Improving Early Spatial Intelligence Through Science Notebook Graphic Production Effective Elementar

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Improving Early Spatial Intelligence Through
Science Notebook Graphic Production Effective
Elementary Classroom Practices

• Eric N. Wiebe
• Lauren P. Madden
• John C. Bedward
• Mike Carter
• James Minogue
• North Carolina State University

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Spatial Intelligence and Science Education

• General belief that SI plays a significant role
  learning about many of the big ideas in science
  and technology
• Some areas have taken particular interest in
  exploring interventions
• Physics
• Geosciences
• Engineering (Mechanical Civil)
• Both computer-based and traditional (pencil and
  paper) graphic strategies are currently being
  explored

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Drawing in Elementary Science

• Science notebooks
• Used in conjunction with kit-based science
  activities
• A place to record questions, ideas, concepts,
  reflections, and observations
• Emphasis on numeracy and literacy competes with
  science time

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Science Notebooks

• Not generic journals
• Specific structure geared for reporting
• Conjectures
• Procedures
• Observations and other forms of data
• Conclusions and summation
• Synthesizing past experience, current questions
  or ideas, and new information being collected
• A place for reflective practice

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Notebooks and Graphics

• An integral part of science notebooks but not
  well leveraged
• Researchers note the power of graphics to develop
  and reveal what students know (Lehrer Schauble,
  2002 Wu Krajcik, 2006)
• Practitioner texts provide little guidance as to
  how to support student creation and use of
  graphics (e.g., Campbell Fulton, 2003 Harlen,
  2001)

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Framework for Action

• Improving scientific knowledge and ways of
  thinking through student-generated graphics
• Work with both existing and developing spatial
  intelligence
• Spatial intelligence central to addressing
  current and emerging national science standards
  (Duschl et al., AAAS, NRC)

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Graphics in Action

• Graphics for meaning making
• Represent both spatial and temporal ideas
• Both human and invisible scales
• Organize information spatially
• Facilitate discussion
• Support oral or written elaboration
• External store for later retrieval
• Cognitive apprenticeship (paralleling
  professional practice)

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Maximizing Opportunities

• Graphics in conjunction with writing
• Small group and whole class-generated graphics
• Graphics as a formative assessment tool
• What can teachers find out about what their
  students know via their graphics?
• Strategic tool for planning next moves

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Guiding the Choice of Graphics

• What is the potential for a graphic type to
  communicate the science concept or phenomena of
  interest
• Individual differences in student abilities and
  attitudes (e.g., Atkinson Bannister, 1998)
• What degree of latitude are students given to
  choose the graphic type?

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Graphic Communication

• External representations of mental imagery
• Semiotics (Peirce, 1960 Bertin, 1983
  MacEachren, 1995)
• Rigorous analysis of the relationship between the
  sign(s), instructional message, and learning
  context
• Population stereotypes for elementary ed.

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Student Abilities

• Both core abilities and past experiences with
  graphic types
• Both classic developmental literature (Piaget
  Inhelder) and more recent work (Siegler
  Alibali Liben Downs) provide insight
• Pronounced changes during the elementary years

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Student Attitudes

• Both ability and preferences can be seen along a
  verbalizer-visualizer continuum (Kozhevnikov,
  Hegarty, Mayer, 2002 Mayer Massa, 2003)
• Cognitive style - more general preferences
• Learning preferences - in the context of specific
  learning tasks

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Classroom Strategies

• Shaping a teachers perceived constraints
• Science content knowledge
• Comfort with graphic production and use
• Curricular materials
• Time devoted to science
• Teacher vs. student directed choice of graphics

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Curriculum Materials

• Standard approaches to information organization
• Often as part of pre-lab activities
• Often provide black-line organizers
• Address big ideas in science but dont
  explicitly leverage graphic options to explore
  them
• Provide instruction on creating graphic types,
  but dont provide a context
• No clear pathway from kit to science notebook

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Sound Unit - 2nd Grade

• Draw a picture of their telephone
• No guidelines except to label
• No probing or discussing graphics
• Checked for completion
• Draw what was observed when sand was on top of
  vibrating paper
• Same as above
• No revisiting of graphics later in the unit

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Landforms Unit - 5th Grade

• Term hanging valley came up in discussion
• Asked students to draw what they thought one was
• Noted categories that emerged and chose three
  exemplars for discussion
• Examined photograph of one the next day and asked
  children to compare it to and revise their
  drawings

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Emerging Themes

• Differing comfort levels with both science
  content and use of graphics
• Professional development teachers have received
  has not supported effective use of
  student-produced graphics
• Need for
• More strategic scaffolding
• Opportunities to revisit and elaborate
• Opportunities to re-represent

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Graphics Infusion

• Throughout the inquiry cycle
• Constrained representations in pre-lab
• Ineffective scaffolding during lab activities
• Integration across the cycle
• Articulate a graphic progression across grades
• Use of master images (Matthewson, 2005) for
  linking the big ideas about science across grades

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Future

• Workshops, classroom observation, student
  interviews and graphic artifact analysis
• Creation of professional development materials
• Pedagogical strategies
• Annotated exemplar science notebook pages
• Formative assessment strategies
• Video vignettes of classroom practice

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Thank You