The implementation and evaluation of a sequential, structured approach for teaching LogoWriter to classroom teachers

The goal of this exploratory study was to implement and evaluate a Logo inservice model which focused on effective principles of staff development and emphasized Logo problem solving using teacher-mediated intervention strategies. The model was designed to facilitate teacher use of Logo in their classrooms;Subjects for this study included 19 elementary teachers and media specialists from the Ames Community Schools. Subjects completed The Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SoCQ), the LogoWriter Basic Comprehension Test, END-OF-DAY inventories, and the Inservice Evaluation LogoWriter Workshop Instrument. Additional outcome measures included projects shared during a final inservice sharing session, and questions, worksheets, and tape recordings from a follow-up discussion session;Results measuring change in teacher stages of concern indicated all participants, except one, made significant shifts to higher stages focusing on using Logo with students. Seven participants were identified as showing potential nonuse tendencies in implementing Logo into their classrooms. Support for Logo implementation was found for structured instructional teaching balanced with opportunities for discovery-based learning;Results from teacher self report of mastery of LogoWriter knowledge and skills indicated that subjects reported mastery of 20 out of 27 objectives. In addition, results from the LogoWriter Basic Comprehension Test validated these self reports. A t-test pairs procedure on the LogoWriter test indicated that there was a significant difference between the pre- and posttest group means (p \u3c.001). Auxiliary findings included results in teacher perceptions of Logo and gender differences;Evaluation of the Logo inservice provided positive support for the Logo inservice approach providing organization and structure and opportunity for individual exploration. Subjects also responded favorably to the inservice sharing session of Logo projects and teaching strategies, and the follow-up sharing session discussing implementation, curriculum integration, classroom management, and Logo procedural concerns. The study found that a structured Logo inservice appears to be a positive step in promoting future use of Logo in the classroom

Using the BioDatamation strategy to learn introductory college biology: value-added effects on selected students\u27 conceptual understanding and conceptual integration of the processes of photosynthesis and celluar respiration

The purpose of this exploratory research was to study how students learn photosynthesis and cellular respiration and to determine the value added to the student\u27s learning by each of the three technology-scaffolded learning strategy components (animated concept presentations and WebQuest-style activities, data collection, and student-constructed animations) of the BioDatamation™ (BDM) Program. BDM learning strategies utilized the Theory of Interacting Visual Fields™ (TIVF) (Reuter & Wandersee, 2002a, 2002b; 2003a, 2003b) which holds that meaningful knowledge is hierarchically constructed using the past, present, and future visual fields, with visual metacognitive components that are derived from the principles of Visual Behavior (Jones,1995), Human Constructivist Theory (Mintzes & Wandersee, 1998a), and Visual Information Design Theory (Tufte, 1990, 1997, 2001). Student alternative conceptions of photosynthesis and cellular respiration were determined by the item analysis of 263,267 Biology Advanced Placement Examinations and were used to develop the BDM instructional strategy and interview questions. The subjects were 24 undergraduate students of high and low biology prior knowledge enrolled in an introductory-level General Biology course at a major research university in the Deep South. Fifteen participants received BDM instruction which included original and innovative learning materials and laboratories in 6 phases; 8 of the 15 participants were the subject of in depth, extended individual analysis. The other 9 participants received traditional, non-BDM instruction. Interviews which included participants’ creation of concept maps and visual field diagrams were conducted after each phase. Various content analyses, including Chi\u27s Verbal Analysis and quantitizing/qualitizing were used for data analysis. The total value added to integrative knowledge during BDM instruction with the three visual fields was an average increase of 56% for cellular respiration and 62% increase for photosynthesis knowledge, improved long-term memory of concepts, and enhanced biological literacy to the multidimensional level, as determined by the BSCS literacy model. WebQuest-style activities and data collection provided for animated prior knowledge in the past visual field, and detailed content knowledge construction in the present visual field. During student construction of animated presentations, layering required participants to think by rearranging words and images for improved hierarchical organization of knowledge with real-life applications