Author Archives: kamille brodber

Using Technology to Construct Knowledge

There are few things I found to be common among all of technology enhanced learning environment (TELE) we looked at. The first is the manner in which the technology was used. In all cases the technology was specially designed to meet the specific objectives of the learning environment and the conceptual theory and approach that underpins the learning environment. In my own teaching it has shown me the value of using appropriate technology and that careful consideration must be paid to the conceptual theories. This means going beyond simply taking a technology was designed for some other purpose; it requires analysis of the desired learning environment and then modifying the technology to meet those needs.

The second thing I noticed, was that all the TELEs were grounded in a constructivist approach to learning. It was more explicitly stated in some more than others but all could have been linked to that approach. The TELEs gave students the opportunity to construct their own knowledge and develop their own conceptual understanding. The students were allowed to explore the learning environments at their own pace and to the extent they needed to construct their understanding. It reminded me of how important it is give students that amount of latitude in the learning process, which can be a struggle given time constraints, but it is a critical part of their knowledge construction.

The third commonality I found was the role the teacher played. The teacher acted as guide or facilitator. In many ways they were monitors of how the students navigated the processes and their intervention was very limited once students started working. In my own practice it reminded me that I am not the centre of my students’ learning and that they learn best when I step back and act as a guide through the process rather than the one who has all the answers.

References

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.

Khan, S. (2007). Model‐based inquiries in chemistry. Science Education, 91(6), 877-905.

Linn, M. C., Clark, D., & Slotta, J. D. (2003). WISE design for knowledge integration. Science Education, 87(4), 517-538.

Scientific Knowledge: How Do We Acquire It?

Scientific knowledge has always been seen as something that some people possess (and hence they are smart) and others don’t quite get. In many ways it comes across as an individualistic field of endeavour that requires very little social interaction. However, as Radinsky, Olivia & Alamar (2010) point out that scientific knowledge is produced by “communities of scientists generate new knowledge through a collective, contested, negotiated process, based on communication and mutual accommodation of ideas”. This view of how scientific knowledge is generated builds on social constructivism theory of Vygotsky. Applying a social constructivist approach in the classroom helps students to have better conceptual understanding because of they are able to discuss and argue their ideas with their peers.

Learning for Use (LfU) model, which is also based on a constructivist approach to learning, is based on three core principles, motivating to acquire knowledge, constructing knowledge and refining knowledge (Edelson, 2001). I believe that the LfU model can be beneficial in help students acquire scientific knowledge in a manner that helps them to construct their knowledge in a meaningful way. The interactions that this model provides, as exemplified by the Create-a-World Project (Edelson, 2001), gives students an opportunity to use their inquiry skills to have a better understanding of the world and the way scientific knowledge is acquired.

I teach a course about environmental chemistry and one of the aims of the course is to get students to have an appreciation for how the choices we make, especially with regards to pollution and living in a sustainable manner, have an impact on the world we are leaving for the future. In using the LfU model to teach one aspect of this course, these are the activities I would plan.

Motivation:
Activities create a demand for knowledge when they demand require that learners apply that knowledge to complete them successfully.
Students would be asked to work in groups to create their dream city, identifying the natural and man-made resources and what they believe the ideal population density would be based on the size of their city. Groups would have to give reasons for the choices they have made.

Construction of Knowledge:
Activities that provide learners with direct experience of novel phenomena can enable them to observe relationships that they encode in new knowledge structures.
Each group will be use ArcGIS maps to view a selected city. The maps will show two views of the city, one which was from almost 30 years ago and the other which is the present-day view of the city. Groups will analyse the images for changes in the features of the city. Groups will do further research to determine the factors that have lead to changes in the features of the cities.

Refining Knowledge:
Activities that provide opportunities for learners to retrospectively reflect upon their knowledge and
experiences retrospectively, provide the opportunity to reorganize and reindex their knowledge.
Groups will then go back to consider their dream city and discuss the likelihood of some of the changes they observed on the ArcGIS maps happening to their city. Groups will also discuss what plans they would implement to prevent these changes from occurring.

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.

Radinsky, J., Oliva, S., & Alamar, K. (2010). Camila, the earth, and the sun: Constructing an idea as
shared intellectual property. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 47(6), 619-642.

Problem-Solving and Conceptual Understanding

Allowing students to construct their own understanding of concepts in a manner that does not lead to the formation of misconceptions can be very difficult. The Jasper materials are aimed at taking students beyond being able to produce facts and show competency in a set of prescribed skills; the focus is on helping students to use facts and skills to solve problems.

I strongly believe students only learn that which they have constructed for themselves. Mathematics and scientific disciplines, that require a greater amount of application of knowledge, prove to be more challenging to students who lack conceptual understanding because they must go further than simply regurgitating information. The other issue is that misconceptions tend to be more commonplace and harder to correct when students have not properly constructed the concepts for themselves. Solving these issues can only be tackled by using methods that show students how to go about constructing understanding for themselves; it is a skill that has to be learnt.

A problem-solving approach to tackling the issues discussed has been debated in the literature. There are those who agree that approach builds on constructivist principles (Tandogan & Orhan, 2007) and will therefore help students to develop a conceptual understanding that is less prone to misconceptions. On the other-hand some researchers argue that a problem-solving approach does not provide enough guided instruction and can even setback students especially if do not possess sufficient knowledge base to approach the problem (Kirschner, Sweller, & Clark, 2006). However, as Hmelo-Silver, Duncan, & Chinn (2007) have shown the problem-solving approach is not minimal guided instruction but it requires that students are scaffolded properly with appropriate guidance.

The Jasper materials use videos to provide students with information that they will use to solve stated problems. The approach requires students to derive a method for solving the problem and then to find the information required by searching through the videos. The process requires students to take a generative learning approach and they are encouraged to do so working in cooperative groups (Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt, 1992). Students have to create their own structure of the problem and what variables they need to know solve it. As the researchers of the Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt have pointed out, the process because it requires reasoning and reflection is better at tackling misconceptions. The cooperative learning aspect helps students to be focused on the issue at hand and not to go too far down a wrong path.

In what ways do contemporary videos available for math instruction and their support materials
The contemporary videos that don’t necessarily offer a problem-solving approach to the teaching of the concepts. The videos are engaging, and they also tend break-down concepts so that they are more easily grasped but they don’t require students to develop their own schematic approach to solving the problems. The primary method for assessing our students is the use of tests that are aimed at assessing their ability to master curriculum-driven content and skills. The videos are therefore designed to meet those needs.

References
Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt. (1992). The Jasper experiment: An exploration of issues
in learning and instructional design. Educational Technology Research and Development, 40, 65-80.

Hmelo-Silver, C. E., Duncan, R. G., & Chinn, C. A. (2007). Scaffolding and achievement in problem-based
and inquiry learning: A response to Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark. Educational Psychologist,
42(2), 99-107.

Kirschner, P. A., Sweller, J., & Clark, R. E. (2006). Why minimal guidance during instruction does not
work: An analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery, problem-based, experiential, and
inquiry-based teaching. Educational psychologist, 41(2), 75-86.

Niess, M. L. (2005). Preparing teachers to teach science and mathematics with technology: Developing a
technology pedagogical content knowledge. Teaching and teacher education, 21(5), 509-523.

Tandogan, R. O., & Orhan, A. (2007). The effects of problem-based active learning in science education
on students’ academic achievement, attitude and concept learning. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics,
Science & Technology Education, 3(1), 71-81.

The Value of Technology in the Classroom

The interviewee is a young energetic teacher who has been in the classroom for less than 5 years. She presently teaches mathematics at the secondary level at a prestigious, private, co-educational institution. The school has more resources than you would typically find at a public institution and the students are more likely to interact with technology at home than students at a public institution. The school population is also culturally diverse because many of the students are children of diplomats.

The interview was conducted after school around 5:00 pm. The interviewee indicated that she had just finished watching her students compete in a soccer match. We sat under a tree with bistro-type tables, which seems to be where the students sit and have lunch. The campus is a breath-taking, giving the impression that you are at a retreat in the mountains rather than at a high school. It was one of the most relaxing experiences I’ve had in a long time. We had originally planned to go out for yogurt and do the interview, but I am glad those plans changed because I think the setting helped to maintain the focus on technology and learning while providing a relaxing atmosphere that kept the interview more comfortable and conversational.

One of the things I have been pondering about our emphasis on technology, is the impact it has been having on the teaching-learning process. I entered the interview with the intention of hoping to find out the interviewee’s views on the importance of technology in learning. It was clear from the outset that she believes that technology is of significant value in educating today’s generation. The interviewee stated that because the students she teaches use technology in all other facets of their life then using it in the classroom will them “want to be integral in the learning-teaching process”. She also pointed to the level of engagement technology brings to her class, even in activities that she thought would be boring. The interviewee highlighted her experience with the Kahoot! learning platform.

“Initially I thought this is not fun – this is boring. How can they learn from these things? And what I have come to realise is that they enjoy it; they find it exciting; they actually want to do it a lot.”

Technology has also proven to be very valuable in her teaching of the mathematics because it has helped to change her students’ perceptions of mathematics as being a difficult subject because they are enjoying it.

Later on in the interview, we touched on the issue of supporting teachers in their use of technology. The interviewee noted one of the key features of this was the training teachers received. She stated that much of what she has learnt about technology, she found out by doing her own research and that it is more difficult for older teachers to feel comfortable using technology if they are not trained and so many of them shy away from using it. At her school there is an interest in providing greater training for teachers, but the financial resources required are not readily available.

One of the main takeaways from the interview a part from the need to support teachers was the fact that technology should not be viewed as a panacea that will ensure that learning happens. The interviewee stated

“They overuse technology though, in terms of they think that it is the end-all of teaching. So once you use technology the kids will learn. I don’t necessarily think that. It enhances the learning but it is not the end-all.”

The interviewee also pointed out that until students are not primarily assessed by summative examinations, as is the case in our locale, then the impact technology can have on learning will not be fully realised.

At the end of the interview, I came away thinking more about the value of technology as a tool for engaging students and enhancing the lesson but not be considered as a replacement for the core features that are necessary for learning to occur. I also recognised that training of teachers should be made a priority to ensure that technology was being used effectively in the classroom. The interviewee pointed out that whether we like it or not, technology is the language this generation uses so we have to make it a part of the teaching-learning process or we will lose them.

Video Cases 1 & 4

I chose to view video cases 1 and 4 because I felt these cases spoke to many issues I am now grappling with in my present context. Video case 1, which looks at a STEM approach, was of significant interest because in my locale we are trying to promote the STEM methodology, and since we are in infant stage of its adoption, I am always curious to see it in action. Video case 4 which looks at pre-service teachers was intriguing to me because in my present job I prepare teachers to teach chemistry at the secondary level.

Video Case 1

STEM promotes a collaborative approach to the teaching and learning process which came across in the videos. Both students and teachers relayed experiences of them having to lean on their peers when they did not possess the requisite skill set. One teacher pointed out that in today’s world there is to much information for any one person to know it all so we have to rely on others for their expertise. This collaborative nature has the benefit of allowing interaction across disciplines (the video showed the interaction among chemistry, physics and information technology) and thus students are able to see how they will be able to apply their learning to deal with real-life problems. It requires teachers to be comfortable with not having all the answers which can be unnerving for some. The other advantage of STEM that came across in the case was that the project-based nature of the activities gives students opportunities to develop critical thinking, creative thinking, organisational skills.

The main issues that I recognised from the STEM case had to do with time and resources. In one of the videos the teacher pointed out that he had a challenge of figuring out how the students would complete some tasks associated with their projects, or how they would do to sort out problems that cropped up because they weren’t give a significant block of time to work on their projects. In watching the video I was impressed with the resources the teacher had for students to complete their projects. In my particular context, an inability to provide the requisite resources may be one of the greatest challenges we face in trying to implement STEM education.

Video Case 4

In this case the issues relating to how teachers incorporate technology into their classroom were addressed. One of the key things that was mentioned was the need to support teachers as they try to use technology in their classrooms. Some pre-service teachers indicated that were reluctant to jump in and use technology right way because they were afraid that they would not be able to deal with issues that arose. This level of discomfort could be eased with a proper support system. The video also pointed out how a teacher’s philosophy of learning and how their pedagogical content knowledge affected their use of technology in the classroom. Some of the pre-service teachers noted that they felt some of the software programmes would decrease their students competence in certain skills and hence they would be reluctant to adopt its use in some ways. While I agree with the hesitation these teachers have, I believe that they should focus on what ways would the use technology would prove to be the most beneficial in bringing concepts across to their students instead of focusing on the ways it would decrease their competences.

Overcoming Misconceptions

The nature of science is such that it challenges students to grasp a conceptual understanding of the world around them. This inevitably leads to misconceptions as students try to grapple the way they view the world and trying to understand the fundamental laws that govern it. It is therefore no surprise that numerous studies have been done to try and understand how students’ misconceptions arise (Confrey, 1990). Some researchers have argued that it is fundamental for science teachers to have knowledge of the main misconceptions students possess in order for learning to take place (Sadler & Sonnet, 2016).

Students’ misconceptions stem from contradictions that arise from the way students view the world they have of the world versus the accepted view of the world (Confrey, 1990). Researchers have noted that misconceptions can be very difficult to overcome (Burrows & Mooring, 2014) because they require a radical shift in the learner’s view of the world. As Posner, Strike, Hewson & Gertzog (1982) explained, conceptual change, which is what is required for misconceptions to be altered, requires assimilation or accommodation of new concepts. If the learner is unable to incorporate the new notion or modify their conceptual understanding to fit the new notion then the misconception will remain.
In the video, A Private Universe (Schneps, 1989), Heather is faced with struggle of trying to make sense of new information presented to her about why seasons occur. Heather had a conceptual understanding of this phenomenon that was developed, from her interaction with the world, knowledge given to her by previous teachers and from other sources of information such as books. These sources provided Heather with the information on which she built a conceptual framework of why seasonal changes occur. When she was presented with the new information, the video shows her trying to assimilate the information into her conceptual framework and eventually her willingness to accommodate the information into her conceptual framework once she lost faith in her previous conceptual understanding. The video highlights the rigidity of the conceptual framework students have and how difficult it can be to try and reshape it.

In chemistry many of the misconception students possess stem from them trying to relate abstract and microscopic principles in a concrete and macroscopic way. One area in particular that proves rather challenging is the concept of chemical bonding. Burrows and Mooring (2014) note that chemical bonding proves to be a challenging concept for students to grasp because it requires that students have a proper knowledge structure. A knowledge structure is “the schema in which students organise and relate various concepts in order to make sense of a particular topic” (Burrows & Mooring, 2014, p.53). The understanding of chemical bonding is dependent on so many other concepts that if the knowledge structure is poor then students will have significant difficulties and misconceptions will exist.

Misconceptions can be overcome by guiding students into reorganising their conceptual framework to remove them. Technology can be vital in this regard by helping both students and teachers to see the conceptual framework the student possesses and what changes need to be made to alter it. For example, digital technology affords us the opportunity to simulate and model experiments that help in the building of the conceptual framework. If we therefore use the technology so that students demonstrate their understanding of a particular scientific process, teachers would get to understand where exactly the trouble lies in their conceptual framework and hence be better able to guide the student into fixing it.

References
1. Burrows, N., & Mooring, S. (2015). Using concept mapping to uncover students’
knowledge structures of chemical bonding concepts. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 16, 53-56.

2. Confrey, J. (1990). A review of the research on student conceptions in mathematics,
science and programming. Review of Research in Education, 16, 3-56.

3. Posner, G. J., Strike, K. A., Hewson, P. W., & Gertzog, W. A. (1982). Accommodation
of a scientific conception: Toward a theory of conceptual change. Science education, 66(2), 211- 227.

4. Sadler, P. (Producer) & Schneps, M. (Director) (1989). A private universe:
Misconceptions that block learning. [Motion picture]. (Available from Harvard University & Smithsonian Institution)

5. Sadler, P. M., & Sonnert, G. (2016). Understanding misconceptions: Teaching and
learning in middle school physical science. American Educator, 40(1), 26-32.

My First Time

One of my earliest memories of interacting with a computer was the summer of 1991. My mother had arranged for me to go to a summer camp that focused on science and technology. There was one game in particular, Oregon Trail, that I was so thrilled to play. I could hardly wait for the afternoon portion of the camp where they would allow us to play on the game on the computer. This was over 20 years ago and the memory is still vivid. Why has this event stuck with me after all these years? Was it the simplicity of the game and the technology back then or was it that this was my first time playing on a computer?

Hello from Jamaica

Hi everyone,

I am Kamille Brodber and I live in Kingston, Jamaica. I have been married for four years and we don’t have any children. I like being outdoors, especially on sunny days, and exploring the rural parts of Jamaica.

This is my seventh course in the programme and as a science teacher I am looking forward to learning concepts and new approaches that I think will improve my teaching. Presently, I teach chemistry at the post-secondary level to students who are studying to become secondary science teachers.

I look forward to interacting with you all and learning from you.