Michelle Cook

The Interpretation of Cellular Transport Graphics by Students with Low and High Prior Knowledge

The purpose of this study was to examine how prior knowledge of cellular transport influenced how high school students in the USA viewed and interpreted graphic representations of this topic. The participants were Advanced Placement Biology students (n = 65); each participant had previously taken a biology course in high school. After assessing prior knowledge using the Diffusion and Osmosis Diagnostic Test, two graphical representations of cellular transport processes were selected for analysis. Three different methods of data collection—eye tracking, interviews, and questionnaires—were used to investigate differences in perceived salient features of the graphics, interpretations of the graphics, and processing difficulty experienced while attending to and interpreting the graphics. The results from the eye tracking data, interviews, and instructional representation questionnaires were triangulated and revealed differences in how high and low prior knowledge students attended to and interpreted particle differences, concentration gradient, the role of adenosine triphosphate , endocytosis and exocytosis, and text labels and captions. Without adequate domain knowledge, low prior knowledge students focused on the surface features of the graphics (ex. differences in particle colour) to build an understanding of the concepts represented. On the other hand, with more abundant and better‐organised domain knowledge, high prior knowledge students were more likely to attend to the thematically relevant content in the graphics, which enhanced their understanding. The findings of this study offer a more complete understanding of how differentially prepared learners view and interpret graphics and have the potential to inform instructional design.

Using Role-Play and Case Study to Promote Student Research on Environmental Science.

ABSTRACT Reform efforts encourage teachers to engage students in critical thinking skills and research. They also encourage teachers to meet the needs of their diverse student population and support students in developing communication skills. One way to step outside of traditional teaching approaches and engage middle school students in critical thinking, communication skills, and learning communities is by using an integrated role-play and case studies approach. This teaching approach combines the narratives of case study with the simulation and gaming features of role-play. Through this integrated technique, students are provided the context of a scientific issue through a case study, allowed to take on the role of a case study character, and presented with multiple opportunities to research environmental science content.

The vanishing firefly project: engaging citizen scientists with a mobile technology and real-time reporting framework

Fireflies are a unique part of the natural landscape at a global scale. Urban development and changes in the landscape can negatively affect firefly distribution and abundance. Assessment of firefly abundance through counts of bioluminescence flashes provides an environmental quality indicator that can be easily observed and quantified by citizen scientists. Researchers at Clemson University, collaborating with resources managers, educators and teachers initiated the Vanishing Firefly Project to engage citizen scientists with the following goals: (1) Science Inquiry-Engage citizens in scientific practices to understand the impacts of urbanization on environmental quality; (2) Service Learning-Increase the skill of citizens in making critical, scientific and informed decisions through community and service activities; (3) Sustainability-Protect natural habitats through effective land and resource management practices and (4) Stewardship-Provide opportunities for citizens to participate in environmental and sustainability studies and activities. The project began in 2010, and was initially a Field Day located in Georgetown, South Carolina, USA. Since then, the project has grown from a single day event, to a statewide field survey, and now a global event in 2014. The 2010 efforts were local and to realize our goals would require increasing citizen science participation from one location in South Carolina to a regional scale. Several issues were to be addressed that varied from technology development, data quality and management, citizen scientist training and motivation for volunteers. Our initial technology framework consisted of a single Google Docs webform that allowed users to submit their firefly counts, but we had no ability to engage volunteers during and after the initial submission. The technology framework at this time (2014) now consists of an iOS app, Android app and a webform that submit firefly counts, firefly behavior, ambient light measurements (iOS and Android app only) and habitat type to a real-time reporting and geospatial data management system. Our efforts have leveraged social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to support training, education and engagement. This paper describes project activities focusing on how our technology framework has developed and matured to increase the scope, reach and capability of citizen scientists participating in the Vanishing Firefly Project.

Where exactly are the difficulties in reasoning logically about code? experimentation with an online system

CS students can typically reason about what a piece of code does on specific inputs. While this is a useful starting point, graduates must also be able to logically analyze, comprehend, and predict the behavior of their code in more general terms, no matter what the inputs are. Results of data collection and analysis from an online educational system show it can help to pinpoint the difficulties in doing this for individual students and groups, and to partition the groups in terms of their difficulties so that instructional interventions may be better targeted. Unlike traditional debugging, this online system helps reveal difficulties in reasoning in more general terms because it is equipped with a verification engine.

Care-Based Citizen Science: Nurturing an Ethic of Care to Support the Preservation of Biodiversity

As science educators we have the unique opportunity to raise student awareness of conservation issues and to nurture within them a commitment to act on behalf of the environment. Here we discuss a specific pedagogy for ecojustice, citizen science projects, and continue conversations about how such projects can be used to develop caring relationships between students and animal species. The purpose of this chapter is to advance understanding about how citizen science projects can be used for ecojustice, through projects we describe as “care-based citizen science.” We introduce Nel Noddings’ philosophy and explain how her ideas on an ethic of care more fully describe the caring relationships with animals and natural environments, which are necessary to support ecojustice. Our work adds to the current body of literature by providing (1) context for care-based work through citizen-science projects, (2) a description of care-based citizen science, (3) specific recommendations for nurturing an ethic of care, and (4) an explanation of how care-based citizen science projects depend on the four vital elements for teaching to support an ethic of care.

Influences on the Development of Inquiry-Based Practices Among Preservice Teachers

ABSTRACT As preservice teachers (PSTs) acquire experiences in their field, they confront difficulties implementing what they learned during their teacher education programs. The successful or unsuccessful outcomes of the challenges they face influence the development of their identity as teachers. One practice that many PSTs are encouraged to implement during their preservice experience is inquiry-based instruction. However, even if students begin their fieldwork with a basic understanding of inquiry, the realities of the classroom and their incongruence with what the PST came to expect during university coursework may dissuade them from committing to an inquiry-based approach. We interact with PSTs in a single science teaching university methods course to collect data using an inquiry-specific observation protocol as well as from interviews and written reflections. Through case study research framed within situated cognitive learning theory, we find that elements of PSTs’ experience have a profound influence on their views of inquiry and of themselves as teachers in an inquiry-based classroom. We identify themes of translating theory to practice, perceiving inquiry as additional work, and utilizing resources.