Disciplinary engagement in an online learning environment

This poster describes middle school science teachers' progress in scientific inquiry in a Tufts University blended online course (complemented by periodic in-person meetings). Here, we focus on the shift that took place in teachers' participation, moving from following instructions to animating their own inquiry. This shift, we argue, was supported by a responsive teaching approach that put their thinking at the center, and by a flexible digital platform called InterLACE (``Interactive Learning and Collaboration Environment'') that facilitated collaborative knowledge-building and evolution of the online learning spaces. More specifically, InterLACE enabled us to change the online course structure from what we implemented over the first four weeks, to one co-constructed with participants thereafter. We see this as a primary catalyst for their disciplinary engagement and ownership of learning.