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This research project aims to learn how students express their ideas about science, math, and engineering in various systes of representation. Systems include drawing, building, oral language, and stop-action movies using the CEEO's SAM Animation software.
Investigators
Collaborators
Funding Source
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0511979. (Any
opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this
material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the
views of the National Science Foundation)
Goals
The overarching goal of this research is to
investigate the use of animation as both an exploration and reporting
tool in the teaching of science and engineering. Using SAM (Stop Action
Movie making software), students can create simple frame-by-frame
animations of science and engineering concepts. These animations can
either be explanations of concepts or predictions of experiments and
physical phenomena. In the domain of physics, animation software gives
the student control of (1) time, (2) distance, and (3) the relationship
between time and distance. This level of componential control provides
students with a new way of investigating motion in both 1-D and 2-D
situations.
This technological environment provides for an
interesting venue to research group dynamics. Specifically, issues of
distributed cognition and congitive thresholds are of interest in the
animation creation environment. Questions to ask include does this
environment foster exposure of mental models to comparisons with group
mates and thus potentially altering the cognitive thresholds of the
group members. Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development work is very
applicable to the environment we envision and will be included in the
theoretical framework of this research.
Research Questions
The research questions for this project are:
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Can students represent their mental models for physical phenomena through animation software?
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Does
the process of creating animations lead to deeper investigation,
reflection, or analysis of concepts rather than traditional lecture or
demonstration based instruction among students?
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Can students learn to accurately predict physical scenarios using stop action movie making?
Experiment Description
A pilot study is scheduled for Winter/Spring of 2008 with participants coming from the 7th and 8th grade at the King Open School
in Cambridge, MA. The study consists of each student participating in
three interview-based sessions where they will produce representations
in various systems. The science task/exploration in question is the
linked syringe problem (below). In this demonstration, the outlets
(nozzles) of each syringe are linked using a piece of clear plastic
tubing. As the participant pushes the plunger of one syringe down, the
other plunger extends.
Students will be asked to explain what they see verbally, in drawing
form, through a stop-action movie, and in a physical construction task.
In the construction task, students must first plan what they might
build to help explain what they see, then they will select from a
collection of raw materials to build something that explains the
linked-syringe actions.
The purpose of the pilot study is to answer the research questions
above. I am interested in seeing how these representations produced in
different systems (Oral language, drawing, animation, physical
construction) are alike and different for each child and across the
population of children. Results of this pilot study are pending.
Related Publications
- Church, W., Gravel, B.E., Rogers, C. (2007) “Teaching Parabolic Motion with Stop Action Movies.” International Journal of Engineering Education, 23(5), p. 861-867.
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Research