Abstract
AbstractThe construction of dynamic multimedia products requires the selection and integration of a range of semiotic resources. As an assessment task for preservice teachers, this construction process is complex but has significant potential for learning. To investigate how weaving together multiple representations in such tasks enables learners to develop conceptual understanding, the paper presents an indicative case study of a 2nd-year preservice primary (K-6) teacher who created a digital explanation on the topic of ‘transparency’ for stage 3 children (ages 11–12). We focus on data gathered during the 3-h construction process including artefacts such as images, online searches, websites accessed and paper records used for planning; the digital explanation as product; audio and video capture of the construction process and pre- and post-construction interviews. Using multimodal analysis, we examine these data to understand how meanings are negotiated as the maker moves iteratively among multiple representations and through semiotic choices within these representations to explain the science concept. The analyses illustrate the complexity of the construction process while providing insight into the creator’s decision-making and to her developing semiotic and conceptual understandings. These findings allow us to build on the concept of cumulative semiotic progression (Hoban & Nielsen, Research in Science Education, 35, 1101-1119, 2013) by explicating the role of iterative reasoning in the production of pedagogic multimedia.
Highlights
The increasing use of dynamic multimedia construction as an assessment task is based on a dual aim to improve science content knowledge and develop multimodal literacies (Hoban, Nielsen, & Shepherd, 2016)
During the pre-interview, we asked questions such as what do you know about the topic? How confident are you with your knowledge of the topic? What experience have you had with digital media production? What are your plans for creating this digital explanation? Which keywords will you use to search for information? We asked Stacy to talk aloud as she worked
We draw on a range of concepts from social semiotic theory to understand the process of meaning-making, and its role in learning content knowledge and acquiring specialized literacy skills
Summary
The increasing use of dynamic multimedia construction as an assessment task is based on a dual aim to improve science content knowledge and develop multimodal literacies (Hoban, Nielsen, & Shepherd, 2016) These two aims have long been linked in the science education literature, as it is understood that working with and constructing scientific representations is central to learning (Tytler et al 2014). Digital explanations are dynamic multimodal texts created by the learner to communicate science meanings (Nielsen & Hoban, 2015) These objects are referred to using a range of different terms depending on form and media, but the type we are considering is characterized by being student generated, multimodal and dynamic. This is important in science, and in preservice teacher education, given the inherent multimodalities of both science and the primary classroom
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