Our goal in the BioSim project is to help early elementary students (k-2) explore complex systems concepts by engaging in participatory simulations where they take on the role of honeybees (BeeSim) or ants (AntSim) foraging for food. To support students in embodying these roles, they work with electronic puppets that help track their food collection activities and provide real-time feedback to them.
Our research has focused on how first person and third person experiences of the system support students’ learning, and how they transfer their ideas to new contexts (e.g., moving from bees to ants).
You can see more about BioSim here:
Funding for the the iterations of the BioSim Project
Grant Name
Funding Agency
Grant Number
Co-PIs
DIP: BioSim: Developing a Wearable Toolkit for Teaching Complex Science Through Embodied Play
NSF
0018093000
Joshua Danish, Kylie Peppler, Armin Moczek
Publications on the BioSim Project
2020
Peppler, K., Thompson, N., Danish, J., Moczek, A., & Corrigan, S. (2020). Comparing first- and third-person perspectives in early elementary learning of honeybee systems. Instructional Science. doi: 10.1007/s11251-020-09511-8
paper
2018
Peppler, K., Thompson, N., Danish, J., Moczek, A., & Corrigan, S. (2018). Comparing First- and Third-Person Perspectives in Early Elementary Learning of Honeybee Systems. In J. Kay & R. Luckin (Eds.), International Conference of the Learning Sciences.
paper
Peppler, K., Thompson, N., Danish, J., Moczek, A., & Corrigan, S. (2018). In the Hive: Designing for Emergence When Teaching Complex Systems In Early Childhood. In J. Kay & R. Luckin (Eds.), International Conference of the Learning Sciences
paper
Peppler, K., Thompson, N., Danish, J., Moczek, A., & Han, S. (2018). Indoor Positioning Technology & Enhanced Engagement in Early Elementary Systems Thinking and Science Learning. In J. Kay & R. Luckin (Eds.), International Conference of the Learning Sciences.
paper
2017
Danish, J. A., Peppler, K., & Thompson, N. (2017). BeeSim: Remediating Students’ Engagement With Honeybees Collecting Nectar From a First- and Third-Person Perspective. Annual conference of the American Educational Research Association.
2016
Thompson, N., Peppler, K., & Danish, J. A. (2016). Designing BioSim: Playfully Encouraging Systems. In R. Zheng & M. K. Gardner (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Serious Games for Educational Applications (p. 149). IGI Global.
2013
Peppler, K., & Danish, J. A. (2013). E-textiles for Educators: Participatory Simulations with e-Puppetry . In L. Buechley, K. Peppler, M. Eisenberg, & Y. Kafai (Eds.), Textile Messages: Dispatches from the World of E-textiles and Education.
2010
Peppler, K., Danish, J. A., Zaitlen, B., Glosson, D., Jacobs, A., & Phelps, D. (2010). BeeSim: leveraging wearable computers in participatory simulations with young children. Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children, 246–249