Influence of Connectivism on Science Education with Emphasis on Experiments

1. Science Education Research9th International Conference 5th - 9th September 2011, Lyon - FRANCE Influence of Connectivism on Science Education with Emphasis on Experiments Eva Trnova, Josef Trna Masaryk University Brno, Czech Republic

2. TABLE OF CONTENT • 1. INTRODUCTION • 2. RATIONALES • 3. CONNECTIVISM • 4. DESIGN RESEARCH • 5. ACTION RESEARCH • 6. EXAMLE OF ICT-BCAR • 7. CONCLUSIONS

3. 1.INTRODUCTION Science education today plays an important role in educational systems and has the goal of enhancing scientific literacy in students. Science and technology literacy improvement is a necessity for the development of the society. However, the interest of students in science has been significantly decreasing.

4. 1. WHAT HAS AN IFLUENCE ON SCIENCE EDUCATION TODAY? Science education is affected by many causes and factors but the very important ones are: the fast development of information and communication technologies (ICT), different learning style of todays´ learners, methodologies - the way science is taught in schools.

5. 2. THE IMPACT OF ICT New tools - overhead projectors, interactive boards, computer processed technology teaching elements including experiments Experiments – operating and processing of observed results, – records of experiment by digital cameras and video cameras and further computer processed, – animation, modelling and simulation of experiments, – performing and sharing experiments in distance laboratories, – gaining data from distant laboratories. Source of information - Internet Communication network - sharing, discussions, common problem solving, etc.

6. 2. THE IMPACT OF ICT ON LEARNING STYLE OF TODAYS´ LEARNERS Todays´ students have grown up with ICT - surrounded by and using PC, videogames, digital music players, video cams, cell phones, and all the other toys and tools of the digital age. They have some different features from previous generations which affect their education. They bring unique learning style preferences and worldviews. According to their attitude to ICT todays´ generation is named: Net Generation Nintendo Generation, Millennials Digital Natives

7. 2. NET GENERATION – D. Oblinger and J.Oblinger (2005, Educating the Net Generation) Some features which are different from previous generations and which affect NG´ education: • NG often intuitively uses a variety of ICT without an instruction manual so their understanding of the technology may be shallow. • NG is more visually literate than previous generations, but because of the availability of visual media, their text literacy may be less well developed than previous cohorts. • NG (73 %) prefers to use the Internet for research than the library and knows how to find valid information from the Web. • NG sometimes prefers speed to accuracy (influence of PC games). • NG doesmultitask, move quickly from one activity to another and sometimes perform them simultaneously. • NG prefers to learn by doing rather by being told what to do - NG learns well through inquiry — by exploring for themselves or with their peers. This exploratory style enables them to better retain information and use it in creative, meaningful ways. • NG often prefers to learn and work in teams. A peer-to-peer approach is common, as well, where students help each other. In fact, NG learners consider peers more credible than teachers.

8. 2. DIGITAL NATIVES • M. Prensky (Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants 2001 On the Horizon) first used the naming of todays´ student Digital Natives because students today are all "native speakers" of the digital language of computers, video games and the Internet. • He named the previous generation the Digital Immigrants – need to adapt to the (digital) environment – Internet, website - they usually retain some degree of "accent" The “digital immigrant accent” can be seen in such things as turning to the Internet for information second rather than first, or in reading the manual for a program rather than assuming that the program itself will teach us to use it.

9. 2. Diana Oblinger and James OblingerFirst Steps Toward Understanding the Net Generation

10. 3. CONNECTIVISM Behaviourism, cognitivism, and constructivism - the three main teaching/learning pedagogical theories still used in science and technology education. New educational theory – connectivismas “a learning theory for a digital age”- was born as a response to the invasive ICT development

11. 3. CONNECTIVISM- Siemens (2005) „Learning is no longer an internal, individualistic activity. Education has been slow to recognize the impact of new learning tools and the environmental changes. The ability to learn what we need for tomorrow is more important than what we know today. When knowledge, however, is needed, but not known, the ability to plug into sources to meet the requirements becomes a vital skill. As knowledge continues to grow and evolve, access to what is needed is more important than what the learner currently possesses”.

12. 3. THE FIRST PRINCIPLES OF CONNECTIVISM ESTABLISHED BY SIEMENS • Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions. • Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes oinformation • sources. • Learning may reside in non-human appliances. • Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known. • Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate • continual learning. • Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a • core skill. • Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all • connectivistic learning activities. • Decision-making is itself a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision.

13. 3. CONNECTIVISM Possible connectivistic influences on science and technology education (our research issues): identification of connectivistic factors and their influence on science and technology education creation of connectivistic educational tools and techniques in science education implementation of connectivistic educational tools and techniquesinto science teaching/learning and science teachers training

14. 4. DESIGN-BASED RESEARCH To monitor the set out connectivistic factors, weused method a design-based research: • is a new trend in educational research, • it is a development research, • research questions are not determined, but the problem is defined to be solved.

15. EMPIRICAL RESEARCH Hypotheses based upon Observations and/or Existing Theories Experiments Designed to Test Hypotheses Theory Refinement based on Test Results Application of Theory by Practitioners Specification of New Hypotheses DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH Analysis of Practical Problems by Researchers and Practitioners Development of Solutions with a Theoretical Framework Evaluation and Testing of Solutions in Practice Documentation and Reflection to Produce “Design Principles” Refinement of Problems, Solutions, and Methods 4. DESIGN-BASED RESEARCHFigure 2: Empirical and development approaches to IT research (Reeves, 2006).

16. 4. IMPLEMENTATION OF A DESIGN-BASED RESEARCH INTO OUR RESAERCH • The main advantage of the design-based research is its close connection with educational practice. • The basic principle and advantage of the design-based research is the close cooperation between researchers and teachers = a prerequisite of direct use of the research outputs in everyday practice. • The above-mentioned reasons led us to use design-based research to address the issue of the implementation of connectivism into science and technology education. • These methods were created within the frame of cooperative action research based on ICT which can be used as a vehicle for international cooperation with effective exploitation of ICT.

17. 5. Action research • The action research may be perceived as a simpler, initial stage of the design-based research. • In the last years, action research has been implemented into thedaily practise more often. Science teachers thus use the action research cycle for verification of their innovative ideas. • Thus, there occurs a significant development of PCK of each teacher who uses action research on the basis of the research-based teacher self-training.

18. 5. ACTION RESEARCH Action research is simply “learning by doing”: to identify a problem, to do something to resolve it, to see how successful their efforts were, and if not satisfied, to try again.

19. 5. ICT–BASED COLLABORATIVE ACTION RESEARCH (ICT-BCAR) Our innovative idea is to use action research in a web-based environment realised through the international collaboration. Action research is mainly used by one teacher in one class. ICT-BCARcan be explored in modified conditions for example by two collaborating teachers, working on-line in two classrooms, in two different countries, using English in addition to home languages, and on-line instruction by use of ICT.

20. 5. ICT–BASED COLLABORATIVE ACTION RESEARCH (ICT-BCAR) An important aspect of ICT-BCARis that participants in collaborative action research are co-researchers. The principle of collaborative co-researchers presupposes that each participant’s ideas are equally significant as a potential resource for creating interpretive categories for analysis, as negotiated among the participants.

21. 6.OUR EXAMPLE OF ICT-BCAR The “action” factor of our action research was ICT-BCAR in action among teachers and students from Portugal and the Czech Republic. This collaboration was intended to upgrade teaching and learning using motivational methods and the introduction of innovative school simple (hands-on) experimentation. Students were involved in the process of learning and were encouraged to play a teaching role with respect to their peers.

22. 6.TOPIC SELECTION All science topics are not equally suitable for ICT-BCAR. We used the following criteria for the topic selection: the position of the topic in the curriculum of the countries, the importance of the topic for students’ cognitive development, the level of interest for students. Based on mentioned criteria, the topic chosen was “Photosynthesis”.

23. 6.OBJECTIVES motivate the students to learn about photosynthesis; develop knowledge and skills relevant to this topic; improve the interactions among students, between teacher and learners and, finally, encourage in interaction between the teachers.

24. 6. SELECTION OF STUDENTS The factors important for the selection of students were age and ability. The students should be approximately the same age, promoting an interest to collaborate, communicating in the English language and skilled in the use of ICT. Students were selected from secondary schools and 15-16 years of age.

25. 6. COMMUNICATION: e-Twinning -TwinSpace Skype Video-conference E-mail ICQ, Facebook….

26. 17.STUDENTS´DISCUSION Examples of students´ discussion on-line using Skype after implementation of the activity: A Czech student asked: Why did you crush the leaves? A Portuguese student explained: It is necessary to extract the pigments found in the thylakoid membranes of the chloroplasts. A Czech student asked: Why is alcohol added? A Portuguese student explained: Alcohol is used to extract the pigments from the leaves.

27. 6.MATERIALS The teachers collaboratively developed (in their own language and in English): worksheets, power-point presentations, videos, experiments, learning tasks, tests.

28. 6. FIGURERS

29. 6.PROCEDURE PICTURES

30. 6.REFLECTION Reflection is a very important part of collaborative action research. In seeking evidence is possible to use: pre-test and post-test, questionnaires, observations, interviews, portfolios.

31. 6. RESULTS OF REFLECTION The analysis of inquiry outcomes supported the fact that ICT-BCAR offers meaningful and motivational support for the development of professional competencies of science teachers and for the process of students’ learning. ICT-BCAR contributed to upgradingteaching and learning and innovative school simple (hands-on) experimentation.

32. 6.NEW ROLES OF HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES The using of ICT provides an additional good opportunity for the dissemination and upgrading of new hands-on activities or unknown variants of these activities amongst teachers. It is proposed that a web-based environment can provide a very effective technology for initiating and substantiating science teachers’ collaboration. Our study used the benefits of an ICT environment to change the normal conditions of implementation of hands-on activities.

33. 7. The main advantages of ICT-BCAR forscience and technology education 1. Strong motivation of students and teachers especially by communication with colleagues in other countries, new information, applications of knowledge from abroad, personal contacts etc. 2. Exchange of experiences between teachers (teaching methods) by comparing curricular material (textbooks, learning tasks, experimentation etc.). 3. Inserting of new educational methods based on research by teachers’ application of action research monitored by educational experts. 4. Acquisition of subject knowledge and skills. 5. Team collaboration among teachers inside the partner schools (support with ICT, English, organisation of lessons etc.). 6. Team collaboration among students within the partner schools (support with ICT, organisation of lessons etc.).

34. 7.CONCLUSIONS We have discovered several connectivisticfactors that show today in the teaching of science and application of experiments: computer control of experiments and computer processing of measured data getting of manuals for experiments from the Internet digital recording and web presentations of experiments knowledge sharing and distribution across a network creation of learning structures using networks etc.

35. 7. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS We have developed the set of connectivistic teaching/learning techniques and tools applicable primarily in implementation in ICT based cooperation action research: Application of a single communication language (English). Application of ICT communication technologies. The use of cooperating students’ knowledge. Creation of communication connections.

36. 7. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS The main outcomes of the research and implementation ofconnectivistic techniques and tools into science school experimentation: Strong motivation of students and teachers especially by communication with colleagues in other country, new information, applications of new knowledge, new personal contacts etc. Exchange of experiences between teachers (experiments etc.). Teachers’ and students’ improvement of skills to use ICT and English language Gaining of collaboration competencies between teachers and among students Team collaboration among students and teachers - peers More effective acquisition of science knowledge and skills

37. Thank you for your attention. Eva Trnova,Josef Trna Masaryk University Brno, Czech Republic trna@ped.muni.cz