UC Berkeley • Concord Consortium • Arizona State • Mills • Norfolk State • North Carolina Central • Penn State • Technion

Technology-Enhanced Learning in Science (TELS)

Marcia C. LinnUniversity of California, Berkeley

January 8, 2007American Association of Physics Teachers

Seattle, Washington

Technology-Enhanced Learning in Science •

NSF funded Center

Investigate the impact of powerful scientific visualizations embedded in inquiry modules

• What makes a successful visualization?

• How should visualizations be embedded in inquiry activities?

TELS PartnersArizona State UniversityDoug Clark

The Concord ConsortiumBob Tinker, Paul Horwitz, Ken Bell

Mills CollegeJane Bowyer

Christopher Newport UniversityS. Raj Chaudhury

North Carolina Central UniversityTun Nyein, Gail Hollowell

Pennsylvania State UniversityChris Hoadley

Technion - Israel Institute of TechnologyYael Kali

University of California, BerkeleyMarcia Linn, Jim Slotta

Contact us at http://TELSCenter.org

WISE/TELS Research PartnershipCombining expertise in classroom teaching, natural science, technology, pedagogy, curriculum design,

assessment, and policyTuradg AleahmadEric BaumgartnerKathy BenemannMike BursteinJonathan BreitbartJanet CaspersonBritte ChengJennie ChiuDoug ClarkAlex CuthbertMike DudaKristina DuncanMatt FishbachTara HigginsCarolyn HofstetterAmy HollowayJeff HolmesFreda HusicYael KaliDoug KirkpatrickKevin McElhaneyAlton Lee

Lydia LiuHee-Sun Lee

Alan LiMarcia C. Linn

Jacquie MadhokAbbey Novia

Ariel OwenGreg Pitter

Katrina RotterChristine Romano

Sherry SeethalerStephanie Sisk-Hilton

Jim SlottaMichelle Spitulnik

Elisa StoneErika Tate

Eric TeruelRicky Tang

Keisha VarmaMichelle Williams

Jully YiHelen Zhang

Tim Zimmerman

Design of VisualizationsMultiple representations make chemistry difficult to learn (Johnstone, 1990)

Visualizations can enhance science learning (Schwarz & White, 2005)

Most animated visualizations are no more effective than still diagrams. Learners get confused (Tversky et al., 2002).

Reflection can help students integrate science experiences (Davis and Linn, 2000).

MacroSymbolic

Micro

H2O

Research on animation and visualization

•Chemation: Chang & Quintana• Students visualize a chemical reaction • Erase “leftover” atoms or molecules

•Storygrams: Polman• Link representations to narrative

•ChemSENSE: Kozma• Link symbolic and molecular representations

Roles for visualizations• Support experimentation

• Chemation • TELS Concord Consortium Dynamica (Airbags)• What should the learner explore?

• Connect microscopic, personally relevant, and symbolic views

• Chemsense• TELS Concord Consortium Molecular Workbench (Chemical

Reactions)• How link representations and connect to curriculum?

Roles for visualizations•Promote narrative accounts of science

• Storygrams• TELS Personally relevant problems (Airbags)• What forms of explanation succeed?

•Make important information salient• Make unseen visible: Forces on objects, rate of

heat flow, molecular interactions• TELS Heat Flow visualization, chemical reactions • What needs to be salient?

TELS Results: Cohort Comparison Study

Assessment Coordinator: Hee Sun Lee

University of California, Berkeley

Tufts University

Multiple assessment sources

Item Source Purpose

Pre/Post Tests A range of transfer items aligned with

the project

Assess student learning before and after the project

Embedded Assessments

Project notes or other responses

central to the project goals

Document student learning related to specific aspects of

the TELS project

Benchmark Assessments

NAEP/TIMSS released + research

items all scored using KI rubric

Serve as delayed posttestsTrack longitudinal trajectoriesCompare impact of traditional

unit to TELS unit

TIMSS vs. Knowledge Integration

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TELS assessment timelines

TELS assessment timelines3716 students, 51 teachers, 16 schools

TELS assessment timelines64 TELS project runs by 45 teachers in 16 schools

TELS assessment timelines3443 TELS students, 1064 non-TELS

students, 50 teachers, 13 schools

TELS assessment timelines2005-2006,

100 TeachersCohort 3 Testing

Benchmark cohort comparison

Overall effect size = .28Independent samples t-test results, *** p < .001

Figure 4. Constructed response item performance of TELS andtraditional cohort.

0

1

2

3

4

Physical Life*** Earth*** Physics Chemistry Biology

Science Content Areas

Knowledge Integration

Traditional

TELS

Using Powerful Computer Models to Promote Integrated Understandings of

Chemical ReactionsJennifer L. Chiu, TELS Fellow

University of California, Berkeley

Chemical Reactions: Visualize & Reflect

Students explore visualizations of molecular reactions and record their reflections in a journal.

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“They are related because in order to have no atoms left over in the workbench, we had to get a certain amount of oxygen atoms and hydrogen atoms. This number is the same as the ratios in the balanced equation (2 H2, 1 O2, and you end

up with 2H2O molecules).”

How did making water molecules in Molecular Workbench relate to the balanced equation of 2H2 + O2 -> 2H2O?

Jennifer Chiu

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CurriculumLearning goals:

• Explore chemical reactions on personally relevant, symbolic, and molecular scale

• Connect symbolic and molecular representations • Add and connect ideas of limiting reactants and conservation of mass

Activity 1 Activity 2 Activity 3 Activity 4

Research the greenhouse effect, create and compare graphs of collected

carbon dioxide concentration data.

Make relationships between reactions

and balanced equations using

Molecular Workbench simulations.

Manipulate molecules to form products,

connect to balanced equations and the

concept of limiting and excess reagents.

Make informed decisions about research funding

for specific greenhouse gases

Results

ES = 1.09** 0.43** 0.20

Group (Post and Test gain > Comparison p < .014)

ResultsIncreased connections from pre to post between coefficients and

subscripts of symbolic and molecular representations

Pretest Posttest

RS

SM

RB

KK

Q. What is the difference between 2CO and CO2?

2CO CO2 2CO CO2

(2)

(1)

(1)

(3)

Score

(1)

(4)

(2)

(4)

ScoreStudent

Results

Increased connections among symbolic and molecular representations, limiting reactants, and conservation of mass

Pretest Posttest

KR

RB

BW

Q. If only the molecules in the closed container below react according to the equation 2S + 3O2 -> 2SO3,

draw the container after the reaction.

(1)

(1)

(2)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Chemical Reactions: ConclusionsStudents using TELS make progress on understanding chemical reactions, making connections among symbolic and molecular representations compared to students in the traditional program.

Activities that succeed:• elicit ideas including predictions,

• allow students to test predictions,

• enable discussion of criteria for consequential experiments,

• require students to reflect

Design principles to take advantage of visualizations:

Combine visualizations with prompts to make predictions and to reflect on visualization

Explore visualization in a personally-relevant context

Roles for visualizations• Visualization can support experimentation

• Hanging with friends, Airbags, Global climate

• Visualizations can connect microscopic, personally relevant, and symbolic views

• Chemical reactions, Electricity, Energy

• Visualization can support narrative accounts of science and promote conversations

• Mitosis & Cancer, Thermodynamics

• Visualization can make information salient• Unseen processes: Rock cycle, phase change

TELS Curriculum Materials• Embed visualization in inquiry environment• Take advantage of socio-cognitive research captured in

the knowledge integration framework (Linn, 1995; Linn & Hsi, 2000)

• Build on Concord Consortium visualizations and WISE learning environment

• Employ design principles (Kali, 2006) and patterns (Linn & Eylon, 2006) emerging from research on learning environments

• Involve partnership of participating teachers, researchers, technologists, discipline specialists, and policy makers

Jeff Holmes

TELS modules:• Embed visualizations of complex science in inquiry activities• Created by design team with expertise in classroom learning, discipline, cognition, technology• Build on cognitive research, knowledge integration framework• Embed assessments• Benefit from iterative review and refinement

TELS Design Review Process

Knowledge Integration Framework & Patterns

Make Science AccessibleMake thinking visible

Help students learn from each other

Promote autonomous, lifelong learning

Use the principles to design Web-based Inquiry Learning Environment (WISE)

Hanging with Friends: Visualize Velocity

Erika Tate

Knowledge Integration Pattern: Elicit Ideas

What does velocity mean..Describe some other ways to explain….

Knowledge Integration Pattern: Add New Ideas

Knowledge Integration Pattern: Develop Criteria

How are the graphs similar, different?Which shows Isabel’s motion? Explain..

Knowledge Integration Pattern: Sort Out Ideas

How does the representation help you understand? Draw your solution?

ConclusionsPowerful visualizations can contribute to learning and add value over traditional instruction.TELS design process, using evidence, can improve modules, suggest promising design principles and patterns, and lead to improved learning outcomes.TELS Professional Development enables teachers to use and refine modules.

Opportunities to participateTELS/WISE tested modules are free and available over the internet (http://www.wise.berkeley.edu)

TELS software is available and open source (SAIL: http://sail.sourceforge.net)

TELS Assessments are available and have accepted psychometric properties; TELS Professional development model enables teachers to quickly begin using modules and design their own additional supports(see http://TELSCenter.org)

TELS Design Principles database is on-line and available for use in courses, customization activities, and design(see http://www.design-principles.org)

TELS Professional Development

Freda Husic, Doug Kirkpatrick, & Keisha Varma

Schools and Teachers Professional Development Activities

Mentoring

Targeted Professional Development

Cycles of planning, enactment, and reflection occur before and during module implementation

Goal of TELSProfessional Development

Implement flexible, targeted professional development program to help teachers use TELS modules effectively.• Support inquiry with technology enhanced instruction• Facilitate teaching students who work in pairs• Address obstacles: technical, implementation, and

curriculum• Target professional development to current and

emergent needs of TELS users.

Schools and TeachersFreda Husic

• Three-tiered recruitment of teachers from participating schools

• District: science dept. heads• School: science staff meetings• Teacher: individual teachers

• Total from 4 states: 50 teachers in 16 schools

• Current results: 26 teachers in 9 schools

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TELS Certificate Expectations

• One TELS module/year• Integrate module into

science curriculum• Conduct benchmarking,

pre/post tests• Participate in interview• Reflect on evidence of

student learning

Level I Certification

Over 40 TELS Certificates 2004-2005

Airbags: Conducting experiments to understand physics concepts

Airbags Module Experimentation Score

Kevin McElhaney, TELS Fellow

University of California, Berkeley

Airbags CurriculumActivity 1

Elicit Ideas

Activity 2

Airbags Motion

Activity 3

Dummy’s Motion

Activity 4

Experimentwith system

Activity 5

Reflect on results

Watch video of crash test

Reflect on design and dangers of airbags.

Predict, observe, explain the airbag’s motion.

Predict, observe, explain the dummy’s motion

Conduct experiments with dummy and airbag.

Reflect on inves-tigations and on simulated

activities

Airbags Experimentation

• The experimentation score captures the sophistication of students’ experiments

• The score includes four related dimensions:- Number of experiments

students perform- Number of discrete values

tested- Range of values tested- Number of boundary

values tested

Experimentation Environment

High School Students Results

Which of the following statements apply to the motion during segment E? (choose all that apply)

• same direction as A• same direction as C• not moving• slowing down• toward the net/basket

ResultsAssessment item

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1

2

3

4

5

6

All students* 11-12 honors 11-12 mixed 9 mixed**

Total score (max = 6)

pre

post

N Grade level/Pre-taught

Curriculum description

Underrepresented minorities

18 11-12/yes 11-12 Honors 15%

17 11-12/yes 11-12 General 95%

14 9/no 9 Physics First 58%

* p< .05** p< .01

Experimentation Score Predicts Benefit

• For specific items:- highly significant (p <

0.001) for item assessing connection between speed and graph slope

- not significant (p = 0.56) for item assessing connection between direction and graph slope

0

20

40

60

80

100

11-12 honors 11-12 mixed 9 mixed

There is a significant (p = 0.015) positive relationship between

experiment and post-test score, controlling for pretest score.

Airbags: ConclusionsResults from 4 classes shows connection between experimental activities and learning outcomes. Activities that succeed:• elicit ideas including predictions, • allow students to test predictions, • enable discussion of criteria for consequential experiments, • require students to reflect

Design Principles supported by this research:Provide guidance on how to conduct sophisticated

experiments Embed experimentation activities within a relevant contextEnable students to record results and reflect on findingsProvide visual feedback when variables are changed