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Catalyst: Developing Technology for Education investigated how computers could best be
used as teaching machines. The Catalyst group found that computers could provide a unique
entry into new domains of knowledge, helping the novice access in a few keystrokes the
kind of information and expertise usually acquired through years of experience. Computers,
for example, could help the novice learn how to compose a song, make sense of original
historical documents, or write a computer program. In these cases, the computer was used
as a tool--not as a technology to be learned in and of itself, but as an ally in an effort
to solve a problem or fashion a product.
These findings led to the development of three "Catalyst projects," engaging enough to invite the novice to attempt the kind of long-term, challenging tasks usually reserved for experts. Each project employs a powerful computer software tool to handle many of the technical problems of the discipline; a database or library of examples and useful information in that discipline; and step-by-step instructions and procedures.
Subsequent research has suggested more ways in which computers and other new technologies can be used effectively in the classroom. One promising area is support for portfolio assessment. The group also examined ways that videotaping can be used to help assess student plays, presentations and other projects; that computers can be used to create portfolios of student work, complete with voice annotation; and that satellite communications can help teachers from different geographical regions share and evaluate samples of their students' work. More recently, groups at Project Zero have explored how Catalyst projects could be designed for alternative venues for education, such as museums or cable television.
Selected readings and materialsMany of these materials can be purchased through Project Zero's eBookstore. Granott, N., & Gardner, H. (1994). When minds meet: Interactions, coincidence, and development in domains of ability. In R. J. Sternberg and R. K. Wagner (Eds.), Mind in context: Interactionist perspectives on human intelligence. New York: Cambridge University Press. Morrison, D., & Walters, J. (1989, June). Immigrant: Who's using it? Cambridge, MA: Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education. Scripp, L., & Meyaard, J. (1991, November). Encouraging musical risks for learning success: A "Catalyst" approach to music education. Music Educators Journal, 36-41. Scripp, L., Meyaard, J., & Davidson, L. (1988). Discerning musical development: Using computers to discover what we know. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 22 (1), 65-74. Walters, J., & Gardner, H. (1990). Domain projects as assessment vehicles in a computer-rich environment. Paper prepared for the Center for Technology in Education, Bank Street College, New York. Projects and Computers: A Guide to Design tells the story of how each Catalyst project was designed and uses these stories as models to help readers create computer projects of their own. |
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