ERIC Number: EJ1157971
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1436-4522
EISSN: N/A
Moving Apart and Coming Together: Discourse, Engagement, and Deep Learning
Gomoll, Andrea S.; Hmelo-Silver, Cindy E.; Tolar, Erin; Ĺ abanovic, Selma; Francisco, Matthew
Educational Technology & Society, v20 n4 p219-232 2017
An important part of "doing" science is engaging in collaborative science practices. To better understand how to support these practices, we need to consider how students collaboratively construct and represent shared understanding in complex, problem-oriented, and authentic learning environments. This research presents a case study centered on the work of four students in a human-centered robotics curriculum enactment. We explore how discursive features including embodied gesture and positioning of material artifacts contributed to the problem-solving process and helped students move towards deeper learning--showing how nonverbal and verbal discourses were used to construct agreement and disagreement, parallel interaction, and accountability. Each of these discursive actions informed how the group moved forward or was halted in their complex collaborative work. We found that early stages of constructing a joint problem-solving space (JPSS) in this classroom environment required extended engagement, student ownership, and negotiation of shared activity. By exploring how select students worked toward the co-construction of joint problem-solving spaces, we reimagine what deep engagement and learning in STEM learning environments can look like, and we inform better design for the creation of these spaces.
Descriptors: Robotics, Cooperative Learning, Science Process Skills, Problem Solving, Case Studies, Nonverbal Communication, Speech Communication, Discourse Analysis, Persuasive Discourse, Accountability, Group Dynamics, Learner Engagement, Science Activities, STEM Education, Secondary School Science, Secondary School Students, Grade 7, Grade 8, Rural Schools, Public Schools, Focus Groups
International Forum of Educational Technology & Society. Available from: National Sun Yat-sen University. Department of Information Management, 70, Lien-Hai Rd, Kaohsiung, 80424, Taiwan. Web site: http://www.ifets.info
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Indiana
Grant or Contract Numbers: 1433414