investigative science learning environment (isle) eugenia etkina alan van heuvelen rutgers...
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INVESTIGATIVE SCIENCE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT (ISLE)
Eugenia EtkinaAlan Van Heuvelen
Rutgers UniversityMoscow, Idaho, April 1st, 2011
http://paer.rutgers.edu/PT3http://paer.rutgers.edu/scientificabilities
http://www.islephysics.net
What is Learning?
Brain research
QuickTime™ and a decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
What is Learning?
Brain research
Learning is a physical process that happens through activation and extension of neural networks
QuickTime™ and a decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
What is Learning?
Brain research
Learning is physical process that happens through activation and extension of neural networks
Cognitive research
QuickTime™ and a decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
What is Learning?
Learning is a social process that happens
when learners working together activate and
build on existing resources
Cognitive research
QuickTime™ and a decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
QuickTime™ and a decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
How do we apply this?
Brain research
Learning and teaching of physics
Learning is physical process that happens through activation and extension of neural networks
Learning is a social process that happens when learners working together activate and build on existing resources
Cognitive research
We are good at applying this in PER to ….
Brain research
Learning and teaching of physics
Learning is physical process that happens through activation and extension of neural networks
Learning is a social process that happens when learners working together activate and build on existing resources
Cognitive research
Final product
But not to everything…
Brain research
Learning and teaching of physics
Learning is physical process that happens through activation and extension of neural networks
Learning is a social process that happens when learners working together activate and build on existing resources
Cognitive research
Final product Process
Why is the process important?
Goals of courses: Preparation for future learning and success in the workplace…
Workplace research indicates that it is the process of science that is important for success.
So, what should we do?
Engineer learning environments where students can learn together by actively constructing their own ideas similar to the ways physicists do
QuickTime™ and a decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
What do physicists do to make new knowledge?
• Represent ideas in different ways• Collect and analyze data• Find and express patterns• Explain patterns• Come up with ways to test explanations• Conduct testing experiments and compare the outcomes to
predictions• Revise explanations in light of new data• Evaluate• Communicate
Can we use content as the opportunity to teach the process?
The main idea is that the process is not an add-on but a part of learning the content
Example
Please take 15 min to examine the first three experiments in a lab in which students construct some important physics concepts and focus on three questions:
(a) what is the goal of student work and what ideas are they expected to construct?
(b) what is the process that they follow?
(c) compare this process to what you would normally do in your course and identify similar elements and different elements.
Observational experiments
Explanation, mechanism, hypothesis,
relationRevisiondifferent
Testing experiments
+
Observational experiments
Explanation, mechanism, hypothesis,
relation
Application
Revision
Assumptions
More
different
assessment
Testing experiments
Yes
Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE)Etkina and Van Heuvelen, 2001
+
Observational experiments
Explanation, mechanism, hypothesis,
relation
Application
Revision
Assumptions
More
different
assessment
Testing experiments
Yes
MR*
MR*
MR*
MR*See pages 2-3 of the handout
What is ISLE?
Curriculum?
Not so much…. Though we have lots of resources..
It is way of thinking about teaching and learning physics, a philosophy of teaching physics.
Three points are important:
(1)what students do to come up with A (process);
(2) how they think about A (multiple representations)
+
What is ISLE?In intrinsic part of ISLE is Experimental design (observational, testing, application experiments and POSE YOUR OWN QUESTION labs)
(ISLE labs is a topic for a different workshop, if you wish to learn more about them, PhysRev ST PER is where we published 4 papers about those innovative labs.)
Where is ISLE used?
Rutgers UniversityFlorida International University Oregon State UniversityLane CollegeCUNY QCCCalifornia State Chico50 NJ high schools
South Africa, Mexico, Slovenia..
For example, I do not have a lab or the lab is not integrated…
http://paer.rutgers.edu/pt3
Starting a cycle in a large room meeting
Open page 4 of your handout.
Section Qualitative Concept Building and Testing
Observe the experiment and read activity 18.1
Observe the experiment and read activities 18.2 and 18.4
(a) what is the goal of student work and what ideas are they expected to construct?
(b) what is the process that they follow?
(c) compare this process to the process in the lab. What are the similarities? What are the differences?
Continued…
Read activities 18.1.5-18.1.6
(a) what is the goal of student work and what ideas are they expected to construct?
(b) what is the process that they follow?
Continued…
Examine activity 18.2.3 in section 2 Conceptual Reasoning
What is its purpose?
What do you think it is preparing the students for?
Continued…
Examine activity 18.3.1 in section 2 Quantitative concept building and testing
What is its purpose?
Examine Activity 18.4.3 in Quantitative Reasoning
What is its purpose?
Summary
• Repeated process• Use of tools• Focus on success
Resources to implement ISLE
The Physics Active Learning Guide
Van Heuvelen & Etkina, 2006, Pearson
http://paer.rutgers.edu/pt3
http://paer.rutgers.edu/scientificabilities
(ISLE labs + formative assessment rubrics)
http://www.islephysics.net
Please send me an e-mail with any questions:
Summer AAPT workshop
Learning physics by practicing science
What if I want to start tomorrow?
1. Think of what idea you want your students to construct.
2. Think of what they might already know on what you can build.
3. Think of what they can do (observe) so that the idea emerges as one of the explanations (use existing experiments but reframe them!).
4. Think of what other ideas they can generate when they observe the experiments.
5. Think of how you could test their ideas and have equipment available (use existing experiments).
6. Try!
Thank you!