Title
Detecting ’signs of learning’ in six-year-olds’ meaning making about science through digital tools
Applicants
Emelie Patron, Department of Education and Teachers’ Practice, Faculty of Social Sciences, Linnaeus University.
Marina Wernholm, Department of Pedagogy and Learning, Faculty of Social Sciences, Linnaeus University.
Andreas Ebbelind, Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Technology, Linnaeus University.
Hanna Palmér, Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Technology, Linnaeus University.
Kristina Danielsson, Department of Swedish, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Linnaeus University and Department of teaching and learning, Stockholm University.
Project period
Aug–Dec 2022
Core research areas
Science education, digital tools, designs for learning, collaboration with preschool class
More about the project
Chemistry is experienced as a difficult subject, both for pupils to learn and for teachers to teach. One reason is that chemistry mainly deals with things that cannot be perceived with the naked eye. To make these "invisible" chemical phenomena visible, various forms of expression are used, such as images, physical models, spoken and written language, mathematical formulas, and animations. Research has also shown that preschool children’s participation increases when they are allowed to use several forms of expression, i.e., participate in multimodal activities. Children’s communication and meaning-making through different forms of expression can therefore give them good opportunities for participation and meaning-making. Based on these ideas, this project is based on a perspective where teaching and learning are seen as a form of multimodal design.
The Swedish curriculum for 6-year-old pupils states that all pupils should be given the opportunity to develop their ability to use digital technology. Most children in the early school years have established media habits and have acquired digital skills that no previous generation has had before. This, in its turn, has led to a change in conditions and arenas for younger children’s learning and identity creation outside of school. It is therefore problematic if children's previous experiences and knowledge are not recognized and form the basis for continued learning at school. In the project we try to answer the questions ‘what’s happening’ and ‘what’s possible’ when pupils create multimodal animations through digital tools in chemistry.
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