222 koulountzos
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he content of the course:
KOULOUNTZOS, Vassilis, PRIMERAKIS Giorgos and SEROGLOU, Fanny
ATLAS Research Group, School of Primary Education, Faculty of Education, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Instructional e-material Design for Teacher e-training:
The Case of Electromagnetism
Abstract. In this paper the design of instructional e-material is presented. The instructional material consists of short films, photographs, worksheets, guidelines for the teacher, teaching strategies, etc. and is going to be incorporated in a web-based learning environment for teacher e-training in science education. The design of the instructional material is based on history of science and the SHINE research model has been used for its development. The SHINE research model is an 8 stages research model focusing on the interaction between history of science and science education. This paper is a SHINE case study in electromagnetism. The design of the developed instructional e-material is based on the study of the works of Gardano, Gilbert and Faraday. Two sets of experiments and a role-play based on a short film have already been developed.
Koulountzos Vassilis:[email protected]
Primerakis Giorgos:[email protected]
Fanny Seroglou:[email protected]
Introduction
Web-based learning environments consist of a variety of web-based toolkits that facilitate learning. They provide and embody teaching and learning tools and materials such as electronic communication (chat rooms, discussion groups, bulletin boards), on line group work using directly connected learning materials, links with remote information sources, work plans, assessment tools and an administration area (accessible only to supervisors) (INSPIRAL 2001).
In this case a web-based learning environment is designed for supporting teachers (individually and in groups) to create, develop and construct knowledge, as well as for encouraging teamwork, creative problem solving and introducing them to the scientific method through a knowledge seeking process. This environment also includes collaborative learning tools to help the supporting group (designers, facilitators) and the teachers involved in this e-training course to save, organize and share with others documents, files, folders, sites, pictures, notes, tools to create a database for common use, as well as tools to create a chat and a digital product space - pictures, documents, music, video (Koulountzos & Seroglou 2007a).
After the fast development of web-based learning environments in the first years where the main focus was on technology, nowadays becomes clearer to the researchers and developers eyes that the need of certain pedagogical principles is crucial. The use of web-based environments in education may play an important role in facilitating learning under certain circumstances which allow technology to bring forward educational improvement and innovation. Technology now gains its primal role as the medium for the learning interaction, and loses its mystical role of the focus theme in communication. The demystification of technology opens the way towards effective web-based learning environments providing fruitful feedback on the learning procedure (Koulountzos & Seroglou 2007a).
Our goal is to achieve a user friendly communication environment for the teachers, allowing them to present their ideas, to improve their self esteem, to take an active part in this web-based learning environment, to use and develop electronic e-material. The environment should be comfort, safe and flexible in order to encourage discussions concerning feelings, fears and insecurities about using technology and teaching science. A spread of information, collaboration, contribution, codependence and team spirit must occur, to achieve the knowledge and information transformation from single-dimensional and limited to multi-dimensional and beyond time and space (Koulountzos & Seroglou 2007b).
Using SHINE model to design e-material based on history of science
In this paper the case of instructional e-material design for teacher e-training in electromagnetism is presented. The instructional material consists of short films, photographs, worksheets, guidelines for the teacher, teaching strategies, etc. and is going to be incorporated in a web-based learning environment for teacher e-training in science education. The design of the instructional material is based on history of science and the SHINE research model has been used for its development. The name SHINE is an acronym of the keywords Science, History, Interaction and Education. The SHINE research model consists of 8 stages focusing on the interaction between history of science and science education (figure 1).
Science
Education
3.Research on
students ideas
7.Research on the
evaluation of the
designed tasks in
promoting students
conceptual change
Interaction field
2.Research focus
4.Comparative
analysis
6.Instructional
material design
(tasks inspired by
historical experiments)
8.Comparative
analysis
History of
Science
1.Research on
scientists ideas
5.Research on
experiments that
promoted the
change of
scientists ideas
Figure 1: The SHINE research model
The eight steps of SHINE are the following:
Step 1: First, research on scientists ideas in the history of science is carried out. Research is focused on those areas where early scientific ideas were different from the currently accepted ones.
Step 2: Data coming from the study of the history of science provide a focus for the research on learners ideas.
Step 3: Research on learners ideas is carried out (questionnaire distribution, individual in-depth interviews).
Step 4: A comparative analysis of the data and results coming from research Steps 1 and 3 provides an answer whether research into the history of science (and especially in those areas where early scientific ideas were distinct from current ones) indicate a clear focus for the research on learners ideas.
Step 5: Research on the work of scientists that promoted the change of scientific ideas and led to the currently accepted ones (as presented in textbooks) is carried out.
Step 6: Data coming from Step 5 provides fruitful information for instructional material design and leads to the design of a set of tasks.
Step 7: Research on the evaluation of the designed tasks in promoting learners conceptual change is carried out (individual investigation, interviews etc.). Learners are encouraged to reconsider their initial ideas, to change those ideas that are not compatible to the current scientific theory and confirm the ideas that are in agreement with the current scientific theory.
Step 8: Finally, a comparative analysis of the data and results coming from research Steps 7 and 5 provides an answer whether certain tasks inspired by the work of scientists in the past (that promoted the change of scientific ideas in the history of science) help learners overcome their alternative ideas and encourage conceptual change (Seroglou & Koumaras, 2003).
This paper is a SHINE case study in electromagnetism. The design of the developed instructional e-material is based on the study of the works of Gardano, Gilbert and Faraday (Seroglou et al, 1998; Seroglou & Koumaras, 2003). In this case, in Step 1 of the SHINE research model, the study of the history of electromagnetism reveals that: a) From the age Thales up to the 16th century electrostatic and magnetic phenomena were unified in the context of a magic idea and were considered as being of the same nature. b) From the 17th century up to 1830, scientists dealt with the question of whether electricities derived from different sources (static electricity, animal electricity, voltaic electricity, magneto-electricity and thermo-electricity) were of the same nature (Wolf, 1952; Whittaker, 1958). Research in the following three steps verified similar ideas carried out by learners as well (Seroglou et al, 1998; Seroglou & Koumaras, 2003).
In Step 5, the study of the history of electromagnetism reveals that: a) The differences between electrostatic and magnetic phenomena were pointed out for the first time in the 16th century by Gardano and Gilbert which allowed to establish two different fields of science: electrostatics and magnetism (Gajori, 1962). b) Between 1832-1833, Faraday successfully carried out a number of experiments and showed that different kinds of electricities can produce the same effects (Faraday, 1839). In the following three steps of the research model instructional material based on the history of science has been developed and evaluated.
Designing experiments to teach electromagnetism
The SHINE research model in this case led to the design of two sets of tasks. The first set, based on the experiments of Gardano and Gilbert addresses the differentiation between electrostatic and magnetic phenomena. In these tasks, learners are provided with the opportunity to observe the similarities and differences between the two kinds of phenomena, as listed by Gardano and Gilbert. In the current application the designed tasks have been filmed and are going to be presented in the web-based learning environment. For example, in order to differentiate electrostatic and magnetic attractions a series of videos with a magnet and a plastic strip charged by friction have been developed showing that:
a) A magnet attracts iron fillings. A picture of this video is shown in Picture 1
Picture 1
b) A plastic strip charged by friction also attracts iron fillings. A picture of this video is shown in Picture 2
Picture 2
c) But a magnet does not attract small pieces of paper. A picture of this video is shown in Picture 3.
Picture 3
d) Although a plastic strip charged by friction attracts small pieces of paper. A picture of this video is shown in Picture 4.
Picture 4
In the same line of thought, tasks inspired by Faradays work were designed, aiming at the connection between electrostatic and electrodynamic phenomena. In these tasks, learners have the opportunity to observe the same electric effects produced either by friction or by the use of a battery or a high-voltage power supply. For example, in this case we have produced showing that a fluorescent strip light lights up when connected to the lighting circuit, but also gives out light visible in a dark room, when it is rubbed with a piece of woolen cloth or a piece of fur.
All the sets of videos with the designed tasks supporting the teaching of electromagnetism, are going to be incorporated in the web-based learning environment aiming to help teachers themselves initially to get familiar with some electromagnetic concepts and phenomena and at a second level to be able to teach those either with the use of the developed videos or by actually recreating and performing the designed tasks in the classroom.
Designing role-play to teach elecromagnetism
The designed tasks presented in the previous chapter focus on the cognitive dimension of learning and especially on differentiating electrostatic and magnetic attractions and relating electrostatic phenomena and phenomena of the electric current. To move further, a session using a short film about the life and work of Faraday and a performances of role-plays inspired by the film has been designed, providing a metacognitive focus on relating scientists work in electromagnetism with the social and cultural context in which the theories of electromagnetism were developed. The following two pictures come from the film (Picture 5) and from a role play performed by in-service teachers (Picture 6).
Science
Education
3.Research on
students ideas
7.Research on the
evaluation of the
designed tasks in
promoting students
conceptual change
Interaction field
2.Research focus
4.Comparative
analysis
6.Instructional
material design
(tasks inspired by
historical experiments)
8.Comparative
analysis
History of
Science
1.Research on
scientists ideas
5.Research on
experiments that
promoted the
change of
scientists ideas
Picture 5
Picture 6
An application of the above session has been carried out in a face-to-face postgraduate course for in-service teachers and the two interesting role plays that they developed and performed have been videotaped and exist as small films in the web-based learning environment offering to the teachers participating the e-training course both an example of the kind of role plays that may also develop and as a fruitful source for discussion and evaluation on the reflection concerning the social and cultural impact on scientist work.
References
Cajori, F.: 1962, A History of Physics. Dover Publications Inc. New York.
Inspiral: 2001, Final Report Available at http://inspiral.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/ (accessed on 18/01/2007).
Faraday, M.: 1839, Identity of Electricities Derived from Different Sources. In R. Taylor and J. E. Taylor (Eds.) Experimental Researches in Electicity. London.
Koulountzos, V. & Seroglou, F.: 2007a, Designing a Web-based Learning Environment: The Case of ATLAS. Paper presented at IMICT 2007 Conference Informatics, Mathematics and ICT: a golden triangle, 27-29 June 2007, Boston.
Koulountzos, V. & Seroglou, F.: 2007b, Web-based Learning Environments and Teacher Training in Science Literacy. Paper to be presented at ITET 2007 and ETLLL 2007 Joint Working Conference Information Technology for Education and Training, 26-28 September 2007, Prague.
Seroglou, F.: 2006, Science for Citizenship, Epikentro Publications, Thessaloniki (in greek).
Seroglou, F. & Koumaras, P.: 2003, A Critical Comparison of the Approaches to the Contribution of History of Phyisics to the Cognitive, Metacognitive and Emotional Dimension of Teaching and Learning Physics: A Feasibility Study Regarding the Cognitive Dimension Using the SHINE Model. THEMES in Education, 4(1), 25-36.
Seroglou, F., Koumaras, P. & Tselfes, V.: 1998, History of Science and Instructional Design: The Case of Electromagnetism, Science & Education, 7(3), 261-280.
Whittaker, E.: 1958, A History of the Theories of Aether and Electricity. Thomas Nelson and sons. London.
Wolf, A.: 1952, A History of Science, Technology and Philosophy in the 16th and 17th centuries (2nd ed.). George Allen and Unwin Ltd. London.
Wolf, A.: 1952, A History of Science, Technology and Philosophy in the 18th century (2nd ed.). George Allen and Unwin Ltd. London.
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