Abstract. Knowledge representations can be instructional artifacts that focus
students conceptual and epistemological thinking in particular ways.
We plan to explore linkages between different argumentation and
explanation tools and instructional practices that have been developed
and researched (BGuILE, SenseMaker-SCOPE, Belvedere, ChemSense). After
settling upon design principles that synthesize our prior research, we
will ground those principles into the design of argumentation and
explanation educational components that will serve our future projects
in different displines. Central to this endeavor will be refining our
understanding of how to design representations and practices that
focus learning and epistemological development through individual
elaboration and collaboration.
Group Contact: Bill Sandoval & Philip Bell.
Bill Sandoval, UCLA
Philip Bell, University of Washington
Elaine Coleman, SRI
Dan Suthers, University of Hawaii
Tamara Nicoloff, Cal State Hayward & Nicoloff Designs
Noel Enyedy, UC-Berkeley
Kimberly Walker, Florida State University
Muffie Wiebe, Stanford
- to explore linkages between different argumentation and explanation
tools and instructional practices that have been developed through
separate efforts; how should we represent multiple levels of arguments
- develop design principles for using argumentation and explanation
focused representations based on previous research (BGuILE,
SenseMaker-SCOPE, Belvedere, ChemSense)
- to coordinate multiple levels of abstraction for arguments
(e.g., specific explanations, models, theories) to support students'
negotiation of multiple representations and scientific discursive
practices
- to design knowledge representations that productively benefit from
and shape important epistemological forces in a classroom; how to
build representations and practices that surface the epistemological
issues and work to be done
- to explore non-textual means of representing understanding;
visualizing concensus and divergence of perspectives represented
in a group of students; using visuals to engage students and highlight
salient aspects of the artifacts; animate the flow of making thinking
visible; move beyond simple prompting as an instructional mechanism
for explanation
- to progress towards the creation of a Java component for explanation and
argumentation (ESCOT-like pieces)
- to explore how face-to-face interaction around the representations
can faciliate richer on-line collaborations
- COLEMAN: have a large project to pursue development of Java
components; participatory design studies; synthesize design
principles out of previous explanation work
- SANDOVAL (BeGUILE) & BELL (SenseMaker/KIE/SCOPE): have instructional
approaches for supporting collaboration around the elaboration of an
initial artifact and use of that artifact as a mediating focus for
large group interaction and collaboration; have existing explanation
and argumentation tools coupled to detailed research deriving from
numerous classroom design studies
- SUTHERS: has resources for software design and development
- WALKER: has classrooms and teachers to collaborate with; has
background in instructional design; connections to scientists
- NICOLOFF: has industry experience designing products; has contact
with a range of preservice and inservice teachers
- ENYEDY: has research and data focused on collaboration around
representations that promote a more abstract understanding
- SUTHERS/SANDOVAL/BELL: have analyzed video of student collaboration
around knowledge representations
- SHARE WHAT WE KNOW: articulate and co-investigate the results of
our prior empirical work in this area (through both on-line and
face-to-face interactions)
- DISTILL DESIGN PRINCIPLES: negotiate the form and represent our
'local' design knowledge from our previous work; settle in on
promising future directions contextualized for foci differences in
future projects
- REPRESENT WHAT WE WANT: create design artifacts (use scenarios,
storyboards, etc.) to focus our forward-looking collaborative efforts
SYNERGY POINTS ACROSS THEMES:
- COMMUNITY TOOLS: explore how representations become collaborative
artifacts that support learning
- ESCOT: development of interoperable Java components focused on
explanation and argumentation
Go back to the Breakout Report Index.