Semiotic Pivots and Activity Spaces for Elementary Science

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This project employs sensing technologies to help transform students' physical actions during play into a set of symbolic (computer) representations in a physics simulation and to engage the children in a developmentally appropriate and powerful form of scientific modeling. The students are in grades K-1 at UCLA's elementary school, and the intervention is based on the existing content unit on Force and Motion. The project creates the following products.1. Software based on existing sensing technologies to display children's actions as they describe, discuss and simulate motions in the Force and Motion unit. 2. A 4-week curriculum module with a teacher's guide to supplement the Force and Motion unit.3. Research conducted on how very young children can use these tools to advance their understanding of force and motion, and how they develop more mature ways of scientific modeling and measurement.