Using Technology Tools to Help Students Bridge Understanding of Macroscopic and Submicroscopic Electrical Interactions

• In Event: 42.030 - Developing Optimal Learning Moments in Science by Engaging Students in Project-Based Learning Across K–12

Abstract

Objectives: Research suggests that students struggle connecting electrical interactions at microscopic level to observable macroscopic phenomena. Teachers of English Language Learners (ELL) have additional challenge when supporting their students because students are also learning English. Using technology as a cognitive tool in a project-based classroom can significantly enrich student learning experiences and make the process of knowledge construction more explicit and engaging. In this paper, we examine how technology tools were used by teachers to help students relate observable phenomena at the macroscopic level to mechanisms at the sub-microscopic scale. We developed 9th grade Project Based Learning (PBL) curriculum that is aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards and technology enhanced. This curriculum, called “Interactions”, focuses on electrical interactions at the macroscopic and submicroscopic scale - specifically, ideas related to how objects become charged and why charged objects interact with other charged and neutral objects, which are hard to visualize at the macroscopic scale.

Theoretical Framework
Technology can be an important aspect of PBL if used as a cognitive tool to engage students in learning (Marx et. al, 1997). Technology used appropriately can provide students with access to tools to obtain and organize data, conduct experiments, explore simulations, construct models and explanations and communicate them to peers in order to revise and deepen their understanding (Krajcik et al., 1994). Technology can help teachers scaffold instruction through modeling and promote breaking down tasks to help students gain necessary skills for explaining phenomena and critical thinking - skills important for science learning (Quintana, et. al, 2004).

Methods and Data
Participants include two teachers from a large, urban school district serving a predominantly Latin@ student population with varying levels of English proficiency, and one teacher from a small, suburban district serving a predominately White student population. Teachers enacted Interactions in their classrooms over one semester and their classrooms were video-recorded 2-3 times per week. Our instructional materials were supplemented with professional learning experiences for teachers during implementation. Data analyzed shows that teachers used technology as proposed in the curriculum and developed their own innovative ways to integrate technology with the curriculum to help students increase their understanding.
Student data includes representative samples from each classroom. We analyzed student models and explanations captured in the online portal and interviews with students as they describe their models to researchers. Our data indicates that students made substantial learning gains in developing models and using them to explain phenomena involving electrical interactions at microscopic level in classrooms where teachers purposefully integrated technology scaffolds (see supplemental data).

Scholarly Significance
Our data shows that teachers who purposefully use technology in both urban and suburban schools help students move from modeling at the macroscopic scale to the sub-microscopic scale. Using technology can provide a visual, integrative platform that allows for diverse students to engage in science learning. Studies show engagement in inquiry is particularly important for students from under-privileged backgrounds (such as ELL students) as these students show higher gains in achievement than their more privileged peers (Lee et. al, 2006).

Authors

• Leonora Kaldaras, Michigan State University

• Angela Kolonich, Michigan State University

• Kristin Mayer, Michigan State University