Talking Circuits
Digitally scaffolded collaborative learning for introductory electrical circuits.
Talking Circuits is my flagship doctoral project. It investigates how digitally scaffolded small-group talk can help early secondary students develop a more coherent understanding of simple electrical circuits.
Research problem
Introductory electricity is difficult because learners have to reason about invisible quantities such as potential difference, current, and resistance while coordinating several representations at once. Many students also need support in making their reasoning explicit during group work, especially when they are asked to compare explanations, challenge ideas, and connect models to circuit behaviour.
Intervention/tool
The project developed a tablet-supported collaborative method for classroom dialogue about electrical circuits. The digital scaffolds prompt learners to articulate predictions, compare representations, and negotiate explanations with peers instead of treating the tablet as a simple response device.
Study design
The work combines design-based development with classroom-oriented evaluation. It focuses on the quality of student dialogue, conceptual understanding of simple circuits, and assessment of representational competence in early secondary settings.
Key output/publication
The project is documented in my doctoral thesis, Talking Circuits: The Development and Assessment of a Digitally-Scaffolded, Collaborative Method for Teaching and Learning Electrical Circuits in Early Secondary Schools. Related work includes the CSCL paper on scaffolding learner-learner classroom talk. (Weatherby, 2025; Weatherby et al., 2022)
Status
Doctoral project completed. Current follow-up work develops the research profile around digital scaffolding, oracy, assessment, and teacher education in physics.