Activity 1

Active knowledge construction puts the learner in the role of an explorer, a creator of meaning. People not only solve problems but also seek information to help answer the questions posed. This reveals the processes of higher-order thinking and critical reflection. Drawing from different, purposeful ways of learning motivates further work. Critical self-reflection on the processes of knowledge acquisition promote metacognition, i.e. learning about one’s processes of thinking. The above-described learning process is conducive to fostering the autonomy of students (Coyle, Meyer, 2021).

It is not necessary for all students to perform the same tasks at the same time. Productive diversity, which we mentioned with the concept of multiliteracies, is easier to capture when we manage the differences between learners. Then we don’t have to deal with bored or dissatisfied learners for whom the pace of learning is inappropriate. When evaluation criteria are at a high level of generality, learners can do different things, but of comparable cognitive or practical difficulty.

Moving between different ways of knowledge construction in a supportive learning environment fosters involuntary and empathetic learning. The knowledge gained in this way relates to practice in the world we live in, which helps them see the impact learners can have on their environment and the future.

Let’s now consider how the above can be accomplished in practice. Next is an example of the use of cross-curricular themes that organically stem from global issues. So, let’s take a look at these issues and the process of planning (Muszyńska, 2024, pp. 78-82).

Recognizing and researching an environmental problem
This process involves: experiencing – conceptualizing – analyzing – applying
This is in line with the “How” of multiliteracies across the curriculum:
https://newlearningonline.com/multiliteracies/theory 

What is the scientific rationale for the above process? 

Responsible, creative and critical thinking promotes reflective thinking, which is the essence of cognition (Wegerif, 2010, p. 138). We build knowledge in a reflective (self-aware) way when we make connections between personal and local experiences with more general sets of human knowledge (subject content) (Cope & Kalantzis, 2023).

The information retrieval approach adopted above equips learners to identify the epistemic injustices associated with knowledge, exclusion, silencing and distortion, and misrepresentation of meaning. Ask learners to search multimodally for information from at least three sources, so that they have a chance to see a situation or object from several points of the reference. Learners should be able to explain how they make a judgment about the content on a given website (or other source) based on the criteria included in the guidelines above – they may also want to add other criteria.

Moving in different contexts, we actively work between languages, but also language systems (language of instruction, language of school education, language used to present information on the Internet and other sources + foreign/second languages). This allows us to explore different points of view and include voices outside the dominant narrative, which fosters the expansion of perspectives and active knowledge creation.

To conclude

Everything always depends on the purpose of our actions. In the procedure presented, the teacher is responsible for creating a certain framework for teaching and learning, rather than planning the detailed content for each lesson. The purpose of the learning process was to explore different perspectives in one or more languages, to skillfully, critically, and multimodally search, evaluate, justify, and present the information found, and to think about how to proceed further. Included in this process were: productive diversity, the private worlds of learners, drawing on purposeful ways of knowing by interacting with texts and with each other, communicating and meaning representation to actively create knowledge.