Participatory Digital Mapping, Dynamic Data, and Children’s Science Argumentation: Possibilities in Elementary Science Ecology Studies

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 11:25 am
  In Roundtable Session: Supporting Early Childhood and Elementary Science Learning (Table 16)

Abstract

There has been an increasing focus on digital mapping technologies in education research yet to date, there has been limited study of such technologies within science education and with children. In this study, we examine a multi-year design research project that centered 4th and 5th grade students learning about socio-ecological systems using participatory digital maps to study their schoolyard soil ecosystems. Analyzing video of whole class discussions, we show how children used their maps to juxtapose varied data types and layers to conjecture and contest claims and evidence. We find that children were able to reason about complex socio-ecological systems in complex ways, while also expanding what forms of evidence could be brought to bear in elementary school science discussions.

Authors

• Kathryn Lanouette, College of William & Mary

• Sarah Van Wart, University of North Carolina - Asheville

• Tapan Parikh, University of California - Berkeley