| Students
Multiple Representations of their Ideas about Science
Investigators:
Brian Gravel, Dr. Barbara Brizuela1, Dr. Chris Rogers2, Dr. Adam Finkelstein3,
Dr. Noah Finkelstein4, Bill Church5
1 Tufts University, Education Department
2 Tufts University Center for Engineering Educational Outreach; Mechanical
Engineering
3 Princeton University, Computer Science Department
4 University of Colorado at Boulder, Physics Department
5 Tufts University, Center for Engineering Educational Outreach; Littleton
High School, Littleton, N.H.
Funding
Source: This material is based upon work supported by the National
Science Foundation under Grant No. 0511979. Any opinions, findings and
conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of
the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National
Science Foundation (NSF).
Research
Overview: The overarching goal of this research is to investigate
how students represent their ideas in science. This work aims to compare
traditional systems of representation (drawing, writing, spoken language)
with a novel system: stop-action movie making. Using a piece of computer
software developed at the Tufts CEEO called SAM Animation, students can
create simple frame-by-frame animations of science and engineering concepts.
These animations can either be explanations of concepts or predictions
of experiments and physical phenomena. In the domain of physics, animation
software gives the student control of (1) time, (2) distance, and (3)
the relationship between time and distance. Controlling these aspects
results in a unique environment for representing spontaneous ideas about
science. For example, students are not bound by physical phenomena (i.e.,
gravity) in the animation environment which allows them complete freedom
to represent ideas however they wish. We feel this environment will offer
and interesting window into what children know about the physical world,
which they interact with everyday. It is our contention that children
likely represent their ideas about science in different ways depending
on the system of representation used. Thus, our research efforts lie in
eliciting representations of science concepts through different systems
(specifically drawing, spoken language, animation, and physical representations
in the form of student-built artifacts), and comparing what concepts and
ideas children focus on in the given systems. This research is driven
by three general research questions:
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1. How do
students represent their ideas about air as a substance through generating
animated explanations of observed demonstrations?
2. How are representations produced through animations both similar
and different from representations produced in other systems such
as oral language, writing, and drawing?
3. What differences, if any, exist in the kinds of conceptual aspects
about air as a substance that children are able to represent through
different media? |
Outcomes:
Pilot studies are planned for the Fall of 2007 in Cambridge Public Schools.
The research proposal for this work can be found here.
Experiment
Description: Please see attached research proposal Methods section.
Results:
(pending)
Associated
Wed Links:
The Center for Engineering Educational
Outreach
www.samanimation.com
Updated Fall 2007
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