Jim Slotta

Dr. Slotta is an Associate Professor with the Department for Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning and the Centre for Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education at the University of Toronto, OISE. He received his doctorate in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Masters of Science in cognitive psychology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

His research employs technology-enhanced learning environments to investigate cognitive models of learning and instruction. He’s developing a new and Inquiry” (KCI), where students in a classroom work together to create a persistent knowledge resource, which then serves as a source of materials and inspiration to subsequent inquiry projects. Prof. Slotta has been the principle and co-principal investigator on numerous grants both in Canada, USA and Europe. Among these include the following internationally acclaimed projects: Science Created by You, the European Union; Logging Opportunities in Online Programs for Science (LOO PS): Student and Teacher Learning; Technology-Enhanced Learning in Science (TELS); to list a few.

Prof. Slotta is World Technology Award Winner in the category of Education and in 2006 was named a Canada Research Chair in Education and Technology. He writes extensively about the
interplay between technology, pedagogy, and community, and lectures internationally.

Specific expertise: 

• Collective Inquiry
• Knowledge Community and Inquiry (KCI)
• Higher Education
• Science Education
• Technology Enhanced Learning Environments
• Smart Classrooms

Projects

My research is conducted collaboratively with PhD students and colleagues from several disciplines. We are trying to develop a new model of scaffolded collaborative inquiry that is blended within a knowledge community. The model is grounded in learning theory and has implications for the design and implementation of engaging curriculum experiences (in our case, for secondary science classrooms). One exciting new direction of work is the development of an open source smart classroom. Using the NSF-funded Scalable Architecture for Interactive Learning (SAIL), we have launched a new open source project to support the development of highly interactive, community-oriented activities that specify roles, goals and materials for all members of the learning community. There are implications for incorporating new devices and new forms of human computer interaction, as well as for continued research of the model.

1. Knowledge Community and Inquiry (KCI)
   My research is conducted collaboratively with PhD students and colleagues from several disciplines. We are trying to develop a new model of scaffolded collaborative inquiry that is blended within a knowledge community. The model is grounded in learning theory and has implications for the design and implementation of engaging curriculum experiences (in our case, for secondary science classrooms)
2. Scalable Architecture for Interactive Learning (SAIL)
   Using the NSF-funded Scalable Architecture for Interactive Learning (SAIL), we have launched a new open source project to support the development of highly interactive, community-oriented activities that specify roles, goals and materials for all members of the learning community. There are implications for incorporating new devices and new forms of human computer interaction, as well as for continued research of the model.