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Computer-Supported Imagination: The Interplay Between Computer and Mental Simulation in Understanding Scientific Concepts

Computer-Supported Imagination: The Interplay Between Computer and Mental Simulation in Understanding Scientific Concepts

Franco Landriscina
Copyright: © 2017 |Pages: 28
ISBN13: 9781522525257|ISBN10: 1522525254|EISBN13: 9781522525264
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-2525-7.ch002
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MLA

Landriscina, Franco. "Computer-Supported Imagination: The Interplay Between Computer and Mental Simulation in Understanding Scientific Concepts." Digital Tools and Solutions for Inquiry-Based STEM Learning, edited by Ilya Levin and Dina Tsybulsky, IGI Global, 2017, pp. 33-60. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-2525-7.ch002

APA

Landriscina, F. (2017). Computer-Supported Imagination: The Interplay Between Computer and Mental Simulation in Understanding Scientific Concepts. In I. Levin & D. Tsybulsky (Eds.), Digital Tools and Solutions for Inquiry-Based STEM Learning (pp. 33-60). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-2525-7.ch002

Chicago

Landriscina, Franco. "Computer-Supported Imagination: The Interplay Between Computer and Mental Simulation in Understanding Scientific Concepts." In Digital Tools and Solutions for Inquiry-Based STEM Learning, edited by Ilya Levin and Dina Tsybulsky, 33-60. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2017. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-2525-7.ch002

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Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to explore some conceptual and methodological issues related to computer-based simulation as a teaching and learning method for STEM education. Two major themes will be examined in detail: 1) the barriers to the penetration of simulation into school programs; 2) simulation as a way to enhance scientific imagination in students. It is argued that scientific imagination is linked closely with mental simulation, a fundamental capacity of the human brain which allows us to move from static to dynamic mental representations. The role of mental simulation in understanding scientific concepts is discussed and an explicit statement is provided of the relation between computer simulation and mental simulation. On these grounds, computer simulation is viewed as a tool for extending human cognition by overcoming the limits of mental simulation. Finally, the implications of these findings for designing simulation-based instructional units and conducting lessons are discussed.

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