Knowledge Development Trajectory: Mapping the Way of Using Language as a Learning Tool in Argument-Based Inquiry

• In Event: Poster Session 2
  In Poster Session: Language and Literacy in Designed Learning Environments

Abstract

This study examined how talk and writing support students’ development of scientific knowledge through constructing and critiquing arguments and what cognitive processes are associated with this development. Three students were selected as target subjects to observe over a 16-week period. Results indicated that when students came to use talk and writing simultaneously, they became more actively engaged in constructing and critiquing arguments and their higher-level cognitive processes were better supported than when they used only talk or writing alone. The learning environment shifted from teacher-centered to more student-centered as students developed a more sophisticated understanding of negotiation and acquired ownership of their learning.

Authors

• Ying-Chih Chen, University of Minnesota

• Soonhye Park, University of Iowa

• Brian Hand, University of Iowa