home - login - register

PERC 2009 Abstract Detail Page

Previous Page  |  New Search  |  Browse All

Abstract Title: Developing Pedagogically-Relevant Physics Content Knowledge through Asynchronous Online Discussions
Abstract: Helping pre-service teachers develop physics knowledge that is useful in the tasks of teaching is a growing responsibility of physics education researchers. Prior research has documented that analyzing video of children learning science aids pre-service teachers in developing their physics knowledge and deepens their understanding of the learning process. Research on video analysis in teacher education suggests that the primary value of such tasks comes not from watching the video, but from the subsequent discussions. We questioned whether similar advantages would be evident when participants watched and analyzed video clips via online threaded discussions. We found that participants used the video clips as a mediating tool to position their own current ideas about physics topics with respect to their prior understandings as well as to ideas articulated by the students in the video clips. We discuss the study findings and affordances and limitations of online discussion formats.
Abstract Type: Contributed Poster
Contributed Poster: Download the Contributed Poster

Author/Organizer Information

Primary Contact: Danielle Boyd Harlow
University of California - Santa Barbara
Gevirtz Graduate School of Education
University of California
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
Co-Author(s)
and Co-Presenter(s)
Lauren H. Swanson

University of California - Santa Barbara
Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106
lhoneycutt -at- education.ucsb.edu