A group made up of Simmons faculty, post doctoral and PhD students will present at the 2024 International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS) Conference in Buffalo, New York, June 10-14. The Simmons academics are presenting topics such as: Students’ Representational and Relational Caring in STEM; Exploring STEM Identity and Belonging in Minoritized Girls at a Summer Camp; and Pedagogical Issues in Virtual Reality Mathematics Education.With these presentations and those of other university researchers from around the country, the conference promises to offer discussion of meaningful issues and innovative approaches in the world of learning sciences today.
ISLS works to further scientific, humanistic, and critical theoretical understanding of learning and to engage in the design and implementation of learning innovations and the improvement of instructional methodologies. Learning Sciences (LS) research traditionally focuses on the cognitive-psychological, social-psychological, cultural-psychological, and critical theoretical foundations of human learning as well as the practical design of learning environments. Major contributing fields include cognitive science, computer science, educational psychology, anthropology, and applied linguistics. Over the past decade, LS researchers have expanded their focus to include the design of curricula, informal learning environments, instructional methods, and policy innovations.
A core feature of research in the learning sciences is attention to the detailed processes of learning and teaching for theory development. Accordingly, the Society calls for papers that address questions about learning processes, mechanisms, and outcomes. Papers may develop data-driven theories that elucidate processes of learning and teaching within various contexts and the ways in which technologies, instructional practices, and learning environments can be designed to support learning in different contexts.
This year’s ISLS Conference leads up to the new Learning Sciences Master’s at Simmons that launches in the 2024 Fall semester. The full ISLS Conference schedule of presentations by Simmons educators can be found here.