Learning electricity with multiple representations

Elham Beheshti, Mmachi Obiorah, Michael S. Horn

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Electrical circuits are difficult to understand. In this paper, we introduce Spark, a museum exhibit that enables learners to interact with multiple representations of electrical circuits at the same time. The goal is to familiarize children with fundamental concepts of electricity such as current and resistance. We tested our design with 6 parent-child dyads at a major science museum. Our study investigates how families make sense of representations at the level of circuits and at the level of electrons and ions. Our findings show a wide variety of visitor interactions with the exhibit, in particular when connecting the two representations of a circuit.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationProceedings of IDC 2015
Subtitle of host publicationThe 14th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery, Inc
Pages263-266
Number of pages4
ISBN (Electronic)9781450335904
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 21 2015
Event14th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children, IDC 2015 - Boston, United States
Duration: Jun 21 2015Jun 24 2015

Publication series

NameProceedings of IDC 2015: The 14th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children

Other

Other14th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children, IDC 2015
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityBoston
Period6/21/156/24/15

Keywords

  • Agent-based modeling
  • Electrical circuits
  • Iterative design
  • Multiple representations
  • Museums learning

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Education
  • Software

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