Science learning environments

Piagetian theory has had a profound effect on the way we think about learners and learning as well as the methods by which this dynamic development process is translated to learning environments 10). It dominated science education research for many years, becoming internal to science education thus, not only students were categorized as concrete or formal thinkers, but also chemical concepts were distinguished into concrete and formal 8, 11). In the opinion of this author and others 10, 12) it still has important messages to convey to science and chemistry educators. 

A fundamentally different type of simulation is offered by science-based learning environments. Such environments incorporate some general-purpose mathematical engine that either represents nature directly or that can be programmed to represent nature. Examples are Mathematica (7) and some similar programs (8-9) for general analytical modeling in the physical sciences and Interactive Physics for introductory classical mechanics (10). Mathematica and Interactive Physics can be applied to countless topics, as opposed to the narrow focus of Flash-based simulations. Even more importantly, Mathematica and Interactive Physics are open-ended in that the software may accommodate unscripted inquiries and follow-up questions. 

Mathematica, Interactive Physics, Spartan, and Odyssey are all available with protocols and content (sometimes from third parties) for subject-specific topics. The learning objectives, however, go beyond those of specific content. Being very different from memorization aids, method-based learning environments have at least the potential to familiarize students with the process and the principles of science. It is precisely the use of a multi-purpose tool that makes students invoke the generic reasoning skills, both qualitatively and quantitatively, that are the hallmark of a scientifically literate mind. Sometimes there is value in using fewer applications for more purposes ... 

To summarize, science-based learning environments use storyboarding of topics not as a means in itself instead, they address the subject matter via the predictive power of an underlying general engine. As tools that generate real data and with the ability to handle unscripted queries, science-based software environments provide a 2151 century version of the laboratory experience. 

Typically, introductory college chemistry classes are made up of a mix of students who have selected chemistry as one of their science courses. The backgrounds, interests, and ability levels of these students can vary widely. There are even differences among those students who have more focused career goals related to chemistry. Teachers are challenged with the creation of a productive learning environment that will help to make chemistry understandable and relevant regardless of the intentions, interest levels, and/or abilities of the students. 

All three seminars were targeted to address (1) overwhelming content by providing a collaborative/cooperative learning environment (2) connections among content areas by building interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented activities and (3) content relevance by providing a model for contextualization of theoretical mathematics and science content. 

Evaluation, thus may work as a connecting bridge between the objectives of teaching science and the ways and means of attaining these objectives in the form of learning experiences, learning methods and learning environment. 

Herath, S., Herath, A., Siddqui, M., El-Jallad, K. (2013). A project based CS/IS-1 course with an active learning environment. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and ApplicationsfiJACSA), 4, 31-37. 

The fact that so few accidents and prosecutions are known to have occurred during primary science activities is testament to the practice employed by primary teachers to plan their activities very carefully and be vigilant and professional in their approach. Nevertheless, more teachers are now responsible for delivering the science statutory Orders and there is evidence that some parents, whose children are injured in school, now seek someone to blame. Many even look for negligence as a means of compensation. To refute negligence teachers will need to provide evidence that they are fulfilling their responsibilities (see Part 1) and that they provide a safe learning environment as normal routine practice. 

The feedback from both the students and the teachers indicates that partially non-formal learning environments, as described here, have the potential to increase students attitudes and motivation towards chemistry and science learning. Although there were many high expectations, the expectations of the teachers and students seemed to have been fulfilled. Most teachers expressed themselves positively after the laboratory session. The results... 

During the last half-century, analytical chemistry has undergone a complete revolution. There are clear needs to establish compositions at forever-decreasing low levels of concentration and mass, in an ever-widening range of matrices for purposes as diverse as health and safety, materials science, the environment, and microchip technology. At the same time, laboratories have had to learn to cope with the analysis... 

Lang, Q. C., Wong, A. F. L., Fraser, B. J. (2005). Student perceptions of chemistry laboratory learning environments, student-teacher interactions and attitudes in secondary school gifted education classes in Singapore. Research in Science Education, 35, 299-321. 

David L. Ferguson is associate professor in the Department of Technology and Society in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He has published papers in the areas of quantitative methods, the discovery of algorithms, and computer-based learning environments. He has held research grants in mathematics and computer science education from the National Science Foundation and U. S. 

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