1Physics 4810 / 7810 Week 12 (high noon)Day 21: Fa2008:Labs, Lab Skills and Scientific ReasoningEyes to webProject DRAFT due next weekThen.. BREAK>>>>Outline of Discussion• Clarifications• A wee bit on Theory• Goals of Labs• Scaffolding / SupportingStudents & Instructors in Labs• Developing Scientific Skills• Conclusion: the minimum energy statetheoremClarification• What is the Lawson Test? I would not give the students such a handout. Givethem a computer, and maybe a few books. This ishow real problem solving is done after allClarification• When you hold a variable as a covariate, what does thatmean? Is that basically normalizing for how well studentsdid on the Lawson's pre-test?• Yes• However, I’m not comfortable with p =0.001;• Remember to think about effect size vs. statsignificance… (think pedagogical significance)Theory of Transfer• Actor Network Theory– Not actors in theater but people in networks• Coordination Classes– diSessa’s work beyond p-prims (how wecoordinate / assemble these into “concepts”)• Preparation for Future Learning– Different goal of assessment…Preparation for Future LearningD. Schwartz AAALab Stanford2Theory of Transfer• What is definition of transfer?• What does it say about nature of knowledge?knowledge moves from one domain to anotherassumes:(i) knowledge is a fixed thing to be moved;(ii) you know what to look for?Modifying notion of Transfer• Lobato caveat:look for what moves rather than whathope / thought would move• What if we don’t think of knowledge asa fixed thing?• What if we study the ability to engagein different environments? Recognizesimilarities?What are we teaching in our labs?• the design students are given the same typeof activity they have already been given for10 weeks• I would expect the design group to designbetter labs than the non-design group sincethey spent the whole semester practicing!• do we teach the students on how to take theexam?Goals of Labs ???RedishAssumptions about labsHidden Hypothesis of Traditional Labs:• learn content (maybe taught)• ability to manipulate equipment (maybe taught)• learn scientific reasoning skills (assumed to come along forride)identified assumptions and evaluated their effect on theresult or validated them. It also shows that no non-design students did this. When would the non-designstudents have learned to do this? Were they everinstructed to identify assumptions in the traditionallabs?Parallels idea of conceptual understandingSkills Developmentwhat skills are necessary/taught in:• Traditional Lab • Design Lab??3what skills needed by:• Scientific Researcher • Technician??Supporting Development• Consider various forms of “inquiry” or“design”i) Raw: here’s a buck of water, dishsoap and awiskii) Challenge: make the tallest soap bubbletower possible. [possible reflection: where /why are the small and large bubbles located]iii) Recipe: step a - e• What do students prefer? Why??Challenges• Student expectations / epistemologyThis type of lab class is the one I would say Iwould have freaked out over in my first year• Faculty expectations / epistemology:I will say that running a design lab soundsmuch more difficult than a traditional lab.– What do faculty need to do differently?– What are additional things faculty need toknow??Habits of Mind• What is going on during design labsLow Energy HypothesisStudents have an uncanny ability to find the low-energy state solution path to performing.Corollary: if we could harness this we’d be stinkingrichAdditional Corollary: if the low energy state solutionis the path of learning, we all win.Corollary Corollary: relevant, interesting, authenticpractices usually link learning and performance.Vote for next week• Representation / Analogy• Preparation for Future LearningA true pie