Understanding and Fostering Model Based Learning In Science

本项目将研究不同学科领域的若干示范性科学课程的学习和教学过程。他们都采用了新的教学方法，这些方法在培养学生积极学习概念模型方面是独一无二的。目前，在这些课程中发生的学习背后的许多一般原则被理解得很差。然而，认知科学的进步已经产生了一个非常有前途的基于模型的学习新理论，它可以帮助分析和描述这些教学技术。研究者将使用定性和定量相结合的方法来研究这些创新单元，并使用这些新的认知科学概念来分析它们。总体目标是找到培养学生科学可视化模型的教学原则。该项目将是熟练教师的案例研究，他们善于培养学生的模型构建。问题是确定教师能够做到这一点的策略。该项目将使用协议分析技术详细分析教学策略和由此产生的学生学习过程。后续研究将在小组之间进行定量比较，以补充定性案例研究，并且前后测试将测量不同领域学习收益的大小。在项目的第二部分，将通过对专家学习协议的分析来阐述基于模型的学习理论的关键要素。专家过程和学生过程之间的异同将被检查，强调理解学生学习过程的新方法，提出新的教学策略。

This project will study learning and teaching processes in several exemplary sciencecurricula in different subject areas. All of them use new approaches to teaching that areunique in the way that they foster active learning of conceptual models on the part of thestudent. At present many of the general principles underlying the learning that occurs inthese lessons are poorly understood. However, advances in cognitive science haveproduced a very promising new theory of model-based learning which can help toanalyze and describe these teaching techniques. The investigators will use acombination of qualitative and quantitative methods to study these innovative units andanalyze them using these new cognitive science concepts. The overall goal is to findprinciples of instruction for developing students' visualizable models in science. Centralto the project will be case studies of skilled teachers who are adept at fostering modelconstruction by students. The problem is to identify the strategies by which teachers areable to do this. The project will analyze teaching strategies and resulting student learningprocesses in detail using protocol analysis techniques. Follow up studies will makequantitative comparisons between groups that complement the qualitative case studies,and pre and post testing will measure the size of learning gains in different areas. In a second part of the project, key elements of model-based learning theory will be elaborated via the analysis of expert learning protocols. Similarities and differences between expert and student processes will be examined that highlight new ways of understanding student learning processes that suggest new teaching strategies.