Share Paper: Steerable Environmental Simulations for Exploratory Learning

  1. Michelle Zhu, Montclair State University, United States
  2. Nicole Panorkou, Montclair State University, United States
  3. Sowmith Etikyala, Montclair State University, United States
  4. Debasmita Basu, Montclair State University, United States
  5. Taheeda Street-Conaway, Montclair State University, United States
  6. Pricilla Iranah, Montclair State University, United States
  7. Daniel Mazol, Kearny School, United States
  8. Corey Hannum, Montclair State University, United States
  9. Ryan Marshall, Montclair State University, United States
  10. Pankaj Lal, Montclair State University, United States
  11. Bharath Samanthula, Montclair State University, United States
Tuesday, October 16 2:15-2:45 PM Las Vegas Ballroom 2

Abstract: This paper presents the software design for some interactive simulations on the subject of Earth and Environmental science in grades 5, 6 and 7. These simulations together with some programming exercises have been successfully integrated into a series of instructional modules for local New Jersey elementary and middle schools. The goal of these modules was for the students to explore the steerable parameters of the simulations and develop their computational and mathematical thinking skills. In this paper, we present some simulations we developed, discuss their design and examine student assessment results that were collected and analyzed using statistical inferences. Our ...