A Tool for Real-World Experimentation
CLP focuses on software tools for classroom use that helps students construct an integrated understanding of science. Now having completed its fourth incarnation, the CLP software has proved to be a powerful tool in middle school science instruction. The most recent program, which uses Macintosh Hypercard software, allows the user to predict and respond to real-world experiments on-line. For instance, the student is given a scenario such as the following: If you hold two poles of equal length into a fire, one made of wood and one made of metal, which will burn your hand faster? As the student settles on a response, she types in the answer into an on-line notepad, cutting and pasting pertinent phrases from an on-screen databank. The computer then assesses the student's response as knowledgeable or not.
