Kitchen Chemistry Supporting Learners’ Decisions in Science

Jason C. Yip, Tamara Clegg, Elizabeth Bonsignore, Helene Gelderblom, Becky Lewittes, Mona Leigh Guha, and Allison Druin

“Science for all” (AAAS, 1990)

Atwater, 1996Basu & Barton, 2007 Brickhouse & Potter, 2001

Lee & Fradd, 1998

Traditional science learning can be

ALIEN

BORING

DISCONNECTED

4

Life-relevant Learning

Environments

GoalsPersonal meaning

Identify and explore

Kitchen Chemistry

Clegg et al., 2006; 2010; 2011

Kitchen

6

Chemistry

Facilitation

Semi-structure activities

Whole group discussions

Mobile technologies

Story Kit

Bederson et al., 2009

Choice

Day

Semi Structured Activities

Whole DiscussionsGroup

Mobile Technologies

Facilitation

Learners’

design of

scientific

investigations

based on their

own personal

goals is…

NO EASY TASK!

Forget the purpose

End investigations prematurelyFail to recognize importance of scientific situations

Need help pursuing interests and goals

Gleason & Schauble, 1999

Quintana et al., 2004

How

informed

wecan

support

decision making ?

What decisions learners make in the development of their own investigations?

Question #1

How do learners come to make such decisions?

Question #2

What aspects of the learning environment support these choices?

Question #3

Methods

Yin’s (2003) comparative case studies

Context: A one week implementation of KC with learners between the ages of 9 to 13.

Case selection: Three Choice Day groups

Videos of all activities

Interviewedlearners

Field notes StoryKitentries

Initial examinationEmerging patterns

TriangulationChain of evidence

ValidityCross case analysis

Data analysis

Lisa & “ Togo ” Cakes

Denise

& Red Cakes

Lily,

Velvet

, and Meg

Choice Day Synopsis

“Togo” cakes – Pancakes with syrup in the middle

Engineering tasks: Enough fluffiness and how to get the syrup in the middle of the syrup

Q1: What decisions were made?

Decision #1: Chose to use baking powder as a leavener and determined the amount to use with an experiment.

Decision #2: Chose to freeze different syrups to as the way to insert the liquid into the middle

Q2: How were the decisions made?

Decision #1: Looked for heights of the foam generated from specific quantities of baking powder, water, and time in the microwave

Q2: How were the decisions made?

Decision #2: She developed an experiment to test out whether honey, corn syrup or maple syrup would freeze well enough to be inserted into the middle.

Q3: What aspects of KC helped?

FacilitatorsSemi-structured experimentsWhole group discussionsTechnology

Choice Day Synopsis

Red velvet cake – Denise wanted to make this because her aunt made this style of cake.

Denise initially did not think of this as a science investigation; she just wanted to make the cake.

Q1: What decisions were made?

Decision #1: Comparison cake and a regular cake.

Decision #2: The regular cake uses one egg and baking soda + vinegar.

The comparison cake uses two eggs and baking powder.

Q2: How were the decisions made?

Decision #1: The adult facilitators worked with the girls to figure out what their goals were for the cake.

Q2: How were the decisions made?

Decision #2: The girls wanted a “cakey” and “moist” cake.

Q3: What aspects of KC helped?

FacilitatorsSemi-structured experimentsWhole group discussionsTechnology

Learners and Choice

Science is not just about the content knowledge and the

social practices.

Learners may need a sense that making

informed decisions matter.

We attempted to use the four aspects of KC to explore the notion

that learners can make viable decisions.

Takeaway

s

Early

Matters

# 1

Decision Making

Semi Structured Activities

Whole DiscussionsGroup

Choice Day

Mobile Technologies

Facilitation

GuidanceMatters

Organization&

# 2

Alignment Tension in decisions

Reflection

Matters

# 3

Slow Down Reflect

acknowledgementsWe want to thank the CI Fellows program for funding this work.

Ben Bederson & Alex Quinn (StoryKit)

We acknowledge our participants and the local school community that partnered with us for this work.

tlclegg @jasoncyip@

ebonsign@