Innovation Profile 075

Measurement reveals insights

In the early development of science it was a struggle to measure accurately what was happening in experiments. With accurate measurements it became possible to create scientific theories. When physical phenomena could be measured very accurately clever people could notice slight disparities with theory, which revealed more insights.

School students used to struggle to measure accurately; plenty of school thermometers showed water boiling at 99 degrees, such was their accuracy. With data logging and data presentation software they can now measure and use real-world data, that can challenge their understanding and reveal some very deep insights.

Stretching the most able is often difficult in class teaching but real-world data usually presents several layers of challenge. Use of software such as Logotron's Datalogging Insight (see http://www.logo.com and click 'catalogue' and 'science') allows accurate measurements to be achieved quickly and easily. These can be presented and analysed using the tools the package provides.

More able students will probably quickly grasp the main scientific theories being explored and can seek to understand measurements which appear not to properly support the theory. This may reveal experimental deficiencies or it may reveal factors that the teacher has avoided mentioning, in order to make it easier for most pupils to grasp the main theory (for example the effect of friction when exploring acceleration due to gravity).

From the teacher's point of view, if real-world information is made clearly visible it is quite easy to challenge students to hypothesise reasons to explain it; much easier than if it were necessary to help the students with difficult procedures in order to source the real-world information in the first place.

Perhaps this is one of the major advances that have become available to teachers with ICT. For all subjects 'real-world information' is available, from the Internet as well as sensors. Perhaps we should be asking that all teachers make more real-world and up-to-date information accessible to their students.

This is likely to help motivate the students to learn, but what changes will teachers have to make to their pedagogy?

The Logotron Company Profile on our web site will give you an overview of the company and a list of other Innovation Profiles connected with it.

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If you know of examples of innovative use of ICT-for-learning that others would be interested in, please email innovations@eep-edu.org

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