Title: Learning by Doing
Performer(s):
Alan Lesgold
Learning Research & Development Center
University of Pittsburgh
3939 O'Hara Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Sandra Katz
Dan Suthers
Arlene Weiner |
Cluster: EAGIL
Contact Information:
Phone: 412-624-7045
Fax: 412-624-9149
email: alan@lrdc4.lrdc.pitt.edu
Phone: 412-624-7054
email: katz+@pitt.edu
Phone: 412-624-7036
email: suthers+@pitt.edu
Phone: 412-624-7056
email: arlene+@pitt.edu
|
1. Instructional Focus:
Content areas/topics: Science (electricity, biological evolution, paleontology, genetic algorithms); possibly other areas such as language arts and social studies that can make use of scientific issues.
Process skills: Critical inquiry, scientific argumentation, analytic writing, group collaborative learning, project based, problem solving.
2. Target Population: Initially grades 8-10; potentially expandable.
3. Summary Description: This project is developing software and materials to support students working together to conduct scientific inquiries and resolve scientific questions. Students will learn important principles of scientific practice in a learning-by-doing approach. Teams of students will investigate aspects of a scientific question, interact via networked computers with simulations, information databases and other learners, and receive intelligent advice and support from the software. Students will use graphical tools to help keep track of their work and share it with other teams, the teacher, and the larger community.
4. Training and Staff Development:
- Teacher prerequisite skills/knowledge needed: Willing to interact with developers regularly by email, telephone, or similar means. Must have basic computer skills and be able to use or willing to learn how to use Netscape.
- Student prerequisite skills needed: No particular skills required.
- Training needed/provided: Brief video and some hypermedia training and help documents to introduce the basic purpose and approach; then software tutorial and help files to support getting started.
- Technical support needed/provided: We will provide technical support in the form of a site visit for initial installation, and subsequently via email, telephone, fax, etc. Some assistance from on-site technical support staff would be helpful.
5. Technological/Resources Needed: The hardware described by Loral's "Systems Integration Information Package" is sufficient. As for software, we prefer MS Windows '95 and Netscape 2.0b6 or better, but can operate with MS Windows 3.1.1 and Netscape 1.1 with reduced functionality. Specifically, the following resources will be used:
Students and teachers need access to PCs with MS Windows environment; ideally with a Pentium or 486 processor, 16MB of RAM, and Netscape 2.0b6 installed. At least a 14" screen and preferably a 17" screen will be desirable. Macintoshes will need similar capability.
Each participating school will minimally need one of the following:
- Sun server (Netra or Sparcstation) with LAN connectivity to all student and teacher PCs. (We can adopt our server software to other Unix platforms but prefer not to.)
- Reliable Internet connection (ISDN is doable, but better connections are preferred), to access our server in Pittsburgh.
- We prefer that both of the above be available, to enable us to support users and gather data.
6. Intended Outcomes:
Students: Students will develop critical thinking skills and subject matter knowledge while working in teams on research projects. Related outcomes include a deeper understanding of subject matter concepts, principles and procedures; learning to work in groups, and learning to present their ideas to others.
Teachers: Teachers can organize the classroom in various ways, allowing for students to work in teams while tracking their progress and offers assistance where needed. Teachers can develop their own multi-lesson curricula.
7. Instructional Time Required: At teacher's option. We have run "one-shot" sessions as short as one or two class periods, but students will have a better opportunity to develop critical inquiry skills if our software is incorporated into student projects lasting a few weeks, as described in section 9. (This could include work outside of classtime.) Ideally the software would be used as part of normal class activities rather than being seen as time taken away from meeting other objectives.
8. Role of the Pilot Teacher(s): Teachers will introduce these methods to classes and maintain communication with developers regarding them.
9. Example(s) of the Use of this Product (Scenario): Here we describe one possible way in which our software and materials could be used in a classroom. At the end of this description, we solicit your advice on other scenarios.
We call this scenario "The Science Game." To begin, the teacher explains the structure of the activity. Students work, in groups or individually, on exploration and inquiry that are directed toward solving a current scientific problem in which there are different theories or hypotheses. Students will make choices about how to test their hypotheses and where to look for information. In the process of doing so, the students automatically create a record of their inquiry that enables a computer coach (and the teacher) to offer assistance and suggestions. After 4-6 weeks of investigation, the students use this record to report their findings and conclusions, possibly in a simulated "conference."
The students begin with brief background information, from the teacher or on-line, about a pattern, phenomenon, or puzzle that needs to be explained. The following example is based on the topic of "Dino Demise," or causes of mass extinctions:
You are a scientist leading a research team. You just came back from a conference. At the conference a big topic of discussion was, "What caused the extinction of the dinosaurs?" Different researchers put forward different ideas.
Individually or in small groups, students explore on-line resources and gather or generate as many possible explanations as they can. The software (with backup from the teacher where needed) helps students select a couple of the hypotheses to explore.
Having selected a couple of hypotheses, the students' task is to test them and make the case for the one they think best. The students will be able to get information from a database of articles, maps, and quantitative data. (They can also access the World Wide Web and cut and paste information from it.) Students record their findings in a graphical format that expresses how data relate to theories and hypotheses.
If requested, a computer coach will help students with their search. This help will be available on request and will be designed to help the students learn strategies for critical inquiry. For example, people are more likely to look for evidence in favor of a theory they like than against it -- but it's important to check both. So the coach will notice if the students ignore evidence against one theory.
Students can also plan and carry out hands-on experimentation. For example, a team of students can study the effects of dropping different-size weights into sand, measuring the resulting craters and dust clouds. Just as in science, from time to time new information will become available. Students should deal with new information if it's relevant, especially if it runs counter to hypotheses that are "on the table".
With the information from the database, from library research, and from experiments, the students will construct a case for several hypotheses. They will organize a presentation in which they tell why they believe one to be the best-supported, what limitations it has, unresolved problems, and other possible candidates. This presentation could be in written form, "published" on the World Wide Web, and/or presented to the class in a "conference" of your young scientists.
Input from teachers during the design of our activities, materials and software would be valuable to us. Teachers can obtain a more detailed description of our plans in one of two ways:
- Teachers with WWW access can browse http://advlearn.lrdc.pitt.edu/ and follow the link marked "Guided Tour for Teachers".
- Other teachers can telephone, write, email, or fax us and request a CD-ROM that contains these same design plans.
