I decided to create a T-GEM cycle on light & colour as this is a challenging concept in primary education for many students. After having conversations with students, it is clear that many still have difficulty explaining how light and colour works, even after full units have been completed.
As such, I have created a T-GEM cycle on light and colour that included the PhET Colour Vision simulator. You can view it by following this link.
References
Colour Vision. (n.d) Retrieved July 11 2017, from https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/color-vision/latest/color-vision_en.html
Khan, Samia (2011). New pedagogies on teaching science with computer simulations. Journal of Science Education and Technology 20, 3 pp. 215-232.
Hi,
I enjoyed your use of Piktochart and the PhET simulation you chose to use. I can see students being very engaged by it. I also thought providing the students with a physical activity to compliment the simulation was a great idea.
Thanks Derek!
Hi Kirsten
I like the fact that you shared a different presentation tool. There seems to be more useful Phet for elementary grades then there are for high school. Thank-you for sharing colour vision simulation.
I wonder if you could share when simulations would not be able to “manipulate variables in multiple ways”. When would a simulation not be conducive for teaching?
A good next step might share the worksheet you would have your students use for this activity. And how you conduct your small groups — where they generate an understanding by sharing their ideas.
Christopher
Hi Christopher,
Simulations would not be conducive for teaching when the simulation is too complex for the students to understand. When trying to decide on a simulation for my T-GEM, I had some difficulty finding one that would work for the age group I generally teach (Kindergarten-Gr 3). Many of them were designed for older children and would only confuse the students further. Educators must be very careful in choosing resources that are appropriate for the cognitive level of their students.
Kirsten
Hi Kristen
Thank you for sharing the color vision simulator. I definitely see the benefits of utilizing the simulator for the light and color topic and multiple variable manipulations were very engaging. I think that it would be helpful to students if the small groups formed in the Generate phase can get together and discuss their findings in the Modify phase as well.
YooYoung
Hi YooYoung,
I think your idea of having students break into small groups during the Generate phase is a great suggestion. I find the more students collaborate together, the more learning that occurs. Having them start together on this project right from the beginning would definitely encourage creativity, thinking and growth.
Kirsten
That was a great sim for colour generation. I will use that when working on my students with RGB in java script as it is often hard for the to understand how the mixing of colours changes the outcome. It is amazing how powerful visuals can be when applied with interactive content. I also think this would be a great coding project on Scratch where students could create their own colour mixing project.
Hi Nathan,
Thanks for the feedback! I think your idea of using Scratch to create their own colour mixing project is an awesome idea. It incorporates different types of technology in a very interactive way. I will definitely remember this and use it with my own class down the road. Thanks for sharing.