Search for: All records

With increasing understanding of the inextricable connections between learners and the tools that facilitate their learning within complex social systems, new theoretical and methodological developments have emerged to allow us to explore the materiality in learning environments. Sociomateriality (Fenwick, 2015) urges us to consider the interdependence of social and material elements in learning. Rather than viewing classroom spaces and educational tools as static, inert material objects, sociomateriality posits them as capable of exerting force by the way they are acted on or by. This approach has the potential to help respond to the global crises by interrogating and recoupling learning and knowledge with networks and the power relationships inherent in all learning. To this end, this symposium aims to bring researchers together around a common theme of unpacking how sociomateriality might be used as a theoretical foundation or analytical approach for Learning Sciences research. 

Computer-aided simulation-based platforms have been shown to be effective tools for teaching STEM concepts. At the same time, Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) platforms encourage different viewpoints and approaches from the learners which can enrich the learning experience in STEM classrooms. The deployment in recent years of networked personal devices such as Chromebooks in classrooms has motivated educators to design collaborative learning tools for these devices. However, prior work has shown that using one-on-one devices may discourage students from talking among each other, which hinders collaboration. To understand the affordances of personal devices for CSCL tools within Biology curricula, we designed a collaborative plant growth simulation application that provides mirrored plant growth simulation views for every group member to facilitate a common visualization. In this paper, we present our findings from an in-the-wild study that evaluated the affordance and usability of the plant growth simulation application and investigated the nature of collaboration and engagement aided through the simulation mirroring feature. Our study results showed that the plant simulation application had high usability and acceptance. Moreover, mirroring the plant growth simulation improved collaboration, generated excitement, and stimulated conversation. We also identified episodes where collaboration was hindered due to off-task activities, troubleshooting, group dynamics, and lack of understanding that led us to outline some potential guidelines to improve the collaborative learning experience for the students in Biology classroom. 

Focusing on developing maker-identities, especially for historically marginalized students in the computational field, can empower them to recognize and take ownership of their space in the field. Drawing from identity related literature in maker and computing related fields we identified seven factors of maker-identity - interest and motivation, competence and performance, confidence and self-efficacy, recognition, utility value and meaningfulness, perceptions of community, and external factors. Using this, we analyzed semi-structured interviews of students who participated in our summer makerspace camp to understand how these identity factors manifested in their reflections of the camp. We tie back our findings of positive impacts on maker-identity structures to the design structures of our makerspace such as co-design of the space, use-modify-create strategies, and open-ended design projects. 

There has been a large push in education over the last decade to drive STEM learning interest during the formative years of adolescence through the usage of engaging computer science related initiatives such as computational makerspaces that allow students to design and build a wide array of personally connected artifacts. But for these initiatives to work, students must be interested in the journey, and the curricula that drive many of these programs are not often designed to be culturally relevant to many of the students they are aimed at motivating. This paper investigated how computational making curricula can be designed in a reflexive and culturally supportive manner by following the trajectory and tensions faced by a black middle school student as he makes his way through the first iteration of such a space. 

Maker activities help students connect to STEAM content through hands-on activities that emphasize the roles of mentors, peers, and in-person interaction with physical artifacts. Despite the positive affordances of these activities, they do not translate well to online settings. Without immediate in-person feedback mechanisms, unstructured making activities may lead to frustration and decreased engagement. How do communities help students develop identities as future engineers if local help and mentorship is not available? The proposed study aims to address challenges of scaffolding collaboration during remote maker sessions through investigation of a novel projection device that allows users to talk & share gestures around a common physical artifact while in separate locations.