LfU Design at Upper Elementary: Designing a Dream House

• In what ways would you teach an LfU-based activity to explore a concept in math or science? Draw on LfU and My World scholarship to support your pedagogical directions. Given its social and cognitive affordances, extend the discussion by describing how the actions and roles of the teacher and students are aligned with LfU principles.

I thoroughly enjoyed being introduced to all the amazing GIS-related educational technology.  I was inspired by the educational potential of using large datasets pertaining to geography and atmospheric phenomena to teach math and science in innovative ways.  I also really appreciated learning about the LfU model that attempts to support the design of learning activities through the following guiding principles:

1. “Learning takes place through the construction and modification of knowledge structures
2. Knowledge construction is a goal-directed process that is guided by a combination of conscious and unconscious understanding of goals.
3. The circumstances in which knowledge is constructed and subsequently used determines its accessibility for future use.
4. Knowledge must be constructed in a form that constructs use before it can be applied.”
   (Endelson, 2001, p. 356)

I would use LfU-based activity to have upper elementary students explore volume, surface area and the application of spreadsheets. The goal would be for students to use their understanding of surface area and volume to design a house given certain parameters and calculate the total cost of building materials. 

What Students Will Do:

Students would begin by searching for a 0.20-hectare parcel of undeveloped land on Google Earth.  They would then begin to sketch a floor plan for their house and include large furniture and appliances.  Students are given a full inventory of materials and respective costs for each item (e.g. 1 m^2 of counter space costs $80, 1 m^2 of laminate flooring costs $12).  Once the house design is finalized, students will use Google Sheets to calculate the total cost of materials needed for each room and the house in total.  Students then author a building report that contains a copy of the floor plan and a description of each room along with a complete itemized table of building costs.  

What the Teacher Will Do:

Teacher instruction will only be provided as needed and will aim to improve the efficiency of students achieving the goal.  For instance, students will naturally be inclined to manually sum the costs on Google Sheets.  Only once all students have begun doing calculations will the teacher show the class how to sum columns instantly using the summing tool.  This reinforces the power of this tool for more advanced students while providing slower students the opportunity to quickly catch up with the rest of the class.  The teacher will circulate and provide support and offer feedback while students are working.  The teacher is constantly encouraging students to seek and receive support and feedback from fellow tablemates and reflect upon their work.

How Knowledge is Constructed:

Ultimately, knowledge and skills will be constructed as needed to accomplish each element of the goal.  Students will acquire skills and knowledge from the teacher, their peers and personal research.  Regardless of the source of origin, knowledge and skills will be constructed in a form that constructs use before it is applied.  Each student will also construct knowledge differently based on their conscious and unconscious understanding of the goal.  Students may be more interested in one element of this project over another and, in turn, their final projects will reflect these interests.  Some students, for instance, might be more focused on designing an aesthetically pleasing and equally practical house while others might take a greater interest in the professional presentation of their final report.  Ultimately, students will acquire knowledge to achieve a certain goal that that is tailored to their unique interests.

Edelson, D.C. (2001). Learning-for-use: A framework for the design of technology-supported inquiry activities. Journal of Research in Science Teaching,38(3), 355-385.