Michele Spitulnik & Yael KaliCenter for Innovative Learning Technologies

Jim Slotta and Marcia LinnThe Web-based Inquiry Science Environment

University of California, Berkeley

Michele Spitulnik & Yael KaliCenter for Innovative Learning Technologies

Jim Slotta and Marcia LinnThe Web-based Inquiry Science Environment

University of California, Berkeley

The WISE Rock-Cycle Project: Goals and Assessments

The WISE Rock-Cycle Project: Goals and Assessments

Web-based Learning EnvironmentsWeb-based Learning Environments

Scaffold students to use Web effectively Add inquiry to the science curriculum Support students as they work collaboratively Design technology that helps guide inquiry

Inquiry maps to give procedural guidance Cognitive guidance on demand Embedded assessments Reflection notes Online discussions modeling, data visualizations

Support teachers as they adopt new inquiry and technology practices

Web-based Inquiry Science Environment (WISE)

Web-based Inquiry Science Environment (WISE)

Students investigate conditions for growing plants in space

Learning Environment GoalsLearning Environment Goals

Make Science AccessibleUse appropriate models, representations, contentChoose topics, activities that students find meaningful

Make Thinking Visiblerepresent student and scientific ideasUse simulations, visualizations (e.g., Sensemaker)

Help Students Learn from Each OtherDesign social activities (e.g., debate) and social

supportsPeer review, collaborative search, online discussions

Foster Lifelong LearningHelp students become good science learnersCritique, design, and argument activities

WISE ComponentsWISE Components

Helping Teachers Assess Student Work

WISE ComponentsWISE Components

The Sensemaker Argument Editor

WISE ComponentsWISE Components

Online Discussions

WISE ComponentsWISE Components - Data Visualization, Drawing, Causal Mapping

Gene Flow ModelSimulates flow of genes from engineered crops to neighboring plants

Curricular use embeds model into particular GMF contexts

WISE Components- Interactive Educational Media

WISE Teachers and Students 42 months, 5/99 - 10/02

WISE Teachers and Students 42 months, 5/99 - 10/02

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May Aug Nov Feb May Aug Nov Feb May Aug Nov Feb May Aug

Teachers

Students

42 Months (5/99 - 10/02)

WISE PartnershipsWISE Partnerships

School District PartnershipsEnable district-wide inquiry and technology

programPossibilities for professional development

research Disciplinary Partnerships

NOAA, NASA, Nat. Geographic, Monterey Bay Aq.

Jointly develop curriculum projectsEnable Mission of all partners

Research Partnerships Educational or Cognitive researchers can use

WISE

WISE Research PartnershipWISE Research Partnership

Provide a Pedagogical FrameworkScaffolds curriculum design, review/revisionSituates research innovations in a project

context Provide a Technology Platform

Web-based authoring, review of curriculumWeb-based delivery to global audienceDatabase of student assessments, project

work Embedded Research -

Enable Research questions are addressed through experimental design

The Rock-Cycle PartnershipThe Rock-Cycle Partnership

A WISE project adapted from a text-based curriculum developed at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel (Kali & Orion, in review)

Designed for middle school students with focus on the processes that transform materials within the crust of the earth.

Scientific BackgroundScientific Background

The rock-cycle is a system including the crust of the earth, which is characterized by a cyclic and dynamic nature. The rocks exposed on the surface of the earth are only a small sample in time and space of constant material transformation within the crust, driven by geological processes (e.g. weathering, sedimentation, burial, metamorphism, melting, crystallization of molten rocks, uplift and erosion)

The Rock-Cycle project currently focuses on only one cycle - the formation and exposure of magmatic rocks.

Learning GoalsLearning Goals

To engage students in the critical thinking processes associated with scientific inquiry Students will engage in asking questions, building

models, collecting data and collating evidence.

To support a systems-thinking approach

Help promote students’ understanding of dynamic, cyclic nature of the system (Kali, Orion, & Eylon, 2000).

To promote environmental literacy among students students begin to understand their local

environment and make informed decisions.

Making Science AccessibleMaking Science Accessible

• Goal: Engage students in a local context or environment as basis for learning content and processes (Orion, 1998).

• Feature: Introduction and final project connects local environment to content within the project

The Introduction:The Introduction: The Final Project:The Final Project:

Making Science AccessibleMaking Science Accessible

• Goal: Engage students in both hands-on and online observations (Orion & Hofstein, 1994).

• Feature: The environment provides structure and prompts for students to make real world hands-on observations

Students look at both online and real world rock samples.Students look at both online and real world rock samples.

An Embedded Note:An Embedded Note:

Making Student Thinking VisibleMaking Student Thinking Visible

• Goal: Engage students in inquiry & model building (Spitulnik, 1998)

• Features: Students build models of geological phenomena. For example, students use “Salol” to model crystal formation. Students also build “relationship” models to explain processes.

A student relationship modelA student relationship modelModeling Crystal FormationModeling Crystal Formation

Making Student Thinking VisibleMaking Student Thinking Visible

• Goal: Engage students in building connections between models and the phenomena they represent (Grosslight, Unger, & Jay, 1991; Kali & Orion, in review).

• Feature: Textual and visual cues prompt students to explain relationships between experimental procedures and models and the geological processes they represent

Students build models of melting, rising and cooling wax (magma) and relate the Students build models of melting, rising and cooling wax (magma) and relate the features of their models to geological features.features of their models to geological features.

An Embedded Note:An Embedded Note:

Promote Lifelong learningPromote Lifelong learning

• Goal: Engage students in metacognitive reflection of the scientific processes they are guided through (Palinscar, 1984)

• Feature: Prompts provide metacognitive scaffolding

Early in the project students reflect Early in the project students reflect about modelsabout models

Later in the project students revise Later in the project students revise hypotheseshypotheses

Facilitating Peer LearningFacilitating Peer Learning

• Goal: Engage students in discussions that support debate and justification of ideas. (Linn & Hsi, 2000)

• Feature: Student online discussion

Students debate the classification of obsidian in an online discussion.Students debate the classification of obsidian in an online discussion.

Making Student Thinking VisibleMaking Student Thinking Visible

• Goal: Engage students in building connections between concepts and different parts of the project

• Features: “Where are we going?” steps make explicit connections between ideas. Model building activities also require creating connections between ideas

An Embedded Note:An Embedded Note:

Scoring Rock-Cycle AssessmentsScoring Rock-Cycle Assessments

• A Knowledge Integration Framework• Scoring Rubric is on a 4 point scale

Score = 4 a high knowledge integration score and indicates students hold a high degree of understanding and demonstrate many relationships between ideas. Score = 3 a good understanding of the relationships involvedScore = 2 a moderate understanding Score = 1 an area that needs further development Score = 0 indicates a lack of response.

Scoring Rock-Cycle AssessmentsScoring Rock-Cycle Assessments

• A Post Test Question: An example• How does granite rock form and why do we find it on top of a

mountain like Half Dome at Yosemite National Park?Combining a knowledge integration and systems approach. Scoring proceeds with a 4 point scale and is determined by how many “pieces” of the system (starting material, place, process, product) students include. Score = 4: Granite starts as magma underground (starting material), cools slowly (process) underground (place) and forms rock with big crystals (product). The movement of earth’s plates (process) causes mountains to form and pushes rock, formed underground, to become exposed. Score = 3: Three pieces of the system. Score = 2: Two pieces of the system. Score = 1: One piece of the system. Score = 0: No response

Scoring Rock-Cycle AssessmentsScoring Rock-Cycle Assessments

• A Student Model: An example

• Students create a “relationship” model to relate the Beaker Experiment to the phenomenon it represents

Scoring Rock-Cycle AssessmentsScoring Rock-Cycle Assessments

• A Student Model: An example• Scoring is based on two elements: Representation of the physical model or

beaker experiment and Links between the physical model and the real world phenomenaScore = 4 Physical model is represented before and after heating an links are apparent between physical model and phenomena (with words including plutonic, volcanic, magma, outer crust, vents)Score = 3 Physical Model is represented before and after and a couple links are apparent (2 or 3 links)Score = 2 Physical Model is represented either before or after and some links are apparentScore = 1 Physical Model is represented but no links are apparentScore = 0 Students did not build a model.

The previous example was scored a four.

ConclusionsConclusions

The Rock-Cycle Projects represents:

• An attempt to tie goals to assessments• An attempt to integrate assessments into the online learning

environment• An attempt at scoring for knowledge integration

Contact Info:• E-mail: slotta@socrates.berkeley.edu• Web: http://wise.berkeley.edu