arXiv:1211.1118
Physics Educators as Designers of Simulation using Easy Java Simulation (Ejs) Part 2
Physics educators as simulation designers, part 2
EJSTeacher DesignProfessional Learning
Research Digest
This presentation continues the argument that teachers can design and adapt simulations. It is useful for professional learning because it treats simulation design as pedagogical design.
Use It Tomorrow
Use it for teacher workshops: begin with a working model, identify a learning difficulty, then modify the model or prompts to address that difficulty.
Pedagogical Move
Focus teacher design on student thinking: what should the learner notice, predict, manipulate, and explain?
Student Agency
Frame the task so students work like young scientists: they choose or justify the variable to test, make a prediction, collect evidence, defend a claim, and decide how to improve the model or investigation.
Discussion Prompts
- What evidence does the model, video, or activity make visible?
- Which variable should students change first, and what should they keep constant?
- What claim can students make from the evidence, and what limitation should they acknowledge?
Reveal suggested answers
- Evidence: The adapted simulation makes learner predictions, manipulations, observations, and explanations visible as part of pedagogical design.
- Variable: Change the student task or prompt first; keep the model relationship, controls, and target concept fixed.
- Claim: Teachers can claim that simulation design is also lesson design, while acknowledging that the tool must be tested with real student responses.