Negotiating energy dynamics through embodied action in a materially structured environment

Autor: Rachel E. Scherr, Hunter G. Close, Eleanor W. Close, Virginia J. Flood, Sarah B. McKagan, Amy D. Robertson, Lane Seeley, Michael C. Wittmann, Stamatis Vokos
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2013
Předmět:
Zdroj: Physical Review Special Topics. Physics Education Research, Vol 9, Iss 2, p 020105 (2013)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1554-9178
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.9.020105
Popis: We provide evidence that a learning activity called Energy Theater engages learners with key conceptual issues in the learning of energy, including disambiguating matter flow and energy flow and theorizing mechanisms for energy transformation. A participationist theory of learning, in which learning is indicated by changes in speech and behavior, supports ethnographic analysis of learners’ embodied interactions with each other and the material setting. We conduct detailed analysis to build plausible causal links between specific features of Energy Theater and the conceptual engagement that we observe. Disambiguation of matter and energy appears to be promoted especially by the material structure of the Energy Theater environment, in which energy is represented by participants, while objects are represented by areas demarcated by loops of rope. Theorizing mechanisms of energy transformation is promoted especially by Energy Theater’s embodied action, which necessitates modeling the time ordering of energy transformations.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals