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Catherine C. Chase

Bio: Catherine C. Chase is an academic researcher from Columbia University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Educational technology & Transfer of training. The author has an hindex of 11, co-authored 28 publications receiving 1159 citations. Previous affiliations of Catherine C. Chase include Stanford University & Carnegie Mellon University.

Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compared the effects of "telling" students before and after problem solving in physics and found that students in a tell-and-practice condition were better learned the ratio structure of the physical phenomena and transferred more frequently to semantically unrelated topics that also had a ratio structure (e.g., spring constant).
Abstract: Being told procedures and concepts before problem solving can inadvertently undermine the learning of deep structures in physics. If students do not learn the underlying structure of physical phenomena, they will exhibit poor transfer. Two studies on teaching physics to adolescents compared the effects of “telling” students before and after problem solving. In Experiment 1 (N 128), students in a tell-andpractice condition were told the relevant concepts and formulas (e.g., density) before practicing on a set of contrasting cases for each lesson. Students in an invent-with-contrasting-cases (ICC) condition had to invent formulas using the same cases and were told only afterward. Both groups exhibited equal proficiency at using the formulas on word problems. However, ICC students better learned the ratio structure of the physical phenomena and transferred more frequently to semantically unrelated topics that also had a ratio structure (e.g., spring constant). Experiment 2 (N 120) clarified the sources of the effects while showing that ICC benefited both low- and high-achieving students.

356 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Betty's Brain this paper is a computer-based learning environment that capitalizes on the social aspects of learning in which students instruct a character called a Teachable Agent (TA) which can reason based on how it is taught.
Abstract: Betty’s Brain is a computer-based learning environment that capitalizes on the social aspects of learning In Betty’s Brain, students instruct a character called a Teachable Agent (TA) which can reason based on how it is taught Two studies demonstrate the protege effect: students make greater effort to learn for their TAs than they do for themselves The first study involved 8th-grade students learning biology Although all students worked with the same Betty’s Brain software, students in the TA condition believed they were teaching their TAs, while in another condition, they believed they were learning for themselves TA students spent more time on learning activities (eg, reading) and also learned more These beneficial effects were most pronounced for lower achieving children The second study used a verbal protocol with 5th-grade students to determine the possible causes of the protege effect As before, students learned either for their TAs or for themselves Like study 1, students in the TA condition spent more time on learning activities These children treated their TAs socially by attributing mental states and responsibility to them They were also more likely to acknowledge errors by displaying negative affect and making attributions for the causes of failures Perhaps having a TA invokes a sense of responsibility that motivates learning, provides an environment in which knowledge can be improved through revision, and protects students’ egos from the psychological ramifications of failure

274 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is proposed that students lack this Emergent Schema and teaching it to them may help them learn and understand emergent kinds of science processes such as diffusion, and found that directly teaching students this Emergence Schema led to increased learning of the process of diffusion.

251 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors argue that overzealous transfer can hinder opportunities for new learning, and this can further diminish adaptive transfer later on, and provide experimental examples of OZT, discuss how a number of professions have developed procedures for avoiding OZTs, and suggest some implications for future research.
Abstract: Many approaches to instruction focus on helping people learn to recognize “the old in the new”—to turn what would otherwise be novel problems into familiar patterns that can be solved efficiently through the reuse of prior learning. Instruction that leads to efficient transfer is important, but it can also promote what we call “overzealous” transfer (OZT), where people focus primarily on seeing the old in the new because old routines have been successful before. As a result, OZT can hinder opportunities for new learning, and this can further diminish adaptive transfer later on. We relate OZT to “negative transfer,” provide experimental examples of OZT, discuss how a number of professions have developed procedures for avoiding OZT, argue that many common approaches to instruction and assessment may inadvertently produce OZT, and suggest some implications for future research.

112 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Teachable Agents (TA) as mentioned in this paper is an instructional technology that draws on the social metaphor of teaching a computer agent to help students learn, where students teach their agent by creating concept maps.
Abstract: One valuable goal of instructional technologies in K-12 education is to prepare students for future learning. Two classroom studies examined whether Teachable Agents (TA) achieves this goal. TA is an instructional technology that draws on the social metaphor of teaching a computer agent to help students learn. Students teach their agent by creating concept maps. Artificial intelligence enables TA to use the concept maps to answer questions, thereby providing interactivity, a model of thinking, and feedback. Elementary schoolchildren learning science with TA exhibited “added-value” learning that did not adversely affect the “basic-value” they gained from their regular curriculum, despite trade-offs in instructional time. Moreover, TA prepared students to learn new science content from their regular lessons, even when they were no longer using the software.

84 citations


Cited by
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Book
01 Jan 2003
TL;DR: In this paper, Sherry Turkle uses Internet MUDs (multi-user domains, or in older gaming parlance multi-user dungeons) as a launching pad for explorations of software design, user interfaces, simulation, artificial intelligence, artificial life, agents, virtual reality, and the on-line way of life.
Abstract: From the Publisher: A Question of Identity Life on the Screen is a fascinating and wide-ranging investigation of the impact of computers and networking on society, peoples' perceptions of themselves, and the individual's relationship to machines. Sherry Turkle, a Professor of the Sociology of Science at MIT and a licensed psychologist, uses Internet MUDs (multi-user domains, or in older gaming parlance multi-user dungeons) as a launching pad for explorations of software design, user interfaces, simulation, artificial intelligence, artificial life, agents, "bots," virtual reality, and "the on-line way of life." Turkle's discussion of postmodernism is particularly enlightening. She shows how postmodern concepts in art, architecture, and ethics are related to concrete topics much closer to home, for example AI research (Minsky's "Society of Mind") and even MUDs (exemplified by students with X-window terminals who are doing homework in one window and simultaneously playing out several different roles in the same MUD in other windows). Those of you who have (like me) been turned off by the shallow, pretentious, meaningless paintings and sculptures that litter our museums of modern art may have a different perspective after hearing what Turkle has to say. This is a psychoanalytical book, not a technical one. However, software developers and engineers will find it highly accessible because of the depth of the author's technical understanding and credibility. Unlike most other authors in this genre, Turkle does not constantly jar the technically-literate reader with blatant errors or bogus assertions about how things work. Although I personally don't have time or patience for MUDs,view most of AI as snake-oil, and abhor postmodern architecture, I thought the time spent reading this book was an extremely good investment.

4,965 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Cronbach's alpha is a statistic commonly quoted by authors to demonstrate that tests and scales that have been constructed or adopted for research projects are fit for purpose as discussed by the authors, which is a measure of reliability.
Abstract: Cronbach’s alpha is a statistic commonly quoted by authors to demonstrate that tests and scales that have been constructed or adopted for research projects are fit for purpose. Cronbach’s alpha is regularly adopted in studies in science education: it was referred to in 69 different papers published in 4 leading science education journals in a single year (2015)—usually as a measure of reliability. This article explores how this statistic is used in reporting science education research and what it represents. Authors often cite alpha values with little commentary to explain why they feel this statistic is relevant and seldom interpret the result for readers beyond citing an arbitrary threshold for an acceptable value. Those authors who do offer readers qualitative descriptors interpreting alpha values adopt a diverse and seemingly arbitrary terminology. More seriously, illustrative examples from the science education literature demonstrate that alpha may be acceptable even when there are recognised problems with the scales concerned. Alpha is also sometimes inappropriately used to claim an instrument is unidimensional. It is argued that a high value of alpha offers limited evidence of the reliability of a research instrument, and that indeed a very high value may actually be undesirable when developing a test of scientific knowledge or understanding. Guidance is offered to authors reporting, and readers evaluating, studies that present Cronbach’s alpha statistic as evidence of instrument quality.

3,864 citations

01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: Using Language部分的�’学模式既不落俗套,又能真正体现新课程标准所倡导的�'学理念,正是年努力探索的问题.
Abstract: 人教版高中英语新课程教材中,语言运用(Using Language)是每个单元必不可少的部分,提供了围绕单元中心话题的听、说、读、写的综合性练习,是单元中心话题的延续和升华.如何设计Using Language部分的教学,使自己的教学模式既不落俗套,又能真正体现新课程标准所倡导的教学理念,正是广大一线英语教师一直努力探索的问题.

2,071 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In the past decade, a large body of multidisciplinary research has begun to undermine the authority of this narrow interpretation of literacy by situating literacy in larger social practices as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Many people in "literate" societies, when asked to define literacy, almost always do so in terms of reading and writing abilities This narrow interpretation of literacy, an offspring of reductionist psychology, has reigned supreme in many academic and educational contexts for decades, greatly shaping literacy theories and classroom practices Within the past ten years, however, a large body of multidisciplinary research has begun to undermine the authority of this perspective by situating literacy in larger social practices

1,589 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors showed that students who believe that intellectual abilities are qualities that can be developed (as opposed to qualities that are fixed) tend to show higher achievement across challenging school transitions and greater course completion rates in challenging math courses.
Abstract: Because challenges are ubiquitous, resilience is essential for success in school and in life. In this article we review research demonstrating the impact of students’ mindsets on their resilience in the face of academic and social challenges. We show that students who believe (or are taught) that intellectual abilities are qualities that can be developed (as opposed to qualities that are fixed) tend to show higher achievement across challenging school transitions and greater course completion rates in challenging math courses. New research also shows that believing (or being taught) that social attributes can be developed can lower adolescents’ aggression and stress in response to peer victimization or exclusion, and result in enhanced school performance. We conclude by discussing why psychological interventions that change students’ mindsets are effective and what educators can do to foster these mindsets and create resilience in educational settings. When students struggle with their schoolwork, what determines whether they give up or embrace the obstacle and work to overcome it? And when students feel excluded or victimized by peers, what determines whether they seek revenge through aggression or seek more productive solutions? Resilience—or whether students respond positively to challenges—is crucial for success in school and in life. Yet what causes it? And what can be done to increase it? In this article we demonstrate the impact of students’ mindsets—or implicit theories about the malleability of human characteristics—on their academic and social resilience (Dweck, 2006; Dweck, Chiu, & Hong, 1995). We show how mindsets can contribute to two of the most important issues currently facing educators: (a) academic underachievement and (b) the impact of peer exclusion and victimization. Each of these problems is of great concern, yet each has been frustratingly difficult to address. For example, many of the large-scale interventions evaluated by the Institute of

1,521 citations