Argumentation during active learning strategies in a SCALE-UP environment Esmeralda Campos 1 , Leonor Silva 2 , Silvia Tecpan 3 , and Genaro Zavala 1 1 Department of Physics, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Av. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501, Monterrey, Mexico, 64849 2 Online Programs, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Av. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501, Monterrey, Mexico, 64849 3 Physics Department, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Av. Ecuador 3493, Santiago, Chile, 9170124 In this study, we explore students’ discussions during active learning strategies of Peer Instruction and Tutorial-like activities in a SCALE-UP environment. Discussions were recorded in one of the tables of a student-centered learning room in Mexico, and analyzed through a qualitative approach using Toulmin’s argumentation pattern as a framework of reference. We found that the circular table functions as a learning community in the SCALE-UP environment, however, the dynamics of argumentation of the table are different while implementing each learning strategy. During Tutorial-like activities, students center their discussions on each small team, while during peer instruction students center their discussion around the whole table. These findings provide an insight into the kind of competencies that we mean to develop in our students by engaging them in active learning strategies in student centered learning environments. I. INTRODUCTION There is an ongoing discussion in Physics Education Research about the role that argumentation plays in the development of scientific reasoning and the learning of abstract concepts. Research done in this context suggests that through argumentation students have the opportunity to confront new physics concepts to their own alternative conceptions and correct them [1, 2]. Active learning strategies such as Peer Instruction (PI) and Tutorials, which are strongly associated to argumentation, are increasingly being promoted and implemented in physics education [3]. The learning environment also plays a role in the dynamics of argumentation that take place during active learning strategies. For example, when creating a discussion in a traditional classroom, students may feel limited to interact only with the people sitting to either side of their seat, while in a SCALE-UP environment students can form a learning community at the table. A learning community consists of a group of people with different levels of expertise and a common goal of expanding knowledge, and is desirable for promoting retention and persistence in students [4]. Argumentation happening during active learning strategies such as PI has been studied in the context of Mechanics in traditional environments [5, 6]. Research on discussions during PI has been conducted mainly in massive auditorium-like classrooms where students often interact with the people sitting next to them. Even though these studies give a broad insight into the effectiveness of such strategy, they fail to study the effect of the learning environment on the students’ discussions. While PI is broadly used in traditional environments such as auditorium-like classrooms, it is also useful in active learning environments such as SCALE-UP. Tutorials for Introductory Physics are widely used and proven to be effective in tutorial workshops [3, 7]. In contrast, Tutorials have proven to sacrifice their effectiveness in SCALE-UP environments possibly due to the ratio of students/instructors [8]. As a result, Beichner and Saul suggest implementing Tutorial-like activities by breaking down tutorials into smaller tasks and modifying them as needed; students in SCALE-UP environments interact with each other and with the instructors while working on Tutorial-like activities [8]. This study seeks to contribute by exploring the dynamics of argumentation that take place during PI and Tutorial-like activities in a SCALE-UP environment. II. BACKGROUND Argumentation plays a key role in active learning strategies, such as PI and Tutorial-like activities. These strategies allow students to evaluate previous alternative conceptions and, through discussions with their peers, create new concepts. According to Mazur, discussion with peers helps students to understand conflictive concepts better because some of their peers have already overcome the same conflict and are ready to show the reasoning behind it, and also because the language that students use to communicate with each other is the same, but different from the language that the professor uses with students [9]. edited by Jones, Ding, and Traxler; Peer-reviewed, doi:10.1119/perc.2016.pr.011 Published by the American Association of Physics Teachers under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Further distribution must maintain attribution to the article’s authors, title, proceedings citation, and DOI. 64 2016 PERC Proceedings,