Bridging Worlds: Measuring Learners’ Discursive Practice in a Partsim Supported Biology Lesson

Abstract

We report on a case study that took place in a southwestern culturally and linguistically diverse urban high school science classroom during a grade recovery summer session. The introduction of a technology-infused unit on epidemiology engaged students in a multi-contextual exploration of the spread of diseases. The analysis of the resultant classroom discourse centers on connections made and identities expressed by the students (as students, social beings, avatars, and scientists), with particular attention to how these students use language to bridge worlds (the participatory simulation world, the classroom world, the 'real' world (outside the classroom), and the laboratory (science) world). The results indicate that including a participatory technology tool supported students' learning journey. Specifically, students built on a shared virtual experience in ways that helped them to draw and expand on prior experiences well beyond the classroom in the service of developing science understanding.

Which Technologies Do Pre-Service Teachers Prefer to Use While Presenting Their Teaching Skills and for What Purposes Do They Use These Technologies?

“…In such cases, the experiment can be easily displayed to the students through technologies such as animations and simulations. As Fies and Longman (2011) have noted, "in the case of science, simulations allow experimentation with concepts and processes that cannot normally be directly observed or acted on and in turn allow students to hypothesize, observe, and reflect on their observations". Physics, biology, and chemistry, in which animations are extensively used in different ways (Lin & Dwyer, 2010).…”

Supporting English learners with participatory augmented reality simulations

“…Colella (2000), Dunleavy et al (2009), Fies andLangman (2011), andKlopfer et al (2005) document that while playing PARTSIMs students showed increased levels of engagement. Dunleavy et al (2009) indicated that students had increased interest due to their interest in technology.…”

“…However, PARTSIMs' (including PARS') impact on ELs has been overlooked in the literature examining PARTSIMs for science education (Dunleavy et al, 2009;Lee, 2005;Vogel et al, 2006;Wilensky and Stroup, 1999a). This lack of explicit convergence constitutes a gap in the literature as many of the benefits ascribed to the use of PARTSIMs (including PARS) in education (Colella, 2000;Dunleavy et al, 2009;Fies and Langman, 2011;Wilensky and Stroup, 1999a) fulfill key elements of effective instruction for ELs (Brown, 2007;Crawford, 2004;Echevarria et al, 2006;Janzen, 2008;Lee, 2005;Stoddart et al, 2002). In order to provide greater insight into this perceived gap, this paper summarizes possible benefits and difficulties of utilizing PARS with English learners.…”

Identity negotiation within peer groups during an informal engineering education program: The central role of leadership‐oriented youth

“…Research has particularly highlighted how girls and youth from traditionally underserved and underresourced communities face significant barriers to developing strong associations with engineering and STEM. These youth must navigate cultural and gender stereotypes, normative expectations from peers and teachers, and tensions between their engagement with STEM and other facets of their identities, interests, and home cultures (Archer et al., ; Brown, ; Fies & Langman, ; Nasir & Saxe, ; Sayman, ). Research specifically on engineering‐related identity development before college suggests that teacher professional development and hands‐on experiences with engineering in the classroom can increase children's connections with engineering and engineering careers (Capobianco, Yu, & French, ; Dyehouse, Yoon, Lucietto, & Diefes‐Dux, ), although there is still little known about what engineering identity looks like and how it develops at this age, especially for youth from traditionally underserved and underresourced communities.…”