Building Models by Coloring Diagrams

1. Building Models by Coloring Diagrams ▲▼▲▼▲ ▼▲▼▲▼ ▲▼▲▼▲ ▼▲▼▲▼ ▲▼▲▼▲ Joel Rosenberg Museum of Science, Boston jrose@alum.mit.edu

2. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory ▲▼▲▼▲ ▼▲▼▲▼ ▲▼▲▼▲ ▼▲▼▲▼ ▲▼▲▼▲ Problem Color-coding History Theory Evaluation

3. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Students don’t notice what is not obvious: * Ambient temperature * Atmospheric pressure * Electric potential

4. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Students don’t notice what is not obvious: * Ambient temperature * Atmospheric pressure * Electric potential Students think causes are linear: * Cold is caused by “cold” * Vacuums “suck” * “Electricity” flows one-way, from battery to bulb

5. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Students don’t notice what is not obvious: * Ambient temperature * Atmospheric pressure * Electric potential Students think causes are linear: * Cold is caused by “cold” * Vacuums “suck” * “Electricity” flows one-way, from battery to bulb Students also: * don’t differentiate heat and temperature * think of pressure as acting in a direction * fail to understand much about electric circuits

6. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Y YELLOW Normal

7. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory R RED High above normal O ORANGE Above normal Y YELLOW Normal

8. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory R RED High above normal O ORANGE Above normal Y YELLOW Normal G GREEN Below normal B BLUE Low below normal

9. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory R RED High above normal O ORANGE Above normal Y YELLOW Normal G GREEN Below normal B BLUE Low below normal Temperature

10. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory R RED High above normal O ORANGE Above normal Y YELLOW Normal G GREEN Below normal B BLUE Low below normal Pressure Temperature

11. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory R Y + B Y CASTLE Curriculum

12. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory R + B CASTLE Curriculum

13. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory R + B CASTLE Curriculum

14. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Lesh Translation Model “Concretize and externalize”

15. + 3 3 2.5V L1 LAMP SOCKET 3V B1 Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Lesh Translation Model ∆V = I * R P = I * ∆V ‘Electric pressure’ difference drives charge flow

16. + Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory CASTLE: % correct answers (p<.001) Pre Post Gain Conventional (N=308) 32 36 4 CASTLE (N=333) 30 50 20 Confidence levels (p<.001) Pre Post Gain Conventional 56 63 7 CASTLE 53 74 21 Female confidence Pre Post Gain Conventional 52 55 3 CASTLE 45 70 25

17. + Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory CASTLE: Possible explanation: Increased qualitative student discussion → Greater chance for females to use their verbal communication skills

18. + Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory CASTLE: Possible explanation: Increased qualitative student discussion → Greater chance for females to use their verbal communication skills Cited as a proven effective program by the Program Effectiveness Panel, U.S. Department of Education

19. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Karlsruhe Physics Curriculum

20. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Karlsruhe Physics Curriculum

21. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Karlsruhe Physics Curriculum

22. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Karlsruhe Physics Curriculum

23. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Karlsruhe Physics Course: “Neither KPC students nor traditional students developed adequate physical concepts about elementary electric circuits.”

24. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Karlsruhe Physics Course: “Neither KPC students nor traditional students developed adequate physical concepts about elementary electric circuits.”

25. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Karlsruhe Physics Course: “Neither KPC students nor traditional students developed adequate physical concepts about elementary electric circuits.” * Higher self-efficacy for KPC girls * KPC students better at explaining thermal systems

26. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Energy and Change

27. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Energy and Change “A difference drives change, and the difference disappears”

28. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Energy and Change “A difference drives change, and the difference disappears” “You need a difference to create a difference”

29. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Energy and Change “A difference drives change, and the difference disappears” “You need a difference to create a difference”

30. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Energy and Change: Hot = high concentration of energy (for some students Hot = a LOT of energy) “The main difficulty…was distinguishing between the intensive quantity of temperature and the extensive quantity of energy; these abstract pictures did not seem to help them in that respect.”

31. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Harvard Understanding of Consequences Project

32. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Harvard Understanding of Consequences Project

33. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Harvard Understanding of Consequences Project Pressure

34. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Harvard Understanding of Consequences Project Pressure Density

35. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Understandings of Consequence: Causal puzzles clearly help students “Students…may construct more complex models but with incorrect scientific reasoning.”

36. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Engineering the Future: Temperature Pressure Voltage

37. Color-coding History Evaluation Problem Theory Engineering the Future: Confidence: Pre: 34.25% Post: 53.85%

38. ▲▼▲▼▲ ▼▲▼▲▼ ▲▼▲▼▲ ▼▲▼▲▼ ▲▼▲▼▲ Vielen dank! Joel Rosenberg Museum of Science, Boston jrose@alum.mit.edu