Virtual ambients are a class of restricted simulations designed to support science inquiry learning among elementary school students. Virtual ambients employ large multi-user displays to support "first-person" collaborative exploration, data collection, and the construction of support for hypotheses in simulated environments. In order to reduce the cognitive load on learners, navigation--in space, time, and scale--is used instead of traditional learning simulations' direct control of independent model variables. Early experience with elementary school students at three grade levels is reported, employing a configurable virtual ambient named the Field.
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