of study skill deficits in adolescents and adults. Findings indicated that understanding of important psychological processes underlying the ability to learn improved considerably over the past decade. The broad picture emerging from many studies showed the potential for new assessment and remediation procedures aimed at improving study skills in adolescents and adults. This approach served as the theoretical underpinning for the development of an assessment battery that combined new, standardized procedures with well-established, normed tests and a corresponding battery of instructional methodologies for the remediation of specific study skills. In contrast to the traditional deficit model of cognitive abilities that focused on specific information processing deficits, the present approach was multifaceted and included additional components that assessed both the cognitive and affective strengths and weaknesses of the student. The new approach was based on an initial dynamic assessment of processes and on a follow-up application of instructional-based assessment in a mediated learning environment. (Contains 528 references.) (YLB)
The important role of conceptual thinking in scholarship, teaching and learning for deep comprehe... more The important role of conceptual thinking in scholarship, teaching and learning for deep comprehension is now widely recognized. The recent onset of Digital Age facilitated the development of conceptual curation and pedagogy for conceptual thinking and peer cooperation that enhance ways of thinking that explore patterns of equivalence-of-meaning among ideas, relations, and underlying issues; and include assessments with multi-semiotic items, namely, inductive questions that focus on the meaning of conceptual situations represented in multiple sign-systems. The certificate program is offered by iSchool Institute - Faculty of Information at University of Toronto. It provides hands-on, experiential learning of practical tools for implementation of Conceptual Curation and Pedagogy for Conceptual Thinking and Peer Cooperation in the classroom. The certificate is designed for instructors and librarians in k-12 and post-secondary institutions, as well as in public and private organizations...
INTED2016 Proceedings, 2016
This paper discusses the management of learning for achieving deep understanding of concepts and ... more This paper discusses the management of learning for achieving deep understanding of concepts and techniques for the analysis of conceptual situations. Our goal is to to teach not only “how ” but also “why”. Conceptual understanding is a critical component of evidence-based management. The paper presents Meaning Equivalence Reusable Learning Objects (MERLO), a novel methodology for evaluating and enhancing deep comprehension of the essence of multidimensional, complex conceptual situations, often embedded in mixed data-sets. We take a broad view of conceptual understanding and use training of applied statisticians, architecture students, and Continuous Medical Education programs as examples. The next sections provide background to the evidence based management of learning; an introduction to MERLO; a concept mapping of information quality (InfoQ); and discussion and directions for future research. BACKGROUND Management decisions are usually based on two major inputs: Available eviden...
Analytic Methods in Systems and Software Testing
Handbook of Research on ePortfolios, 2000
Policy Implications of Research in Education
Pedagogy for Conceptual Thinking and Meaning Equivalence
Interactive concept discovery (InCoD), based on concept parsing algorithms (CPA), is a novel lear... more Interactive concept discovery (InCoD), based on concept parsing algorithms (CPA), is a novel learning tool in the context of pedagogy for conceptual thinking. It supports semantic searches of key word in context (KWIC), an interactive procedure that use text analysis (concordance, collocation, co-occurrence, word frequency) and allows students to explore the course knowledge repository (KR) for discovery of conceptual contents. InCoD guides sequential teaching/learning episodes in an academic course by focusing learners' attention on conceptual meaning. InCoD is part of a pedagogical approach that is very different from the usual classroom scenario where students are given a problem-solving exercise and asked to solve it individually.
Pedagogy for Conceptual Thinking and Meaning Equivalence
This chapter describes the effects of availability of digital knowledge on teaching, learning, an... more This chapter describes the effects of availability of digital knowledge on teaching, learning, and assessment, and the emergence of pedagogy for conceptual thinking with meaning equivalence in different knowledge domains in early digital era. It includes three proof-of-concept implementations of meaning equivalent reusable learning objects (MERLO) in three different contexts: 1) Course ‘Risk management in the Supply Chain' at Material and Manufacturing Ontario (MMO) Centre of Excellence, in 2002, to evaluate the potential of MERLO to assess and improve learning outcomes in workplace workshops to be offered jointly by MMO and University of Toronto Innovation Foundation; 2) in 2004, secondary school courses in mathematics, physics, and chemistry at Russian Academy of Sciences, Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute, Lycee ‘Physical-Technical High School' at St. Petersburg, to train teachers in administering MERLO formative assessments and evaluate learning outcomes in STEM courses...
Advances in Computational Intelligence and Robotics
This chapter describe Concept Parsing Algorithms (CPA), a novel methodology of using text analysi... more This chapter describe Concept Parsing Algorithms (CPA), a novel methodology of using text analysis tools for discovery of ‘building blocks' of concepts, with semantic searches of the full text of potentially relevant documents in relevant knowledge domains, for lexical labels of concepts in controlled vocabularies. The meaning of lexical label of a super-ordinate concept C' in a sublanguage with controlled vocabulary is encoded in a set that contains three sets of building blocks: Ci (set of co-occurring sub-ordinate concepts); Rj (set of relations); and Lk (set of linguistic elements/descriptors).