Portable Technologies: Science Learning in Context

by Tinker, Robert; Krajcik, Joseph S.

• ISBN13: 9780306466434
• ISBN10: 0306466430
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-01-01
• Publisher: Springer Verlag

Summary

Education has traditionally studied the world by bringing it into the classroom. This can result in situated learning that appears to students to have no relevance outside the classroom. Students acquire inert, decontextualized knowledge that they cannot apply to real problems. The obvious solution to this shortcoming is to reverse the situation and bring the classroom to the phenomena: to learn in a rich, real-world context. The problem with the real world is that it is complex and filled with interactions that are hard to sort out. The editors and authors believe that the right tools might help students with this sorting process and result in learning in rich contexts. This book is an account of a series of experiments designed to explore the validity of this insight.

Table of Contents

Preface	v
Introduction	1	(6)
Supporting Science Learning in Context: Project-Based Learning	7	(22)
Incorporating Portable Technology to Enhance an Inquiry, Project-Based Middle School Science Classroom	29	(34)
Case Study at Mount Baker High School	63	(24)
Curriculum Design Principles for Using Probeware in a Project-Based Learning Setting: Learning Science in Context	87	(16)
Learning Science Content in a Project-Based Environment	103	(18)
Educational Innovations in Portable Technologies	121	(26)
Conclusion	147	(20)
Appendix A: Chapter 2	167	(8)
Appendix B: Chapter 4	175	(6)
Appendix C: Chapter 5	181	(10)
Index	191