Inquiry Based Learning Through Microworld Exploration:

An Exploration of Emergent Systems in our Environment

This project proposal outlines a multi-part plan for enhancing the Orono Union 87 K-8 inquiry based learning approach with computer-based microworld explorations. A microworld is, simply put, a miniature world designed to make particular concepts and ways of thinking accessible to the student. The microworlds of this project will facilitate the exploration of systems in which complex behavior emerges from simple rules, and will consist of both software and additional material (curriculum guidelines, lesson plans, etc.) needed to integrate that software into the curriculum.

The primary focus of the project will be on a collaborative working group of K-8 teachers from Orono Union 87 , University of Maine faculty and graduate students from the Computer Science Department and College of Education, and a visiting faculty member from the MIT Media Lab . Microworlds will be developed out of the interaction of this group and a Computer Science Department graduate student with expertise in emergent systems will lead the microworld implementation effort.

An important part of this project will be an opening and concluding public forum, in January and in June. Keynote lectures will be given by the MIT faculty member, and project results will be presented to the community.

Overview of the Problem

An important goal in K-8 education, as stated in Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy, Project 2061 (American Association for the Advancement of Science) is to empower students with tools, methods, and approaches to problem solving that will properly prepare students for their interaction with the real world. To this end the approach of inquiry based learning has been looked at by science educators, and the Orono Middle School , Asa Adams School , and Veazie John R. Graham School use such an approach in their curriculum. Through library exploration, classroom study, and field trips, students develop questions and pursue them in an independent manner. The exploration of these questions is then used as a springboard for further learning.

The Project 2061 report points out that by grades 3 through 5 students should be beginning to reason by analogy, exploring alternatives to questions at a very concrete level. It continues by pointing out that by grades 6 through 8 many students should understand concepts such as reasoning by similarity, generalization, and logical argument. These points are reinforced by the Maine Common Core of Learning, which stresses that students should be responsible and independent thinkers, that they organize knowledge from a wide variety of sources, that they develop strong reasoning and problem solving skills, and that they are able to apply their knowledge and skills across a wide variety of disciplines.

A powerful tool that is very often overlooked in addressing the above goals of K-8 education is the computer. Its strength is in its ability to model the real world in a variety of exciting ways, allowing students to explore "virtual realities", or "microworlds" within the confines of the classroom and within the scope of their developmental growth. Students can already do this to some extent through projects such as laboratory experiments, terrariums, ant farms, etc., but for the most part the ability to study the dynamics, or emergent behavior of a problem by varying its initial conditions is limited.

The Project 2061 report recognizes that computers can be a useful tool in helping students achieve the above goals, but it doesn't elaborate on this point. The ultimate success of computer use in inquiry based learning in the sciences is coupled very tightly with the variety and richness of microworlds that are available to explore each topic. The true power of a microworld is in how well it facilitates inquiry based learning and feedback.

The University of Maine Computer Science Department members of the proposed project team are currently constructing a number of research microworlds, including one in collaboration with entomologists to study bee cross- pollination in blueberry fields. The computer modeling tool Starlogo used in this study is the same "freeware" tool developed and used at the MIT Media Lab to provide Boston area K-8 students with a wide variety of microworlds to explore. Starlogo has the advantage of being highly visual, easily modifiable, and very much within the understanding of K-8 students.

Microworlds for the Study of Emergent Systems

The exploration of systems in which behavior "emerges" from the interaction of many small entities crosses a wide variety of disciplines and provides the student with a framework for discovering a wide variety of analogous behavior. For example, cooperative ant behavior, bee behavior, supermarket shopper behavior, highway traffic patterns, and bird flocking all have the property that complex behavior arises out of the interaction of many local interactions. Consider questions such as "Why does a balloon expand with an increase in temperature?" "How do cells multiply and form a human embryo?", "How do creatures evolve to survive in their environment?", "How do cities grow?", "How does the internet grow?", and "How do humans think?". These and many more are within the reach of K-8 students.

Starlogo will be the primary software tool used to model such simple rules of behavior, then to observe the behavior that emerges. We will also be exploring a number of commercially available modeling tools, notably the Sim group of software developed by the Maxis Corporation (SimCity, SimAnt, SimLife, etc.). The key to the successful development of microworlds containing such tools is that they are constructed within the context of a topic already under study in the curriculum. This type of inquiry based curriculum development is the strong suit of our teacher participants, and will be one of the keys to the success of our project.

The Specific Approach To the Project

The primary project team will consist of a collaborative working group of K-8 teachers from Orono Union 87 ; the University Computer Science Department project leader, Larry Latour; a faculty member from the College of Education, Jim Chiavacci; a Computer Science Department graduate student, Wendy Curry ; and a visiting consultant from the MIT Media Lab Learning and Common Sense Group, Mitchel Resnick .

The team will meet regularly, with Ms. Curry facilitating the interaction between University and Orono teachers between meetings.

Goals of the group:

1. To identify those topics in the curricula of each school that would benefit from computer microworld exploration, to develop alternative models within each topic, and to prioritize these topics in terms of their usefulness and feasibility of implementation within the time frame.

2. To develop a small number of these microworlds in depth, with Ms. Curry and Prof. Latour providing the initial modeling expertise, Prof. Chiavacci considering the curriculum issues that need to be addressed, and the Orono teachers providing the frameworks and detail for each microworld. Other University faculty have already agreed to be consultants for such disciplines as Oceanography and Entomology.

Topics for potential microworld exploration have already been discussed, and include dynamic behavior in the gulf of Maine (current flow, fish migration patterns, and flora and fauna growth), cell growth and development, molecular behavior in hot air balloons, the immune system, evolution, population dynamics, and how cities develop.

3. To explore microworld prototypes with small groups of students, under the supervision of the participating teachers and University participants.

4. To develop a plan for the use and assessment of each microworld in the greater student population as a regular part of the curriculum. Included will be the development of both formative and summative evaluation plans consisting of initial information on student skills, knowledge, and attitudes, periodic teacher reports, and student evaluation of microworlds.

5. To present the results of microworld construction, experimentation, and the use and assessment plan in the project final report and June symposium.

Expertise by the University in the proposed project.

Larry Latour, the project leader, is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Maine, and has specialized in the area of software engineering with the Department since 1985. His concern with the preparation of pre-college students has led him to develop the Computer Science component of the Upward Bound Math/Science program for the past three summers. Prof. Latour has developed a program of participatory learning with the help of the progressive ideas of the MIT Media Lab .

Wendy Curry , a graduate student in the University of Maine Computer Science Department, has worked with Upward Bound for the past two summers and is expert in working with young students on emergent systems concepts. She has a BA in Computer Science from the University, and she is currently developing a master's thesis based on the ideas of decentralized problem solving. She will be working with both the project team and her contacts across campus to develop each microworld.

Jim Chiavacci, a faculty member in the University of Maine College of Education, has experience in both in- service and pre-service education and in the integration of the computer into K-12 curricula. One of his primary goals will be to integrate the results of this project into his College curriculum on computers in education. Prof. Chiavacci will be the University point of expertise on curriculum issues for the project.

Mitchel Resnick is an Assistant Professor in the MIT Media Lab Learning and Common Sense Group. Through his research he has developed a great deal of expertise in exploring the decentralized mindset with K-12 children, and we are looking forward to sharing that expertise in Maine.

Involvement of representative K-8 teacher participants in the planning, implementing and evaluating of the project:

The teachers of the local schools will participate in meetings twice a month, visit the MIT Media Lab to study microworld construction, collaborate in the design of projects that will enhance the existing curriculum, and take the lead in identifying curriculum, assessment, developmental issues crucial to the success of the project. In addition, they will participate in the writing and review of the curriculum report. The team of five participants includes the Orono Middle School team leader Richard Glueck, the Asa Adams Elementary School team leader Gail Garthwait, and the Veazie John R. Graham School's Mary Evans. In addition to receiving a project stipend, each teacher may apply for up to 45 contact hours toward their professional recertification.

Alignment of objectives with the goals of the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance.

K-8 student exploration of microworlds further shifts the emphasis from learning through lecture to learning through experimentation. This is recognized as one of the goals of Project 2061 and the Maine Common Core of Learning. Such an approach empowers the student to explore new ideas and test hypotheses, and contributes to the development of high aspirations for learning and achieving.

Both Prof. Latour and Ms. Curry are concerned with the issue of gender and socio-economics in their work in computer science. They have worked with a number of aspiring women scientists in the Upward Bound Program, and are concerned with continuing that work with Orono K-8 students.

One of the primary goals of this project is to contribute to the integration of the computer into the K-8 curriculum in a way that helps to convinces both faculty, students, and parents that it is a viable and necessary scientific tool. As the computer is used for more than simply to teach basic skills, an increased number of students will be drawn to explore science through it's "multi-media eyes".

A dissemination plan for sharing the project outcomes with the Beacon College membership and agencies throughout the state.

- Although the core team will have the most involvement, the remainder of the teachers and staff of these schools will also benefit by their interaction with the team during the project.

- The project team will generate a report based on the structure of their school curricula, outlining the microworlds developed throughout the project and integrated into the curricula. These microworlds will include both purchased software and "freeware" (including the Starlogo models), as well as lesson plans, examples, and evaluation and assessment goals for the exploration of each microworld.

- Both the report and freeware software will be distributed in regional K-8 schools and will be available through hard- copy and internet ftp and WWW (World Wide Web) access through Mosaic. This will give the project a high degree of visibility both within and outside of the State of Maine.

- There will be an initial public lecture by Mitchel Resnick and the University of Maine project team in January, to make the community aware of the project in progress.

- A symposium will be held in June, featuring presentations by K-8 teachers, University faculty, and the MIT Media Lab consultant. This symposium will be advertised to Maine K-8 schools as well as throughout the University of Maine campus. A videotape of the presentations will be made available to Maine K-8 schools, and parts will be selected for inclusion on the WWW site. In-service credit will be made available to participating teachers.

Facilities and resources to carry out project activities.

The project team has access to a wide variety of computing facilities, both on the University of Maine campus and in the Orono Schools. The Department of Computer Science has Mac, PC, and Unix labs, the College of Education has a Mac lab, and PC and Mac public clusters are available on campus. The Asa Adams school has an extensive Mac lab and internet access, available for the entire project team.