Contrary to the belief that computers isolate users, Karen Littleton and Paul Light demonstrate that learning with computers is often a collaborative and social activity. Learning with Computers brings together a significant body of research that shows how working with others at the computer can be beneficial to learners of all ages, from the early school years to the highest levels of education. It also investigates factors such as gender that explain why some interactions are not as productive as others.

Using the examples of attachment theory and language development, part one of this book elaborates a cultural approach to early development. Part two considers children's emerging capacities for empathy, perspective taking and social understanding, exploring how young children negotiate, talk about and play out relationship themes. The way children learn through relationships is examined in Part three - which covers topics such as scaffolding learning, and how children learn to collaborate with each other. Part four returns to the issue of cultural variation, asking how far textbook accounts...

This reader explores the nature of interactions between children and their teachers in the classroom. It emphasises the importance of such relationships for children's learning and for educational practice.
Part 1 looks at different cultural conceptions of the teacher-learner relationship, and how this relates to schooling, cognitive development and the aquisition of knowledge.
Part 2 takes a closer look at the role of language and dialogue in interactions between adults and children in classrooms.
Part 3 describes research by...

This reader explores the nature of interactions between children and their teachers. Part one looks at different cultural conceptions of the teacher-learner relationship, and how this relates to schooling, cognitive development and the aquisition of knowledge. Part two takes a closer look at the role of language and dialogue in interactions between adults and children in classrooms. Part three provides an overview of current research on collaborative learning. Part four looks at the potential impact of new technology on children's learning and cognition and its role in creating global...

This book draws on extensive research to provide a ground-breaking new account of the relationship between dialogue and children's learning development. It closely relates the research findings to real-life classrooms, so that it is of practical value to teachers and students concerned that their children are offered the best possible learning opportunities.

The authors provide a clear, accessible and well-illustrated case for the importance of dialogue in children's intellectual development and support this with a new and more educationally relevant version of socio-cultural...

This book is about children's learning and problem-solving behavior. Paul Light and Karen Littleton address, in both theoretical and empirical terms, the ways in which interactions between children influence learning outcomes. The authors describe a series of their own experiments conducted with groups of school children. Many of the studies involve computer-based learning and problem-solving, but the findings are of more general significance. In particular, they have implications both for classroom practice and the understanding of the learning process. This book is a valuable tool for...

This book is about children's learning and problem-solving behavior. Paul Light and Karen Littleton address, in both theoretical and empirical terms, the ways in which interactions between children influence learning outcomes. The authors describe a series of their own experiments conducted with groups of school children. Many of the studies involve computer-based learning and problem-solving, but the findings are of more general significance. In particular, they have implications both for classroom practice and the understanding of the learning process. This book is a valuable tool for...

This text addresses the key challenge of how to resource and support processes of inquiry learning within and beyond the classroom. It argues that technological support, when coupled with appropriate design of activities and management of the learning environment, can enable inquiry learning experiences that are engaging.

Written in an accessible and jargon-free style, 'Interthinking' challenges the myth of the 'lone genius' by exploring the growing body of work on how people create and invent together. It brings together the socio-cultural concepts of 'inter-thinking', 'dialogic space' and 'exploratory talk' as well as new research from these internationally acclaimed authors to uncover the nature and significance of collective creativity.