A. Lynn Stephens

The Role of Thought Experiments in Science and Science Learning

In this chapter, we review selected studies of thought experiments used by both experts and students and attempt to develop some useful definitions and conceptual distinctions. We then apply these in an analysis of a classroom episode as an example of the roles thought experiments can play in productive whole class discussions. We are interested in this area because thought experiments are one example of the kinds of creative reasoning of which experts and students appear to be capable under the right conditions.

Telepresence-enabled remote fieldwork: undergraduate research in the deep sea

ABSTRACT Deep-sea research is rarely available to undergraduate students. However, as telepresence technology becomes more available, doors may open for more undergraduates to pursue research that includes remote fieldwork. This descriptive case study is an initial investigation into whether such technology might provide a feasible opportunity for undergraduate students to conduct ocean science research remotely, and if so, whether students can move from being spectators to beingactive agents. Specifically, we inquire into the learning of seven students who conducted fieldwork via telepresence, which enabled them to participate in a cruise that used remotely operated vehicles to explore an active underwater volcano and mud volcano cold seeps. This study examines whether the students engaged in authentic research and whether telepresence provided a reasonable experience of fieldwork at sea. Interviews and observation notes suggest that these undergraduates were able to undertake all aspects of research. Students’ presentations exhibit a great deal of knowledge about the field sites and show that they contributed findings from their analyses. This study constitutes important initial evidence that telepresence can provide effective approximation of the experience and educational value of fieldwork at sea, and suggests that telepresence is a feasible option for future undergraduate research experiences.

Depictive Gestures as Evidence for Dynamic Mental Imagery in Four Types of Student Reasoning

We discuss evidence for the use of runnable imagery (imagistic simulation) in four types of student reasoning. In an in‐depth case study of a high school physics class, we identified multiple instances of students running mental models, using analogies, using extreme cases, and using Gedanken experiments. Previous case studies of expert scientists have indicated that these processes can be central during scientific model construction; here we discuss their spontaneous use by students. We also discuss their association with spontaneous, depictive gestures, which we interpret as an indicator of the use of dynamic and kinesthetic imagery. Of the numerous instances of these forms of reasoning observed in the class, most were associated with depictive gestures and over half with gestures that depicted motion or force. This evidence suggests that runnable, dynamic mental imagery can be very important in student reasoning.

Use of physics simulations in whole class and small group settings

This study investigates student interactions with simulations, and teacher support of those interactions, within naturalistic high school classroom settings. Two lesson sequences were conducted, one in 11 and one in 8 physics class sections, where roughly half the sections used the simulations in a small group format and matched sections used them in a whole class format. Unexpected pre/post results, previously reported, had raised questions about why whole class students, who had engaged in discussion about the simulations while observing them projected in front of the class, had performed just as well as small group students with hands-on keyboards. The present study addresses these earlier results with case studies (four matched sets of classes) of student and teacher activity during class discussions in one of the lesson sequences. Comparative analyses using classroom videotapes and student written work reveal little evidence for an advantage for the small group students for any of the conceptual and perceptual factors examined; in fact, if anything, there was a slight trend in favor of students in the whole class condition. We infer that the two formats have counter-balancing strengths and weaknesses. We recommend a mixture of the two and suggest several implications for design of instructional simulations. Display Omitted Students used physics simulations in either whole class or small group settings.Whole class students had pre-post gains as large as those of small group students.Comparative analyses of classroom videotapes and written work investigate why.In 3 of 4 comparisons, whole class discussion spent more time on crucial concepts.The only small group students who gave any evidence for using key features were AP.

Whole class vs. small group settings for using animations in physics: Case study comparisons

Comparative case study analyses are used to investigate a physics lesson sequence in which students used a simple simulation and a set of animations with playback controls to explore aspects of projectile motion. The sequence was conducted within naturalistic high school settings (2 schools) in 11 physics class sections (n=212) where roughly half the sections encountered the animations in a whole class discussion format and matched sections used them in a small group format in which students controlled playback. Earlier unexpected pre-post results indicated no advantage for the hands-on condition. Present analyses using classroom videotapes and student written work also do not show any overall advantage for the small group students for the factors examined. Notably, more than twice as much teacher and studentgenerated support for recognizing visual features was identified in whole class discussion, and in small groups these episodes appeared to cluster around teacher visits to the groups. PACS: 01.40.Fk, 01.50.ht, 01.40.gb, 01.40.ek