A Representation Construction Pedagogy for Learning Science

• In Event: Roundtable Session 118
  In Roundtable Session: Learning Science Through Engaging With Its Representational Practices

Abstract

Objectives
This paper will report on aspects of an Australian project that worked with teachers to develop and validate a pedagogy based on student generation and negotiation of representations. It will address the research questions: 1) What are the key features of a pedagogy based on student generation of representations? 2) How does such a pedagogy support improved conceptual learning?
Background
There is a growing consensus that learning science at school entails students learning the literacies of a specific discourse community, using a range of representational tools to construct and justify evidence-based claims about the natural world (Lemke, 2004). Researchers in classroom studies where students were guided to construct their own representations of scientific ideas (Ford & Forman, 2006) have noted the importance of students having opportunities to explore, elaborate, and coordinate representations to interpret science phenomena. There is growing evidence that this can lead to improved student engagement and learning outcomes.
Methods and data sources
We worked with four experienced elementary and secondary teachers to collaboratively develop a series of teaching sequences focused explicitly on student representation construction related to key concepts. In working with the teachers over two years, we developed a set of pedagogical principles based on our experience and on the theoretical ideas described above.
Teachers’ practices, student-teacher interactions, and student activity and discussion were monitored using classroom video capture. Lessons were analysed to identify the key features of a representation-construction pedagogy. Student workbooks were collected to provide a continuous record of representational work. Students were interviewed about their learning, and teachers about their perceptions. Pre- and post- test data were analysed for evidence of improved understanding.
Results
The pedagogy has the following key principles:
1. Sequencing of challenges involving students generating and negotiating representations.
2. Explicit discussion of representations, including their selective purpose, form and function.
3. Meaningful learning through representational/ perceptual mapping
4. Ongoing and summative assessment of representational adequacy, and coordination.
The pedagogy aligns with inquiry principles, with strong teacher framing of representational exploration. We argue that this constraint on inquiry offers a productive way forward for classroom practice that relates epistemic practices of science to the need to develop canonical knowledge. The construct of affordances (Norman 1999) is used to identify the way representations selectively focus and constrain attention on aspects of problems. Lesson transcripts, interviews, and test results will be used to illustrate aspects of the pedagogy and to show evidence of significant reasoning and learning. Sequences on matter at year 5/6 and Year 7 illustrate how this representational perspective offers a productive view of development of particle ideas across the middle years of schooling.
Significance
This research represents a serious attempt to translate socio-cultural, pragmatist insights into a practical, effective classroom pedagogy. Such a program has practical significance for teacher practice and teacher education, and theoretical significance in bringing science classrooms and science practice into closer alignment. A representational re-interpretation of conceptual change perspectives shows promise of making inroads into problems in learning science well established in the literature.

Authors

• Russell W. Tytler, Deakin University

• Peter Hubber, Deakin University