Shifting the learning gears: Redesigning a project-based course on soft matter through the perspective of constructionism

This article describes the redesign of a project-based course on soft and biological materials to include computational modeling. Including the construction of computational models in the course is described as a shift from constructivism—a theory that characterizes the development of formal reasoni...

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Autores principales:	Elon Langbeheim, Ariel Abrashkin, Ariel Steiner, Haim Edri, Samuel Safran, Edit Yerushalmi
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	American Physical Society 2020
Materias:	Special aspects of education LC8-6691 Physics QC1-999
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/98901aa86872449f8b6ad8dfcfd21a89
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:98901aa86872449f8b6ad8dfcfd21a892021-12-02T12:16:55ZShifting the learning gears: Redesigning a project-based course on soft matter through the perspective of constructionism10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.16.0201472469-9896https://doaj.org/article/98901aa86872449f8b6ad8dfcfd21a892020-12-01T00:00:00Zhttp://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.16.020147http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.16.020147https://doaj.org/toc/2469-9896This article describes the redesign of a project-based course on soft and biological materials to include computational modeling. Including the construction of computational models in the course is described as a shift from constructivism—a theory that characterizes the development of formal reasoning, to constructionism—a theory that focuses on learning while constructing artifacts. This shift ameliorated two drawbacks in the original course: the limited conceptualization of entropy resulting from an unproductive use of the disorder metaphor, and the dependence of most students on the teacher for writing theoretical explanations for their final papers. In the redesigned curriculum, computer simulations provide concrete dynamic representations that students can draw upon for developing nuanced, formal reasoning on entropy and the 2nd law of thermodynamics. In addition, core computational models act as a flexible web that can be extended and modified, and allow a significant proportion of the students to build theoretical models on their own. We conclude that while the new design reflects a shift towards constructionism, we did not adopt a fully constructionist approach, rather a blend of constructivist and constructionist approaches.Elon LangbeheimAriel AbrashkinAriel SteinerHaim EdriSamuel SafranEdit YerushalmiAmerican Physical SocietyarticleSpecial aspects of educationLC8-6691PhysicsQC1-999ENPhysical Review Physics Education Research, Vol 16, Iss 2, p 020147 (2020)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Special aspects of education LC8-6691 Physics QC1-999
spellingShingle	Special aspects of education LC8-6691 Physics QC1-999 Elon Langbeheim Ariel Abrashkin Ariel Steiner Haim Edri Samuel Safran Edit Yerushalmi Shifting the learning gears: Redesigning a project-based course on soft matter through the perspective of constructionism
description	This article describes the redesign of a project-based course on soft and biological materials to include computational modeling. Including the construction of computational models in the course is described as a shift from constructivism—a theory that characterizes the development of formal reasoning, to constructionism—a theory that focuses on learning while constructing artifacts. This shift ameliorated two drawbacks in the original course: the limited conceptualization of entropy resulting from an unproductive use of the disorder metaphor, and the dependence of most students on the teacher for writing theoretical explanations for their final papers. In the redesigned curriculum, computer simulations provide concrete dynamic representations that students can draw upon for developing nuanced, formal reasoning on entropy and the 2nd law of thermodynamics. In addition, core computational models act as a flexible web that can be extended and modified, and allow a significant proportion of the students to build theoretical models on their own. We conclude that while the new design reflects a shift towards constructionism, we did not adopt a fully constructionist approach, rather a blend of constructivist and constructionist approaches.
format	article
author	Elon Langbeheim Ariel Abrashkin Ariel Steiner Haim Edri Samuel Safran Edit Yerushalmi
author_facet	Elon Langbeheim Ariel Abrashkin Ariel Steiner Haim Edri Samuel Safran Edit Yerushalmi
author_sort	Elon Langbeheim
title	Shifting the learning gears: Redesigning a project-based course on soft matter through the perspective of constructionism
title_short	Shifting the learning gears: Redesigning a project-based course on soft matter through the perspective of constructionism
title_full	Shifting the learning gears: Redesigning a project-based course on soft matter through the perspective of constructionism
title_fullStr	Shifting the learning gears: Redesigning a project-based course on soft matter through the perspective of constructionism
title_full_unstemmed	Shifting the learning gears: Redesigning a project-based course on soft matter through the perspective of constructionism
title_sort	shifting the learning gears: redesigning a project-based course on soft matter through the perspective of constructionism
publisher	American Physical Society
publishDate	2020
url	https://doaj.org/article/98901aa86872449f8b6ad8dfcfd21a89
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Shifting the learning gears: Redesigning a project-based course on soft matter through the perspective of constructionism

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