SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY ONLINEJigsaw Team Assignment

Brandy Ciaccia, Thomas Dahan & Michelle Donnelly| EDUC532-901| Drexel University

OVERVIEW OF THE CHAPTER• Online classes need to be designed in a way

that facilitates the class and is relevant to the course material

• This chapter concentrates on creating an online classroom for scientific studies

• “Doing science involves asking questions, hands-on experimentation, observation, data and a search for patterns” (Rubin & Doubler, p. 154)

• The authors incorporate scientific graphs, charts and other visual elements to their online course design because scientific inquiry is more hands-on

OVERVIEW OF THE CHAPTER• Discourse and dialogue amongst each

other will provide a deeper understanding of course material

• Students can learn from each other’s experiences both from within the class and from outside experiences– “Scientific communities are only as vibrant as

their ability to communicate through a shared language that reflects the values of the discipline – a focus on questions, hypotheses, and explanations grounded in evidence” (Rubin & Doubler, p. 173)

CONTENT AND CONTEXTHow does the content and context affect the professional

experience of the participants?

• Study groups allow the students to form a bond even without meeting in person

– “Within the group, results are compared, clarification requested, questions posed, and explanations proposed and debated” (Rubin & Doubler, p. 155)

• Students and professors can give ideas, instructions and answers to things not previously have thought of by other students

• The science becomes a collaboration

• Allows for a deeper understanding of the material because both hands-on experience and discussion about assignments is utilized

CONTENT AND CONTEXT – SHARED LANGUAGE• Students will learn to communicate in the

language of science

• In doing experiment, posting on the discussion boards and interacting with the facilitators students learn to “refine their ideas and to test their explanatory theories” (Rubin & Doubler, p. 161) using the language of science– “Developing a shared representational language

is a necessary part of the formation of a scientific community” (Rubin & Doubler, p. 161)

TOOLS USED AND THEIR INFLUENCE – ONLINE TOOLSHow does the site architecture, choice of collaborative tools,

models for interaction and administrative structures influence the professional development of the participants?

• Study Groups: “provides a small community of colleagues with they become comfortable putting their ideas forward, taking intellectual risks, and assuming increased responsibility for one another’s learning” (Rubin & Doubler, p. 155)

• Online interactions with one another: allows for a more in-depth conversation because the participants have time to develop their answers and write them out on the discussion boards

• Motions in your Life Forum: this was a separate discussion board used to acknowledge and discuss the scientific theories being studied in use in the participants every day lives, e.g. Dunkin Donuts coffee in a cup while driving a car and the motions it makes (Rubin & Doubler, p. 160)

• Strobe Pictures: used to show motion in experiments, provides a more accurate analysis of the experiment

TOOLS USED AND THEIR INFLUENCE – ONLINE TOOLS• Graphs: two types were used - cork graphs,

which combined a visual aid of an actual object to watch while in motion and then a chart to map out the motion on and a signature graph – a more in depth drawn out representation of the experiment with more plotted out to show motion, speed and time– “In the scientific community, there are norms

about what constitutes a valid representation, how representations are read, and what their relationship is to reality; these are part of the culture we hope students will understand and use” (Rubin & Doubler, p. 166)

TOOLS AND THEIR INFLUENCE - ADMINISTRATIVE• Facilitator interaction: “facilitators generally take

a low profile, contributing on average about 10% of the discussion posts” (Rubin & Doubler, p . 156). The role of the professor is to provide direction and probe for deeper answers rather then to dominate the discussion and be looked to for answers. Students should look to each other instead

• Facilitators will respond to questions, redirect discussions but are cautious of intervening to often, “aware that participants could quickly turn to her as an expert” (Rubin & Doubler, p. 157)

TOOLS AND INTERACTIONS• These online tools add to the professional

development of the participants within the classroom

• The use of various tools allows for more observation and exploration to get a better understanding of the topic

• The use of these tools aid in online and offline interactions needed to have better understanding of the Scientific Inquiry that goes on such as with an online Physics class understanding F=ma

ONLINE AND OFFLINE INTERACTIONSHow does the size, coherence of membership, structure,

and offline interactions support a community and deepen interactions online?

• “Teachers work independently, offline and away from the computer, for a few days. By Tuesday evening they report their data and findings to their assigned study group of five to seven people; in the group’s ensuing discussion between Tuesday and Thursday, each individual’s work becomes part of a collection of data and ideas that the group uses to make sense of the observations ( Rubin & Doubler p 155).”

• Offline interactions enhance online interactions

• Offline interactions give students personal, yet shared experience to the table

ONLINE AND OFFLINE INTERACTIONS• Having personal experiences makes discussing,

collaborating, and understanding the experiments more efficient because each individual has something to relate to

• Having groups allows for more perspectives more ideas to bounce off of each other

• Having the groups and then allowing the groups to look at the other groups results is great learning experience, enhancing learning, and deepens understanding

• Offline experiments and interactions are key to adding depth to online discussions, forums, and understanding graphs and materials that are given

DATA/OBSERVATIONSHow does one assess the success of such an effort over time?

• The components of the course are evaluated based on the varied levels of collaboration using a shared vocabulary and provides opportunities for each learner to contribute their own perspective and data to their teammates (Rubin & Doubler, 2009)

• In addition the learner is assessed on the ability to create functioning models for demonstration using communication other than text

– “Our goal was not for teachers to learn about traditional scientific graphs, but to communicate using the language and representational tools of science” (Rubin & Doubler, 2009, pg. 166)

• Participants in the course also underwent a transformative shift in perspective from science-teacher to science-learner and then back to science-teacher.

– This shift in perspective allowed the instructor the opportunity to assess content understanding before assessing the learners ability to apply that learning to course design

REFERENCESFalk, J. K. & Drayton, B. (Eds.) (2009).

Creating and sustaining online professional learning communities. New York: Teachers College Press.

Rubin, A. & Doubler, S. J. (2009). The role of representations in shaping a community of scientific inquiry online. In J. K. Falk & B. Drayton (Eds.), Creating and sustaining online professional learning communities. New York: Teachers College Press.