Using artifacts created by learners, such as presentations, models, texts, games, collaborative data tables, and others—as resources for continued learning, for themselves or for others, gives meaning both to the artifacts themselves and to the process of creating them. Rather than treating these artifacts as one-time products that lose value once submitted, they can be understood as contributions to a learning community that collects, builds, and refines knowledge over time. According to research, this approach enriches the learning environment by enabling students to engage with content created by their peers, respond to it, evaluate it, improve it, and connect new insights to their existing knowledge. The perceived relevance of the various contents increases, encouraging deeper engagement, creative thinking, design skills, and visual communication. Knowing that their products will serve themselves and their peers over time contributes to the development of responsibility and engagement among learners, which in turn fosters intrinsic motivation. The continued use of artifacts over time also offers students a practical understanding of how knowledge is constructed and advanced as part of the learning process.
Examples of reuse of learners’ artifacts may be seen in the creation of infographics describing historical events along timelines. Learners may initially include only primary sources and later, as the learning process progresses, add historical contexts, interpretations, and more. These learning products are displayed and used by future groups for learning, extension, and discussion of events. Another example of implementing this principle is the use of an educational game created by learners in one context and then transferred for use and further development by other learner groups.
Additional examples of this principle can be seen in the project “In the footprints of small mammals” in which students participated, among other things, in constructing burrows for collecting tracks of small mammals and later used these constructed products for gathering the tracks. This creation and use of artifacts built by the students enabled them to be exposed to how ecological scientific research can be conducted and even to participate in advancing it.
Deepening and Expansion ▼
Constructionism
In his book Mindstorms (Papert, 1993), Papert describes the theory of Constructionism, which extends Piaget’s Constructivist theory by emphasizing learning through making. According to Papert, people learn best when they construct tangible objects that represent their understandings, especially within collaborative and digital environments. When students create artifacts such as presentations, models, games, and more, they deepen their learning. These creations encourage learners to build knowledge actively and help them understand abstract ideas. The product created by learners becomes a learning resource both for themselves and for those who encounter it later.
Learning by Design
According to Kolodner and colleagues (2003), Learning by Design is a project-based inquiry approach to science education grounded in case-based learning and problem-based learning. According to this approach, learners are involved in designing, creating, and examining solutions. The various cases investigated serve as infrastructure for thinking and transfer across different learning contexts. Learners work on authentic projects, create artifacts, document processes, and learn from them in order to apply knowledge in other situations. This approach emphasizes iterative learning, in which learners experiment and improve their work on the basis of feedback and new insights.
Peer Learning
The book by Boud, Cohen, and Sampson (2001) reviews the principles of reciprocal peer learning and its pedagogical value in collaborative learning experiences. It emphasizes the idea of “learning with and from others.” Learners assume active roles in teaching, facilitation, and peer assessment. Learning is understood as a social process in which knowledge is collaboratively constructed. Learners’ artifacts serve the learning of others—future students who respond to them, evaluate them, and improve them. In this way, sustained and dynamic peer learning becomes possible.
Intrinsic Motivation versus Extrinsic Motivation
Ryan and Deci (2000) distinguish between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. According to the article, intrinsic motivation refers to action undertaken out of interest, enjoyment, or internal satisfaction. Extrinsic motivation, by contrast, refers to action undertaken in expectation of external reward or avoidance of punishment. According to the article, when learners know that their learning products will be used by others—now or in the future—their intrinsic motivation may be strengthened. This occurs because such learners understand that the artifacts they created have genuine value, and therefore they tend to be more engaged and committed. Accordingly, reusing artifacts creates a learning framework that encourages intrinsic motivation through a sense of meaning, influence, and recognition.
Additional Resources:
MIT Media Lab: Lifelong Kindergarten Group: https://www.media.mit.edu/groups/lifelong-kindergarten/overview/
References ▼
- Boud, D., Cohen, R., & Sampson, J. (2001). Peer Learning in Higher Education: Learning from and with Each Other. Routledge.
- Kolodner, J. L., Gray, J. T., & Fasse, B. B. (2003). Promoting Transfer through Case-Based Reasoning: Rituals and Practices in Learning by Design Classrooms. Cognitive Science, 27(4), 495–555.
- Papert, S. (1993). Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas. Basic Books.
- Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New Directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 54–67.