BUBBLE DIALOG - A NEW TOOL FOR INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT

Described in this article is the development of a tool compatible with the constructivist approach to learning and instruction. Constructivism holds that instruction is less a process whereby knowledge is communicated to learners and more a matter of nurturing the processes whereby learners come to understand, construct interpretations in real-life settings, appreciate multiple perspectives, develop and defend their own positions while recognizing other views, and become aware of and able to manipulate the knowledge construction process itself. Bubble Dialogue is a HyperCard-based technique which combines elements of role play, comic strip creation, and reflexive dialogue analysis enacted in everyday settings. Based upon evidence accumulated over several years of development, the authors feel that this tool responds to the need for classroom-based techniques for promoting knowledge construction.