Hi Deborah, Whitney, and Stephanie,

Can you tell me a bit more about how your simulations are being implemented in classrooms? Do students work alone, in pairs, or as a class? Do teachers use them after introducing chemistry concepts, or is the intention for students to experiment with the simulations in order to discover concepts on their own?

I am also interested to hear if there are particular simulations that stimulated a lot of student discussion. In general, I’m always looking for ways to think about how to get kids talking to each other about STEM topics.

Hello Presenters,
I’d like to learn more about if/how you are capturing student misconceptions about models. As model users, do you find that students understand the mechanisms driving the simulations? Does it matter in the context of what you are trying to teach?

Embedding computational thinking into a science class with the PURPOSE of teaching the science through the lens of computational thinking sounds like a promising model. Computational thinking can’t be an add-on, it has to be a vehicle for helping teachers to accomplish the instructional goals they already have. How are you convincing teachers that computational thinking can be used in this way and that it isn’t just “one more thing” to be added to an already full year?

Your work is very similar to some of what we’re working on at Lawrence Hall of Science! I look forward to seeing your replies to the above questions. As a former middle school science teacher, and a recent evangelist for computational thinking, I’m eager to see how revealing methods of problem solving can help more learners discover how capable they are when they might not recognize this in a traditional, fact-based and memory driven classroom.

I think programs that teach CT via required subjects are the way to go. I’d like to know a bit more about what your teachers do in class with the students. And how you train the teachers.

I would like to know more how you will measure what the students learned.