Using Students’ Conceptual Models to Represent Understanding of Crosscutting Concepts in an NGSS-Aligned Curriculum Unit About Urban Water Runoff

Fick, Sarah J.; McAlister, Anne M.; Chiu, Jennifer L.; McElhaney, Kevin W.

doi:10.1007/s10956-021-09911-6

Cited by 5 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Our progress variables describe one way students engage in three dimensional learning by showing how student performances associated with the practice of mathematical thinking (i.e., covariational reasoning) reveal their understanding of the core concept of matter flows (through mass balance reasoning) as governed by the crosscutting concept of matter conservation (i.e., NRC, 2012;NGSS Lead States, 2013). Although some of our physiology phenomena may be more advanced than are taught at the K-12 level (see Supplemental for NGSS standards that align with our work), using mass balance reasoning to track matter in biotic and abiotic systems is consistent with many K-12 educational goals (see Covitt et al, 2021;Fick et al, 2021;Jin & Anderson, 2012b;Mohan et al, 2009). Additionally, our work connects with, and expands on, previous work in climate change education (Covitt et al, 2021;Sterman & Sweeney, 2007).…”

Section: Broader Implicationssupporting

confidence: 74%

How students reason about matter flows and accumulations in complex biological phenomena: An emerging learning progression for mass balance

et al. 2022

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In recent years, there has been a strong push to transform STEM education at K‐12 and collegiate levels to help students learn to think like scientists. One aspect of this transformation involves redesigning instruction and curricula around fundamental scientific ideas that serve as conceptual scaffolds students can use to build cohesive knowledge structures. In this study, we investigated how students use mass balance reasoning as a conceptual scaffold to gain a deeper understanding of how matter moves through biological systems. Our aim was to lay the groundwork for a mass balance learning progression in physiology. We drew on a general models framework from biology and a covariational reasoning framework from math education to interpret students' mass balance ideas. We used a constant comparative method to identify students' reasoning patterns from 73 interviews conducted with undergraduate biology students. We helped validate the reasoning patterns identified with >8000 written responses collected from students at multiple institutions. From our analyses, we identified two related progress variables that describe key elements of students' performances: the first describes how students identify and use matter flows in biology phenomena; the second characterizes how students use net rate‐of‐change to predict how matter accumulates in, or disperses from, a compartment. We also present a case study of how we used our emerging mass balance learning progression to inform instructional practices to support students' mass balance reasoning. Our progress variables describe one way students engage in three dimensional learning by showing how student performances associated with the practice of mathematical thinking reveal their understanding of the core concept of matter flows as governed by the crosscutting concept of matter conservation. Though our work is situated in physiology, it extends previous work in climate change education and is applicable to other scientific fields, such as physics, engineering, and geochemistry.

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Section: Broader Implicationssupporting

confidence: 74%

How students reason about matter flows and accumulations in complex biological phenomena: An emerging learning progression for mass balance

et al. 2022

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“…Making sense of environmental issues that have relevance to one's life and community requires the ability to intertwine the science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas. Researchers have described students’ explanations of water in environmental systems (Covitt et al, 2009; Forbes et al, 2015; Gunckel, Covitt, et al, 2012), modeling practices with respect to the water cycle (Pierson et al, 2017; Schwarz et al, 2009), and systems thinking about water (Ben‐Zvi Assaraf & Orion, 2005; Fick, 2018; Fick et al, 2021; Lally & Forbes, 2020). Our research shows how student engagement in computational thinking can be an integral component of environmental science literacy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In systems theory, systems are described by their structure, function, and dynamics. The structure of a system includes the parts of the system, their interactions, and their relationships (Ben‐Zvi Assaraf & Orion, 2005; Fick, 2018; Fick et al, 2021; Hmelo‐Silver et al, 2007). In groundwater systems, for example, the structure includes the organization of the substrate layers that define an aquifer and the physical properties of these layers, such as permeability, that influence the movement of water through the ground.…”

Section: Background and Conceptual Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the agent-based modeling environment, individual agents that operate independently but are guided by a set of rules are used to investigate interactions within systems (Bonabeau, 2002;Goldstone & Wilensky, 2008;Grimm et al, 2006;Wilensky & Rand, 2015;Wilensky & Reisman, 2006). Our research builds on previous learning progressions for disciplinary ideas relevant to water moving through environmental systems, (Forbes et al, 2015; as well as work on student understanding of systems and system models of water in the environment (Fick et al, 2021;Lally & Forbes, 2020;Sabel et al, 2017).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Computational thinking for using models of water flow in environmental systems: Intertwining three dimensions in a learning progression

et al. 2022

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Nearly a decade ago, the Framework for K‐12 Science Education argued for the need to intertwine science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts in performance expectations. However, there are few empirical examples for how intertwining three dimensions facilitates learning. In this study, we used a learning progressions approach to examine how student engagement in computational thinking (science and engineering practice) intertwines with learning about the flow of water through environmental systems (disciplinary core ideas) and understanding of systems and system models (crosscutting concept). We developed three secondary‐level curriculum units situated in current groundwater contamination and urban flooding contexts. Units included specially designed NetLogo computational models. Post‐assessments measured student performances in computational thinking processes and understanding of hydrologic systems. Using item response theory in our analysis, we identified distinct levels of performance on a learning progression. At the lower end, literal model users interacted with models and manipulated model interfaces to achieve a specified goal. In the middle, Model Technicians used computational models to solve real‐world problems. At the upper end, principle‐based model users used computational thinking processes and principles related to systems modeling and hydrology to explain how the models worked to predict water flow. Differences between performances of literal model users, model technicians, and principle‐based model users reflected shifts in how students made sense of the systems and system models crosscutting concept. These shifts in performances aligned with progress in computational thinking practices and finally with use of hydrology disciplinary core ideas. These findings contribute to understanding of how science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts intertwine during learning; how computational thinking practices develop; and how computational thinking about system models facilitates learning for environmental science literacy.

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“…Therefore, we searched the literature for studies about how teachers have enacted the CCCs in their classrooms. Teachers conducted most of the studies we found involving CCCs and published those studies in practitioner journals like NSTA's Science Scope (e.g., Fick et al, 2021). A commonality among previous studies is a focus on the implementation of a single project or unit that incorporated CCCs alongside one or two of the other NGSS dimensions as part of a pre‐established curriculum or unit that was given to participant teachers to implement (Anderson et al, 2018; Fick, 2018; Haines et al, 2017; Lubkowitz et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teacher enactment of the crosscutting concepts in next generation science classrooms

et al. 2021

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This exploratory qualitative study examined science teacher enactment of crosscutting concepts (CCCs), a core aspect of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) three‐dimensional learning, which also includes disciplinary core ideas and science and engineering practices (SEPs). We collected naturalistic observational and interview data from 13 California teachers involved in a major NGSS implementation initiative and analyzed this data by applying four roles of the CCCs in instruction as described by Rivet et al. (2016). The roles these conceptual resources play are: lens, bridge, tool, and rules of the game. Using this schema, we provide thick description of teachers' different purposes for, modes of, and challenges in using CCCs in their instruction. Naturalistic observations provided information about how teachers were using CCCs in their classrooms while interview data revealed the opportunities and challenges teachers perceived in CCC enactment, both of which are little addressed within the emerging body of CCC research. Teachers received extensive professional development (PD) on the NGSS but nevertheless identified CCC enactment as particularly challenging. For this reason, we suggest the four roles of the CCCs, which were indeed reflected in our data set, could be a helpful framework for making the CCCs more accessible and understandable to teachers, and thus more likely to be incorporated into everyday science instruction to enhance student learning. We envision future use of this framework as an epistemic heuristic having the potential to bring more clarity to CCC enactment for researchers, teachers, curriculum developers, and PD providers.

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Using Students’ Conceptual Models to Represent Understanding of Crosscutting Concepts in an NGSS-Aligned Curriculum Unit About Urban Water Runoff

Cited by 5 publications

References 27 publications

How students reason about matter flows and accumulations in complex biological phenomena: An emerging learning progression for mass balance

How students reason about matter flows and accumulations in complex biological phenomena: An emerging learning progression for mass balance

Computational thinking for using models of water flow in environmental systems: Intertwining three dimensions in a learning progression

Teacher enactment of the crosscutting concepts in next generation science classrooms

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