GRASP (GestuRe Augmented
Simulations for supporting
exPlanations) is an NSF-funded collaboration between the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Concord Consortium. The goal of this project is to understand the role that gestures play in reasoning about critical concepts in science.
Specifically we are working with middle school students to help us understand how moving their hands can help them explain things such as what causes air pressure and why we have seasons.
We are also creating new computer simulations that can respond to students’ gestures and allow students to become part of the simulation!
We believe that this “hands in” approach to learning will provide new opportunities for students to learn complex ideas and construct new explanations.
Go here to learn more about this project.
News
ICLS 2018
Research from the GRASP Project will be presented during four sessions at the 2018 International Conference of the Learning Sciences. Come hear the latest updates from GRASP!
For Parents of Middle School Students in Central IL
Are you the parent of a middle school student in Central Illinois? Want to be involved in GRASP? Contact us!
New Research BriefA new research brief about GRASP has been produced by the Bureau of Education Research at UIUC.
Fall 2016 MSTE Friday Lunch featuring the GRASP Project
Video is now available here
Papers accepted for the 2017 NARST Annual International Conference
The National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) Program Committee accepted
David Brown’s proposal, “Exploring the Conceptual Affordances of Embodied Explanatory Control of a Gas Pressure Simulation,” and a proposal by Nathan Kimball and Christina Silliman, “Designing Gestures to Control a Simulation for the Causes of Seasons,” for presentation at the 2017 NARST Annual International Conference, April 22-25, 2017 in San Antonio, TX.
