Supporting Science Learning and Teaching with Software-based Scaffolding

Much attention has been focused on the role of teachers and curriculum materials in scaffolding learners. However, a growing area of focus is on the potential of computer software to provide cognitive support for learners engaging in complex intellectual activities. A substantial amount of research and development in this area, particularly at the University of Michigan, has focused on scaffolding learners in science classrooms to help them develop a stronger understanding of scientific content and practice. Much of this research revolves around identifying different scaffolding approaches and developing software that implements these approaches to scaffold learners so they can engage in authentic scientific activity. Recent research efforts have synthesized the lessons from previous scaffolding research to articulate specific scaffolding guidelines and principles that characterize scaffolding approaches at a conceptual level (e. the Scaffolding Design Framework (Quintana et al., 2004) describes a set of scaffolding guidelines, strategies, and examples that are specifically organized around the obstacles and complexities that learners face in three primary constituent aspects of science inquiry: sense making, process management, and reflection and articulation. By considering these aspects of science inquiry, the framework describes scaffolding approaches that can support learners as they attempt to engage in more authentic scientific inquiry. Traditionally, most scaffolded software in science has attempted to support learners, where learners are defined as students in classrooms. But if we consider the science classroom context, the complexity introduced by inquiry-based activity also impacts the teachers in those classrooms. Therefore, there is now also a growing line of research focusing on scaffolding teachers as they develop instructional practices that revolve around an inquiry-based approach. In this paper, we will use the Scaffolding Design Framework as a basis to describe how software can scaffold students and teachers with authentic inquiry-based science activities in K-12 classrooms. We will review the framework to describe the areas where students need support in science inquiry, describe corresponding scaffolding