Dixon, C., & Martin, L. M. (2019, June), The Social and Conceptual Function of Uncertainty in Open-Ended Project-Based Learning  Paper presented at 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Tampa, Florida. 10.18260/1-2--33426

\bibitem{asee_peer_33426}
  Dixon, C., \& Martin, L. M. (2019, June), \emph{The Social and Conceptual Function of Uncertainty in Open-Ended Project-Based Learning}
  Paper presented at 2019 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition , Tampa, Florida.
  10.18260/1-2--33426

Colin Dixon and Lee Michael Martin.  "The Social and Conceptual Function of Uncertainty in Open-Ended Project-Based Learning".  2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Tampa, Florida, 2019, June.  ASEE Conferences, 2019.  https://peer.asee.org/33426 Internet.  13 Dec, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_33426}
  Colin Dixon and Lee Michael Martin.
  "The Social and Conceptual Function of Uncertainty in Open-Ended Project-Based Learning".
  \emph{2019 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition , Tampa, Florida, 2019, June}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2019.
  https://peer.asee.org/33426 Internet.  13 Dec, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_33426
author = "Colin Dixon and Lee Michael Martin"
title = "The Social and Conceptual Function of Uncertainty in Open-Ended Project-Based Learning"
booktitle = "2019 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition "
year = "2019"
month = "June"
address = "Tampa, Florida"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/33426}
number = {10.18260/1-2--33426}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - There is growing interest in makerspaces and other relatively open-ended learning environments that afford many entry points and pathways into and through engineering. Unlike more traditional curriculum, open-ended makerspaces elicit many sticking points and moments of uncertainty which can serve as rich contexts for conceptual development and disciplinary practice. In project-based curricula, much is unknown, unspecified, and ambiguous, conceptually and relationally. Learners must tolerate much of this ambiguity and select what and when they call attention to uncertainty - places where they see fault or limitation in their own or the group’s designs, knowledge, or plan. 

In this paper, we report on a study of collaborative work in a high school-based maker club. We found that while some students were able to use their projects to pursue personal learning goals and identities, others were not. Using interaction analysis, we analyze and report on the interactions within one group as they worked through design phases of a long term project. We bring attention to how moments of uncertainty acted as pivot points that learners used to position themselves and others, to control problem-solving discourse, and ultimately to direct projects toward features and resources that served their interests. 

This process is central to interest-driven learning, but also sheds light on how it can break down and reinforce existing imbalances of social and academic power. Some students in our focal group leveraged moments of uncertainty to their own benefit, shifting work toward their interests and skills. However these moments also served to marginalize other students, moving them to the periphery of project work and learning.
AU  - Colin Dixon
AU  - Lee Michael Martin
CY  - Tampa, Florida
DA  - 2019/06/15
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - The Social and Conceptual Function of Uncertainty in Open-Ended Project-Based Learning
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/33426
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--33426
ER  -