Making Connections Between Specific Phenomena and General Ideas to Build Scientific Knowledge

• In Event: 30.081 - Poster Session 5
  In Poster Session: 30.081-4 - Science Learning and Teaching Posters II

Abstract

The NGSS’s (2013) emphasis on students learning core ideas in the context of phenomena reifies that making connections across multiple phenomena and scientific ideas is a fundamental goal of science education. Thus, we examine multiple classroom discussions in order to understand the variety of ways students “make connections” and the conditions under which they do so. Through this, we show that students are most likely to “make connections” when working to generate mechanistic accounts of phenomena. This suggests that asking students to explain phenomena not only encourages mechanistic reasoning but it also supports them in connecting phenomena and general science ideas—both of which are important measures of sophisticated scientific reasoning (Authors & colleagues, 2015; Russ, et al., 2008).

Authors

• Leema G. Berland, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Wan Yueh Chan, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Christina R. Krist, University of Maryland - College Park