EXP: Using Technologies to Engage Learners in the Scientific Practices of Investigating Rich Behavioral and Ecological Questions

EXP：利用技术让学习者参与调查丰富的行为和生态问题的科学实践

• 批准号: 1124495
• 负责人: Thomas Moher
• 金额: $ 54.95万
• 依托单位: University of Illinois at Chicago
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-09-01 至 2014-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1124495&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EXP; Using; Technologies; Engage; Learners

This exploratory project, involving The University of Illinois at Chicago and Northwestern University, investigates the use of sensor-based technologies and general engineering approaches by fourth and fifth grade elementary students, and the effects of that use on how the students formulate research questions in environmental science and biological science and develop domain specific knowledge and concepts. Teachers, students, and researchers are partnering with the research team to contribute to an iterative process that ensures a diversity of inputs to the approach and design, as they explore opportunities and challenges of using the sensing technologies while learning science. Several research questions are considered in this process and include: Which scientific characteristics are appropriate for elementary school students to grapple with, and which do they struggle with on a conceptual level? Which concepts or processes are more motivating for students? How can an already rich bounty of software technologies for gathering, storing, visualizing, and working with data in instrumented investigations of animal behavior be leveraged? What kinds of new tools are needed to extend those capabilities? How can activities be structured by educators to engage student interest and connect classroom work to field investigations? How can educators and technologists design instruction, materials, and learning technologies in ways that foster students' abilities to formulate scientific questions, choose measures, and plan effective investigations? What pragmatic and content area concerns need to be addressed for teachers to support engineering-enhanced ecological research? The research questions and analysis include observations of small group and classroom discourse, student work products, and reflective grounded interviews to investigate aspects of practice, operationalization of research questions, and examination of research designs, evidence-based argumentation, and explanatory processes. For sensing technologies and their impact on learning to be fully understood, there are design factors that must be considered. This research is providing the field of learning sciences with some much needed information on design factors that involve sensor-based technologies and domain-based knowledge on scientific practices and engineering approaches to student learning. This interdisciplinary project makes contributions to the fields of learning technologies, engineering education, and biological sciences.

这个探索性的项目，涉及伊利诺伊大学芝加哥和西北大学，调查使用传感器为基础的技术和一般工程方法的四年级和五年级的小学生，以及如何使用的影响，学生制定的研究问题，在环境科学和生物科学和发展领域的具体知识和概念。 教师，学生和研究人员正在与研究团队合作，为迭代过程做出贡献，确保方法和设计的多样性，因为他们在学习科学的同时探索使用传感技术的机会和挑战。在这个过程中考虑了几个研究问题，包括：哪些科学特征是适合小学生的斗争，他们在概念层面上的斗争？哪些概念或过程对学生更有激励作用？ 如何利用已经丰富的软件技术来收集、存储、可视化和处理动物行为的仪器化调查中的数据？需要什么样的新工具来扩展这些功能？ 教育工作者如何组织活动，以吸引学生的兴趣，并将课堂工作与实地调查联系起来？ 教育工作者和技术人员如何设计教学、材料和学习技术，以培养学生提出科学问题、选择措施和计划有效调查的能力？ 教师在支持工程强化的生态研究时，需要解决哪些务实和内容方面的问题？研究问题和分析包括观察小组和课堂话语，学生的工作产品，和反思接地访谈调查实践方面，研究问题的操作化，研究设计，循证论证和解释过程的检查。为了充分理解传感技术及其对学习的影响，必须考虑一些设计因素。这项研究为学习科学领域提供了一些急需的设计因素信息，这些设计因素涉及基于传感器的技术和基于领域的科学实践知识以及学生学习的工程方法。这个跨学科项目为学习技术，工程教育和生物科学领域做出了贡献。