Synthesis of Research on Thinking

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Synthesis of Research on Thinking Learning in
the GeosciencesDeveloping Representational
Competence

• Kim A. Kastens
• (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
• of Columbia University)
• Cathryn A. Manduca
• (SERC, Carleton College)

An NSF REESE Synthesis Project
Geological Society of America, 19 October 2009
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Knowledge Integration in GeosciencesHow to pull
it all together?
So many data types
So many terms
So many localities, all different
So many modes of inquiry
No consensus curriculum
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Students struggle with knowledge integration
Percentage of Students Achieving NAEP Proficiency in 1990 Percentage of Students Achieving NAEP Proficiency in 1990 Percentage of Students Achieving NAEP Proficiency in 1990
Level 13 yrs 17 yrs
150 Knows everyday scientific facts 100 100
200 Understands simple scientific principles 97 97
250 Applies basic scientific information 57 81
300 Analyzes scientific procedures and data 11 43
350 Integrates specialized scientific information 0 9
Source Baker Piburn (1997) Constructing Science
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How can Geoscience educators foster knowledge
integration?

• Integrate the content
• Integrate around a place or region
• Integrate around a societally-important problem
• Integrate around big ideas of science

• Integrate around professional practices of
  scientists
• Practices of scientific discourse (IQWST)
• Use of representations/ visualizations
• Use of physical and computer models

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Big Problem for Geoscience Education

• The Earth is 18 orders of magnitude larger than
  your classroom.

Classroom (exaggerated)
Earth
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There are three, and only three, ways to cope
with this fundamental challenge
3. Use representations
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Geoscientists use a lot of representations
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Geoscientists use a lot of kinds of
representations

• What does it mean to have representational
  competence?
• How can we foster this expertise?

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Four components of representational competence

1. Ability to read and write geoscientists
   conventional representations (basic literacy)
2. Metarepresentational understanding (the nature
   of representations and representational
   strategies)
3. Ability to invent suitable representations to
   record and convey novel concepts or new data
   types
4. Ability to make inferences about Earth processes
   from representations (meaning-making)

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1. Ability to read and write geoscientists
conventional representations (basic literacy)
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2. Understanding about the nature of
representations and representational strategies
Learner
(Earth)
Adapted from Liben in Damon Lerner, 2006.
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Knowledge of representational strategies
Distinguish between
Reynolds et al. (2010)
Reynolds et al. (2010)
Data-driven Visualization
Concept-driven Visualization
Insight from Clark Wiebe (2000) Journal of
Technology Studies, v26.
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The Blue Planet p. 152
Concept-driven visualizations often overspecify
they commit to a single set of options.
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Experts epistemological model of one data-driven
visualization
Collaborator Sandra Swenson
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Knowledge of representational strategies
Distinguish between
Representation suitable for data interpretation
Representation suitable for communicating
www.ferdinand-engelbeen.be/klimaat/eemian.html
Insight from Dutrow (2007)
www.geography.wisc.edu/classes/geog331/VostokSlide
400kweb.jpg
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3. Ability to invent suitable representations to
record and convey novel concepts or new data types
Cross-section
William Smith
Portions of the first geological map and legend
http//www.unh.edu/esci/greatmap.html
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FileWilliam_Smith_(g
eologist).jpg
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Novices Invent Representational Strategies
Source Enyedy (2005).
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Novices Invent Representational Strategies
Invented representations for dip angle
Collaborators Lynn Liben, Shruti Agrawal, Toru
Ishikawa
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Eventually, the professionally accepted
representations are introduced
and come across as an ingenious solution to an
authentic representational challenge .
. rather than an arbitrary, imposed convention.
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4. Ability to make inferences about Earth
processes from representations
Kastens, K.A., Macdonald, K.C., Becker, K., and
Crane, K., 1979, Marine Geophysical Researches,
4, 129-151.
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Suggestion for meaning-making Hypothesis
templates
There are recurring patterns in representations.
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Hypothesis templates (continued)
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One final thoughtIn Geoscience education,
representational competence is a means, not an
end.
Learner
(Earth)
Earth Science learning goals are here . . .
. . . not here
Adapted from Liben in Damon Lerner, 2006.
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DeBruin, Richard (1970) 100 Topographic Maps
Illustrating Physiographic Features, p19.
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Summary

• Because of the size and spatial character of
  Earth phenomena, geoscientists use many and
  varied representations
• Competence in using representations is a core
  expertise in Geoscience which can serve as a
  unifying theme across the curriculum
• Competencies include
• Ability to understand and produce standard Geo
  representations
• Metarepresentational understanding about how
  representations work in general
• Ability to invent effective representations to
  convey novel ideas or observations
• Ability to infer meaning about Earth processes
  from representations
• Representational competence in Geosciences is a
  means not an end the goal is to understand the
  referent, the Earth.

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Join the conversation serc.carleton.edu/earthand
mind
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