Scaffolding Collaborative Learning Opportunities: Integrating Microworld Use and Argumentation

This paper presents our research efforts to support students’ collaborative process when learning mathematics and science as they interact in microworlds and engage in discussions and structured arguments. From a pedagogical perspective, the system provides students with an environment to explore challenging problems and encourages them to collaborate. The collaboration takes place in a discussion environment that is integrated with microworlds, allowing students to discuss and argue with one another and share their rationales and insights. The challenge of this work lies in providing students, teachers, and researchers with coherent, unified feedback within the system as a whole. To accomplish this, the system must combine and analyze student actions across tools, and results of those actions. We conclude that the integration of these two types of software tools provides a solid foundation for intelligent analysis of student collaboration.