Building Understanding Through Model Building

1
Building Understanding Through Model Building

• Thomas Keating
• Indiana University Curriculum and Instruction
• Michael Barnett
• Sasha A. Barab
• Indiana University Instructional Systems
  Technology

2
The Context for the Study

• Pilot Study
• Summer 1998
• Project Based
• Virtual Reality Modeling
• Eight Students
• Part of a larger study

3
Course Structure

• Students develop VR models around three projects
• Project 1 Celestial Sphere
• Project 2 Earth-Moon-Sun
• Project 3 Entire Solar System

4
Methodology

• Pre-Post Interviews
• Extensive viewing of Videotapes of Interviews
• Transcribed interviews
• Evaluated conceptual growth by a rubric

5
Interview Questions

• What causes the seasons of the Earth?
• When you are on the Moon does the Earth set?
  Does the Earth have phases? How long is a day on
  the Moon?
• Can you draw a picture that represents the
  planets where they would be located if relative
  size was maintained
• Can you draw the Sun-Moon-Earth in the following
  phases Full Moon, Lunar Eclipse. What are the
  differences and similarities between a full Moon
  and Lunar Eclipse.

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General Results

• Graphs graph go here

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Individual Results

• Reasons for the Seasons
• classic alternative conceptions (six out of
  eight)
• All students knew tilt by end of course
• only two knew angle of incidence of light on
  Earths surface
• Unable to model angle of incidence with VR
  software

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Results

• Changing Perspective
• Does the Earth when viewed from the Moon
• Does the Earth have phases when viewed from the
  Moon
• How long is a day on the Moon
• Link to Matts model (quote from the paper)

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Changing Perspective

• Does the Earth set from the Moon
• involves understanding the synchronous rotation
  of the Moon
• six of eight students adequately explained
• Models used to explain their understanding
• Link to Matts model

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Results

• Eclipses and Phases
• seven out of eight, most successful
• combination of line of nodes, Moons orbital tilt
  (link to Emilys Model)
• Emerged as conceptual tools in students models
• Matt pre-post interview (new slide)

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Results

• Scale of the Solar System
• underdeveloped understanding
• knew relative size (all)
• most struggled with distance scale
• many referred to their model
• VR environment not robust enough to facilitate
  appreciation of scale

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Discussion

• VR seems to work
• changing frames of reference
• visualizing abstract concepts (line of nodes)

13
Discussion

• Present VR environment
• Did not foster student appreciation for scale
• Only gives a partial understanding of the seasons
  due to inability to demonstrate angle of
  incidence of light

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Further Directions

• Currently teaching 2 VSS classes with 35 students
• Pre-post interviews
• VSS students and traditional class
• Pre-Post exam
• same exam as traditional students

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Questions