Proposal view
| Proposal Type: | Individual Paper |
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| Domain: | Knowledge Acquisition and Expertise in Specific Domains |
| SIG: | Conceptual Change |
| Type | Submitted Paper |
| Equipment |
PC and projector |
| Paper Details |
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| Title | The Role of Writing in Multi-modal Learning in Secondary Science |
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| Abstract | There is now broad agreement that learning science in secondary school entails understanding and linking verbal, visual and mathematical modes to develop knowledge of scientific concepts and processes. While past research has focused on the role of writing for learning in science, and more recently on the integration of different modes, the relationship between these two research agendas has not been investigated in depth. Our paper reports on two case studies that aimed to identify the possible roles of writing in enhancing students’ understandings of, and capacity to link, different representational modes to develop conceptual knowledge. Analysed qualitative and quantitative data from two case studies included assessment of student work, focus-group interviews, and classroom observations. The findings indicated that student writing can serve various key functions in relation to effective multi-modal learning in science. |
| Summary | There has been sustained research interest in the use of writing for learning in secondary science classrooms (Klein, 2006; Halliday & Martin, 1993). This research has focused on developing theoretical accounts of how writing enhances learning, including identifying cognitive processes associated with different writing practices (Klein 2006), and identifying the effects of different writing tasks on student learning (Hand, Hohenshell, & Prain 2004; Unsworth, 2001). There has also been strong recent research interest in learner engagement with the different modes through which science inquiry and explanations are represented, including verbal, numerical, graphic and visual modes (Ainsworth, 2006; Lemke, 1998). Our paper seeks to build on this research by focusing on the role of writing for learning when students engage with multimodal representations of science topics at two different age levels. The study focused on two case studies: one of twelve-year-old students’ learning in the topic of evaporation in an Australian setting and one of seventeen year-old students’ learning in the topic of electricity in Turkey. Aims of the Study and Research Methods In this study we aimed to identify: 1. students’ understandings of, and capacity to link, different representational modes to develop conceptual knowledge, with a particular focus on writing, and 2. theoretical and practical implications for developing effective classroom learning. We used a case study mixed methods approach, incorporating qualitative and quantitative approaches (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994). The researchers collaborated with the participant teachers to develop learning tasks on two topics, evaporation and electricity, incorporating tasks that entailed student translation of concepts across different modes of representation, and students’ use of writing to explain their understanding of this process. Students’ initial and post-topic understandings, and their practices and learning outcomes were identified through classroom observations, surveys, transcription of group interviews of four students in each case study, and assessment of learning in the case study classes compared with control groups. In the case study on learning about evaporation, students were expected to learn about a particle model of matter through engagement with a range of guided inquiries, web-based resources, and independent investigations, incorporating visual and verbal modes. Students were then expected to apply their understanding of this concept to various new contexts. In the case study on electricity, students were required to embed mathematical and graphical representations within summary report writing tasks on the topic of electricity. The design of the topic was such that the researchers were able to examine the sequencing of the embedded representation and the effects of different sequences of modes on student learning. Findings In the case study on the topic of evaporation, the findings indicated that while written narrative supported student learning, many students were unclear about the strengths and limitations of different forms of representation, including written explanation, as well as the interplay between writing and other modes. In the case study on the topic of electricity, the results indicated that students who were asked to embed mathematical representations within their written descriptions of the topic scored significantly better than students who were asked to embed graphical representation within their written text. With a follow up task, students who started with embedding mathematical representations in a written text continued to outperform students who started with graphical representations regardless of whether they used either mathematical or graphical representations in the second task. Such results point to the sequence of representations in relation to writing appearing to have significance with student construction of understanding in this topic. Implications The study indicates that the written mode, as part of a multi-modal focus, supports learning, provided that students understand the functional relationships between modes, their interplay, and the ways in which writing can clarify relationships among ideas and across different representations. There is therefore a strong need to focus on the pedagogical implications of student engagement with modal diversity and interplay in relation to writing. We cannot simply expose students to different modal representations, and expect them to understand the functional features in these modes, or how to connect writing to other modes to represent scientific ideas, processes, and findings. Teachers need to focus on appropriate negotiation and facilitation strategies in using writing within this multi-modal approach. References Ainsworth, S. (2006). DeFT: A conceptual framework for considering learning with multiple representations. Learning and Instruction, 16 (3), 183-198. Denzin, N., & Lincoln, Y. (1994). The handbook of qualitative research in education. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. Halliday, M & Martin, J.(1993). Writing science: Literacy and discursive power London: Falmer Press. Hand, B., Hohenshell, L. M., & Prain, V. (2004). Exploring students' responses to conceptual questions when engaged with planned writing experiences: A study with year 10 science students. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 41(2), 186-210. Klein, P (2006) The Challenges of Scientific Literacy: From the viewpoint of second-generation cognitive science. International Journal of Science Education. 28 (2-3), 143 – 178. Lemke, J.(1998). Multiplying meaning: Visual and verbal semiotics in scientific text. In J, Martin & R. Vell (eds.). Reading science. Critical and functional Perspectives on Discourses of science (pp. 87-113). London: Routledge Unsworth, L. (2001). Teaching Multiliteracies across the Curriculum: Changing contexts of text and image in classroom practice. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press. |
| Keywords | Conceptual change Science education Writing |
| Appendices | |
| Authors | ||||||
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| Name | Surname | Institution | Country | EARLI Number | Presenting | |
| Vaughan | Prain | La Trobe University | Australia | v.prain@latrobe.edu.au | * | |
| Brian | Hand | University of Iowa | United States | brian-hand@uiowa.edu | ||
| Jim | Carolan | La Trobe University | Australia | j.carolan@latrobe.edu.au | ||
