Daniel C. Edelson

Addressing the Challenges of Inquiry-Based Learning through Technology and Curriculum Design.

Inquiry experiences can provide valuable opportunities for students to improve their understanding of both science content and scientific practices. However, the implementation of inquiry learning in classrooms presents a number of significant challenges. We have been exploring these challenges through a program of research on the use of scientific visualization technologies to support inquiry-based learning in the geosciences. In this article, we describe 5 significant challenges to implementing inquiry-based learning and present strategies for addressing them through the design of technology and curriculum. We present a design history covering 4 generations of software and curriculum to show how these challenges arise in classrooms and how the design strategies respond to them.

A Scaffolding Design Framework for Software to Support Science Inquiry.

The notion of scaffolding learners to help them succeed in solving problems otherwise too difficult for them is an important idea that has extended into the design of scaffolded software tools for learners. However, although there is a growing body of work on scaffolded tools, scaffold design, and the impact of scaffolding, the field has not yet converged on a common theoretical framework that defines rationales and approaches to guide the design of scaffolded tools. In this article, we present a scaffolding design framework addressing scaffolded software tools for science inquiry. Developed through iterative cycles of inductive and theory-based analysis, the framework synthesizes the work of prior design efforts, theoretical arguments, and empirical work in a set of guidelines that are organized around science inquiry practices and the challenges learners face in those practices. The framework can provide a basis for developing a theory of pedagogical support and a mechanism to describe successful scaffolding approaches. It can also guide design, not in a prescriptive manner but by providing designers with heuristics and examples of possible ways to address the challenges learners face.

Design Research: What We Learn When We Engage in Design

Educational researchers are increasingly using design as a means of advancing their understanding. Historically design in educational research has served as a way to implement theories for testing. The emerging design research paradigm treats design as a strategy for developing and refining theories. In this article, I discuss the lessons that can be learned from design. Starting from a model that characterizes designs in terms of problem analyses, design solutions, and design processes, I describe 3 types of theories that can be developed through design research: domain theories, design frameworks, and design methodologies. I present examples from a design research program investigating software supports for reflective inquiry. I argue for design research as form of educational research because (a) design offers opportunities to learn unique lessons, (b) design research yields practical lessons that can be directly applied, and (c) design research engages researchers in the direct improvement of educational practice.

The Collaboratory Notebook

he recent explosive growth of networking raises the possibility of widespread collaborative, openended learning activities. This vision is supported by research highlighting the value of both collaboration and open-ended activities for learning. Specifically, when learners acquire knowledge in the context of a goal-directed activity, they are more likely to use that knowledge later. Similarly in collaborative learning, distributed expertise and multiple perspectives enable learners to accomplish tasks and develop understandings beyond what any could achieve alone. Furthermore, the communication required in collaboration prompts learners to express beliefs in ways that serve to organize what they know and to identify gaps in their understanding. As appealing as this vision may be, it can be difficult to achieve in practice because open-ended learning and collaboration are complex activities that must be learned and often conflict with the current knowledge-transmission culture in schools. Therefore, students need new environments that allow them to learn through collaborative, open-ended activity, even as they are becoming proficient at it. The Collaboratory Notebook software addresses this challenge with support tailored for inquiry-based collaborative science learning. The Notebook has been developed as part of the Learning through Collaborative Visualization (CoVis) Project, a research and development testbed for project activities in high school earth and environmental science classrooms.

Comparing the Impact of Online and Face-to-Face Professional Development in the Context of Curriculum Implementation

This study employed a randomized experiment to examine differences in teacher and student learning from professional development (PD) in two modalities: online and face-to-face. The study explores whether there are differences in teacher knowledge and beliefs, teacher classroom practice, and student learning outcomes related to PD modality. Comparison of classroom practice and student learning outcomes, normally difficult to establish in PD research, is facilitated by the use of a common set of curriculum materials as the content for PD and subsequent teaching. Findings indicate that teachers and students exhibited significant gains in both conditions, and that there was no significant difference between conditions. We discuss implications for the delivery of teacher professional learning.

Visualization for learners: a framework for adapting scientists' tools

Abstract The use of scientific investigation tools for education is receiving considerable attention as a result of an increased emphasis in the educational community on open-ended inquiry. The scientific community possesses a treasure trove of tools that could be adapted for use by learners. Scientific visualization technologies, in particular, offer great promise for education because of the way they use visual representations to facilitate exploration of complex data. However, the tools that are used by scientists are inappropriate for learners because of their reliance on the tacit knowledge of expert users. Through a careful consideration of the differences between scientists and science students and the design of a series of scientific visualization environments for learners in grades 8–16, we have developed a design framework for the creation of scientific investigation tools based on those of scientists. The framework highlights five critical issues for the construction of tools to support inquiry-based learning: motivating context, learner-appropriate activities, data selection, scaffolding interfaces and support for learning. We have applied this framework to the design of ClimateWatcher, a scientific visualization environment for the investigation of issues related to global climate and climate change that is now in use in middle school, high school and university settings.

The progress portfolio: designing reflective tools for a classroom context

A great deal of effort has gone into developing open-ended inquiry activities for science education as well as complex computer tools for accessing scientific data to help students learn science. To be successful with these tools and activities, students need to learn a set of inquiry skills and to develop a new mode of classroom work: reflective inquiry. In this paper we describe the design of the Progress Portfolio, a software environment to promote reflective inquiry, and we examine the influences of the unique practices and features of classroom contexts on our design process.

The progress Portfolio: promoting reflective inquiry in complex investigation environments

Scientific inquiry in complex data-rich environments is a goal of much educational reform, but students require supports to manage the complexity of such investigations. We propose an approach to providing this support by making the processes and products of an investigation into explicit objects for reflection. We describe design research exploring ways to promote reflective inquiry among middle-school and high-school science students. We outline obstacles facing students in conducting investigations and give an overview of the design principles for our inquiry-support software environment, the Progress Portfolio. The specific tools provided by the Progress Portfolio for capturing, annotating, organizing, and presenting data are described in detail. We conclude with a discussion of pilot studies conducted with middle-school and high-school students.

Science Education as Driver of Cyberspace Technology Development

Educational applications of networking technologies are becoming increasingly prevalent (National Center for Education Statistics, 1996; Riley et al., 1996). But “applications” are too often treated as infusions of technology into society, not drivers of new technological or research developments. One premise of the Learning through Collaborative Visualization (CoVis) Project challenges that common belief (Pea, 1993). Extending media-rich and highly interactive learning and teaching activities beyond single classrooms makes demanding requirements for new applications. We set out to create “distributed multimedia learning environments” to serve the emerging needs of precollege science education, which highlight learning through guided inquiry and affiliated new roles for teachers (National Research Council, 1996).

A design for effective support of inquiry and collaboration

The Collaboratory Notebook is a shared hypermedia database designed to provide a scaffold for students as they learn to conduct collaborative, open-ended investigations. Through its structure, the software provides students with a genre for communication about scientific inquiry. In this paper, we examine the design goals for the Collaboratory Notebook in the context of an example of its use. We analyze Notebook use through student characteristics including gender, previous experience with technology, and attitudes and beliefs about science.