David Webb
University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder
In this workshop we will explore the application of active learning principles in STEM education in which PhET simulations are used to foster active learning, student inquiry, and peer interaction. Drawing on research and exemplars, we will discuss strategies for creating lessons using digital simulations that facilitate meaningful student engagement. Participants will select and use PhET simulations to investigate scientific and mathematical principles in ways that exemplify the instructional design approach of progressive formalization—starting from learners’ prior understandings and guiding them toward formalized scientific or mathematical knowledge. We will review ways to use PhET’s open ended exploratory environment and use of dynamic representations to to support a classroom environment that values students’ ideas and sense making.