Leveraging the Power of Reflection and Visual Representation in Middle-Schoolers' Learning During and After an Informal Science Experience

在中学生非正式科学体验期间和之后的学习中利用反思和视觉表征的力量

• 批准号: 2115905
• 负责人: David Uttal
• 金额: $ 45.84万
• 依托单位: Northwestern University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-10-01 至 2025-09-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2115905&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Leveraging; Power; Reflection; Visual; Representation

This project addresses a longstanding problem in informal science education: how to increase the likelihood of consequential science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning from short duration experiences such as field trips. Although informal learning experiences can greatly contribute to interest in and knowledge of science, there is a shared concern among educators and researchers that students may have difficulty recalling and using scientific information and practices emphasized during these experiences, even though doing so would further their science learning. Nonetheless, science learning is rarely, if ever, a "one-shot deal." Children acquire knowledge about science cumulatively across different contexts and activities. Therefore, it is important that informal science learning institutions identify effective practices that support the consolidation of learning and memory from exhibit experiences to foster portable, usable knowledge across contexts, such as from informal science learning institutions, to classrooms, and homes. To this end, this Research in Service to Practice project seeks to harness the power and potential of visual representations (e.g., graphs, drawings, charts, maps, etc.) for enhancing learning and encouraging effective reflection during and after science learning experiences. The project promises to increase learning for the 9,000+ 5th and 6th grade students from across the rurality and growing diversity of the state of Maine who annually participate in LabVenture, a 2.5-hour exploration of the Gulf of Maine ecosystem at Gulf of Maine Research Institute. The research will provide new and actionable informal science learning practices that promote engagement with visual representations and reflection, and science understandings that can be applied broadly by informal science institutions. This project is funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) and the Discovery Research PreK-12 (DRK-12) programs. It supports the AISL program goals to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understanding of, the design and development of STEM learning in informal environments. It supports the DRK-12 program goal of enhancing the learning and teaching of STEM by preK-12 students and teachers.The project is grounded in the idea that visual representations, including drawings, can both enhance science learning and encourage reflection on doing science that can support extension of that learning beyond a singular informal science experience. The project uses design-based research to address the following research questions: (1) Does reflection during an informal science learning experience promote students’ retention and subsequent use of science information and practices that are part of the experience? (2) Does interpreting and constructing visual representations, such as drawings, improve students’ understanding and retention of information, and if so, how and when? and (3) Does combining visual representations and narrative reflections confer benefits on students’ science learning and engagement in science practices both during the informal learning experience, and later in their classrooms and at home? These questions will be pursued in collaboration with practitioners (both informal educators and classroom teachers) and a diverse team of graduate and undergraduate student researchers. Approximately 600 student groups (roughly 3000 individual students) will be observed during the LabVenture experience, with further data collection involving a portion of these students at school and at home. The project will yield resources and video demonstrations of field-tested, empirically based practices that promote engagement with visual representations and reflection, and science understandings that can travel within students' learning ecosystem. In support of broadening participation, the undergraduate/graduate student researchers will gain wide understanding and experience connecting research to practice and communicating science to academic and nonacademic audiences.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该项目解决了非正式科学教育中的一个长期存在的问题：如何增加从实地考察等短期经历中学习科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）的可能性。虽然非正式的学习经历可以极大地促进对科学的兴趣和知识，但教育工作者和研究人员共同关注的是，学生可能难以回忆和使用这些经历中强调的科学信息和实践，即使这样做会促进他们的科学学习。尽管如此，科学学习很少是“一次性交易”。“儿童通过不同的背景和活动积累科学知识。因此，重要的是，非正规科学学习机构确定有效的做法，支持巩固学习和记忆的展览经验，以促进跨环境，如从非正规科学学习机构，教室和家庭的便携式，可用的知识。为此，这项服务于实践的研究项目旨在利用视觉表现的力量和潜力（例如，图表、绘图、图表、地图等）促进学习和鼓励有效的反思期间和之后的科学学习经验。该项目承诺增加学习的9,000+五年级和六年级学生从全国各地的农村和不断增长的多样性的缅因州谁每年参加LabVenture，2.5小时的探索缅因州湾生态系统在缅因州湾研究所的状态。这项研究将提供新的和可操作的非正式科学学习实践，促进参与视觉表征和反射，以及可以广泛应用于非正式科学机构的科学理解。该项目由推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）和发现研究PreK-12（DRK-12）计划资助。它支持AISL计划的目标，以推进新的方法，并以证据为基础的理解，在非正式环境中设计和开发STEM学习。它支持DRK-12计划的目标，即通过preK-12学生和教师加强STEM的学习和教学。该项目基于这样一种想法，即视觉表示，包括绘图，既可以加强科学学习，又可以鼓励对科学的反思，从而支持将学习扩展到单一的非正式科学体验之外。该项目采用基于设计的研究来解决以下研究问题：（1）在非正式的科学学习经验的反思促进学生的保留和随后使用的科学信息和实践的经验的一部分？(2)解释和构建视觉表征（如图画）是否能提高学生对信息的理解和记忆？如果是，如何以及何时提高？ 以及（3）结合视觉表征和叙述性反思是否有利于学生在非正式学习体验期间以及随后在教室和家中的科学学习和科学实践参与？这些问题将与从业人员（包括非正式教育工作者和课堂教师）和研究生和本科生研究人员的多元化团队合作进行。在LabVenture体验期间，将观察大约600个学生团体（大约3000名学生），并进一步收集这些学生在学校和家中的数据。该项目将产生资源和视频演示的实地测试，经验为基础的做法，促进参与视觉表示和反射，科学的理解，可以在学生的学习生态系统中旅行。为了支持扩大参与，本科生/研究生研究人员将获得广泛的理解和经验，将研究与实践联系起来，并将科学传播给学术和非学术受众。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。