Converting Digital Resources into Epistemic Tools Enhancing STEM Learning

Abstract

This study focuses on the problem of the possibility of converting digital resources used by STEM teachers into epistemic tools (ET) to improve the quality of student learning and the role instrumental orchestration can play in this process. Lessons by two STEM teachers from the college teaching were analysed during a period of time in which digital resources (DRs) were used and at some point in the class, the students used these DRs as tools. These classes were described according to the protocol of Multimodal Narratives and are available in a public collection. The research question that is answered is: what instrumental orchestration did teachers use in their classes so that the use of DRs by students would make it possible to use them as an ET? The results show that (a) there are three modes of instrumental orchestration that influence students' use of DRs as ET: time; teacher mediation; articulation between DRs; (b) the most decisive and predictor way of using DR as an ET is the mediation of the teacher (task type, students autonomy provided, epistemic moves and connection between DR and learning); (c) the mode time is decisive especially for the use of DR as ET to a high degree; (d) a more extensive articulation between DRs can favour the use of DR as ET. This article advances in two directions: 1) to characterize instrumental orchestration modes that are effective for using DR as ET; 2) to characterize (three) instrumental orchestration modes instead of instrumental orchestration types.