1999 Conference Attendee

Submitted by: Zaritsky, Conrad, Munroe & Rudy

Based upon the experiences in the Collaboratory Visualization Program (CoVis, Pea & Gomez), it had become clear that building multi-page goal based scenarios via the web as explanation for the sciences like atmospheric science could be accomplished with web-based materials. However in focus groups it became clear that students misunderstood the meaning of a front in a weather map leading them to believe that the factor of change was the front rather than the front was a representation of the changes in the air masses. To the question why did it get cold in Chicago, students answered correctly, because the cold front passed through. And then elaborated further to explain that the cold front chills the air as it passes through. These initial results convinced the first author that students needed to work at a deeper level where they could develop ideas about the engines of change in a system.

While at the NCSA, the first author developed a series of inquiry based educational programs with a concentration on intermediate causal models pointing towards the higher end science models of the advanced sciences teams at the lab. The work described below developed out of a long series of professional development workshops using intermediate causal modeling.

The Achieving High Academic Standards (AHAS) Project is a student based collaborative inquiry project that partners for resources and professional development eight school districts across the state of Illinois with the North Central Regional Education Laboratory (NCREL) and the National Computational Science Alliance (NCSA). This collaborative group seeks to determine whether infusing concept organization and visualization software such as Stella and Model-It into schools with high percentages of low-income students, bilingual students, special education students, and mobility rates will improve 6th grade students' abilities to access and achieve math benchmarks related to data collection, representation, and interpretation. This project also seeks to identify successful staff development interventions that will assist low technology skilled teachers in effectively using math visualization software with students. In sum, the project is working in over seventy classrooms in eight school districts and three private schools.

The project engaged 11 teams of 6th grade teachers in four workshops throughout the year to work with curriculum and technology experts to plan and implement an engaged learning unit around the topic of electrical energy conservation within each school. Teachers learned how to use a toolbox for creating inquiry lessons around energy conservation. Software used to support these efforts included: Excel spreadsheets to create electrical energy audits; use of Stella and Model-It software to model the "As Is" electrical energy system of the school; and the use of Stella and Model-It software to test the effectiveness of possible energy conservation initiatives. Teachers were also supported with online professional development instruction, mailed instructional videotapes, e-mail, and just in-time visits from the third author a graduate student in Education from the University of Illinois.

Initial results determined from teacher survey, focus group meetings, and artifact collection include:

Software models demonstrating that students used technology to collect, represent, and interpret electrical energy data. · Teacher reported increased time on task by students. · Teacher reported increased level of confidence in their using technology in the classroom. · Student artifacts demonstrating data collection, representation and interpretation including student-generated web pages and videotapes.

Presenters: Mr. Raul Zaritsky, NCSA Dr. Dennis Rudy, University of Indiana Mr. Michael Munroe, College of Education, UIUC Dr. Bill Conrad, Director of Curriculum, Community Consolidated School District 15

(This Project was funded by a Technology Literacy Challenge Fund Grant through the Illinois State Board of Education and is supported in part by fund from the NCRTEC, and further support from the Division of Education of the NCSA, and the EOT PACI Alliance.)