GIS and Students as Scientists Constructivist Approaches

Introduction This paper considers student use of geographical information system software as a tool for teachers to restructure components of their middle school science curriculum from constructivist perspectives. The paper begins with a rational for adopting such teaching and learning approaches which is followed by a description of a current curriculum case in a Texas middle school. Following this is an outline of an approach to restructuring science teaching in this case, supplemented by a separate document utilizing these approaches and theory in the form of activities for a middle school science teacher. This independent document, entitled GIS and Students as Scientists: Constructivist Approaches to Science Curriculum Restructuring-Inservice Supplement, is a stand alone inservice activity workbook. Finally, a description of barriers to consider in utilizing such an approach to curriculum restructuring is presented. Pedagogy in the United States has been dominated by the behavioristic model, according to many cognitive psychologists (Yager, 1995), despite Piaget's research on cognitive operations (Duit & Treagust, 1998). Behavioristic approaches to teaching and learning follow a theory that focuses primarily on objectively observable behaviors and leaves little room for cognitive activity and understanding. Learning, in the behavioristic paradigm, is simply the acquisition of new behavior based on stimuli and reinforcements provided by the teacher (Yager, 1995; On Purpose, 1998). Behaviorism uses conditioning to develop responses. The most common examples of conditioning include classic conditioning as seen in 'Pavlov's dogs' and operant conditioning, as seen in B. F. Skinner's demonstrations of teaching pigeons to dance (On Purpose, 1998). However, if "understanding, interpretation, synthesis, and the ability to use information in new situations is our goal in education, a behaviorist approach is not successful" (Yager, 1995, p. 39). Yager stated, "there is little evidence that meaning can be transferred directly to learners unless learners engage themselves in a thought process—often initiated by a problem or discrepant event" (1995, p. 37). Learning is less dependent upon teacher presentations, than it is upon how a student processes information s/he encounters and assimilates that information based on preconceived notions and personal mental models of science concepts each having a different perception of the world, mental models that vary, and different social conditions, need a variety of opportunities to "achieve a more 'scientific' understanding of a new concept" (Ward, 1995, p. 9). It is through a student's "dynamic process of building, organizing, and elaborating" (Glynn & Duit, 1995, p. 3) upon their …