Supporting scientific modeling through curriculum-based making in elementary school science classes

Abstract Our work investigates how Making may be used in the context of scientific modeling in formal elementary school science classes. This paper presents an investigation of fourth- and fifth-grade students engaging in Making activities to create simulation, concept-process, and illustrative models in the science classroom. Based on video analyses of the Making-based class sessions, a generalized process model was developed for each type of science model. In addition, cross-cutting themes were found in Making-based science modeling: first, there are two loops that intersect and interact with each other (modeling for Making and modeling for Science content), and they interrelate in various ways depending on science model type; and second, showcasing Making products (sharing with peers, teachers, or helpers) is a primary factor that determines students’ overall engagement with science in the activity. We suggest that Making-based science kit and lesson design needs to support students to showcase their Making output, on top of science-related reflections, and to consider the balance between Making and science activity. We conclude that Making has the potential to support the development of scientific model thinking in the elementary science classroom, but much further research is needed in this area.

[1]  Y. Kafai.  Playing and Making Games for Learning , 2006, Games Cult..

[2]  Rosária Justi,et al.  History and philosophy of science through models: some challenges in the case of 'the atom' , 2000 .

[3]  Rosária Justi,et al.  Science teachers' knowledge about and attitudes towards the use of models and modelling in learning science , 2002 .

[4]  Ngss Lead States.  Next generation science standards : for states, by states , 2013 .

[5]  Konstantin Aal,et al.  From computational thinking to computational making , 2015, UbiComp.

[6]  Barbara C. Buckley.  Interactive multimedia and model-based learning in biology , 2000 .

[7]  David F. Treagust,et al.  Secondary students' mental models of atoms and molecules: Implications for teaching chemistry , 1996 .

[8]  John J. Clement,et al.  Model based learning and instruction in science , 2008 .

[9]  Janice D. Gobert,et al.  Introduction to model-based teaching and learning in science education , 2000 .

[10]  J. Clement,et al.  Effects of Student-Generated Diagrams versus Student-Generated Summaries on Conceptual Understanding of Causal and Dynamic Knowledge in Plate Tectonics. , 1999 .

[11]  Constantinos P. Constantinou,et al.  Objects, Entities, Behaviors, and Interactions: A Typology of Student-Constructed Computer-Based Models of Physical Phenomena , 2011 .

[12]  John J. Clement,et al.  Model based learning as a key research area for science education , 2000 .

[13]  John K. Gilbert,et al.  The use of analogue models by students of chemistry at higher education level , 1991 .

[14]  Michael Shayer,et al.  Accelerating the development of formal thinking in middle and high school students , 1990 .

[15]  Brian E. Gravel,et al.  Exploring Shifts in Middle School Learners’ Modeling Activity While Generating Drawings, Animations, and Computational Simulations of Molecular Diffusion , 2014, Journal of Science Education and Technology.

[16]  R. Driver,et al.  When is a stage not a stage? A critique of Piaget's theory of cognitive development and its application to science education , 1978 .

[17]  Yael M. Bamberger,et al.  Middle-School Science Students’ Scientific Modelling Performances Across Content Areas and Within a Learning Progression , 2013 .

[18]  Ji Shen,et al.  Modeling-Oriented Assessment in K-12 Science Education: A synthesis of research from 1980 to 2013 and new directions , 2015 .

[19]  Ismo T. Koponen,et al.  Models and Modelling in Physics Education: A Critical Re-analysis of Philosophical Underpinnings and Suggestions for Revisions , 2007 .

[20]  David F. Treagust,et al.  Students' understanding of the role of scientific models in learning science , 2002 .

[21]  Constantinos P. Constantinou,et al.  In Quest of Productive Modeling-Based Learning Discourse in Elementary School Science , 2011 .

[22]  Robert Glaser,et al.  Model–based analysis and reasoning in science: The MARS curriculum , 1995 .

[23]  David F. Treagust,et al.  A typology of school science models , 2000 .

[24]  John K. Gilbert,et al.  Learning Science Through Models and Modelling , 1998 .

[25]  Francis K. H. Quek,et al.  A Systemic Analysis of Making in Elementary Schools: Understanding Making for Children through Activity Theory , 2016, 2016 IEEE 16th International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT).

[26]  Loucas T. Louca.  The syntax or the story behind it?: a usability study of student work with computer-based programming environments in elementary science , 2005, CHI.

[27]  Guido Brunnett,et al.  Embodied learning using a tangible user interface: The effects of haptic perception and selective pointing on a spatial learning task , 2016, Comput. Educ..

[28]  Ahmet Baytak,et al.  An investigation of the artifacts and process of constructing computers games about environmental science in a fifth grade classroom , 2011 .

[29]  J. Chamizo,et al.  A New Definition of Models and Modeling in Chemistry’s Teaching , 2011, Science & Education.

[30]  Zacharias C. Zacharia,et al.  The Use of Computer‐based Programming Environments as Computer Modelling Tools in Early Science Education: The cases of textual and graphical program languages , 2008 .

[31]  Robert Glaser,et al.  IMPACT OF THE MARS CURRICULUM : THE MASS UNIT , 1998 .

[32]  Francis K. H. Quek,et al.  Making the Maker: A Means-to-an-Ends approach to nurturing the Maker mindset in elementary-aged children , 2015, Int. J. Child Comput. Interact..

[33]  Erica Halverson,et al.  The Maker Movement in Education , 2014, Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education.

[34]  David F. Treagust,et al.  Learners' Mental Models of Chemical Bonding , 2001 .

[35]  Stephen Thomas,et al.  Drawing-to-Learn: A Framework for Using Drawings to Promote Model-Based Reasoning in Biology , 2015, CBE life sciences education.

[36]  Gregory T. Rushton,et al.  Building an Understanding of How Model-Based Inquiry Is Implemented in the High School Chemistry Classroom , 2015 .

[37]  Robert Glaser,et al.  Why Does It Go Up? The Impact of the MARS Curriculum as Revealed through Changes in Student Explanations of a Helium Balloon , 1998 .

[38]  B. Reiser,et al.  Developing a learning progression for scientific modeling: Making scientific modeling accessible and meaningful for learners , 2009 .

[39]  J. Gobert.  A typology of causal models for plate tectonics: Inferential power and barriers to understanding , 2000 .