Most Recent

Animation Machines

by Glen Bull, Jo Watts, Rachel Gibson, Ryan Novitski, Debra Shapiro & Elaine Wolfe
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A series of models in the Educational CAD Model Library can be used to reconstruct mechanical animation machines such as the Praxinoscope and related animation mechanisms. Hands-on experiences can be used to enhance understanding of historical invention processes and related science concepts. Foundational concepts of visual perception are discussed. The evolution of animation from simple image sequences to modern-day digital animation is described. Classroom implementations in which students build animation machines, connecting theoretical knowledge with hands-on experience, are reviewed. This educational approach not only brings historical inventions to life but also solidifies students’ understanding of scientific principles, contributing to the broader curriculum in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.

Volume 18  Issue 1  

Video-Enhanced Training to Support Professional Development in Elementary Science Teaching: A Beginning Teacher’s Experience

by Christine Hamel, Anabelle Viau-Guay, Luc Ria & Justine Dion-Routhier
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Elementary teachers are expected to teach complex and authentic lessons and integrating multiple disciplines. In so doing, they must take many elements into account, such as disciplinary content, learning standards, and pedagogical knowledge, in an ever more complex environment, including pupils’ increasingly heterogeneous characteristics. Our study aims to understand a beginning teacher’s classroom activity in the context of a research-training program involving the use of video. The teacher involved was observed giving a science lesson (on buoyancy in a fourth-grade classroom) and then took part in two interviews involving self-confrontation with researchers at 1-week intervals, returning to the classroom between these interviews. Specifically, this article presents a program aimed at training and mentoring a beginning elementary school teacher using video recordings of her classroom activities in Quebec, Canada. The analysis describes the teacher’s experience during this training process. In particular, the results indicate that the teacher’s participation in this training program changed her concerns related to science education at the elementary level. Her focus shifted from classroom management (e.g., managing hands-on activities in science education and pupils’ interactions) to supporting an approach favoring scientific inquiry that truly engages pupils and is anchored in sociotechnical controversies.

 

Students as Investigators: Learning About the People of the Civil War

by Elizabeth Barrow, Janice Anderson & Martinette Horner
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Using the of Humans of New York photoblog concept, the lesson plan described in this article incorporated technology and the replacement, amplification, and transformation framework to modify a traditional social studies lesson on the American Civil War into an engaging and inquiry-based lesson.  The plan calls for students to research individuals who lived during the American Civil War and create their own digital storyboard of Humans of the Civil War.  This lesson idea uses available technology to engage students in more meaningful instruction that goes beyond lectures. Doing so allows teachers to transform their lessons using technology in authentic ways that may help students become more active agents in their learning.  This lesson requires students to make strategic decisions about what is important to know about historical figures and how to best tell their story while also learning about the war.