Discussions

Your Name and Title: Haido Samaras, Director of Instructional Design and Development

School, Library, or Organization Name: Anatolia College

Co-Presenter Name(s): Dimitris Tzouris

Country from Which You Will Present: Greece

Language in Which You Will Present: English

Target Audience (such as primary school teachers, high school administrators, students, etc.): High school teachers, High school administrators, Science teachers

Short Session Description (one line): The Learner2Scientist environment will allow students to participatie in a simulated scientific conference and will promote online collaboration, creativity and self-expression.

Full Session Description (one paragraph minimum):

The Learner2Scientist environment will help ensure that all young people develop key analytical skills and will be prepared for the future - whatever they choose to do. This will help equip all students - especially those of lower-income families and minorities, empowering them to come into contact with knowledge and skills that they don’t have the means to gain from formal education. Becoming part of a community of learners will excite their curiosity in and understanding of the sciences. Participation in a simulated scientific conference will promote online collaboration, creativity and self-expression.

Aside from focusing on deductive methods and not inductive thinking, current education seems incapable of sufficiently assessing the difference between ‘subject matter’ and ‘discipline’. Students gain knowledge of or are trained in a subject. They memorize definitions, formulas, principles, geometric proofs, etc. All of these have their value in education but bypass a central issue: the promotion of scientific thinking. In a world dominated by science and technology, it is vital for students to learn to think scientifically so that they can comprehend and make decisions in the modern world sensibly and responsibly. Through the acquisition of scientific thinking and in-depth knowledge, students are better equipped to face the demands of a knowledge-based world.

A case-study:

Traditional schooling often gives students the puzzle pieces without showing them how the finished picture will look. Unfortunately, many students lose interest or give up before the puzzle is complete (David Perkins, 2008).

Elina is a ninth grade high school student. At an earlier age she was interested in exploring the physical world and had read a lot of encyclopedia articles and children’s books. From then on she started losing interest in these topics. Now a teenager and when not in school, she prefers to spend her time with friends, either in person or online. She owns an iPad and uses almost all of her Internet time for social networking. Being a computer user for 10 years, she is now an experienced one, and her teacher and parents often make inquiries about her daily computer use. Although she still loves Mathematics and Physics, Elina finds these subjects boring as a result of the way they are taught in school.

Last year, Elina’s physics teacher presented ACSTAC in class and asked students to author a research paper relevant to their interests. The class responded positively but didn’t manage to complete their papers on time. Thus, they presented them in class and uploaded them to the school’s website.

Elina found the project motivating and is going to use a more advanced platform, LEARNER2SCIENTIST, to deal with a new project that interests her - investigating the weather of her city in the last ten years. Having this as a starting point, assisted and encouraged by her teachers, she will be able to study and structure problems related to climate conditions. LEARNER2SCIENTIST can help Elina discover meteorological data and relevant research papers and have discussions with teenagers who have similar interests. She will then be able to structure and deal with the problem using the scientific method. LEARNER2SCIENTIST will also help Elina conncect with students and teachers around the world. It inspire her to learn more about science-related issues and allow her to become part of a community  similar to her social media online community. Through interaction with other students and teachers around the world interested in the same science problems, Elina will engage in meaningful and authentic learning opportunities within a global context.

Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session: David Perkins - Making Learning Whole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7UnupF-uJk

ACSTAC website: www.acstac.gr

ACSTAC 2012 video:

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