Agent Reflection in an Intelligent Learning Environment Architecture for Musical Composition

The goal of the research described in this paper is to develop an Intelligent Learning Environment (ILE) that is reflective about its own teaching. The ILE will aim to engage a learner in some goal-directed, problem-seeking activity in the open-ended domain of musical composition. This paper describes a theoretical framework we have developed for describing the teaching-learning processes in musical composition. The ‘Intelligent Learning Environment Architecture’ (ILEA) will provide a framework for a critical comparison of what different Teaching Interventions can contribute to the learning of reflective thinking skills and abilities in open-ended domains like musical composition. We claim that an emphasis on problem seeking is crucial if ILEs are to be extended to open-ended domains like musical composition where there is no right or wrong answer. We make a clear distinction between the reflective and non-reflective processes carried out by a composer, by a learner and by a teacher. Further, we assert that ILEs should shift their emphasis from encouraging a learner to be reflective about domain knowledge to include fostering a learner’s ability to be reflective about their own learning.