“Happy Juice!” Expansive Notions of Energy Transfer Through Theater in the Science Classroom

• In Event: Technological Advances in Learning Sciences Research on Science Learning

Abstract

In this paper, we seek to explore the affordances of taking a creative, embodied approach to science education for students’ scientific engagement. We approach this question in the context of a fifth-grade science classroom, through examining an activity where students created and performed skits about energy transfer. We conducted Interaction Analysis of a small group creating their skit, with a focus on how students negotiated what to represent and how to represent it, and on the expressive, affective, and personal elements of their process. We found that the development of the skit supported students to address what was important to show, to draw on personal resources, and to express affect in a way that was central to their process.

Authors

• Selena Steinberg, Indiana University

• Lana Cosic, Vanderbilt University

• Gabriella Anton, Digital Promise

• Mengxi Zhou, Indiana University

• Joshua Adam Danish, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign