Personal InquirySupporting Inquiry Science Learning with Mobile

Technology

Mike SharplesLearning Sciences Research Institute

University of Nottingham

Health warning: exercise makes you fat

...re-programming body fat is the key to weight loss, not working outSunday Telegraph

Social websites harm children's brains

Chilling warning to parents from top neuroscientistDaily Mail

How can we help children to think, talk, and act like scientists?

Personal Inquiry project

• Three year project• University of Nottingham/ Open

University• Aim:

– To help children to engage in effective science inquiries

Inquiry learning

“Inquiry-based learning involves learners asking questions about the natural or material world, collecting data to answer those questions, making discoveries and testing those discoveries rigorously”de Jong, 2006

Elements of successful inquiry learning

• Motivation of learners• Tools for data collection, discovery,

testing• Support for the inquiry process• Sequencing activities

Motivation

• Taking science learning outside the classroom- school, playground,

home, outdoors• Supported by personal

technology

Tools

Low cost science inquiry toolkit

• Calculator• Timer• Camera• Audio recorder• Accelerometer• Location recorder• Tilt sensor• Communicator

• Anemometer

If we were starting now: iPhone?

Scripted inquiry learning– ‘dynamic lesson plans’– on a personal mobile computer

Process support

Sequencing activitiesFind my topic

Decide my inquiry question or hypothesis

Planmy methods, equipment, actions

Collectmy evidence

Analyseand represent my evidence

Respondto my question or hypothesis

Shareand discuss my inquiry

ReflectOn my progress

Cycle of engagement and reflection

Sequencing activities

Inquiry Guide to provide flexible sequencing of activities

Healthy Eating Inquiry

• Investigate daily eating• “Is my diet healthy”?• Compare with Recommended

Nutrient Intakes (RNI)

Context• Inner city school• High levels of social

deprivation• School policy of no

homework• Flexible curriculum• Year 9 class, 28 children• Healthy eating topic • Inquiry learning between

school and home

Technology

• Asus computer running the PI toolkit

• Camera to keep a food diary

Food diary

• Photograph daily eating

• Tag with food content

• Create tables of data

• Reflect on data collected by their group

Research Design

  Pre-Test Intervention Post-Test Delayed Test

PI (n = 28)

Science Attitudes

Domain KnowledgeInquiry Knowledge

Personal Inquiry on Healthy Eating

Science AttitudesDomain KnowledgeInquiry Knowledge

Science Attitudes

Control (n = 25)

Science Attitudes

Domain KnowledgeInquiry Knowledge

Normal Classroom content on Healthy Eating

Science AttitudesDomain KnowledgeInquiry Knowledge

Science Attitudes

Nov 2008: Data Collected

• 70 sets of Questionnaires (pre-post)• Log files from 28 students of their use of the PI

toolkit in class and at home (e.g. summaries, graphs, presentations)

• Video capture of the 9 lessons with three cameras (2 groups and 1 overall)

• Interviews – 11 interviews with Teacher, 7 with pupils– during and post-intervention

• Researchers’ observation notes after each lesson

Critical incident analysis of video

• Breakthroughs– Observed events that indicate successful

learning or conceptual change

• Breakdowns– Observed events that indicate technical,

social or learning difficulties

Breakthroughs

• Seeing RNI graphs e.g. for crisps & cola

• Experiencing the problems of not having collected their own data

• Presenting their own investigation

Breakdowns

Navigation • Some usability problems with the software• Synchronization: Teacher showed a display on

SmartBoard but pupils saw a different display on their computers

Using the diary• Categorisation of food• Filling in the comment box of each graph

Children’s challenges:Too personal inquiry

• Children see their own food on the classroom screen

• Too embarrassed to take photos

Personal inquiry

• How can you design inquiry teaching that is personal, challenging and motivating,

• but not embarrassing or demeaning?

Not personal enough

Too personal

New investigation

• Developed with students, teacher & expert

• Effect of noise pollution on birds• Observations, naturalistic study,

experiment

Teacher’s challenges

• Managing the toolkit in class• Confidence in supporting learning

outside the classroom

Conclusions• Personal technology can support inquiry

learning inside and outside the classroom

• Important that learners should own– the inquiry question– the technology– the process of inquiry

• Balance of engagement and embarrassment

• Balance between understanding the inquiry topic and learning inquiry skills