KRISTEN PILNER BLAIR

Graduate School of Education

Stanford, CA 94305

Email: kpilner@stanford.edu

 

 

EDUCATION

 

2009 – Ph.D.   Stanford University School of Education

Educational Psychology with Specialization in Learning Sciences and Technology Design (Advisor: Daniel L. Schwartz)

Dissertation: The neglected importance of feedback perception in learning: An analysis of children and adults’ uptake of quantitative feedback in a mathematics simulation environment.

PhD Minor in Psychology

 

2002 – B.S.      Stanford University

Mathematical and Computational Science with Interdisciplinary Honors in Education

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

 

2020 – Current

Director of Research, Digital Learning Initiative, Stanford Accelerator for Learning

·      Work with faculty to develop a research and design vision for the Digital Learning Initiative.

·      Identify annual goals and benchmarks that align with this vision and manage progress toward these goals.

·      Oversee and administer research activities and seed grant programs in alignment with the initiative’s mission to create vibrant, meaningful, and personalized digital learning opportunities that deepen knowledge and expand access.

·      Develop programs to support and increase the capacity of faculty, staff, and students across the university to conduct research around digital learning.

 

2002 – Current 

Researcher, Stanford Graduate School of Education.

 

2014 – Current     Senior Research Scholar

2009 – 2014           Research Associate

2002 – 2009           Research Assistant

 

Specific Projects:

§  Virtual Field Trips (with Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford)

§  DORA – A Teachable Agent for Reasoning about Evidence

§  Maximizing Informativeness and Minimizing Neglect – the next step in feedback research (with Lund University, Sweden)

§  New Teachers Learning Disciplined Improvisation for Meaningful Talk in Diverse Classrooms (with UC Davis)

§  Designing Contrasting Cases for Inductive Learning

§  Teachable Agents: Assisting and assessing middle school science learning in formal and informal settings (with Vanderbilt University)

§  Real World Real Science (with Gulf of Maine Research Institute)

§  C2STEM: synergistic STEM + computational thinking learning (with Vanderbilt, SRI, and Salem State)

§  Learning Through Making (with the Exploratorium)

§  Early Math Learning with Tablets

§  Cognitive and Cortical Restructuring in the Acquisition of Negative Number Concepts (with Stanford Dept. of Psychiatry)

§  Choice Based Learning Assessments

§  Family Math Project - part of the Learning in Informal and Formal Environments (LIFE) center

§  Biological Bases of Alphanumeric Learning Interventions (with Sackler Institute)

 

2015 - Current  

Lecturer, Stanford University, Stanford CA.

§  EDUC 398: Core Mechanics for Learning

                          

2014 – 2015    

Consulting Partner, Literacy Lab, Oakland, CA.

§  Evaluated and recommend as suite of STEM apps and e-books for inclusion in a pilot tablet program for low income preschool children.

§  Created workshops to help preschool parents support their children’s math development at home and through their everyday activities.

 

2006 - 2007     

Instructor, Child and Adolescent Development Department, San Jose State University

 

2002 - 2003     

Research Assistant, Bermuda Computing Curriculum Project, Stanford University School of Education and Department of Computer Science

 

2001 - 2002     

Research Assistant, Stanford Mathematics Teaching and Learning Study, Stanford University School of Education             

 

 

 

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS AND PROCEEDINGS

 

Schwartz, D. L., Tsang, J. T., Blair, K. P. (2016).  The ABCs of how we learn: 26 scientifically proven approaches, how they work, and when to use them.  New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.

Book currently available in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Polish, and Korean

 

·      Blair, K.P., Banes, L.C. & Martin, L. (2024). Fostering noticing of classroom discussion features through analysis of contrasting cases. Instructional Science 52, 417–452. 

·      Queiroz, A., Bailenson, J., Blair, K., Schwartz, D., Thille, C., & Wagner, A. (2024). Extended Realities and the Future of Knowledge Work: Opportunities and Challenges. Proceedings of the 31st IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces Abstracts and Workshops (VRW).

·      Silvervarg, A., Blair, K., Cutumisu, M., & Gulz, A. (2022). Assessment of Students' Feedback Behavior in A Game-Based Automated Feedback System-A Cross-Cultural Replication Study. In 30th International Conference on Computers in Education Conference, ICCE 2022 (pp. 292-301). Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education.

·      Saavedra, A., Blair, K. P., Wolf, R., Marx, J. P., & Chin, D. B. (2022). Capturing Students’ Learning Strategies in Action Using Clickstream and Eye-tracking Data. In Proceedings of the 16th International Conference of the Learning Sciences-ICLS 2022, pp. 1553-1556. International Society of the Learning Sciences.

·      Mastrup, K. L., Aiello, L., Athanases, S., Blair, K. P., Higgs, J., Martin, L., Martinez, D. C., Patterson, A. D., Welsh, M. (2022).  Discussion-Oriented Teaching in the Digital Classroom: Teachers’ Collaborative Adaptation in the Face of Disruption. In Proceedings of the 16th International Conference of the Learning Sciences-ICLS 2022, pp. 2104-2105. International Society of the Learning Sciences.

·      Kjällander, S. & Blair, K. P. (2021). Designs for learning with adaptive games and Teachable Agents. In: Brooks, E. & Selander, S. Springer Nature: Emerging Practices and Technologies II. Design methodologies and digital learning ecologies.

·      Hallinen, N. R., Sprague, L. N., Blair, K. P., Adler, R. M., & Newcombe, N. S. (2021). Finding formulas: Does active search facilitate appropriate generalization? Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 6(1), 1-18.

·      Silvervarg, A., Wolf, R., Blair, K.P., Haake, M., & Gulz, A. (2020). How Teachable Agents Influence Students’ Responses to Critical Constructive Feedback. Journal of Research on Technology in Education.

·      Hutchins, N.M., Biswas, G., Maróti, M., Lédeczi, Á., Grover, S., Wolf, R., Blair, K.P., Chin, D., Conlin, L., Basu, S. and McElhaney, K., (2020). C2STEM: a System for Synergistic Learning of Physics and Computational Thinking. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 29(1), pp.83-100.

·       Blair, K., Chin, D. B., Wolf, R., Conlin, L., Cutumisu, M., & Schwartz, D. L. (2019).  Educating and measuring choice: A test of the transfer of design thinking in problem solving and learning.  Journal of the Learning Sciences, 28(3), 337-380.

·      Varma, S., Blair, K. P., & Schwartz, D. L. (2019). Cognitive science foundations of integer understanding and instruction. In A. Norton & M. Alibali (Eds.), Constructing number: Merging perspectives from psychology and mathematics education (pp. 307-327). NCTM/Springer

·      Cutumisu, M., Blair, K. P., Chin, D., & Schwartz, D. L. (2017) Assessing whether students seek constructive criticism: The design of an automated feedback system for a graphic design task. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education (IJAIED), DOI: 10.1007/s40593-016-0137-5, Springer.

·      Chin, D., Blair, K. P., & Schwartz, D. L. (2016). Got Game? A Choice-Based Learning Assessment of Data Literacy and Visualization Skills. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 21 (2).

·      Cutumisu, M., Blair, K. P., Chin, D., & Schwartz, D. L. (2015). A game-based assessment of children’s choices to seek feedback and to revise. Journal of Learning Analytics, 2(1), 49-71.

·      Tsang, J., Blair, K. P., Bofferding, L., & Schwartz, D. L. (2015).  Learning to “see” less than nothing: Putting perceptual skills to work for learning numerical structure.  Cognition & Instruction, 33 (2), 154-197.

·      Blair, K., & Schwartz, D. L. (2014). Neurothreats and how to prevent them [Letter to the editor: Comment on the paper A voyeuristic view of possibilities and threats: Neurosciences and education, by C. Lee]. Human Development, 57 (1), 4-7.

·      Hallinen, N.R., Blair, K.P., Chin, D.B., & Schwartz, D.L. (2014). Combining Generation and Direct Instruction to Prepare Students to Transfer Big Ideas Across School Topics. In Polman, J. L., Kyza, E. A., O'Neill, D. K., Tabak, I., Penuel, W. R., Jurow, A. S., O'Connor, K., Lee, T., and D'Amico, L. (Eds.). Learning and becoming in practice: The International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS), Boulder, CO.

·      Chi, M., Schwartz, D.L., Blair, K.P., & Chin, D. (2014). Choice-based Assessment: Can Choices Made in Digital Games Predict 6th-Grade Students' Math Test Scores? In Stamper, J., Pardos, Z., Mavrikis, M., McLaren, B.M. (eds.) Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Educational Data Mining. 36-43

·      Blair, K. P. (2013).  Feedback and Learning in an iPad App Targeting Number Concepts for Preschoolers. In Martinez, M. & Castro Superfine, A. (Eds) Proceedings of the 35th Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Chicago, IL. (pp. 1157-1160).

·      Blair, K. P. (2013). Learning in Critter Corral: Evaluating three kinds of feedback in a preschool math game. In Sawhney, N., Reardon, E., & J. P. Hourcade (Eds.), Proceedings of the Interaction Design and Children 2013 Conference. New York: ACM

·      Blair, K. P., Tsang, J. M., & Schwartz, D. L. (2013).  The bundling hypothesis:  How perception and culture give rise to abstract mathematical concepts. In S. Vosniadou (Ed.), International Handbook of Research on Conceptual Change II.  New York: Taylor & Francis.

·      Blair, K. P. and Schwartz, D. L. (2012). A value of concrete learning materials in adolescence. In Reyna, V., Chapman, S., Dougherty, M. & Confrey, J (Eds.) The Adolescent Brain: Learning, Reasoning, and Decision Making. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

·      Blair, K.P & Schwartz, D. L  (2012).  How technology can change assessment.  UNESCO policy brief.  

·      Blair, K. P., Rosenberg-Lee, M., Tsang, J., Schwartz, D. L., and Menon, V. (2012). Beyond natural numbers: Representation of negative numbers in the intraparietal sulcus. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 6 (7).

·      Schwartz, D. L., Blair, K. P., & Tsang, J. (2012).  How to build educational neuroscience: two approaches with concrete instances. British Journal of Educational Psychology Monograph Series, 8.

·      Esmonde, I., Blair, K. P.,  Goldman, S., Martin, L.,  Jimenez, O., and Pea, R. (2011). Math I AM: What we learn from stories that people tell about math in their lives. In B. Bevan, P. Bell, and R. Stevens, (Eds.) Learning outside of school time. New York: Springer Publishing.

·      Alexander, A., Blair, K.P., Goldman, S., Jimenez, O., Nakaue, M., Pea, R., & Russell, A. (2010). Go Math! How research anchors new mobile learning environments. Proceedings of the Sixth International IEEE Conference on Wireless, Mobile, and Ubiquitous Technologies in Education (WMUTE), pp. 57-64. Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

·      Blair, K.P., Schwartz, D. L., Biswas, G. and Leelawong, K. (2007).  Pedagogical agents for learning by teaching: Teachable Agents.  Educational Technology. 47(1) 56-61.

·      Schwartz, D. L., Blair, K., Biswas, G., Leelawong, K., & Davis, J. (2007). Animations of thought: Evidence from the teachable agent paradigm.  In R. Lowe & W. Schnotz (Eds.), Learning with animation: Research and implications for design.  UK: Cambridge University Press.

·      Pea, R. D., Goldman, S., Martin, L., Blair, K. P., Booker, A., Esmonde, I., & Jimenez, O. Situations and values in family mathematics. (2007). Proceedings of CSCL-2007 (Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning), pp. 26-35. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum Associates.

·      Blair, K. P. (2006). Students’ understanding of ambiguity in symbols. In J.  Novotná, H. Moraová, M. Krátká & N. Stehlíková (Eds.), Proceedings of the 30th conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Prague, Czech Republic.

·      Goldman, S., Martin, L., Pea, R.,  Booker, A., & Blair, K. P. (2006). Problem emergence, problem solving, and mathematics in family life.  Proceedings of the 7th International Conference of the Learning Sciences,  Bloomington, Indiana (pp. 1088-1093).

·      Hartman, K , and Blair, K. P.  (2005).  The Unless Switch: Adding Conditional Logic to Concept Mapping for Middle School Students.  In Gerrit van der Veer & Carolyn Gale (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2005 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2005, Portland, Oregon. (pp. 1439-1442)

·      Blair, K. P., and Schwartz, D. L. (2004). Milo and J-Mole: Computers as Constructivist Teachable Agents. In Y. Kafai et al. (Eds.), Embracing Diversity in the Learning Sciences: The proceedings of the Sixth International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS), Santa Monica, California. (pp. 588).

 

SELECTED PEER REVIEWED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

·      Welsh, M. E., Mastrup, K. L.,  Blair, K. P., Murphy, C. T., & Sanchez, S. L. (2025, April). Is Disciplined Improvisation Elicited by Specific Types of Teacher Noticing. To be presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO.

·      Mastrup, K. L., Welsh, M., Blair, K. P., Higgs, J., Patterson Williams, A., Sanchez, S. L. (2025, April). Using Mursion to Explore How Teacher Noticing Affects Disciplined Improvisation in English Language Arts Discussions. In session: Practical and Conceptual Tools for Teacher Learning about Equitable Classroom Discussion.  To be presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO.  

·      Saavedra, A. Blair, K. P., & Schwartz, L. (2025, April). Looking at the Sequence of Two Learning Contexts to Foster Vocabulary Acquisition. To be presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO.

·      Desai, A., Blair, K.P., Wolf, R. & Chin, D. (2024, March). Connecting the Dots: How students communicate through virtual field trips. 97th NARST International Conference, 2024, Denver, CO.

·      Mastrup, K. L., Welsh, M. E., Blair, K. P., Higgs, J., & Aiello, L. T. (2023, April). Understanding What Kinds of Teacher Noticing Leads to Disciplined Improvisation. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.

·      Aielo, L., Athanases, S., Blair, K., Higgs, J., Martin, L., Martinez, D. C., Mastrup, K., Welsh, M. & Patterson Williams, A. (2022, November). Tools for Tumultuous Times: Designing to Support ELA Teacher Noticing for Equity in Remote ELA Classrooms. Paper presented at the National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Meeting, Anaheim, CA. 

·      Banes, L., Wong, J., Blair, K., & Martin, L. (2022, April). Using Contrasting Cases to Support Preservice Teacher Noticing around Valuing Student Language & Ideas. Paper presented in Symposium: Centering Multilingual Ideologies and Practices in Disciplinary Teaching and Learning. Annual Meetings of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA.

·      Banes, L., Martin, L., & Blair, K. P. (2020). Fostering Pre-Service Teacher Noticing of Classroom Discourse Features through Analysis of Contrasting Cases. Poster accepted for presentation at the 2020 American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting.

·      Blair, K. P., Chin, D. B., (2020). A Game-based Assessment to Measure Persistence and Response to Failure after Design-Focused Summer Camp Programs. Poster accepted for presentation at the 2020 American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting.

·      Wolf, R., Blair, K. P., Chin, D. B. (2020). Measuring Students' Transfer of Modeling and Meta-Modeling Skills Using an Online Simulation Environment. Poster accepted for presentation at the 2020 American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting.

·      Blair, K. P., Chin, D. B., & Schwartz, D. L. (2019). Using a Choice-Based Assessment to Measure the Effects of a Summer Camp Program on Persistence. Presented at the 2019 American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Toronto, Canada.

·      Chin, D. B., Conlin, L. D., Blair, K. B., Tsang, J. T., & Schwartz, D. L. (2018) Top this! Assessing the impact of making in formal and informal science learning contexts. Presented at the 2018 American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, New York, NY. 

·      Conlin, L. D., Chin, D. B., Blair, K. P., Cutumisu, M., & Schwartz, D. L. (2015). Guardian angels of our better nature: Finding evidence of the benefits of design thinking. Proc. of the 122nd American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE’15), 14-17.

·      Chin, D.B., Blair, K. P. & Schwartz, D.L. (2015, April). Got game? A choice-based learning assessment of data visualization skills. Paper presented at American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Chicago, IL.

·      Blair, K. P., Pfaffman, J., Cutumisu, M., Hallinen, N., & Schwartz, D. L. (2015, April). Testing the effectiveness of iPad math game: Lessons learned from running a multi-classroom study. Case Study to be presented at the CHI 2015 conference, Seoul, South Korea.

·      Blair, K.P. (2013, April). Feedback in Critter Corral: The effectiveness of implication versus corrective feedback in a math learning game. Paper presented at the 2013 Early Education and Technology for Children Conference, Salt Lake City, UT.

·      Blair, K.P., Tsang, J. T., Hallinen, N., Rosenberg-Lee, M., Menon, V., & Schwartz, D. L  (2013) Extending Natural Number Understanding to the Integers: Cross-disciplinary research in Education, Neuroscience, and Cognitive Science. Paper presented at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA.

·      Goldman, S., Pea, R., Hendrick, B. Jimenez, O, & Blair, K.P. (2013). Making Mathematics Mobile: The Promises and Problems. Paper presented at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA.

·      Tsang, J., Blair, K. P., Bofferding, L,  Rosenberg-Lee, M., & Schwartz, D. (2011).  Educational Neuroscience: An example in the context of the integers. Paper presented at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA.

·      Goldman, S., Pea, R., Blair, K. P., Jimenez, O., & Fairless, C. (2011, June). Justification in Everyday Mathematics: The proof is in the pudding. Paper presented at the 41st Annual Meeting of the Jean Piaget Society. Berkeley, CA.

·      Blair, K. P., Rosenberg-Lee, M., Tsang, J., Schwartz, D. L., & Menon, V. (2010, June). The Neural and Educational Basis of Integer Representations: Magnitude. Presented at the 2010 Meeting of the Special Interest Group ‘Neuroscience and Education’ of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI).

·      Blair, K. P., Rosenberg-Lee, M., Tsang, J., Schwartz, D. L., & Menon, V. (2010, June). Representations and Rules in Negative Number Processing. Poster presented at the 16th Annual Meeting of the Organization for Human Brian Mapping, Barcelona, Spain. 

·      Blair, K. P. & Schwartz, D. L. (2010, May). Focusing on Feedback Perception. Paper presented at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO.

·      Blair, K. P., Goldman, S. & Alexander, A. (2010, April). Go Math! Cell phone applications to support families’ everyday mathematics use. Research Session presented at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, San Diego, CA.

·      Pea, R., Martin, L.M., Goldman, S., Blair, K.P., Jimenez, O., Booker, A., & Esmonde, I. (2009, April). Values that occasion and guide mathematics in the family. Paper presented in Symposium: Research on Learning as a Human Science. Annual Meetings of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA.

·      Blair, K. P. and Hartman, K. (2008)  Computer-based interventions to improve grouping skills.  Paper presented as part of the GroupThink symposium at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY. 

·      Esmonde, I., Pea, R., Goldman, S., Blair, K. P.,  Booker, A.,  Jimenez, O., and Martin, L. (2008) Families talk math: Counts, accounts, and accountabilities.  Presented as part of the LOST symposium at the 2008 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY. 

·      Pea, R., Goldman, S., Blair, K. P.,  Booker, A.,  Esmonde, I.,  Jimenez, O., and Martin, L. (2007) The people behind the numbers: using qualitative and quantitative methods to characterize family engagement in math.  Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL. 

·      Pea, R., Goldman, S., Booker, A., Martin, L. and Blair, K. P.  (2006). Understanding the nature of mathematical activities in middle-school learners’ family life.  A Symposium Presentation.  Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA. 

·      Blair, K. P., and Schwartz, D. L. (2005) Guided Discovery Games with Teachable Agents. Presented at the Games, Learning and Society Conference, Madison, WI.

·      Schwartz, D. L., Blair, K. P., Davis, J. M., Chang, J., & Hartman, K. (2005). Iterative dynamic assessments with feedback to students. A  Symposium Presentation. Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Montreal, Canada.

 

EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES CREATED

DORA: A Teachable Agent for supporting reasoning about evidence. (In development with the AAALab)

Betty’s Brain:  A Teachable Agent for supporting causal reasoning in science (Contributor with the Teachable Agents group)

Idolet, Vetlet, Vislet, Posterlet, Photolet, Farmlet, Storylet, Datalet: Online interactive game-based assessment tools.(Developed with the AAALab)

Critter Corral: An iPad game for teaching core number concepts for children ages 4-6. 

Go Roadtrip! A web-based mobile app to help families engage in mathematics and problem solving together. (Developed with the Family Math project.)

Milo: A Teachable Agent for teaching modeling and statistics.

JMole: A Teachable Agent-based multi-player game for learning fractions.

The Magnet Game: A physical and virtual game for teaching negative numbers (Physical manipulatives and virtual manipuatives)

Spiderkid: A mathematics simulation game targeting multiplicative reasoning.

 

REVIEWER

National Science Foundation (grants)

Cognition and Instruction (journal)

Cognitive Science (journal)

Instructional Science (journal)

Journal of the Learning Sciences (journal)

American Educational Research Association (conference)

International Conference of the Learning Sciences (conference)

Cognitive Science Society (conference)

RAND (reports)