Sample records for learn standards-based science

  1. Brain-Based Learning and Standards-Based Elementary Science.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Konecki, Loretta R.; Schiller, Ellen

    This paper explains how brain-based learning has become an area of interest to elementary school science teachers, focusing on the possible relationships between, and implications of, research on brain-based learning to the teaching of science education standards. After describing research on the brain, the paper looks at three implications from…

  2. Promoting Prospective Elementary Teachers' Learning to Use Formative Assessment for Life Science Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sabel, Jaime L.; Forbes, Cory T.; Zangori, Laura

    2015-01-01

    To support elementary students' learning of core, standards-based life science concepts highlighted in the "Next Generation Science Standards," prospective elementary teachers should develop an understanding of life science concepts and learn to apply their content knowledge in instructional practice to craft elementary science learning…

  3. Co-constructing cultural landscapes for disciplinary learning in and out of school: the next generation science standards and learning progressions in action

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Córdova, Ralph A.; Balcerzak, Phyllis

    2016-12-01

    The authors of this study are teacher-researchers, the first is a university researcher and former third and fourth grade teacher, while the second author is a university-based science educator. They report findings from a community-based study that Ralph, the first author, and his students conducted across two academic years (2001-2003) in order to illustrate the ways in which the next generation science standards and learning progressions can be appropriated as social-constructed practices inside and outside of school. The authors argue that what constitutes science learning in school is not a `state of grace' dictated by standards. Rather, becoming a scientist within a community of learners is a cultural phenomenon that teachers and students co-construct and as such teachers can approach the next generation science standards and learning progressions as opportunities to create intentional, disciplinary practice-based learning communities inside and outside of school.

  4. Metaphorical Roots of Beliefs about Teaching and Learning Science and Their Modifications in the Standard-Based Science Teacher Preparation Programme

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buaraphan, Khajornsak

    2011-01-01

    Beliefs are psychological constructs potentially driving a teacher to make pedagogical decisions and act. In this study, the metaphor construction task (MCT) was utilised to uncover beliefs about teaching and learning science held by 110 pre-service science teachers participating in the standard-based teacher preparation programme. Overall, the…

  5. Going on a Science Trek!

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kreider, Gail Yohe

    2008-01-01

    In this problem-based learning activity (PBL), students embark on a science trek to answer the question "Where is the science in my neighborhood?" The project serves as an excellent review of science curriculum in anticipation of Virginia's year-end standardized test--the Standards of Learning (SOL). This has proved to be an interesting…

  6. Identification of the Most Critical Content Knowledge Base for Middle School Science Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saderholm, Jon C.; Tretter, Thomas R.

    2008-01-01

    Much has been said about what science content students need to learn (e.g., "Benchmarks for Science Literacy, National Science Education Standards"). Less has been said about what science content teachers need to know to teach the content students are expected to learn. This study analyzed four standards documents and assessment frameworks to…

  7. A study of science leadership and science standards in exemplary standards-based science programs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carpenter, Wendy Renae

    The purpose for conducting this qualitative study was to explore best practices of exemplary standards-based science programs and instructional leadership practices in a charter high school and in a traditional high school. The focus of this study included how twelve participants aligned practices to National Science Education Standards to describe their science programs and science instructional practices. This study used a multi-site case study qualitative design. Data were obtained through a review of literature, interviews, observations, review of educational documents, and researcher's notes collected in a field log. The methodology used was a multi-site case study because of the potential, through cross analysis, for providing greater explanation of the findings in the study (Merriam, 1988). This study discovered six characteristics about the two high school's science programs that enhance the literature found in the National Science Education Standards; (a) Culture of expectations for learning-In exemplary science programs teachers are familiar with a wide range of curricula. They have the ability to examine critically and select activities to use with their students to promote the understanding of science; (b) Culture of varied experiences-In exemplary science programs students are provided different paths to learning, which help students, take in information and make sense of concepts and skills that are set forth by the standards; (c) Culture of continuous feedback-In exemplary science programs teachers and students work together to engage students in ongoing assessments of their work and that of others as prescribed in the standards; (d) Culture of Observations-In exemplary science programs students, teachers, and principals reflect on classroom instructional practices; teachers receive ongoing evaluations about their teaching and apply feedback towards improving practices as outlined in the standards; (e) Culture of continuous learning-In exemplary science programs teachers value continuous personal development, teachers are provided on-going science professional development opportunities to improve instructional practices, teachers reflect and share professional practices, and teachers establish professional learning communities within their classrooms; and (f) Culture of shared leadership-In exemplary science programs instructional leadership purposes and values are consistently shared among all stakeholders which are outlined in the standards. These results are potentially useful for understanding exemplary standards-based science programs and science instructional leadership practices as a model for science programs trying to improve science education so that all students can have a true scientific learning experience.

  8. Standards and Mastery Learning: Aligning Teaching and Assessment So All Children Can Learn.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gentile, J. Ronald; Lalley, James P.

    This book describes the concept of mastery learning in the classroom and the various foundations upon which it is built. Five chapters discuss: (1) "Understanding Mastery Learning" (e.g., the learning/memory base, the measurement base, theoretical bases, and the brain base); (2) "Examining the Standards: Math, Science, Social Studies, and English…

  9. Science Teacher Efficacy and Extrinsic Factors Toward Professional Development Using Video Games in a Design-Based Research Model: The Next Generation of STEM Learning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Annetta, Leonard A.; Frazier, Wendy M.; Folta, Elizabeth; Holmes, Shawn; Lamb, Richard; Cheng, Meng-Tzu

    2013-02-01

    Designed-based research principles guided the study of 51 secondary-science teachers in the second year of a 3-year professional development project. The project entailed the creation of student-centered, inquiry-based, science, video games. A professional development model appropriate for infusing innovative technologies into standards-based curricula was employed to determine how science teacher's attitudes and efficacy where impacted while designing science-based video games. The study's mixed-method design ascertained teacher efficacy on five factors (General computer use, Science Learning, Inquiry Teaching and Learning, Synchronous chat/text, and Playing Video Games) related to technology and gaming using a web-based survey). Qualitative data in the form of online blog posts was gathered during the project to assist in the triangulation and assessment of teacher efficacy. Data analyses consisted of an Analysis of Variance and serial coding of teacher reflective responses. Results indicated participants who used computers daily have higher efficacy while using inquiry-based teaching methods and science teaching and learning. Additional emergent findings revealed possible motivating factors for efficacy. This professional development project was focused on inquiry as a pedagogical strategy, standard-based science learning as means to develop content knowledge, and creating video games as technological knowledge. The project was consistent with the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK) framework where overlapping circles of the three components indicates development of an integrated understanding of the suggested relationships. Findings provide suggestions for development of standards-based science education software, its integration into the curriculum and, strategies for implementing technology into teaching practices.

  10. Designing Higher Education Courses and other Professional Development to Engender Science Teachers' Enthusiasm to Embrace the New Generation Science Standards

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Welstead, C.; Forder, S. E.

    2014-12-01

    This presentation is an overview of best practices in the design of continuing education courses and professional development workshops for Science teachers to enable them to transition to the NGSS; to share their enthusiasm in a way that engages students and leads to increased student achievement; and to become change agents in their educational settings and in their communities, in order to garner widespread support for an inquiry-based, NGSS-based curriculum. Proposed strands for teacher preparation programmes include a focus on higher level conceptual thinking; problem-solving opportunities for learning; inquiry-based learning; experiential learning and fieldwork; the authentic and effective incorporation of technology in teaching and learning; integrated and cross-curricular teaching and learning; learning that supports diversity and equity; and the appropriate, reliable and valid assessment of understanding. A series of three courses has been developed to prepare teachers in a graduate programme for implementing an inquiry-based, standards-based Science curriculum that incorporates the above-mentioned strands.

  11. Using Biomimicry to Engage Students in a Design-Based Learning Activity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gardner, Grant E.

    2012-01-01

    I describe a design-based learning activity that utilizes the interdisciplinary content domain of biomimicry. Design-based learning requires student creativity and technological innovation to address novel science problems, characteristics of the nature of science not often addressed in schools. Alignment with national standards documents,…

  12. Earth Science for Educators: Preparing 7-12 Teachers for Standards-based, Inquiry Instruction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sloan, H.

    2002-05-01

    "Earth Science for Educators" is an innovative, standards-based, graduate level teacher education curriculum that presents science content and pedagogic technique in parallel. The curriculum calls upon the resources and expertise of the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) to prepare novice New York City teachers for teaching Earth Science. One of the goals of teacher education is to assure and facilitate science education reform through preparation of K-12 teachers who understand and are able to implement standard-based instruction. Standards reflect not only the content knowledge students are expected to attain but also the science skills and dispositions towards science they are expected to develop. Melding a list of standards with a curriculum outline to create inquiry-based classroom instruction that reaches a very diverse population of learners is extremely challenging. "Earth Science for Educators" helps novice teachers make the link between standards and practice by constantly connecting standards with instruction they receive and activities they carry out. Development of critical thinking and enthusiasm for inquiry is encouraged through engaging experience and contact with scientists and their work. Teachers are taught Earth systems science content through modeling of a wide variety of instruction and assessment methods based upon authentic scientific inquiry and aimed at different learning styles. Use of fieldwork and informal settings, such as the Museum, familiarizes novice teachers with ways of drawing on community resources for content and instructional settings. Metacognitive reflection that articulates standards, practice, and the teachers' own learning experience help draw out teachers' insights into their students' learning. The innovation of bring science content together with teaching methods is key to preparing teachers for standards-based, inquiry instruction. This curriculum was successfully piloted with a group of 28 novice teachers as part of the AMNH-City University of New York partnership and the CUNY Teaching Opportunity Program Scholarship. Reactions and feedback from program coordinators and teachers have been extremely positive during the year and a half since its implementation.

  13. Students using visual thinking to learn science in a Web-based environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Plough, Jean Margaret

    United States students' science test scores are low, especially in problem solving, and traditional science instruction could be improved. Consequently, visual thinking, constructing science structures, and problem solving in a web-based environment may be valuable strategies for improving science learning. This ethnographic study examined the science learning of fifteen fourth grade students in an after school computer club involving diverse students at an inner city school. The investigation was done from the perspective of the students, and it described the processes of visual thinking, web page construction, and problem solving in a web-based environment. The study utilized informal group interviews, field notes, Visual Learning Logs, and student web pages, and incorporated a Standards-Based Rubric which evaluated students' performance on eight science and technology standards. The Visual Learning Logs were drawings done on the computer to represent science concepts related to the Food Chain. Students used the internet to search for information on a plant or animal of their choice. Next, students used this internet information, with the information from their Visual Learning Logs, to make web pages on their plant or animal. Later, students linked their web pages to form Science Structures. Finally, students linked their Science Structures with the structures of other students, and used these linked structures as models for solving problems. Further, during informal group interviews, students answered questions about visual thinking, problem solving, and science concepts. The results of this study showed clearly that (1) making visual representations helped students understand science knowledge, (2) making links between web pages helped students construct Science Knowledge Structures, and (3) students themselves said that visual thinking helped them learn science. In addition, this study found that when using Visual Learning Logs, the main overall ideas of the science concepts were usually represented accurately. Further, looking for information on the internet may cause new problems in learning. Likewise, being absent, starting late, and/or dropping out all may negatively influence students' proficiency on the standards. Finally, the way Science Structures are constructed and linked may provide insights into the way individual students think and process information.

  14. Project Clarion: Three Years of Science Instruction in Title I Schools among K-Third Grade Students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Kyung Hee; VanTassel-Baska, Joyce; Bracken, Bruce A.; Feng, Annie; Stambaugh, Tamra; Bland, Lori

    2012-10-01

    The purpose of the study was to measure the effects of higher level, inquiry-based science curricula on students at primary level in Title I schools. Approximately 3,300 K-3 students from six schools were assigned to experimental or control classes ( N = 115 total) on a random basis according to class. Experimental students were exposed to concept-based science curriculum that emphasized `deep learning' though concept mastery and investigation, whereas control classes learned science from traditional school-based curricula. Two ability measures, the Bracken Basic Concept Scale-Revised (BBCS-R, Bracken 1998) and the Naglieri Nonverbal Intelligence Test (NNAT, Naglieri 1991), were used for baseline information. Additionally, a standardized measure of student achievement in science (the MAT-8 science subtest), a standardized measure of critical thinking, and a measure for observing teachers' classroom behaviors were used to assess learning outcomes. Results indicated that all ability groups of students benefited from the science inquiry-based approach to learning that emphasized science concepts, and that there was a positive achievement effect for low socio-economic young children who were exposed to such a curriculum.

  15. The New NGSS Classroom: A Curriculum Framework for Project-Based Science Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Holthuis, Nicole; Deutscher, Rebecca; Schultz, Susan E.; Jamshidi, Arash

    2018-01-01

    As schools work to implement the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), a team at Stanford University found that project-based learning is an effective framework for engaging students. The team used project-based learning, group activities, and performance-based assessments to design an effective, engaging curriculum. Over a three-year period,…

  16. An Inquiry-Based Contextual Approach as the Primary Mode of Learning Science with Microcomputer-Based Laboratory Technology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Espinoza, Fernando; Quarless, Duncan

    2010-01-01

    Science instruction can be designed to be laboratory-data driven. We report on an investigation of the use of thematic inquiry-based tasks with active incorporation of mathematics, science, and microcomputer-based laboratory technology in standards-correlated activities that enhanced learning experiences. Activities involved students in two major…

  17. "Almost Everything We Do Includes Inquiry": Fostering Inquiry-Based Teaching and Learning with Preschool Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hollingsworth, Heidi L.; Vandermaas-Peeler, Maureen

    2017-01-01

    Given the increased emphasis on science in early learning standards, two studies were conducted to investigate preschool teachers' efficacy for teaching science and their inquiry-based teaching practices. Fifty-one teachers completed a survey of their efficacy for teaching science and understanding of inquiry methods. Teachers reported moderate…

  18. Teaching Constructivist Science, K-8: Nurturing Natural Investigators in the Standards-Based Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bentley, Michael L.; Ebert, Edward S., II; Ebert, Christine

    2007-01-01

    Good teachers know that science is more than just a collection of facts in a textbook and that teaching science goes beyond the mere transmission of information. Actively engaging students in the learning process is critical to building their knowledge base, assessing progress, and meeting science standards. This book shows teachers how to…

  19. A case study: The original intentions of the designers of the science content standards

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Eucker, Penelope Hudson

    This case study research examined the original intentions of the designers of the science content standards in the historical context of educational reforms and legislation. The content standards are the keystone of standards-based education. Originally, national science content standards were part of a cohesive program to increase the occurrence of quality science K--12. Through assessment policies set into motion by state and federal legislation, science curriculum is increasingly fixed and standardized. Scripting teachers is becoming more common. Unintended outcomes of standards-based education are prevalent in all classrooms. Recording the original intentions of the designers of the science content standards in a historical context is significant to document their beliefs and purposes. The shared beliefs of the six scholars included: (a) science had become overstuffed curriculum with students learning very few concepts; (b) science teachers required assistance to decide which concepts are most important for students to learn; (c) standards-based education will most likely endure for a very long time; (d) science is a specific way of knowing and inquiry must be part of science instruction; (e) few teachers teach to the science content standards. The scholars disagreed about whether the power to decide what to teach had moved from the classroom to the legislators and if standards-based education has preferentially helped some groups of students while diminishing the science education of others. Implications from the findings reveal the tension between a defined science content and the resultant assessment template that further trims the instructional range offered. Foreshadowing of increasing trend toward profits made from testing companies as state and federal legislation increase mandated assessments. Significantly, the educational research that clearly demonstrate many pathways lead to educated students such as the Eight-Year Study were suppressed in favor of the bi-partisan supported standards-based education. One of the stated goals of standards-based education was equity. With documented corrupted curriculum sometimes devoid of all science, equity remains an elusive goal. This research documents the original intentions of the designers of the science content standards. The story continues to unfold with new state and federal legislation as teachers attempt to teach the mandated content standards.

  20. Measuring CO[subscript 2

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taterka, Bruce; Cory, Rose M.

    2016-01-01

    This article presents simple tools and concepts to engage students in inquiry-based learning about the carbon cycle, thawing permafrost, and climate change. The lessons focus on learning in Earth science, environmental science, chemistry, and biology and align with the "Next Generation Science Standards".

  1. Development of the Exam of GeoloGy Standards, EGGS, to Measure Students' Conceptual Understanding of Geology Concepts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guffey, S. K.; Slater, T. F.; Slater, S. J.

    2017-12-01

    Discipline-based geoscience education researchers have considerable need for criterion-referenced, easy-to-administer and easy-to-score, conceptual diagnostic surveys for undergraduates taking introductory science survey courses in order for faculty to better be able to monitor the learning impacts of various interactive teaching approaches. To support ongoing discipline-based science education research to improve teaching and learning across the geosciences, this study establishes the reliability and validity of a 28-item, multiple-choice, pre- and post- Exam of GeoloGy Standards, hereafter simply called EGGS. The content knowledge EGGS addresses is based on 11 consensus concepts derived from a systematic, thematic analysis of the overlapping ideas presented in national science education reform documents including the Next Generation Science Standards, the AAAS Benchmarks for Science Literacy, the Earth Science Literacy Principles, and the NRC National Science Education Standards. Using community agreed upon best-practices for creating, field-testing, and iteratively revising modern multiple-choice test items using classical item analysis techniques, EGGS emphasizes natural student language over technical scientific vocabulary, leverages illustrations over students' reading ability, specifically targets students' misconceptions identified in the scholarly literature, and covers the range of topics most geology educators expect general education students to know at the end of their formal science learning experiences. The current version of EGGS is judged to be valid and reliable with college-level, introductory science survey students based on both standard quantitative and qualitative measures, including extensive clinical interviews with targeted students and systematic expert review.

  2. Enhancing Teacher Preparation and Improving Faculty Teaching Skills: Lessons Learned from Implementing ``Science That Matters'' a Standards Based Interdisciplinary Science Course Sequence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Potter, Robert; Meisels, Gerry

    2005-06-01

    In a highly collaborative process we developed an introductory science course sequence to improve science literacy especially among future elementary and middle school education majors. The materials and course features were designed using the results of research on teaching and learning to provide a rigorous, relevant and engaging, standard based science experience. More than ten years of combined planning, development, implementation and assessment of this college science course sequence for nonmajors/future teachers has provided significant insights and success in achieving our goal. This paper describes the history and iterative nature of our ongoing improvements, changes in faculty instructional practice, strategies used to overcome student resistance, significant student learning outcomes, support structures for faculty, and the essential and informative role of assessment in improving the outcomes. Our experience with diverse institutions, students and faculty provides the basis for the lessons we have learned and should be of help to others involved in advancing science education.

  3. Project-Based Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krajcik, Joe

    2015-01-01

    Project-based science is an exciting way to teach science that aligns with the "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS"). By focusing on core ideas along with practices and crosscutting concepts, classrooms become learning environments where teachers and students engage in science by designing and carrying out…

  4. Agriscience Teachers' Implementation of Digital Game-based Learning in an Introductory Animal Science Course

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Webb, Angela W.; Bunch, J. C.; Wallace, Maria F. G.

    2015-12-01

    In today's technological age, visions for technology integration in the classroom continue to be explored and examined. Digital game-based learning is one way to purposefully integrate technology while maintaining a focus on learning objectives. This case study sought to understand agriscience teachers' experiences implementing digital game-based learning in an introductory animal science course. From interviews with agriscience teachers on their experiences with the game, three themes emerged: (1) the constraints of inadequate and inappropriate technologies, and time to game implementation; (2) the shift in teacher and student roles necessitated by implementing the game; and (3) the inherent competitive nature of learning through the game. Based on these findings, we recommend that pre-service and in-service professional development opportunities be developed for teachers to learn how to implement digital game-based learning effectively. Additionally, with the potential for simulations that address cross-cutting concepts in the next generation science standards, digital game-based learning should be explored in various science teaching and learning contexts.

  5. Teachers' Learning to Facilitate High-Level Student Thinking: Impact of a Video-Based Professional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tekkumru-Kisa, Miray; Stein, Mary Kay; Coker, Ryan

    2018-01-01

    Attaining the vision for science teaching and learning emphasized in the Framework for K-12 Science Education and the next generation science standards (NGSS) will require major shifts in teaching practices in many science classrooms. As NGSS-inspired cognitively demanding tasks begin to appear in more and more science classrooms, facilitating…

  6. Common Core Science Standards: Implications for Students with Learning Disabilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scruggs, Thomas E.; Brigham, Frederick J.; Mastropieri, Margo A.

    2013-01-01

    The Common Core Science Standards represent a new effort to increase science learning for all students. These standards include a focus on English and language arts aspects of science learning, and three dimensions of science standards, including practices of science, crosscutting concepts of science, and disciplinary core ideas in the various…

  7. Learning by Experience in a Standardized Testing Culture: Investigation of a Middle School Experiential Learning Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scogin, Stephen C.; Kruger, Christopher J.; Jekkals, Regan E.; Steinfeldt, Chelsea

    2017-01-01

    Standardized testing pressure sometimes discourages schools from broadly implementing experiential learning opportunities. However, some K-12 schools are challenging the trend with greater commitment to learning by experience. STREAM (science, technology, reading, engineering, arts, mathematics) school is a project-based program providing students…

  8. An Indigenous Framework for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Monette, G.

    2003-12-01

    The American Indian Higher Education Consortium, composed of 35 American Indian tribally-controlled Colleges and Universities in the U.S. and Canada, is leading a comprehensive effort to improve American Indian student achievement in STEM. A key component of this effort is the synthesis of indigenous ways of knowing and western education systems. This presentation will provide an overview of culturally responsive, place-based teaching, learning, and research and will discuss potential opportunities and strategies for helping to ensure that education systems and research programs reflect our diversity and respect our cultures. One example to be discussed is the NSF-funded "Tribal College Rural Systemic Initiative." Founded on the belief that all students can learn and should be given the opportunity to reach their full potential, Tribal Colleges are leading this effort to achieve successful and sustainable improvement of science, math, and technology education at the K-14 level in rural, economically disadvantaged, geographically challenged areas. Working with parents, tribal governments, schools and the private sector, the colleges are helping to implement math and science standards-based curriculum for students and standards-based assessment for schools; provide math and science standards-based professional development for teachers, administrators, and community leaders; and integrate local Native culture into math and science standards-based curriculum. The close working relationship between the Tribal Colleges and K-12 is paying off. According to the National Science Foundation, successful systemic reform has resulted in enhanced student achievement and participation in science and math; reductions in the achievement disparities among students that can be attributed to socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, gender, or learning styles; implementation of a comprehensive, standards-based curriculum aligned with instructions and assessment; development of a coherent, consistent set of policies that supports high quality math and science education for each student; convergence of science and math resource; and broad-based support from parents and the community.

  9. EarthCache as a Tool to Promote Earth-Science in Public School Classrooms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gochis, E. E.; Rose, W. I.; Klawiter, M.; Vye, E. C.; Engelmann, C. A.

    2011-12-01

    Geoscientists often find it difficult to bridge the gap in communication between university research and what is learned in the public schools. Today's schools operate in a high stakes environment that only allow instruction based on State and National Earth Science curriculum standards. These standards are often unknown by academics or are written in a style that obfuscates the transfer of emerging scientific research to students in the classroom. Earth Science teachers are in an ideal position to make this link because they have a background in science as well as a solid understanding of the required curriculum standards for their grade and the pedagogical expertise to pass on new information to their students. As part of the Michigan Teacher Excellence Program (MiTEP), teachers from Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Jackson school districts participate in 2 week field courses with Michigan Tech University to learn from earth science experts about how the earth works. This course connects Earth Science Literacy Principles' Big Ideas and common student misconceptions with standards-based education. During the 2011 field course, we developed and began to implement a three-phase EarthCache model that will provide a geospatial interactive medium for teachers to translate the material they learn in the field to the students in their standards based classrooms. MiTEP participants use GPS and Google Earth to navigate to Michigan sites of geo-significance. At each location academic experts aide participants in making scientific observations about the locations' geologic features, and "reading the rocks" methodology to interpret the area's geologic history. The participants are then expected to develop their own EarthCache site to be used as pedagogical tool bridging the gap between standards-based classroom learning, contemporary research and unique outdoor field experiences. The final phase supports teachers in integrating inquiry based, higher-level learning student activities to EarthCache sites near their own urban communities, or in regional areas such as nature preserves and National Parks. By working together, MiTEP participants are developing a network of regional EarthCache sites and shared lesson plans which explore places that are meaningful to students while simultaneously connecting them to geologic concepts they are learning in school. We believe that the MiTEP EarthCaching model will help participants emerge as leaders of inquiry style, and virtual place-based educators within their districts.

  10. Construction of teacher knowledge in context: Preparing elementary teachers to teach mathematics and science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lowery, Maye Norene Vail

    1998-12-01

    The purposes of this study were to further the understanding of how preservice teacher construct teacher knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge of elementary mathematics and science and to determine the extent of that knowledge in a school-based setting. Preservice teachers, university instructors, inservice teachers, and other school personnel were involved in this context-specific study. Evidence of the preservice teachers' knowledge construction (its acquisition, its dimensions, and the social context) was collected through the use of a qualitative methodology. Collected data included individual and group interviews, course documents, artifacts, and preservice teaching portfolios. Innovative aspects of this integrated mathematics and science elementary methods course included standards-based instruction with immediate access to field experiences. Grade-level teams of preservice and inservice teachers planned and implemented lessons in mathematics and science for elementary students. An on-site, portable classroom building served as a mathematics and science teaching and learning laboratory. A four-stage analysis was performed, revealing significant patterns of learning. An ecosystem of learning within a constructivist learning environment was identified to contain three systems: the university system; the school system; and the cohort of learners system. A mega system for the construction of teacher knowledge was revealed in the final analysis. Learning venues were discovered to be the conduits of learning in a situated learning context. Analysis and synthesis of data revealed an extensive acquisition of teacher knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge through identified learning components. Patience, flexibility, and communication were identified as necessities for successful teaching. Learning components included: collaboration with inservice teachers; implementation of discovery learning and hands-on/minds-on learning; small groupwork; lesson planning; classroom management; and application of standards-based instruction. Prolonged, extensive classroom involvement provided familiarity with the ability levels of elementary students. Gains in positive attitudes and confidence in teaching mathematics and science were identified as direct results of this experience. This may be attributed to the immersion in the school-based setting (hands-on) and the standards-based approach (minds-on) methods course. The results are written in case study form using thick description with an emphasis on preservice teachers.

  11. Culture Matters in Science Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pang, Valerie Ooka; Lafferty, Karen Elizabeth; Pang, Jennifer M.; Griswold, Joan; Oser, Rick

    2014-01-01

    On the Saturday before Halloween, hundreds of students and their parents went from booth to booth participating in science activities at an annual Fall Festival and Learning Fair. The Fall Festival and Learning Fair is a valuable annual partnership where culturally relevant teaching engages each child in hands-on, standards-based science lessons.…

  12. Launching Learners in Science, PreK-5: How to Design Standards-Based Experiences and Engage Students in Classroom Conversations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams, Kerry Curtiss; Veomett, George E.

    2006-01-01

    Teaching science means doing science and involves three elements: knowing content, knowing children, and teachers knowing themselves as teachers and learners. The authors describe principles and requirements that reflect National Science Education Standards for the active learning of science. They identify key ingredients for primary students and…

  13. Assessment of preclinical problem-based learning versus lecture-based learning.

    PubMed

    Login, G R; Ransil, B J; Meyer, M; Truong, N T; Donoff, R B; McArdle, P J

    1997-06-01

    Academic performance on a standardized oral comprehensive exam (OCE) was compared for students taught basic science in a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum and a lecture-based learning (LBL) curriculum. The OCE was administered to the graduating classes of 1991-1994 (n approximately 20/class) six months after completion of their basic science courses. The OCE contained six components including: Organization and Thoroughness, Diagnosis, Primary Treatment Plan, Alternate Treatment Plan, Science and Medical Knowledge, and Dental Knowledge. Six to eight examiners graded each of the students by using a standardized scoring system and by subjective comments. The class of 1991 was taught by LBL, classes of 1993 and 1994 by PBL, and the class of 1992 by an incomplete PBL teaching method. Mean OCE scores were not significantly different between classes; however, the Science and Medical Knowledge component score was significantly better for the class of 1994 than for 1991 (p < 0.05). There was a non-significant 40 percent increase (p = 0.07) in honors and a 269 percent (p < 0.001) increase in cumulative positive examiner comments between 1991 and 1994.

  14. Critical Response Protocol

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ellingson, Charlene; Roehrig, Gillian; Bakkum, Kris; Dubinsky, Janet M.

    2016-01-01

    This article introduces the Critical Response Protocol (CRP), an arts-based technique that engages students in equitable critical discourse and aligns with the "Next Generation Science Standards" vision for providing students opportunities for language learning while advancing science learning (NGSS Lead States 2013). CRP helps teachers…

  15. Engaging Karen Refugee Students in Science Learning through a Cross-Cultural Learning Community

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harper, Susan G.

    2017-01-01

    This research explored how Karen (first-generation refugees from Burma) elementary students engaged with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) practice of constructing scientific explanations based on evidence within the context of a cross-cultural learning community. In this action research, the researcher and a Karen parent served as…

  16. The Effect of Using Problem-Based Learning in Middle School Gifted Science Classes on Student Achievement and Students' Perceptions of Classroom Quality

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Horak, Anne Karen

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the Problem Based Learning (PBL) units developed by a large suburban school district in the mid-Atlantic for the middle school gifted science curriculum on: a) students' performance on standardized tests in middle school Science, as measured by a sample of relevant test questions from a…

  17. National board certification as professional development: What are teachers learning?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lustick, David Scott

    This study investigated the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards' (NBPTS) assessment process in order to identify, quantify, and substantiate possible learning outcomes from the participants. One hundred and twenty candidates for the Adolescent and Young Adult Science (AYA Science) Certificate were studied over a 2-year period using the recurrent institutional cycle research design. This quasi-experimental methodology allowed for the collection of both cross-sectional and longitudinal data insuring a good measure of internal validity regarding observed changes both between and within group means. Multiple assessors scored transcripts of structured interviews with each teacher using the NBPTS' assessment framework according to the 13 standards accomplished science teaching. The scores (aggregated to the group level) provided the quantitative evidence of teacher learning in this study. Significant changes in mean scores from pre to post are reported at the overall, standard group, and individual standard levels. Findings suggest that the intervention had an overall effect size of .475 upon candidates' understanding of science teaching related knowledge. More specifically, most learning was associated with the standards of Scientific Inquiry and Assessment. The results support the hypothesis that the certification process is an effective standards based professional learning opportunity. The learning outcomes discussed in this report (including the identification of Dynamic, Technical, and Deferred Learning categories) should inform debate between educational stakeholders regarding the financial and ideological support of National Board certification as a means of improving teacher quality, provide suggestions for the improvement of the assessment process, and contribute insight into the current divisive state of science education in public education.

  18. Virginia's College and Career Readiness Initiative

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Virginia Department of Education, 2010

    2010-01-01

    In 1995, Virginia began a broad educational reform program that resulted in revised, rigorous content standards, the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL), in the content areas of English, mathematics, science, and history and social science. These grade-by-grade and course-based standards were developed over 14 months with revision teams including…

  19. Examining the Learning Outcomes Included in the Turkish Science Curriculum in Terms of Science Process Skills: A Document Analysis with Standards-Based Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duruk, Umit; Akgün, Abuzer; Dogan, Ceylan; Gülsuyu, Fatma

    2017-01-01

    Science process skills have provided a valuable chance for everyone to construct their own knowledge by means of scientific inquiry. If students are to understand what science is and how it actually works, then they should necessarily make use of their science process skills as well as scientific content knowledge compulsory to be learned in any…

  20. Moving to the Next Generation of Standards for Science: Building on Recent Practices. CRESST Report 762

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Herman, Joan L.

    2009-01-01

    In this report, Joan Herman, director for the National Center for Research, on Evaluation, Standards, & Student Testing (CRESST) recommends that the new generation of science standards be based on lessons learned from current practice and on recent examples of standards-development methodology. In support of this, recent, promising efforts to…

  1. New K-12 Science Education Standards May Face Implementation Challenges

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kumar, Mohi

    2013-04-01

    Kindergarten is not just a place to learn letters and numbers, practice finger painting, and listen to story time. If a new set of national science standards is adopted, it will also be the start of a carefully planned effort to engage students in science-based activities throughout their K-12 academic careers.

  2. Time on Text and Science Achievement for High School Biology Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wyss, Vanessa L.; Dolenc, Nathan; Kong, Xiaoqing; Tai, Robert H.

    2013-01-01

    The conflict between the amount of material to be addressed in high school science classes, the need to prepare students for standardized tests, and the amount of time available forces science educators to make difficult pedagogical decisions on a daily basis. Hands-on and inquiry-based learning offer students more authentic learning experiences…

  3. The Influence of Teachers' Knowledge on Student Learning in Middle School Physical Science Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sadler, Philip M.; Sonnert, Gerhard; Coyle, Harold P.; Cook-Smith, Nancy; Miller, Jaimie L.

    2013-01-01

    This study examines the relationship between teacher knowledge and student learning for 9,556 students of 181 middle school physical science teachers. Assessment instruments based on the National Science Education Standards with 20 items in common were administered several times during the school year to both students and their teachers. For items…

  4. Inquiry and Learning: Realizing Science Standards in the Classroom. The Thinking Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Layman, John W.; And Others

    This book provides a focused, extended response to the question How does standards-based science instruction look and feel in the classroom? This question is addressed by considering two related issues: (1) "How can teachers cultivate the quality of scientific thinking and understanding defined by standards?" and (2) "How can…

  5. Voices of Reform: Infusion of Standards-Based Mathematics and Science Teaching in an Urban District.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huinker, DeAnn; Coan, Cheryl; Posnanski, Tracy

    This study examined the impact of a systemic reform initiative to implement standards-based mathematics and science teaching and learning in one urban school district, noting its effect on teachers, principals, students, and classroom practice. Participants were a sample of elementary and secondary schools involved in the Milwaukee Urban Systemic…

  6. Supporting Science Teachers in Alignment with State Curriculum Standards through Professional Development: Teachers' Preparedness, Expectations and Their Fulfillment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paik, Sunhee; Zhang, Meilan; Lundeberg, Mary A.; Eberhardt, Jan; Shin, Tae Seob; Zhang, Tianyi

    2011-08-01

    Since A Nation at Risk was released in the 1980s, standards-based reform has been the most dominant trend in American educational policy, and the No Child Left Behind Act pushed the trend further by requiring states to develop rigorous curriculum standards. Though much has been said about these new standards, less has been said about whether or how well professional development helps teachers link their instruction to these standards. This study examined the impact of a professional development program for K-12 science teachers in helping teachers meet state curriculum standards. Seventy-five science teachers in Michigan participated in a 2-week summer workshop that used Problem-Based Learning for improving teachers' content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. Researchers surveyed participating teachers about the change of teachers' preparedness for standards-based teaching, their expectations to meet state curriculum standards, and whether their expectations were met. In addition, the usefulness of workshop activities was examined. Data analysis showed that to align teaching with state curriculum standards, participating teachers expected to learn instructional strategies and enhance science content knowledge through professional development, and by and large their expectations were well met. Collaboration with colleagues and facilitators helped teachers achieve their goals in terms of teaching within state curriculum standards. These findings have important implications for designing professional development to help teachers align instruction with curriculum standards.

  7. The 5E Instructional Model: A Learning Cycle Approach for Inquiry-Based Science Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duran, Lena Ballone; Duran, Emilio

    2004-01-01

    The implementation of inquiry-based teaching is a major theme in national science education reform documents such as "Project 2061: Science for All Americans" (Rutherford & Alhgren, 1990) and the "National Science Education Standards" (NRC, 1996). These reports argue that inquiry needs to be a central strategy of all…

  8. Differentiated Science Inquiry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Llewellyn, Douglas

    2010-01-01

    Given that each child learns differently, it makes sense that one type of science instruction does not fit all. Best-selling author Douglas Llewellyn gives teachers standards-based strategies for differentiating inquiry-based science instruction to more effectively meet the needs of all students. This book takes the concept of inquiry-based…

  9. Describing students of the African Diaspora: Understanding micro and meso level science learning as gateways to standards based discourse

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lehner, Ed

    2007-04-01

    In much of the educational literature, researchers make little distinction between African-American students and students of the African Diaspora who immigrated to the United States. Failing to describe these salient student differences serves to perpetuate an inaccurate view of African-American school life. In today's large cities, students of the African Diaspora are frequently learning science in settings that are devoid of the resources and tools to fully support their success. While much of the scholarship unites these disparate groups, this article details the distinctive learning culture created when students from several groups of the African Diaspora learn biology together in a Brooklyn Suspension Center. Specifically this work explains how one student, Gabriel, functions in a biology class. A self-described black-Panamanian, Gabriel had tacitly resigned to not learning science, which then, in effect, precluded him from any further associated courses of study in science, and may have excluded him from the possibility of a science related career. This ethnography follows Gabriel's science learning as he engaged in cogenerative dialogue with teachers to create aligned learning and teaching practices. During the 5 months of this research, Gabriel drew upon his unique lifeworld and the depth of his hybridized cultural identity to produce limited, but nonetheless important demonstrations of science. Coexistent with his involvement in cogenerative dialogue, Gabriel helped to construct many classroom practices that supported a dynamic learning environment which produced small yet concrete examples of standards based biology. This study supports further investigation by the science education community to consider ways that students' lifeworld experiences can serve to structure and transform the urban science classroom.

  10. The Activity Summary Board

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Touitou, Israel; Barry, Stephen; Bielik, Tom; Schneider, Barbara; Krajcik, Joseph

    2018-01-01

    Project-based learning (PBL) is an instructional approach to science teaching that supports the "Next Generation Science Standards" (Krajcik 2015; NGSS Lead States 2013). In a PBL lesson, students design and solve real-world problems or explain scientific phenomena. Students using a PBL model learn and retain more than those not using…

  11. OLIVER: an online library of images for veterinary education and research.

    PubMed

    McGreevy, Paul; Shaw, Tim; Burn, Daniel; Miller, Nick

    2007-01-01

    As part of a strategic move by the University of Sydney toward increased flexibility in learning, the Faculty of Veterinary Science undertook a number of developments involving Web-based teaching and assessment. OLIVER underpins them by providing a rich, durable repository for learning objects. To integrate Web-based learning, case studies, and didactic presentations for veterinary and animal science students, we established an online library of images and other learning objects for use by academics in the Faculties of Veterinary Science and Agriculture. The objectives of OLIVER were to maximize the use of the faculty's teaching resources by providing a stable archiving facility for graphic images and other multimedia learning objects that allows flexible and precise searching, integrating indexing standards, thesauri, pull-down lists of preferred terms, and linking of objects within cases. OLIVER offers a portable and expandable Web-based shell that facilitates ongoing storage of learning objects in a range of media. Learning objects can be downloaded in common, standardized formats so that they can be easily imported for use in a range of applications, including Microsoft PowerPoint, WebCT, and Microsoft Word. OLIVER now contains more than 9,000 images relating to many facets of veterinary science; these are annotated and supported by search engines that allow rapid access to both images and relevant information. The Web site is easily updated and adapted as required.

  12. Learning across Space Instead of over Time: Redesigning a School-Based STEM Curriculum for OST

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Newbill, Phyllis Leary; Drape, Tiffany A.; Schnittka, Christine; Baum, Liesl; Evans, Michael A.

    2015-01-01

    Both employer expectations and education standards, including the Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards, are shifting the focus of learning from knowledge and discrete skills to the ability to think critically and creatively. This paper describes the process of translating an existing teacher-led STEM curriculum to fit…

  13. An Examination of the Changes in Science Teaching Orientations and Technology-Enhanced Tools for Student Learning in the Context of Professional Development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Campbell, Todd; Zuwallack, Rebecca; Longhurst, Max; Shelton, Brett E.; Wolf, Paul G.

    2014-07-01

    This research examines how science teaching orientations and beliefs about technology-enhanced tools change over time in professional development (PD). The primary data sources for this study came from learning journals of 8 eighth grade science teachers at the beginning and conclusion of a year of PD. Based on the analysis completed, Information Transmission (IT) and Struggling with Standards-Based Reform (SSBR) profiles were found at the beginning of the PD, while SSBR and Standards-Based Reform (SBR) profiles were identified at the conclusion of PD. All profiles exhibited Vision I beliefs about the goals and purposes for science education, while only the SBR profile exhibited Vision II goals and purposes for science teaching. The IT profile demonstrated naïve or unrevealed beliefs about the nature of science, while the SSBR and SBR profiles had more sophisticated beliefs in this area. The IT profile was grounded in more teacher-centered beliefs about science teaching and learning as the other two profiles revealed more student-centered beliefs. While no beliefs about technology-enhanced tools were found for the IT profile, these were found for the other two profiles. Our findings suggest promising implications for (a) Roberts' Vision II as a central support for reform efforts, (b) situating technology-enhanced tools within the beliefs about science teaching and learning dimension of science teaching orientations, and (c) revealing how teacher orientations develop as a result of PD.

  14. Design and validation of a standards-based science teacher efficacy instrument

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kerr, Patricia Reda

    National standards for K--12 science education address all aspects of science education, with their main emphasis on curriculum---both science subject matter and the process involved in doing science. Standards for science teacher education programs have been developing along a parallel plane, as is self-efficacy research involving classroom teachers. Generally, studies about efficacy have been dichotomous---basing the theoretical underpinnings on the work of either Rotter's Locus of Control theory or on Bandura's explanations of efficacy beliefs and outcome expectancy. This study brings all three threads together---K--12 science standards, teacher education standards, and efficacy beliefs---in an instrument designed to measure science teacher efficacy with items based on identified critical attributes of standards-based science teaching and learning. Based on Bandura's explanation of efficacy being task-specific and having outcome expectancy, a developmental, systematic progression from standards-based strategies and activities to tasks to critical attributes was used to craft items for a standards-based science teacher efficacy instrument. Demographic questions related to school characteristics, teacher characteristics, preservice background, science teaching experience, and post-certification professional development were included in the instrument. The instrument was completed by 102 middle level science teachers, with complete data for 87 teachers. A principal components analysis of the science teachers' responses to the instrument resulted in two components: Standards-Based Science Teacher Efficacy: Beliefs About Teaching (BAT, reliability = .92) and Standards-Based Science Teacher Efficacy: Beliefs About Student Achievement (BASA, reliability = .82). Variables that were characteristic of professional development activities, science content preparation, and school environment were identified as members of the sets of variables predicting the BAT and BASA subscales. Correlations were computed for BAT, BASA, and demographic variables to identify relationships between teacher efficacy, teacher characteristics, and school characteristics. Further research is recommended to refine the instrument and apply its use to a larger sample of science teachers. Its further development also has significance for the enhancement of science teacher education programs.

  15. Depth and breadth: Bridging the gap between scientific inquiry and high-stakes testing with diverse junior high school students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kang, Jee Sun Emily

    This study explored how inquiry-based teaching and learning processes occurred in two teachers' diverse 8th grade Physical Science classrooms in a Program Improvement junior high school within the context of high-stakes standardized testing. Instructors for the courses examined included not only the two 8th grade science teachers, but also graduate fellows from a nearby university. Research was drawn from inquiry-based instruction in science education, the achievement gap, and the high stakes testing movement, as well as situated learning theory to understand how opportunities for inquiry were negotiated within the diverse classroom context. Transcripts of taped class sessions; student work samples; interviews of teachers and students; and scores from the California Standards Test in science were collected and analyzed. Findings indicated that the teachers provided structured inquiry in order to support their students in learning about forces and to prepare them for the standardized test. Teachers also supported students in generating evidence-based explanations, connecting inquiry-based investigations with content on forces, proficiently using science vocabulary, and connecting concepts about forces to their daily lives. Findings from classroom data revealed constraints to student learning: students' limited language proficiency, peer counter culture, and limited time. Supports were evidenced as well: graduate fellows' support during investigations, teachers' guided questioning, standardized test preparation, literacy support, and home-school connections. There was no statistical difference in achievement on the Forces Unit test or science standardized test between classes with graduate fellows and without fellows. There was also no statistical difference in student performance between the two teachers' classrooms, even though their teaching styles were very different. However, there was a strong correlation between students' achievement on the chapter test and their achievement on the Forces portion of the CST. Students' English language proficiency and socioeconomic status were also strongly correlated with their achievement on the standardized test. Notwithstanding the constraints of standardized testing, the teachers had students practice the heart of inquiry -- to connect evidence with explanations and process with content. Engaging in inquiry-based instruction provided a context for students, even English language learners, to demonstrate their knowledge of forces. Students had stronger and more detailed ideas about concepts when they engaged in activities that were tightly connected to the concepts, as well as to their lives and experiences.

  16. Promoting Prospective Elementary Teachers' Learning to Use Formative Assessment for Life Science Instruction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sabel, Jaime L.; Forbes, Cory T.; Zangori, Laura

    2015-06-01

    To support elementary students' learning of core, standards-based life science concepts highlighted in the Next Generation Science Standards, prospective elementary teachers should develop an understanding of life science concepts and learn to apply their content knowledge in instructional practice to craft elementary science learning environments grounded in students' thinking. To do so, teachers must learn to use high-leverage instructional practices, such as formative assessment, to engage students in scientific practices and connect instruction to students' ideas. However, teachers may not understand formative assessment or possess sufficient science content knowledge to effectively engage in related instructional practices. To address these needs, we developed and conducted research within an innovative course for preservice elementary teachers built upon two pillars—life science concepts and formative assessment. An embedded mixed methods study was used to evaluate the effect of the intervention on preservice teachers' (n = 49) content knowledge and ability to engage in formative assessment practices for science. Findings showed that increased life content knowledge over the semester helped preservice teachers engage more productively in anticipating and evaluating students' ideas, but not in identifying effective instructional strategies to respond to those ideas.

  17. Next generation science standards available for comment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Asher, Pranoti

    2012-05-01

    The first public draft of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) is now available for public comment. Feedback on the standards is sought from people who have a stake in science education, including individuals in the K-12, higher education, business, and research communities. Development of NGSS is a state-led effort to define the content and practices students need to learn from kindergarten through high school. NGSS will be based on the U.S. National Research Council's reportFramework for K-12 Science Education.

  18. Instituting a standards-based K--12 science curriculum supplement program at the National Institutes of Health: A case study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Witherly, Jeffre

    Research on student achievement indicates the U.S. K-12 education system is not adequately preparing American students to compete in the 21st century global economy in the areas of science and mathematics. Congress has asked the scientific entities of the federal government to help increase K-12 science learning by creating standards-based learning tools for science classrooms as part of a "voluntary curriculum." One problem facing federal entities, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is the need to create science-learning tools that conform to the National Science Education Standards (NSES) for curriculum materials and, therefore, are standards-based and applicable to the K-12 curriculum. This case study sought to better understand the change process at one federal agency as it went from producing K-12 learning tools that were educational in nature to a program that produced K-12 standards-based learning tools: the NIH Science Curriculum Supplement Program (NIH SCSP). The NIH SCSP was studied to gain insight into how this change in educational approach occurred, what factors enabled or inhibited the change process, and what the long-term benefits of the NIH SCSP are to the NIH. Kurt Lewin's three-step theory of change guided data gathering and data analysis. Semi-structured interviews and programmatic document review served as the major data gathering sources. Details describing the process of organizational change at the NIH were revealed during analysis of these data following the coding of interview transcripts and written record documents. The study found the process of change at the NIH proceeded in a manner generally predicted by the Lewinian change model. Enablers to the change were cost-sharing with individual institutes, support of senior leadership, and crediting the role of individual institutes prominently in each supplement. The cost of creating a supplement was reported as the single inhibitor to the program. This case study yielded a detailed description of the process of change at this federal institution that may offer valuable insights to similar federal organizations confronting educational change. The study may also contribute to the existing body of knowledge regarding the process of organizational change in a federal setting.

  19. Designing for expansive science learning and identification across settings

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stromholt, Shelley; Bell, Philip

    2017-10-01

    In this study, we present a case for designing expansive science learning environments in relation to neoliberal instantiations of standards-based implementation projects in education. Using ethnographic and design-based research methods, we examine how the design of coordinated learning across settings can engage youth from non-dominant communities in scientific and engineering practices, resulting in learning experiences that are more relevant to youth and their communities. Analyses highlight: (a) transformative moments of identification for one fifth-grade student across school and non-school settings; (b) the disruption of societal, racial stereotypes on the capabilities of and expectations for marginalized youth; and (c) how youth recognized themselves as members of their community and agents of social change by engaging in personally consequential science investigations and learning.

  20. Do Facilitate, Don’t Demonstrate: Meaningful Engagement for Science Outreach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gelderman, Richard

    2017-01-01

    We are encouraged to hand over the learning experience to the students who must do the learning. After the 1957 launch of Sputnik it seemed that learning by discovery would replace lectures and other forms of learning by rote. The innovative Physical Science Study Committee (PSSC), Chemical Education Materials Study (ChEMS), and Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) provided teachers with hands-on, activity-based curriculum materials emphasizing problem solving, process skills, and creativity. Our current reforms, based on the Next Generation Science Standards, stress that learner-centered strategies need to become commonplace throughout the classrooms of our formal education system. In this presentation, we share tips on how to double check your style of interactions for science outreach, to ensure the audience is working with a facilitator rather than simply enjoying an expert’s entertaining demonstration.

  1. The Science Management Observation Protocol: Using Structured Observations to Improve Teachers' Management of Inquiry-Based Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sampson, Victor

    2004-01-01

    With the publication of the National Science Education Standards and the Benchmarks for Science Literacy, people now have a thorough idea of what an inquiry-based teacher is, and what he or she needs to do within a classroom in order to be successful. However, one major barrier in learning how to become an effective inquiry-based science teacher…

  2. Co-Constructing Cultural Landscapes for Disciplinary Learning in and out of School: The Next Generation Science Standards and Learning Progressions in Action

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Córdova, Ralph A.; Balcerzak, Phyllis

    2016-01-01

    The authors of this study are teacher-researchers, the first is a university researcher and former third and fourth grade teacher, while the second author is a university-based science educator. They report findings from a community-based study that Ralph, the first author, and his students conducted across two academic years (2001-2003) in order…

  3. Development and Evaluation of an Online, Inquiry-Based Food Safety Education Program for Secondary Teachers and Their Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beffa-Negrini, Patricia A.; Cohen, Nancy L.; Laus, Mary Jane; McLandsborough, Lynne A.

    2007-01-01

    Secondary science teachers who integrate food safety (FS) into curricula can provide FS knowledge and skills to youth while reinforcing science skills and concepts. National science education standards and the Biological Science Curriculum Study 5E Inquiry-based Learning Model were used to design an online training, Food Safety FIRST. The training…

  4. Comparison of Student Achievement Using Didactic, Inquiry-Based, and the Combination of Two Approaches of Science Instruction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Foster, Hyacinth Carmen

    Science educators and administrators support the idea that inquiry-based and didactic-based instructional strategies have varying effects on students' acquisition of science concepts. The research problem addressed whether incorporating the two approaches covered the learning requirements of all students in science classes, enabling them to meet state and national standards. The purpose of this quasiexperimental, posttest design research study was to determine if student learning and achievement in high school biology classes differed for each type of instructional method. Constructivism theory suggested that each learner creates knowledge over time because of the learners' interactions with the environment. The optimal teaching method, didactic (teacher-directed), inquiry-based, or a combination of two approaches instructional method, becomes essential if students are to discover ways to learn information. The research question examined which form of instruction had a significant effect on student achievement in biology. The data analysis consisted of single-factor, independent-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) that tested the hypotheses of the research study. Locally, the results indicated greater and statistically significant differences in standardized laboratory scores for students who were taught using the combination of two approaches. Based on these results, biology instructors will gain new insights into ways of improving the instructional process. Social change may occur as the science curriculum leadership applies the combination of two instructional approaches to improve acquisition of science concepts by biology students.

  5. Instituting a Standards-Based K--12 Science Curriculum Supplement Program at the National Institutes of Health: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Witherly, Jeffre

    2010-01-01

    Research on student achievement indicates the U.S. K-12 education system is not adequately preparing American students to compete in the 21st century global economy in the areas of science and mathematics. Congress has asked the scientific entities of the federal government to help increase K-12 science learning by creating standards-based…

  6. Effects of 3D Printing Project-based Learning on Preservice Elementary Teachers' Science Attitudes, Science Content Knowledge, and Anxiety About Teaching Science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Novak, Elena; Wisdom, Sonya

    2018-05-01

    3D printing technology is a powerful educational tool that can promote integrative STEM education by connecting engineering, technology, and applications of science concepts. Yet, research on the integration of 3D printing technology in formal educational contexts is extremely limited. This study engaged preservice elementary teachers (N = 42) in a 3D Printing Science Project that modeled a science experiment in the elementary classroom on why things float or sink using 3D printed boats. The goal was to explore how collaborative 3D printing inquiry-based learning experiences affected preservice teachers' science teaching self-efficacy beliefs, anxiety toward teaching science, interest in science, perceived competence in K-3 technology and engineering science standards, and science content knowledge. The 3D printing project intervention significantly decreased participants' science teaching anxiety and improved their science teaching efficacy, science interest, and perceived competence in K-3 technological and engineering design science standards. Moreover, an analysis of students' project reflections and boat designs provided an insight into their collaborative 3D modeling design experiences. The study makes a contribution to the scarce body of knowledge on how teacher preparation programs can utilize 3D printing technology as a means of preparing prospective teachers to implement the recently adopted engineering and technology standards in K-12 science education.

  7. Raising Standards through INQUIRE in Pre-Service Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Elster, D.; Barendziak, T.; Haskamp, F.; Kastenholz, L.

    2014-01-01

    Raising standards through inquiry-based science education (IBSE)--what are the challenges for pre-service teacher education? What do ongoing teachers and active teachers learn from each other when planning, conducting and evaluating minds-on and hands-on IBSE activities in the classroom? What do they learn "beyond" IBSE? The Bremen…

  8. Science Teaching Orientations and Technology-Enhanced Tools for Student Learning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Campbell, Todd; Longhurst, Max; Duffy, Aaron M.; Wolf, Paul G.; Shelton, Brett E.

    2013-10-01

    This qualitative study examines teacher orientations and technology-enhanced tools for student learning within a science literacy framework. Data for this study came from a group of 10 eighth grade science teachers. Each of these teachers was a participant in a professional development (PD) project focused on reformed and technology-enhanced science instruction shaped by national standards documents. The research is focused on identifying teacher orientations and use of technology-enhanced tools prior to or unaffected by PD. The primary data sources for this study are drawn from learning journals and classroom observations. Qualitative methods were used to analyze learning journals, while descriptive statistics were used from classroom observations to further explore and triangulate the emergent qualitative findings. Two teacher orientation teacher profiles were developed to reveal the emergent teacher orientation dimensions and technology-enhanced tool categories found: "more traditional teacher orientation profile" and "toward a reformed-based teacher orientation profile." Both profiles were founded on "knowledge of" beliefs about the goals and purposes for science education, while neither profile revealed sophisticated beliefs about the nature of science. The "traditional" profile revealed more teacher-centered beliefs about science teaching and learning, and the "towards reformed-based" profile revealed student-centered beliefs. Finally, only technology-enhanced tools supportive of collaborative construction of science knowledge were found connected to the "towards reformed-based" profile. This research is concluded with a proposed "reformed-based teacher orientation profile" as a future target for science teaching and learning with technology-enhanced tools in a science literacy framework.

  9. Inquiry-based science in the middle grades: Assessment of learning in urban systemic reform

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marx, Ronald W.; Blumenfeld, Phyllis C.; Krajcik, Joseph S.; Fishman, Barry; Soloway, Elliot; Geier, Robert; Tali Tal, Revital

    2004-12-01

    Science education standards established by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the National Research Council (NRC) urge less emphasis on memorizing scientific facts and more emphasis on students investigating the everyday world and developing deep understanding from their inquiries. These approaches to instruction challenge teachers and students, particularly urban students who often have additional challenges related to poverty. We report data on student learning spanning 3 years from a science education reform collaboration with the Detroit Public Schools. Data were collected from nearly 8,000 students who participated in inquiry-based and technology-infused curriculum units that were collaboratively developed by district personnel and staff from the University of Michigan as part of a larger, district-wide systemic reform effort in science education. The results show statistically significant increases on curriculum-based test scores for each year of participation. Moreover, the strength of the effects grew over the years, as evidenced by increasing effect size estimates across the years. The findings indicate that students who historically are low achievers in science can succeed in standards-based, inquiry science when curriculum is carefully developed and aligned with professional development and district policies. Additional longitudinal research on the development of student understanding over multiple inquiry projects, the progress of teacher enactment over time, and the effect of changes in the policy and administrative environment would further contribute to the intellectual and practical tools necessary to implement meaningful standards-based systemic reform in science.

  10. Evaluating Instrument Quality in Science Education: Rasch-Based Analyses of a Nature of Science Test

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Neumann, Irene; Neumann, Knut; Nehm, Ross

    2011-01-01

    Given the central importance of the Nature of Science (NOS) and Scientific Inquiry (SI) in national and international science standards and science learning, empirical support for the theoretical delineation of these constructs is of considerable significance. Furthermore, tests of the effects of varying magnitudes of NOS knowledge on…

  11. Enhancing Use of Learning Sciences Research in Planning for and Supporting Educational Change: Leveraging and Building Social Networks

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Penuel, William R.; Bell, Philip; Bevan, Bronwyn; Buffington, Pam; Falk, Joni

    2016-01-01

    This paper explores practical ways to engage two areas of educational scholarship--research on science learning and research on social networks--to inform efforts to plan and support implementation of new standards. The standards, the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS; NGSS Lead States in Next generation science standards: For…

  12. Earth Systems Science in an Integrated Science Content and Methods Course for Elementary Education Majors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Madsen, J. A.; Allen, D. E.; Donham, R. S.; Fifield, S. J.; Shipman, H. L.; Ford, D. J.; Dagher, Z. R.

    2004-12-01

    With funding from the National Science Foundation, we have designed an integrated science content and methods course for sophomore-level elementary teacher education (ETE) majors. This course, the Science Semester, is a 15-credit sequence that consists of three science content courses (Earth, Life, and Physical Science) and a science teaching methods course. The goal of this integrated science and education methods curriculum is to foster holistic understandings of science and pedagogy that future elementary teachers need to effectively use inquiry-based approaches in teaching science in their classrooms. During the Science Semester, traditional subject matter boundaries are crossed to stress shared themes that teachers must understand to teach standards-based elementary science. Exemplary approaches that support both learning science and learning how to teach science are used. In the science courses, students work collaboratively on multidisciplinary problem-based learning (PBL) activities that place science concepts in authentic contexts and build learning skills. In the methods course, students critically explore the theory and practice of elementary science teaching, drawing on their shared experiences of inquiry learning in the science courses. An earth system science approach is ideally adapted for the integrated, inquiry-based learning that takes place during the Science Semester. The PBL investigations that are the hallmark of the Science Semester provide the backdrop through which fundamental earth system interactions can be studied. For example in the PBL investigation that focuses on energy, the carbon cycle is examined as it relates to fossil fuels. In another PBL investigation centered on kids, cancer, and the environment, the hydrologic cycle with emphasis on surface runoff and ground water contamination is studied. In a PBL investigation that has students learning about the Delaware Bay ecosystem through the story of the horseshoe crab and the biome that swirls around this remarkable arthropod, students are exposed to interactions between the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and geosphere and they examine ways in which climate change can affect this ecosystem.

  13. Next Generation Science Standards: All Standards, All Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Okhee; Miller, Emily C.; Januszyk, Rita

    2014-01-01

    The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) offer a vision of science teaching and learning that presents both learning opportunities and demands for all students, particularly student groups that have traditionally been underserved in science classrooms. The NGSS have addressed issues of diversity and equity from their inception, and the NGSS…

  14. An Examination of Teacher Understanding of Project Based Science as a Result of Participating in an Extended Professional Development Program: Implications for Implementation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mentzer, Gale A.; Czerniak, Charlene M.; Brooks, Lisa

    2017-01-01

    Project-based science (PBS) aligns with national standards that assert children should learn science by actively engaging in the practices of science. Understanding and implementing PBS requires a shift in teaching practices away from one that covers primarily content to one that prompts children to conduct investigations. A common challenge to…

  15. Science Teacher Efficacy and Extrinsic Factors toward Professional Development Using Video Games in a Design-Based Research Model: The Next Generation of STEM Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Annetta, Leonard A.; Frazier, Wendy M.; Folta, Elizabeth; Holmes, Shawn; Lamb, Richard; Cheng, Meng-Tzu

    2013-01-01

    Designed-based research principles guided the study of 51 secondary-science teachers in the second year of a 3-year professional development project. The project entailed the creation of student-centered, inquiry-based, science, video games. A professional development model appropriate for infusing innovative technologies into standards-based…

  16. Lessons Learned: Implementation of the Milwaukee Urban Systemic Initiative in Years One and Two. Report for the Milwaukee Public Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Doyle, Lynn H.; Huinker, DeAnn

    The Urban Systemic Initiatives (USI) program is an effort sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that targets large urban school systems with the goal of sustainable implementation of high-quality, standards-based teaching for the purpose of attaining system-wide increases in students' learning of challenging mathematics and science.…

  17. Three, Two, One ... Blast Off!

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hawkins, Susan; Rogers, Meredith Park

    2014-01-01

    This lesson addresses the three dimensions of science learning as laid out in the "Next Generation Science Standards"--science and engineering process skills, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas--in addition to embedding practical exposure to NOS tenets in an inquiry-based activity. In addition to the efficiency component,…

  18. Problem Based Learning and the scientific process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schuchardt, Daniel Shaner

    This research project was developed to inspire students to constructively use problem based learning and the scientific process to learn middle school science content. The student population in this study consisted of male and female seventh grade students. Students were presented with authentic problems that are connected to physical and chemical properties of matter. The intent of the study was to have students use the scientific process of looking at existing knowledge, generating learning issues or questions about the problems, and then developing a course of action to research and design experiments to model resolutions to the authentic problems. It was expected that students would improve their ability to actively engage with others in a problem solving process to achieve a deeper understanding of Michigan's 7th Grade Level Content Expectations, the Next Generation Science Standards, and a scientific process. Problem based learning was statistically effective in students' learning of the scientific process. Students statistically showed improvement on pre to posttest scores. The teaching method of Problem Based Learning was effective for seventh grade science students at Dowagiac Middle School.

  19. Evaluating the Effectiveness of the 2002-2003 NASA SCIence Files(TM) Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pinelli, Thomas E.; Lambert, Matthew A.; Williams, Amy C.

    2004-01-01

    NASA SCIence Files (tm) is a research-, inquiry-, and standards-based, integrated mathematics, science, and technology series of 60-minute instructional distance learning (television and web-based) programs for students in grades 3-5. Respondents who evaluated the programs in the 2002-2003 NASA SCIence Files (tm) series reported that (1) they used the programs in the series; (2) the goals and objectives for the series were met; (3) the programs were aligned with the national mathematics, science, and technology standards; (4) the program content was developmentally appropriate for grade level; and (5) the programs in the series enhanced and enriched the teaching of mathematics, science, and technology.

  20. Developing Teacher Competencies for Problem-Based Learning Pedagogy and for Supporting Learning in Language-Minority Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rillero, Peter; Koerner, Mari; Jimenez-Silva, Margarita; Merrit, Joi; Farr, Wendy J.

    2017-01-01

    Teachers need to be able to design and implement problem-based learning (PBL) experiences to help students master the content and the processes in new mathematics and science education standards. Due to the changed population of learners within schools, it is also critically important that teachers in the elementary grades have the abilities to…

  1. The NASA "Why?" Files: The Case of the "Wright" Invention. A Lesson Guide with Activities in Mathematics, Science, and Technology.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Hampton, VA. Langley Research Center.

    This lesson guide for instruction of students in grades 3-5 contains activities in mathematics, science, and technology. The NASA "Why?" Files is a series of instructional programs consisting of broadcast, print, and online elements. Emphasizing standards-based instruction, Problem-Based Learning, and science as inquiry, the series seeks to…

  2. Tech-Know: Integrating Engaging Activities through Standards-Based Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ernst, Jeremy V.; Taylor, Jerianne S.; Peterson, Richard E.

    2005-01-01

    In August 2001, North Carolina State University received a four-year grant from the National Science Foundation to develop standards-based instructional materials for 20 Technology Student Association (TSA) activities. The TECH-know Project represents a significant collaboration between selected state departments, universities, businesses, and…

  3. Explicitly Linking Human Impact to Ecological Function in Secondary School Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wyner, Yael; Becker, Johnathan; Torff, Bruce

    2014-01-01

    Both the old National Science Education Standards (NSES) and the recent "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS) devote significant resources to learning about human environmental impact. Whereas the NSES advocate learning about human environmental impact in a section apart from the science- content learning strands, the NGSS embed…

  4. School Garden Wizard: Home

    Science.gov Websites

    ! Gardening and plant-based learning open a door to discovery of the living world. It stimulates even as it achieve learning goals in ways that are recommended by the National Science Standards and most state and Learning Inspiring Stories A Teacher's Perspective Gardening Tools Seasonal Considerations Special Needs

  5. Integrating Inquiry-Based Science and Education Methods Courses in a "Science Semester" for Future Elementary Teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Madsen, J.; Fifield, S.; Allen, D.; Brickhouse, N.; Dagher, Z.; Ford, D.; Shipman, H.

    2001-05-01

    In this NSF-funded project we will adapt problem-based learning (PBL) and other inquiry-based approaches to create an integrated science and education methods curriculum ("science semester") for elementary teacher education majors. Our goal is to foster integrated understandings of science and pedagogy that future elementary teachers need to effectively use inquiry-based approaches in their classrooms. This project responds to calls to improve science education for all students by making preservice teachers' experiences in undergraduate science courses more consistent with reforms at the K-12 level. The involved faculty teach three science courses (biology, earth science, physical science) and an elementary science education methods course that are degree requirements for elementary teacher education majors. Presently, students take the courses in variable sequences and at widely scattered times. Too many students fail to appreciate the value of science courses to their future careers as teachers, and when they reach the methods course in the junior year they often retain little of the science content studied earlier. These episodic encounters with science make it difficult for students to learn the content, and to translate their understandings of science into effective, inquiry-based teaching strategies. To encourage integrated understandings of science concepts and pedagogy we will coordinate the science and methods courses in a junior-year science semester. Traditional subject matter boundaries will be crossed to stress shared themes that teachers must understand to teach standards-based elementary science. We will adapt exemplary approaches that support both learning science and learning how to teach science. Students will work collaboratively on multidisciplinary PBL activities that place science concepts in authentic contexts and build learning skills. "Lecture" meetings will be large group active learning sessions that help students understand difficult concepts, make connections between class activities, and launch and wrap-up PBL problems. Labs will include activities from elementary science kits as launching points for in-depth investigations that demonstrate the continuity of science concepts and pedagogies across age levels. In the methods course, students will critically explore the theory and practice of elementary science teaching, drawing on their shared experiences of inquiry learning in the science courses. Field placements in elementary classrooms will allow students to ground their studies of science and pedagogy in actual practice.

  6. World-Class Ambitions, Weak Standards: An Excerpt from "The State of State Science Standards 2012"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    American Educator, 2012

    2012-01-01

    A solid science education program begins by clearly establishing what well-educated youngsters need to learn about this multifaceted domain of human knowledge. The first crucial step is setting clear academic standards for the schools--standards that not only articulate the critical science content students need to learn, but that also properly…

  7. Evaluating the Effectiveness of the 2003-2004 NASA CONNECT(trademark)Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Caton, Randall H.; Pinelli, Thomas E.; Giersch, Christopher E.; Holmes, Ellen B.; Lambert, Matthew A.

    2005-01-01

    NASA CONNECT is an Emmy-award-winning series of instructional (distance learning) programs for grades 6-8. Produced by the NASA Center for Distance Learning, the nine programs in the 2003-2004 NASA CONNECT series are research-, inquiry-, standards-, teacher-, and technology-based and include a 30-minute program, an educator guide containing a hands-on activity, and a web-based component. The 1,500 randomly selected NASA CONNECT registered users were invited to complete an electronic (self-reported) survey that employed a 5-point Likert-type scale. Regarding NASA CONNECT, respondents reported that the programs (1) enhance the teaching of mathematics, science, and technology (4.53); (2) are aligned with the national mathematics, science, and technology standards (4.52); (3) raise student awareness of careers requiring mathematics, science, and technology (4.48); (4) demonstrate the application of mathematics, science, and technology (4.47); and (5) present women and minorities performing challenging engineering and science tasks (4.50).

  8. Negotiating the use of formative assessment for learning in an era of accountability testing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yin, Xinying

    The purpose of this collaborative action research was to understand how science educators can negotiate the tension between integrating formative assessment (FA) for students' learning and meeting the need for standardized summative assessment (testing) from a critical perspective. Using formative assessment in the era of accountability testing was a process in which the science educators identified the ways that the standardized testing system constrained the teacher's use of FA to improve students' learning, sought solutions to overcome the obstacles and came to understand how FA can be utilized to neutralize the power relationship between the institutional requirement and classroom teaching and learning. The challenge of doing FA under the pressure of standardized testing mainly lie in two dimensions: one was the demand of teaching all the desired standard-based content to all students in a limited amount of time and the sufficient time and flexibility required by doing FA to improve students' understanding, the other was the different levels of knowledge and forms of knowledge representation on FA and tests. The negotiation of doing FA for teaching standards and preparing students for tests entailed six aspects for the collaborative team, including clarifying teaching objectives, reconstructing instructional activities, negotiating with time constraints, designing effective FA activities, attending to students' needs in doing FA, and modifying end-of-unit tests to better assess the learning goals. As the teacher's instructional goals evolved to be more focused on conceptual understanding of standards and more thorough understanding for less activities, she perceived doing FA for learning and preparing students for standardized tests as more congruent. By integrating both divergent and convergent FA into instruction as well as modifying tests to be more aligned with standards, students' learning were enhanced and they were also being prepared for tests. This study added to our understandings about the relationship between formative assessment and summative accountability tests in science education and classroom teachers' conceptions and practices in making the relationship more coherent for learning. It also provided implications for science teacher professional development of formative assessment and for educational accountability policies.

  9. Exploring Climate Science with WV Educators: A Regional Model for Teacher Professional Development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ruberg, L. F.; Calinger, M.

    2014-12-01

    The National Research Council Framework for K-12 Science Literacy reports that children reared in rural agricultural communities, who experience regular interactions with plants and animals, develop more sophisticated understanding of ecology and biological systems than do urban and suburban children of the same age. West Virginia (WV) is a rural state. The majority of its residents live in communities of fewer than 2,500 people. Based on the features of the population being served and their unique strengths, this presentation focuses on a regional model for teacher professional development that addresses agricultural and energy vulnerabilities and adaptations to climate change in WV. The professional development model outlined shows how to guide teachers to use a problem-based learning approach to introduce climate data and analysis techniques within a scenario context that is locally meaningful. This strategy engages student interest by focusing on regional and community concerns. Climate science standards are emphasized in the Next Generation Science Standards, but WV has not provided its teachers with appropriate instructional resources to meet those standards. The authors addressed this need by offering a series of climate science education workshops followed by online webinars offered to WV science educators free of charge with funding by the West Virginia Space Grant Consortium. The authors report on findings from this series of professional development workshops conducted in partnership with the West Virginia Science Teachers Association. The goal was to enhance grades 5-12 teaching and learning about climate change through problem-based learning. Prior to offering the climate workshops, all WV science educators were asked to complete a short questionnaire. As Figure 1 shows, over 40% of the teacher respondents reported being confident in teaching climate science content. For comparison post workshops surveys measure teacher confidence in climate science instruction after the professional development sessions. In summary, this report describes how this professional approach can serve as a regional model to address the need for climate science literacy throughout Appalachia.

  10. NGSS aligned Earth science resources and professional development programs from the Exploratorium.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Muller, E.

    2016-12-01

    The Exploratorium is a museum of science, art and human perception located in San Francisco, CA. The Exploratorium has been offering resources and professional development to primary and secondary teachers since 1972. We focus on inquiry based, hands-on learning, with an emphasis on Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) implementation. This brief, invited presentation will feature the programs and online resources developed by the Exploratorium's "Institute for Inquiry" and "Teacher Institute" that may help formal and informal educators engage, implement and promote three dimensional learning in the Earth Sciences.

  11. A narrative study of novice elementary teachers' perceptions of science instruction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harrell, Roberta

    It is hoped that, once implemented, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) will engage students more deeply in science learning and build science knowledge sequentially beginning in Kindergarten (NRC, 2013). Early instruction is encouraged but must be delivered by qualified elementary teachers who have both the science content knowledge and the necessary instructional skills to teach science effectively to young children (Ejiwale, 2012, Spencer, Vogel, 2009, Walker, 2011). The purpose of this research study is to gain insight into novice elementary teachers' perceptions of science instruction. This research suggests that infusion of constructivist teaching in the elementary classroom is beneficial to the teacher's instruction of science concepts to elementary students. Constructivism is theory that learning is centered on the learner constructing new ideas or concepts built upon their current/past knowledge (Bruner, 1966). Based on this theory, it is recommended that the instructor should try to encourage students to discover principles independently; essentially the instructor presents the problem and lets students go (Good & Brophy, 2004). Discovery learning, hands-on, experimental, collaborative, and project-based learning are all approaches that use constructivist principles. The NGSS are based on constructivist principles. This narrative study provides insight into novice elementary teachers' perceptions of science instruction considered through the lens of Constructivist Theory (Bruner, 1960).

  12. "The NASA Sci Files": The Case of the Biological Biosphere. [Videotape].

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Hampton, VA. Langley Research Center.

    The NASA Science Files is a series of instructional programs consisting of broadcast, print, and online elements. Emphasizing standards-based instruction, problem-based learning, and science as inquiry, the series seeks to motivate students in grades 3-5 to become critical thinkers and active problem solvers. Each program supports the national…

  13. Finding the Hook: Computer Science Education in Elementary Contexts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ozturk, Zehra; Dooley, Caitlin McMunn; Welch, Meghan

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate how elementary teachers with little knowledge of computer science (CS) and project-based learning (PBL) experienced integrating CS through PBL as a part of a standards-based elementary curriculum in Grades 3-5. The researchers used qualitative constant comparison methods on field notes and reflections…

  14. What Students Really Think about Doing Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bernard, Warren

    2011-01-01

    There are many types of inquiry activities out there: Demonstrations, guided or scaffolded inquiry labs, open- or free-inquiry labs, and problem-based or project-based learning activities are all staples in science education. The importance of inquiry is highlighted in such documents as the National Science Education Standards (NRC 1996) and the…

  15. Evaluating the Effectiveness of the 2003-2004 NASA SCIence Files(trademark) Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Caton, Randall H.; Ricles, Shannon S.; Pinelli, Thomas E.; Legg, Amy C.; Lambert, Matthew A.

    2005-01-01

    The NASA SCI Files is an Emmy award-winning series of instructional programs for grades 3-5. Produced by the NASA Center for Distance Learning, programs in the series are research-, inquiry-, standards-, teacher- and technology-based. Each NASA SCI Files program (1) integrates mathematics, science, and technology; (2) uses Problem-Based Learning (PBL) to enhance and enrich the teaching and learning of science; (3) emphasizes science as inquiry and the scientific method; (4) motivates students to become critical thinkers and active problem solvers; and (5) uses NASA research, facilities, and personnel to raise student awareness of careers and to exhibit the "real-world" application of mathematics, science, and technology. In April 2004, 1,500 randomly selected registered users of the NASA SCI Files were invited to complete a survey containing a series of questions. A total of 263 surveys were received. This report contains the quantitative and qualitative results of that survey.

  16. History and Social Studies Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Virginia State Dept. of Education, Richmond.

    In 1995, the Virginia Board of Education published Virginia state Standards of Learning in English, mathematics, science, and history and social science for kindergarten through grade 12. The Standards of Learning provide a framework for instructional programs designed to raise the academic achievement of all Virginia public school students. The…

  17. Family Science and Community-Based Learning: Using Speed Networking

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Payne, Pamela B.; Hubler, Daniel S.

    2017-01-01

    Students in Family Science often feel that they have an uphill battle to finding career opportunities that maximize their experiences from degree programs. The hallmark of successful programs in Family Science needs to be the development and maintenance of high-quality field experiences for students that align with national standards and…

  18. Science: Standard Course of Study and Grade Level Competencies, K-12. [Revision].

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    North Carolina State Dept. of Public Instruction, Raleigh.

    This document was created to establish competency goals and objectives for teaching and learning science in North Carolina for grades K-12. It contains the concepts and theories, strands, skills, and processes upon which all science instruction should be based. In addition, the curriculum defines and illustrates the connections between the…

  19. What Middle Grade Students Say about Learning Science with Multimedia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goldenberg, Lauren B.; Heinze, Juliette; Ba, Harouna

    2004-01-01

    The JASON Multimedia Science Curriculum (JMSC) was developed in 1989 by the JASON Foundation for Education (www.jason.org), and is a multimedia, interdisciplinary, inquiry-based science curriculum that responds to the dual demands of teachers having to teach state standards while engaging students in scientific inquiry. The JMSC encourages…

  20. Analysis of chemistry textbook content and national science education standards in terms of air quality-related learning goals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Naughton, Wendy

    In this study's Phase One, representatives of nine municipal agencies involved in air quality education were interviewed and interview transcripts were analyzed for themes related to what citizens need to know or be able to do regarding air quality concerns. Based on these themes, eight air quality Learning Goal Sets were generated and validated via peer and member checks. In Phase Two, six college-level, liberal-arts chemistry textbooks and the National Science Education Standards (NSES) were analyzed for congruence with Phase One learning goals. Major categories of desired citizen understandings highlighted in agency interviews concerned air pollution sources, impact, detection, and transport. Identified cognitive skills focused on information-gathering and -evaluating skills, enabling informed decision-making. A content match was found between textbooks and air quality learning goals, but most textbooks fail to address learning goals that remediate citizen misconceptions and inabilities---particularly those with a "personal experience" focus. A partial match between NSES and air quality learning goals was attributed to differing foci: Researcher-derived learning goals deal specifically with air quality, while NSES focus is on "fundamental science concepts," not "many science topics." Analysis of findings within a situated cognition framework suggests implications for instruction and NSES revision.

  1. Getting to Know and Address Your State Science Standards to Connect Classroom Instruction and Field Trips During IYA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bednarski, M.; Larsen, K.

    2008-11-01

    Astronomy activities often pose problems for in-service teachers, especially at the elementary level, as many do not have a solid content background. Often astronomy instruction revolves around reading and answering questions. This is not an effective way to work with abstract concepts or engage students, and also fails to meet the standards of inquiry-based instruction recommended by the National Science Teachers Association and national and state standards. Science museums and planetariums bring unique and exciting perspectives to astronomy education. However, bringing students to the museum can sometimes be perceived as only a ``cool field trip.'' With mounting pressure for teachers to teach to the new standardized tests demanded by No Child Left Behind, and shrinking school budgets, field trips are rapidly becoming an endangered species. Coordinating museum, science center, and planetarium offerings with national and state science standards can renew interest in (and perceived relevance of) field trips. Therefore, university faculty, in-service teachers, and museum/planetarium staff can form successful partnerships which can both improve student learning and increase attendance at informal education science events and facilities. This workshop will first briefly introduce participants to national and representative state standards as well as research on in-service teachers' astronomy content knowledge and the educational value of field trips. For the majority of the workshop, participants will engage in the actual steps of coordinating, planning, and writing inquiry-based astronomy curriculum embedded performance tasks that collectively meet the learning needs of students in elementary, middle, or high school.

  2. The Ripple Effect: Exploring How a Joint Science Specialist/TOSA Can Change Classroom Teachers' Instructional Practices through Project-Based Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gradias, Jean

    2017-01-01

    In 2013, California became one of the first states to adopt the rigorous Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). However, the current state of science instruction does not support the conceptual shifts of the NGSS, which call for consistent science instruction K-12, increased inquiry, subject integration, as well as science instruction that…

  3. Engaging Karen refugee students in science learning through a cross-cultural learning community

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harper, Susan G.

    2017-02-01

    This research explored how Karen (first-generation refugees from Burma) elementary students engaged with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) practice of constructing scientific explanations based on evidence within the context of a cross-cultural learning community. In this action research, the researcher and a Karen parent served as co-teachers for fourth- and fifth-grade Karen and non-Karen students in a science and culture after-school programme in a public elementary school in the rural southeastern United States. Photovoice provided a critical platform for students to create their own cultural discourses for the learning community. The theoretical framework of critical pedagogy of place provided a way for the learning community to decolonise and re-inhabit the learning spaces with knowledge they co-constructed. Narrative analysis of video transcripts of the after-school programme, ethnographic interviews, and focus group discussions from Photovoice revealed a pattern of emerging agency by Karen students in the scientific practice of constructing scientific explanations based on evidence and in Karen language lessons. This evidence suggests that science learning embedded within a cross-cultural learning community can empower refugee students to construct their own hybrid cultural knowledge and leverage that knowledge to engage in a meaningful way with the epistemology of science.

  4. Technologies and Reformed-Based Science Instruction: The Examination of a Professional Development Model Focused on Supporting Science Teaching and Learning with Technologies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Campbell, Todd; Longhurst, Max L.; Wang, Shiang-Kwei; Hsu, Hui-Yin; Coster, Dan C.

    2015-10-01

    While access to computers, other technologies, and cyber-enabled resources that could be leveraged for enhancing student learning in science is increasing, generally it has been found that teachers use technology more for administrative purposes or to support traditional instruction. This use of technology, especially to support traditional instruction, sits in opposition to most recent standards documents in science education that call for student involvement in evidence-based sense-making activities. Many see technology as a potentially powerful resource that is reshaping society and has the potential to do the same in science classrooms. To consider the promise of technology in science classrooms, this research investigated the impact of a professional development project focused on enhancing teacher and student learning by using information and communication technologies (ICTs) for engaging students in reformed-based instruction. More specifically, these findings revealed positive teacher outcomes with respect to reformed-based and technology-supported instruction and increased ICT and new literacies skills. When considering students, the findings revealed positive outcomes with respect to ICT and new literacies skills and student achievement in science.

  5. Education and the Environment: Creating Standards-Based Programs in Schools and Districts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lieberman, Gerald A.

    2013-01-01

    In this timely book, curriculum expert Gerald A. Lieberman provides an innovative guide to creating and implementing a new type of environmental education that combines standards-based lessons on English language arts, math, history, and science with community investigations and service learning projects. By connecting academic content with local…

  6. Getting to Know and Address Your State Science Standards to Connect Classroom Instruction and Field Trips During IYA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bednarski, Marsha; Larsen, K.

    2008-05-01

    Astronomy activities often pose problems for in-service teachers, especially at the elementary level, as many do not have a solid content background. Often astronomy instruction revolves around reading and answering questions. This is not an effective way to work with abstract concepts or engage students, and also fails to meet the standards of inquiry-based instruction recommended by the National Science Teachers Association and national and state standards. Science museums and planetariums bring unique and exciting perspectives to astronomy education. However, bringing students to the museum can sometimes be perceived as only a "cool field trip.” With mounting pressure for teachers to teach to the new standardized tests demanded by No Child Left Behind, and shrinking school budgets, field trips are rapidly becoming an endangered species. Coordinating museum, science center, and planetarium offerings with national and state science standards can renew interest in (and perceived relevance of) field trips. Therefore, university faculty, in-service teachers, and museum/planetarium staff can form successful partnerships which can both improve student learning and increase attendance at informal education science events and facilities. This workshop will first briefly introduce participants to national and representative state standards as well as research on in-service teachers’ astronomy content knowledge and the educational value of field trips. For the majority of the workshop, participants will engage in the actual steps of coordinating, planning, and writing inquiry-based astronomy curriculum embedded performance tasks that collectively meet the learning needs of students in elementary, middle, or high school. Participants are encouraged to bring a copy of their own state standards (available on their state's Department of Education website) for their preferred target age group.

  7. How Do You Know That?: Guiding Early Elementary Students to Develop Evidence-Based Explanations about Animals

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Folsom, Jennifer; Hunt, Catherine; Cavicchio, Maria; Schoenemann, Anne; D'Amato, Matthew

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of many animal studies at early grades is to build observation skills, develop a knowledge base, and practice age-appropriate science skills like comparing, describing, and drawing. While these are important learning experiences, the National Science Education Standards also recommend that students engage in scientific inquiry (NRC…

  8. Is It Working? Distractor Analysis Results from the Test Of Astronomy STandards (TOAST) Assessment Instrument

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Slater, Stephanie

    2009-05-01

    The Test Of Astronomy STandards (TOAST) assessment instrument is a multiple-choice survey tightly aligned to the consensus learning goals stated by the American Astronomical Society - Chair's Conference on ASTRO 101, the American Association of the Advancement of Science's Project 2061 Benchmarks, and the National Research Council's National Science Education Standards. Researchers from the Cognition in Astronomy, Physics and Earth sciences Research (CAPER) Team at the University of Wyoming's Science and Math Teaching Center (UWYO SMTC) have been conducting a question-by-question distractor analysis procedure to determine the sensitivity and effectiveness of each item. In brief, the frequency each possible answer choice, known as a foil or distractor on a multiple-choice test, is determined and compared to the existing literature on the teaching and learning of astronomy. In addition to having statistical difficulty and discrimination values, a well functioning assessment item will show students selecting distractors in the relative proportions to how we expect them to respond based on known misconceptions and reasoning difficulties. In all cases, our distractor analysis suggests that all items are functioning as expected. These results add weight to the validity of the Test Of Astronomy STandards (TOAST) assessment instrument, which is designed to help instructors and researchers measure the impact of course-length duration instructional strategies for undergraduate science survey courses with learning goals tightly aligned to the consensus goals of the astronomy education community.

  9. Development and Validation of a New Measure of Faculty Assessments of Reformed Teaching and Learning Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ellett, Chad D.; Monsaas, Judy; Martin-Hansen, Lisa; Demir, Abdulkadir

    2012-01-01

    This study reports on the continued large-sample validation of the Inventory for Teaching and Learning (ITAL), a new teacher perception measure of "reformed (inquiry- and standards-based) and traditional teaching and learning" developed for use in science and mathematics classrooms. The continued validation of the ITAL used large samples…

  10. An overview of conceptual understanding in science education curriculum in Indonesia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Widiyatmoko, A.; Shimizu, K.

    2018-03-01

    The purpose of this article is to discuss the term of “conceptual understanding” in science education curriculum in Indonesia. The implementation of 2013 Curriculum focuses on the acquisition of contextual knowledge in respective areas and environments. The curriculum seeks to develop students' evaluation skills in three areas: attitude, technical skills, and scientific knowledge. It is based on two layers of competencies: core and basic competencies. The core competencies in the curriculum 2013 represent the ability level to achieve the gradute competency standards of a students at each grade level. There are four mandatory core competencies for all educational levels and all subjects including science, which are spiritual, social, knowledge and skills competencies. In terms of knowledge competencies, conceptual understanding is an inseparable part of science concept since conceptual understanding is one of the basic competencies in science learning. This competency is a part of science graduation standard indicated in MoEC article number 20 in 2016. Therefore, conceptual understanding is needed by students for learning science successfully.

  11. The Status of Secondary Science Education in the United States: Factors That Predict Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Adrienne A.; Banilower, Eric R.; Nelson, Michele M.; Smith, P. Sean

    2013-01-01

    New K-12 science education standards emphasize teaching and learning grounded in authentic scientific practices. A first step toward supporting teachers' adoption of scientific practice-based pedagogies is to develop a clear picture of how teachers are currently teaching science, and what factors predict their pedagogical choices. A recently…

  12. Teaching Digital Natives: 3-D Virtual Science Lab in the Middle School Science Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Franklin, Teresa J.

    2008-01-01

    This paper presents the development of a 3-D virtual environment in Second Life for the delivery of standards-based science content for middle school students in the rural Appalachian region of Southeast Ohio. A mixed method approach in which quantitative results of improved student learning and qualitative observations of implementation within…

  13. Transformational Play as a Curricular Scaffold: Using Videogames to Support Science Education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barab, Sasha A.; Scott, Brianna; Siyahhan, Sinem; Goldstone, Robert; Ingram-Goble, Adam; Zuiker, Steven J.; Warren, Scott

    2009-08-01

    Drawing on game-design principles and an underlying situated theoretical perspective, we developed and researched a 3D game-based curriculum designed to teach water quality concepts. We compared undergraduate student dyads assigned randomly to four different instructional design conditions where the content had increasingly level of contextualization: (a) expository textbook condition, (b) simplistic framing condition, (c) immersive world condition, and (d) a single-user immersive world condition. Results indicated that the immersive-world dyad and immersive-world single user conditions performed significantly better than the electronic textbook group on standardized items. The immersive-world dyad condition also performed significantly better than either the expository textbook or the descriptive framing condition on a performance-based transfer task, and performed significantly better than the expository textbook condition on standardized test items. Implications for science education, and consistent with the goals of this special issue, are that immersive game-based learning environments provide a powerful new form of curriculum for teaching and learning science.

  14. Community Based Informatics: Geographical Information Systems, Remote Sensing and Ontology collaboration - A technical hands-on approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Branch, B. D.; Raskin, R. G.; Rock, B.; Gagnon, M.; Lecompte, M. A.; Hayden, L. B.

    2009-12-01

    With the nation challenged to comply with Executive Order 12906 and its needs to augment the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) pipeline, applied focus on geosciences pipelines issue may be at risk. The Geosciences pipeline may require intentional K-12 standard course of study consideration in the form of project based, science based and evidenced based learning. Thus, the K-12 to geosciences to informatics pipeline may benefit from an earth science experience that utilizes a community based “learning by doing” approach. Terms such as Community GIS, Community Remotes Sensing, and Community Based Ontology development are termed Community Informatics. Here, approaches of interdisciplinary work to promote and earth science literacy are affordable, consisting of low cost equipment that renders GIS/remote sensing data processing skills necessary in the workforce. Hence, informal community ontology development may evolve or mature from a local community towards formal scientific community collaboration. Such consideration may become a means to engage educational policy towards earth science paradigms and needs, specifically linking synergy among Math, Computer Science, and Earth Science disciplines.

  15. Next Generation Science Partnerships

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Magnusson, J.

    2016-02-01

    I will provide an overview of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and demonstrate how scientists and educators can use these standards to strengthen and enhance their collaborations. The NGSS are rich in content and practice and provide all students with an internationally-benchmarked science education. Using these state-led standards to guide outreach efforts can help develop and sustain effective and mutually beneficial teacher-researcher partnerships. Aligning outreach with the three dimensions of the standards can help make research relevant for target audiences by intentionally addressing the science practices, cross-cutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas of the K-12 science curriculum that drives instruction and assessment. Collaborations between researchers and educators that are based on this science framework are more sustainable because they address the needs of both scientists and educators. Educators are better able to utilize science content that aligns with their curriculum. Scientists who learn about the NGSS can better understand the frameworks under which educators work, which can lead to more extensive and focused outreach with teachers as partners. Based on this model, the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) develops its education materials in conjunction with scientists and educators to produce accurate, standards-aligned activities and curriculum-based interactions with researchers. I will highlight examples of IODP's current, successful teacher-researcher collaborations that are intentionally aligned with the NGSS.

  16. A Randomized Study of a Literacy-Integrated Science Intervention for Low-Socio-economic Status Middle School Students: Findings from first-year implementation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tong, Fuhui; Irby, Beverly J.; Lara-Alecio, Rafael; Guerrero, Cindy; Fan, Yinan; Huerta, Margarita

    2014-08-01

    This paper presents the findings from a randomized control trial study of reading/literacy-integrated science inquiry intervention after 1 year of implementation and the treatment effect on 5th-grade low-socio-economic African-American and Hispanic students' achievement in science and English reading. A total of 94 treatment students and 194 comparison students from four randomized intermediate schools participated in the current project. The intervention consisted of ongoing professional development and specific instructional science lessons with inquiry-based learning, direct and explicit vocabulary instruction, and integration of reading and writing. Results suggested that (a) there was a significantly positive treatment effect as reflected in students' higher performance in district-wide curriculum-based tests of science and reading and standardized tests of science, reading, and English reading fluency; (b) males and females did not differ significantly from participating in science inquiry instruction; (c) African-American students had lower chance of sufficiently mastering the science concepts and achieving above the state standards when compared with Hispanic students across gender and condition, and (d) below-poverty African-American females are the most vulnerable group in science learning. Our study confirmed that even a modest amount of literacy integration in inquiry-based science instruction can promote students' science and reading achievement. Therefore, we call for more experimental research that focus on the quality of literacy-integrated science instruction from which middle grade students, particularly low-socio-economic status students, can benefit.

  17. The inquiry continuum: Science teaching practices and student performance on standardized tests

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jernnigan, Laura Jane

    Few research studies have been conducted related to inquiry-based scientific teaching methodologies and NCLB-required state testing. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the strategies used by seventh-grade science teachers in Illinois and student scores on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) to aid in determining best practices/strategies for teaching middle school science. The literature review defines scientific inquiry by placing teaching strategies on a continuum of scientific inquiry methodologies from No Inquiry (Direct Instruction) through Authentic Inquiry. Five major divisions of scientific inquiry: structured inquiry, guided inquiry, learning cycle inquiry, open inquiry, and authentic inquiry, have been identified and described. These five divisions contain eight sub-categories: demonstrations; simple or hands-on activities; discovery learning; variations of learning cycles; problem-based, event-based, and project-based; and student inquiry, science partnerships, and Schwab's enquiry. Quantitative data were collected from pre- and posttests and surveys given to the participants: five seventh grade science teachers in four Academic Excellence Award and Spotlight Award schools and their 531 students. Findings revealed that teachers reported higher inquiry scores for themselves than for their students; the two greatest reported factors limiting teachers' use of inquiry were not enough time and concern about discipline and large class size. Although the correlation between total inquiry and mean difference of pre- and posttest scores was not statistically significant, the survey instrument indicated how often teachers used inquiry in their classes, not the type of inquiry used. Implications arose from the findings that increase the methodology debate between direction instruction and inquiry-based teaching strategies; teachers are very knowledgeable about the Illinois state standards, and various inquiry-based methods need to be stressed in undergraduate methods classes. While this study focused on the various types of scientific inquiry by creating a continuum of scientific inquiry methodologies, research using the continuum needs to be conducted to determine the various teaching styles of successful teachers.

  18. A Framework for Addressing Skeptics' Claims Using Evidence-Based Argumentation: Lessons Learned from Educational Research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lambert, J. L.; Bleicher, R. E.; Edwards, A.; Henderson, A.

    2012-12-01

    In science education, climate change is an issue that is especially useful for teaching concepts spanning several fields of science, as well the nature and practices of science. In response, we are developing a NASA-funded curriculum, titled Climate Science Investigations (CSI): South Florida, that teaches high school and first-year undergraduate level students how to analyze and use scientific data answer questions about climate change. To create an effective curriculum, we integrated lessons learned from our educational research conducted within our elementary science methods courses (Lambert, Lindgren, & Bleicher, 2012). For the past few years, we have been integrating climate science in our courses as a way to teach standards across several science disciplines and assessing our preservice teachers' gains in knowledge over the semesters. More recently, given the media attention and reports on the public's shift in opinion toward being more skeptical (Kellstedt, Zahran, & Vedlitz, 2008; Washington & Cook, 2011), we have assessed our students' perceptions about climate change and implemented strategies to help students use evidence-based scientific argumentation to address common claims of climate skeptics. In our elementary science methods courses, we framed climate change as a crosscutting theme, as well as a core idea, in the Next Generation Science Standards. We proposed that the issue and science of climate change would help preservice teachers not only become more interested in the topic, but also be more prepared to teach core science concepts spanning several disciplines (physical, life, and earth sciences). We also thought that highlighting the "practice of scientific inquiry" by teaching students to develop evidence-based arguments would help the preservice teachers become more analytical and able to differentiate scientific evidence from opinions, which could ultimately influence their perceptions on climate change. Lessons learned from our preservice teachers' conceptions and perceptions about climate change, as well as the difficulties in engaging in evidence-based argumentation, have informed and enhanced the framework for development of the CSI: South Florida curriculum. The modules are sequenced according to the proposed learning progression. First, students are introduced to the nature of science and Earth's energy balance. Students then investigate the temporal and spatial temperature data to answer the question of whether Earth is warming. Students also compare natural and anthropogenic causes of climate change, investigate the various observed and projected consequences of climate change in the fourth module, and examine ways to mitigate the effects of and adapt to climate change. Finally, students learn how to refute skeptics' claims by providing counter evidence and reasoning of why the skeptics' claim is not the appropriate explanation. This paper describes our conceptual framework for teaching students how to address the skeptics' claims using the content learned in the CSI: South Florida curriculum and evidence-based argumentation.

  19. Evaluating the Effectiveness of the 2001-2002 NASA CONNECT(tm) Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pinelli, Thomas E.; Frank, Kari Lou; Lambert, Matthew A.; Williams, Amy C.

    2002-01-01

    NASA CONNECT(tm) is a research and standards-based, integrated mathematics, science, and technology series of 30-minute instructional distance learning (television and web-based) programs for students in grades 6-8. Respondents who evaluated the programs in the 2001-2002 NASA CONNECT(tm) series reported that (1) they used the programs in the series; (2) the goals and objectives for the series were met; (3) the programs were aligned with the national mathematics, science, and technology standards; (4) the program content was developmentally appropriate for grade level; and (5) the programs in the series enhanced and enriched the teaching of mathematics, science, and technology.

  20. Evaluating the Effectiveness of the 2002-2003 NASA CONNECT(TM) Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pinelli, Thomas E.; Lambert, Matthew A.; Williams, Amy C.

    2004-01-01

    NASA CONNECT is a research-, inquiry-, and standards-based, integrated mathematics, science, and technology series of 30-minute instructional distance learning (television and web-based) programs for students in grades 6 8. Respondents who evaluated the programs in the 2002 2003 NASA CONNECT series reported that (1) they used the programs in the series; (2) the goals and objectives for the series were met; (3) the programs were aligned with the national mathematics, science, and technology standards; (4) the program content was developmentally appropriate for grade level; and (5) the programs in the series enhanced and enriched the teaching of mathematics, science, and technology.

  1. Scientific Inquiry, Digital Literacy, and Mobile Computing in Informal Learning Environments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marty, Paul F.; Alemanne, Nicole D.; Mendenhall, Anne; Maurya, Manisha; Southerland, Sherry A.; Sampson, Victor; Douglas, Ian; Kazmer, Michelle M.; Clark, Amanda; Schellinger, Jennifer

    2013-01-01

    Understanding the connections between scientific inquiry and digital literacy in informal learning environments is essential to furthering students' critical thinking and technology skills. The Habitat Tracker project combines a standards-based curriculum focused on the nature of science with an integrated system of online and mobile computing…

  2. Proposing an Educational Scaling-and-Diffusion Model for Inquiry-Based Learning Designs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hung, David; Lee, Shu-Shing

    2015-01-01

    Education cannot adopt the linear model of scaling used by the medical sciences. "Gold standards" cannot be replicated without considering process-in-learning, diversity, and student-variedness in classrooms. This article proposes a nuanced model of educational scaling-and-diffusion, describing the scaling (top-down supports) and…

  3. ARISE: American renaissance in science education

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    1998-09-14

    The national standards and state derivatives must be reinforced by models of curricular reform. In this paper, ARISE presents one model based on a set of principles--coherence, integration of the sciences, movement from concrete ideas to abstract ones, inquiry, connection and application, sequencing that is responsive to how people learn.

  4. Implementing the Next Generation Science Standards: How Instructional Coaches Mediate Standards-Based Educational Reform to Teacher Practice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Laxton, Katherine E.

    This dissertation takes a close look at how district-level instructional coaches support teachers in learning to shifting their instructional practice, related to the Next Generation Science Standards. This dissertation aims to address how re-structuring professional development to a job-embedded coaching model supports individual teacher learning of new reform-related instructional practice. Implementing the NGSS is a problem of supporting professional learning in a way that will enable educators to make fundamental changes to their teaching practice. However, there are few examples in the literature that explain how coaches interact with teachers to improve teacher learning of reform-related instructional practice. There are also few examples in the literature that specifically address how supporting teachers with extended professional learning opportunities, aligned with high-leverage practices, tools and curriculum, impacts how teachers make sense of new standards-based educational reforms and what manifests in classroom instruction. This dissertation proposes four conceptual categories of sense-making that influence how instructional coaches interpret the nature of reform, their roles and in instructional improvement and how to work with teachers. It is important to understand how coaches interpret reform because their interpretations may have unintended consequences related to privileging certain views about instruction, or establishing priorities for how to work with teachers. In this dissertation, we found that re-structuring professional development to a job-embedded coaching model supported teachers in learning new reform-related instructional practice. However, individual teacher interpretations of reform emerged and seemed to be linked to how instructional coaches supported teacher learning.

  5. Taking Stock: Existing Resources for Assessing a New Vision of Science Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alonzo, Alicia C.; Ke, Li

    2016-01-01

    A new vision of science learning described in the "Next Generation Science Standards"--particularly the science and engineering practices and their integration with content--pose significant challenges for large-scale assessment. This article explores what might be learned from advances in large-scale science assessment and…

  6. Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) as a Means for School-Based Science Curriculum Change

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Browne, Christi L.

    The challenge of school-based science curriculum change and educational reform is often presented to science teachers and departments who are not necessarily prepared for the complexity of considerations that change movements require. The development of a Professional Learning Community (PLC) focused on a science department's curriculum change efforts, may provide the necessary tools to foster sustainable school-based curriculum science changes. This research presents a case study of an evolving science department PLC consisting of 10 middle school science teachers from the same middle school and their efforts of school-based science curriculum change. A transformative mixed model case study with qualitative data and deepened by quantitative analysis, was chosen to guide the investigation. Collected data worked to document the essential developmental steps, the occurrence and frequency of the five essential dimensions of successful PLCs, and the influences the science department PLC had on the middle school science department's progression through school-based science curriculum change, and the barriers, struggles and inhibiting actions of the science department PLC. Findings indicated that a science department PLC was unique in that it allowed for a focal science departmental lens of science curriculum change to be applied to the structure and function of the PLC and therefore the process, proceedings, and results were directly aligned to and driven by the science department. The science PLC, while logically difficult to set-up and maintain, became a professional science forum where the middle school science teachers were exposed to new science teaching and learning knowledge, explored new science standards, discussed effects on student science learning, designed and critically analyzed science curriculum change application. Conclusions resulted in the science department PLC as an identified tool providing the ability for science departmental actions to lead to outcomes of science curriculum change improvements with the consideration but not the dictation of the larger school community and state agendas. Thus, the study's results work to fuse previously separated research on general PLCs and curriculum change efforts into a cohesive understanding of the unexplored potential of a science PLC and school-based science curriculum change.

  7. Learner-Centered Inquiry in Undergraduate Biology: Positive Relationships with Long-Term Student Achievement

    PubMed Central

    Ebert-May, Diane

    2010-01-01

    We determined short- and long-term correlates of a revised introductory biology curriculum on understanding of biology as a process of inquiry and learning of content. In the original curriculum students completed two traditional lecture-based introductory courses. In the revised curriculum students completed two new learner-centered, inquiry-based courses. The new courses differed significantly from those of the original curriculum through emphases on critical thinking, collaborative work, and/or inquiry-based activities. Assessments were administered to compare student understanding of the process of biological science and content knowledge in the two curricula. More seniors who completed the revised curriculum had high-level profiles on the Views About Science Survey for Biology compared with seniors who completed the original curriculum. Also as seniors, students who completed the revised curriculum scored higher on the standardized Biology Field Test. Our results showed that an intense inquiry-based learner-centered learning experience early in the biology curriculum was associated with long-term improvements in learning. We propose that students learned to learn science in the new courses which, in turn, influenced their learning in subsequent courses. Studies that determine causal effects of learner-centered inquiry-based approaches, rather than correlative relationships, are needed to test our proposed explanation. PMID:21123693

  8. A phenomenological study of assessment methods in the inquiry-based science classroom: How do educators decide?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tash, Gina G.

    The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of science educators as they select and develop assessment methods for inquiry learning. Balancing preparations for standardized tests and authentic inquiry assessment experiences can be challenging for science educators. The review of literature revealed that current research focused on instructional methods and assessment, students' assessment experiences, and teachers' instructional methods experiences. There remains a gap in current literature regarding the experiences of science educators as they select and develop assessment methods for inquiry learning. This study filled the gap by providing a description of the experiences of science educators as they select and develop assessments for inquiry learning. The participants in this study were 16 fifth through eighth grade science teachers who participate in the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI) in northwest Alabama. A phenomenological research method was chosen in order to describe the experiences of AMSTI science teachers as they select and develop assessments for inquiry learning. Data were collected through interviews and focus group discussions. The data analysis used a modified Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen framework. The results showed AMSTI science teachers use a variety of assessment resources and methods, feel pressures to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), and implement varying degrees of change in their assessment process due to No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Contributing a positive social change, this study's findings supplied science teachers with descriptions of successful inquiry classrooms and creative assessments that correspond to inquiry-based learning methods.

  9. Astrobiology Learning Progressions: Linking Astrobiology Concepts with the 3D Learning Paradigm of NGSS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Scalice, D.; Davis, H. B.; Leach, D.; Chambers, N.

    2016-12-01

    The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) introduce a Framework for teaching and learning with three interconnected "dimensions:" Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI's), Cross-cutting Concepts (CCC's), and Science and Engineering Practices (SEP's). This "3D" Framework outlines progressions of learning from K-12 based on the DCI's, detailing which parts of a concept should be taught at each grade band. We used these discipline-based progressions to synthesize interdisciplinary progressions for core concepts in astrobiology, such as the origins of life, what makes a world habitable, biosignatures, and searching for life on other worlds. The final product is an organizing tool for lesson plans, learning media, and other educational materials in astrobiology, as well as a fundamental resource in astrobiology education that serves both educators and scientists as they plan and carry out their programs for learners.

  10. Impact of interactive online units on learning science among students with learning disabilities and English learners

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Terrazas-Arellanes, Fatima E.; Gallard M., Alejandro J.; Strycker, Lisa A.; Walden, Emily D.

    2018-03-01

    The purpose of this study was to document the design, classroom implementation, and effectiveness of interactive online units to enhance science learning over 3 years among students with learning disabilities, English learners, and general education students. Results of a randomised controlled trial with 2,303 middle school students and 71 teachers across 13 schools in two states indicated that online units effectively deepened science knowledge across all three student groups. Comparing all treatment and control students on pretest-to-posttest improvement on standards-based content-specific assessments, there were statistically significant mean differences (17% improvement treatment vs. 6% control; p < .001); no significant interactions were found between treatment condition and learning disability or English learner status, indicating that these two groups performed similarly to their peers; students with learning disabilities had significantly lower assessment scores overall. Teachers and students were moderately satisfied with the units.

  11. NASA Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors (AAA) Professional Development and NASA Connections

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Backman, D. E.; Clark, C.; Harman, P. K.

    2017-12-01

    NASA's Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors (AAA) program is a three-part professional development (PD) experience for high school physics, astronomy, and earth science teachers. AAA PD consists of: (1) blended learning via webinars, asynchronous content learning, and in-person workshops, (2) a STEM immersion experience at NASA Armstrong's B703 science research aircraft facility in Palmdale, California, and (3) ongoing opportunities for connection with NASA astrophysics and planetary science Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). AAA implementation in 2016-18 involves partnerships between the SETI Institute and seven school districts in northern and southern California. AAAs in the current cohort were selected by the school districts based on criteria developed by AAA program staff working with WestEd evaluation consultants. The selected teachers were then randomly assigned by WestEd to a Group A or B to support controlled testing of student learning. Group A completed their PD during January - August 2017, then participated in NASA SOFIA science flights during fall 2017. Group B will act as a control during the 2017-18 school year, then will complete their professional development and SOFIA flights during 2018. A two-week AAA electromagnetic spectrum and multi-wavelength astronomy curriculum aligned with the Science Framework for California Public Schools and Next Generation Science Standards was developed by program staff for classroom delivery. The curriculum (as well as the AAA's pre-flight PD) capitalizes on NASA content by using "science snapshot" case studies regarding astronomy research conducted by SOFIA. AAAs also interact with NASA SMEs during flight weeks and will translate that interaction into classroom content. The AAA program will make controlled measurements of student gains in standards-based learning plus changes in student attitudes towards STEM, and observe & record the AAAs' implementation of curricular changes. Funded by NASA: NNX16AC51

  12. Project science inquiry: An exploration of elementary teachers' beliefs and perceptions about science teaching and learning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wilcox, Dawn Renee

    This dissertation examined elementary teachers' beliefs and perceptions of effective science instruction and documents how these teachers interpret and implement a model for Inquiry-Based (I-B) science in their classrooms. The study chronicles a group of teachers working in a large public school division and documents how these teachers interpret and implement reform-based science methods after participating in a professional development course on I-B science methods administered by the researcher. I-B science teaching and its implementation is discussed as an example of one potential method to address the current call for national education reform to meet the increasing needs of all students to achieve scientific literacy and the role of teachers in that effort. The conviction in science reform efforts is that all students are able to learn science and consequently must be given the crucial opportunities in the right environment that permits optimal science learning in our nation's schools. Following this group of teachers as they attempted to deliver I-B science teaching revealed challenges elementary science teachers face and the professional supports necessary for them to effectively meet science standards. This dissertation serves as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education at George Mason University.

  13. The Role of Research on Science Teaching and Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Science Teachers Association (NJ1), 2010

    2010-01-01

    Research on science teaching and learning plays an important role in improving science literacy, a goal called for in the National Science Education Standards (NRC 1996) and supported by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA 2003). NSTA promotes a research agenda that is focused on the goal of enhancing student learning through effective…

  14. Development of an Instrument to Assess Prospective Elementary Teacher Self-Efficacy Beliefs about Equitable Science Teaching and Learning (SEBEST)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ritter, Jennifer M.; Boone, William J.; Rubba, Peter A.

    2001-06-01

    This paper presents an overview of the procedures used to develop and validate an instrument to measure the self-efficacy beliefs of prospective elementary teachers about equitable science teaching and learning. The instrument, titled the SEBEST, was based on the work of Ashton and Webb (1986a, 1986b) and Bandura (1977, 1986). It was modeled after the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI) (Riggs, 1988) and the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument for Prospective Teachers (STEBI-B) (Enochs & Riggs, 1990). Based on the standardized development procedures used and associated evidence, the SEBEST appears to be a content and construct valid instrument, with high internal reliability qualities. "Most probable response" plots are introduced and used to bring meaning to SEBEST raw scores.

  15. The NASA SCI Files[TM]: The Case of the Shaky Quake. A Lesson Guide with Activities in Mathematics, Science, and Technology.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ricles, Shannon

    The NASA SCI Files is a series of instructional programs consisting of broadcast, print, and online elements emphasizing standards-based instruction, problem-based learning, and science as inquiry. The series seeks to motivate students in grades 3-5 to become critical thinkers and active problem solvers. In this program, the tree house detectives…

  16. Histochemical Seeing: Scientific Visualization and Art Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Knochel, Aaron

    2013-01-01

    What are the capacities of visual arts curricula to engage learning within narrow frameworks of overly "scientistic" standards (Lather, 2007)? With growing emphasis in schools under STEM initiatives and evidence-based standards, the possible cross-pollination of effects that art education may have on a science-centric education may be a…

  17. Preparing All Teachers to Use Proven, Effective Instructional Methods across the Curriculum.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), 2012

    2012-01-01

    Research has shown that certain ways of teaching can make a difference in whether students learn standards-based content. Many strategies have proven to be effective in teaching literacy, mathematics, science and social studies. These strategies have facilitated blending academic and career/technical subjects to make learning more meaningful for…

  18. Purposeful Instruction: Mixing up the "I," "We," and "You"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grant, Maria; Lapp, Diane; Fisher, Douglas; Johnson, Kelly; Frey, Nancy

    2012-01-01

    This article discusses the flexible nature of the gradual release of responsibility (GRR) as a frame for inquiry-based science instruction. Given the mandate for the use of text-supported learning (Common Core Standards), the GRR can be used to allow students to learn as scientists as they collaboratively develop testable questions and experiments…

  19. Environmental Systems Simulations for Carbon, Energy, Nitrogen, Water, and Watersheds: Design Principles and Pilot Testing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lant, Christopher; Pérez-Lapeña, Blanca; Xiong, Weidong; Kraft, Steven; Kowalchuk, Rhonda; Blair, Michael

    2016-01-01

    Guided by the Next Generation Science Standards and elements of problem-based learning, four human-environment systems simulations are described in brief--carbon, energy, water, and watershed--and a fifth simulation on nitrogen is described in more depth. These science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education simulations illustrate…

  20. Lessons Learned from Real-Time, Event-Based Internet Science Communications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Phillips, T.; Myszka, E.; Gallagher, D. L.; Adams, M. L.; Koczor, R. J.; Whitaker, Ann F. (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    For the last several years the Science Directorate at Marshall Space Flight Center has carried out a diverse program of Internet-based science communication. The Directorate's Science Roundtable includes active researchers, NASA public relations, educators, and administrators. The Science@NASA award-winning family of Web sites features science, mathematics, and space news. The program includes extended stories about NASA science, a curriculum resource for teachers tied to national education standards, on-line activities for students, and webcasts of real-time events. The focus of sharing science activities in real-time has been to involve and excite students and the public about science. Events have involved meteor showers, solar eclipses, natural very low frequency radio emissions, and amateur balloon flights. In some cases, broadcasts accommodate active feedback and questions from Internet participants. Through these projects a pattern has emerged in the level of interest or popularity with the public. The pattern differentiates projects that include science from those that do not, All real-time, event-based Internet activities have captured public interest at a level not achieved through science stories or educator resource material exclusively. The worst event-based activity attracted more interest than the best written science story. One truly rewarding lesson learned through these projects is that the public recognizes the importance and excitement of being part of scientific discovery. Flying a camera to 100,000 feet altitude isn't as interesting to the public as searching for viable life-forms at these oxygen-poor altitudes. The details of these real-time, event-based projects and lessons learned will be discussed.

  1. The Journey Begins: First Year Activities of the MUSI Mathematics/Science Resource Teachers. A Report on the Milwaukee Urban Systemic Initiative.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huinker, DeAnn; Pearson, Gretchen

    The Urban Systemic Initiatives (USI) program is an effort sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that targets large urban school systems with the goal of sustainable implementation of high-quality, standards-based teaching for the purpose of attaining system-wide increases in students' learning of challenging mathematics and science.…

  2. From Prescribed Curriculum to Classroom Practice: An Examination of the Implementation of the New York State Earth Science Standards

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Contino, Julie; Anderson, O. Roger

    2013-01-01

    In New York State (NYS), Earth science teachers use the "National Science Education Standards" (NSES), the NYS "Learning Standards for Mathematics, Science and Technology" (NYS Standards), and the "Physical Setting/Earth Science Core Curriculum" (Core Curriculum) to create local curricula and daily lessons. In this…

  3. Examining Classroom Science Practice Communities: How Teachers and Students Negotiate Epistemic Agency and Learn Science-as-Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stroupe, David

    2014-01-01

    The Next Generation Science Standards and other reforms call for students to learn science-as-practice, which I argue requires students to become epistemic agents--shaping the knowledge and practice of a science community. I examined a framework for teaching--ambitious instruction--that scaffolds students' learning of science-as-practice as…

  4. From Standards to Standard Practice: A Critical Look at the Perceptions and Process of Integrating the Next Generation Science Standards in the Nation's Schools

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mercadante, Katie Lynn

    The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are the culmination of reform efforts spanning more than three decades and are the first major reform movement in science education since Sputnik. When implementing these new standards, teachers are faced with many barriers. NGSS requires critical thinking, cross-curricular learning, and key changes in teaching, learning, and assessment. Implementation nationwide has been slow, due to sweeping changes, and controversial content within the standards. Resistance to implementation occurs in nearly all levels for these reasons. The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine the perceptions of in-service teachers of the NGSS Framework, to identify barriers that inhibit implementation, and to identify commonalities among teachers who have successfully implemented the Framework, as well as assist others who may do the same in the future. Teachers from public, private, and charter schools from across the United States participated in the study. Based upon teacher response, a three-stage action plan and series of necessary recommendations were developed to assist teachers and administrators in K-12 schools to develop plans to implement the NGSS.

  5. Effectiveness of various innovative learning methods in health science classrooms: a meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Kalaian, Sema A; Kasim, Rafa M

    2017-12-01

    This study reports the results of a meta-analysis of the available literature on the effectiveness of various forms of innovative small-group learning methods on student achievement in undergraduate college health science classrooms. The results of the analysis revealed that most of the primary studies supported the effectiveness of the small-group learning methods in improving students' academic achievement with an overall weighted average effect-size of 0.59 in standard deviation units favoring small-group learning methods. The subgroup analysis showed that the various forms of innovative and reform-based small-group learning interventions appeared to be significantly more effective for students in higher levels of college classes (sophomore, junior, and senior levels), students in other countries (non-U.S.) worldwide, students in groups of four or less, and students who choose their own group. The random-effects meta-regression results revealed that the effect sizes were influenced significantly by the instructional duration of the primary studies. This means that studies with longer hours of instruction yielded higher effect sizes and on average every 1 h increase in instruction, the predicted increase in effect size was 0.009 standard deviation units, which is considered as a small effect. These results may help health science and nursing educators by providing guidance in identifying the conditions under which various forms of innovative small-group learning pedagogies are collectively more effective than the traditional lecture-based teaching instruction.

  6. Technology Development, Implementation and Assessment: K-16 Pre-Service, In-Service and Distance Learning Initiatives

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Williams, William B., Jr.

    1999-01-01

    The technologies associated with distance learning are evolving rapidly, giving to educators a potential tool for enhancing the educational experiences of large numbers of students simultaneously. This enhancement, in order to be effective, must take into account the various agendas of teachers, administrators, state systems, and of course students. It must also make use of the latest research on effective pedagogy. This combination, effective pedagogy and robust information technology, is a powerful vehicle for communicating, to a large audience of school children the excitement of mathematics and science--an excitement that for the most part is now well-hidden. This project,"Technology Development, Implementation and Assessment," proposed to bring to bear on the education of learners in grades 3 - 8 in science and mathematics both advances in information technology and in effective pedagogy. Specifically, the project developed components NASA CONNECT video series--problem-based learning modules that focus on the scientific method and that incorporate problem-based learning scenarios tied to national mathematics and science standards. These videos serve two purposes; they engage students in the excitement of hands-on learning and they model for the teachers of these students the problem-based learning practices that are proving to be excellent ways to teach science and mathematics to school students. Another component of NASA CONNECT is the accompanying web-site.

  7. Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Education MUST Begin in Early Childhood Education: A Systematic Analysis of Washington State Guidelines Used to Gauge the Development and Learning of Young Learners

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Briseno, Luis Miguel

    This paper reflects future direction for early Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, science in particular. Washington State stakeholders use guidelines including: standards, curriculums and assessments to gauge young children's development and learning, in early childhood education (ECE). Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and the Framework for K-12 programs (National Research Council, 2011) emphasizes the need for reconfiguration of standards: "Too often standards are a long list of detailed and disconnected facts... this approach alienates young people, it also leaves them with fragments of knowledge and little sense of the inherent logic and consistency of science and of its universality." NGSS' position elevates the concern and need for learners to experience teaching and learning from intentionally designed cohesive curriculum units, rather than as a series of unrelated and isolated lessons. To introduce the argument the present study seeks to examine Washington State early learning standards. To evaluate this need, I examined balance and coverage/depth. Analysis measures the level of continuum in high-quality guidelines from which Washington State operates to serve its youngest citizens and their families.

  8. From professional development for science teachers to student learning in science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tinoca, Luis Fonseca

    This study investigates the effects of professional development for science teachers on student learning. It is usually expected that professional development programs positively impact student learning, however this dimension is not commonly incorporated in the programs evaluation. It is simply assumed that students will be indirectly impacted through their participating teachers in the work with their students. Two main research questions are addressed: (1) Are professional development programs effective in enhancing student learning in science? (2) What are the characteristics of the most and least effective programs? To answer these questions a meta-analysis of 37 professional development programs reporting their impact on student learning was performed. Program characteristics have been defined according to the categories defined by Loucks-Horsley et al (1998), the National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996), as well as new categories developed by us analyzing other variables such as the programs length. A significant impact of professional development for science teachers on student learning has been found in the form of an overall correlation effect size of r = 0.22 (p < 0.001). Moreover, a Fixed Effects Model was used to differentiate between the impacts of the different characteristics of professional development programs for science teachers. In particular, programs emphasizing work on curriculum development, replacement, or implementation, scientific inquiry, pedagogical content knowledge, lasting over 6 month and with a total duration of at least 100 hours have been identified as having a larger impact on student learning. To enhance the findings vignettes have been developed based on the attained effect sizes describing possible professional development programs. Recommendations for present and future professional development programs are made based on what works best in order to maximize their impact on student learning.

  9. Learning physical descriptors for materials science by compressed sensing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ghiringhelli, Luca M.; Vybiral, Jan; Ahmetcik, Emre; Ouyang, Runhai; Levchenko, Sergey V.; Draxl, Claudia; Scheffler, Matthias

    2017-02-01

    The availability of big data in materials science offers new routes for analyzing materials properties and functions and achieving scientific understanding. Finding structure in these data that is not directly visible by standard tools and exploitation of the scientific information requires new and dedicated methodology based on approaches from statistical learning, compressed sensing, and other recent methods from applied mathematics, computer science, statistics, signal processing, and information science. In this paper, we explain and demonstrate a compressed-sensing based methodology for feature selection, specifically for discovering physical descriptors, i.e., physical parameters that describe the material and its properties of interest, and associated equations that explicitly and quantitatively describe those relevant properties. As showcase application and proof of concept, we describe how to build a physical model for the quantitative prediction of the crystal structure of binary compound semiconductors.

  10. Planning for Reform-Based Science: Case Studies of Two Urban Elementary Teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mangiante, Elaine Silva

    2018-02-01

    The intent of national efforts to frame science education standards is to promote students' development of scientific practices and conceptual understanding for their future role as scientifically literate citizens (NRC 2012). A guiding principle of science education reform is that all students receive equitable opportunities to engage in rigorous science learning. Yet, implementation of science education reform depends on teachers' instructional decisions. In urban schools serving students primarily from poor, diverse communities, teachers typically face obstacles in providing reform-based science due to limited resources and accountability pressures, as well as a culture of teacher-directed pedagogy, and deficit views of students. The purpose of this qualitative research was to study two white, fourth grade teachers from high-poverty urban schools, who were identified as transforming their science teaching and to investigate how their beliefs, knowledge bases, and resources shaped their planning for reform-based science. Using the Shavelson and Stern's decision model for teacher planning to analyze evidence gathered from interviews, documents, planning meetings, and lesson observations, the findings indicated their planning for scientific practices was influenced by the type and extent of professional development each received, each teacher's beliefs about their students and their background, and the mission and learning environment each teacher envisioned for the reform to serve their students. The results provided specific insights into factors that impacted their planning in high-poverty urban schools and indicated considerations for those in similar contexts to promote teachers' planning for equitable science learning opportunities by all students.

  11. The Role of Learning Progressions in Standards-Based Education Reform. Policy Brief. RB-52

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mosher, Frederic A.

    2011-01-01

    The concept of "learning progressions" has begun to show up in discussions of education policy and research as a potential answer to the question of how to specify what being "on track" might mean. A number of recent NRC (National Research Council) reports on science education highlight the concept (National Research Council,…

  12. Developing a Hypothetical Multi-Dimensional Learning Progression for the Nature of Matter

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stevens, Shawn Y.; Delgado, Cesar; Krajcik, Joseph S.

    2010-01-01

    We describe efforts toward the development of a hypothetical learning progression (HLP) for the growth of grade 7-14 students' models of the structure, behavior and properties of matter, as it relates to nanoscale science and engineering (NSE). This multi-dimensional HLP, based on empirical research and standards documents, describes how students…

  13. Second Year Site Visits to Milwaukee Urban Systemic Initiative Schools. Report for the Milwaukee Public Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huinker, DeAnn; Coan, Cheryl

    The Urban Systemic Initiatives (USI) program is an effort sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that targets large urban school systems with the goal of sustainable implementation of high-quality, standards-based teaching for the purpose of attaining system-wide increases in students' learning of challenging mathematics and science.…

  14. The development and validation of Science Learning Inventory (SLI): A conceptual change framework

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Seyedmonir, Mehdi

    2000-12-01

    A multidimensional theoretical model, Conceptual Change Science Learning (CCSL), was developed based on Standard Model of Conceptual Change and Cognitive Reconstruction of Knowledge Model. The model addresses three main components of science learning, namely the learner's conceptual ecology, the message along with its social context, and the cognitive engagement. A learner's conceptual ecology is organized around three clusters, including epistemological beliefs, existing conceptions, and motivation. Learner's cognitive engagement is represented by a continuum from peripheral processing involving shallow cognitive engagement to central processing involving deep cognitive engagement. Through reciprocal, non-sequential interactions of such constructs, the learners' conceptual change is achieved. Using a quantitative empirical approach, three studies were conducted to investigate the theoretical constructs based on the CCSL Model. The first study reports the development and validation of the hypothesized and factor-analytic scales comprising the instrument, Science Learning Inventory (SLI) intended for college students. The self-report instrument was designed in two parts, SLI-A (conceptual ecology and cognitive engagement) with 48 initial items, and SLI-B (science epistemology) with 49 initial items. The items for SLI-B were based on the tenets of Nature of Science as reflected in the recent reform documents, Science for All Americans (Project 2061) and National Science Education Standards. The results of factor analysis indicated seven factors for SLI-A and four factors for SLI-B. The second study investigated the criterion-related (conceptual change) predictive validity of the SLI in an instructional setting (a college-level physics course). The findings suggested the possibility of different interplay of factors and dynamics depending on the nature of the criterion (gain scores from a three-week intervention versus final course grade). Gain scores were predicted by "self-reflective study behavior" and "science self-efficacy" scales of SLI, whereas the course grade was predicted by "metacognitive engagement" and "dynamic scientific truth," (a factor from science epistemology). The third study investigated the effects of text-based conceptual-change strategy (Enhanced Refutational Text; ERT) on Newtonian Laws of Motion, and the efficacy of the SLI scales in a controlled setting. Also, initial divergent and convergent validity procedures are reported in the study. The results provided partial support for the superiority of ERT over expository text. The ERT was an effective intervention for students with no prior physics background but not for students with prior physics background.

  15. The Effectiveness of Three Experiential Teaching Approaches on Student Science Learning in Fifth-Grade Public School Classrooms.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Powell, Kristin; Wells, Marcella

    2002-01-01

    Compares the effects of three experiential science lessons in meeting the objectives of the Colorado model content science standards. Uses Kolb's (1984) experiential learning model as a framework for understanding the process by which students engage in learning when participating in experiential learning activities. Uses classroom exams and…

  16. The effect of inquiry-based, hands-on labs on achievement in middle school science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miller, Donna Kaye Green

    The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to measure the difference in science achievement between students who had been taught with an inquiry-based, hands-on pedagogical approach and those who had not. Improving student academic achievement and standardized test scores is the major objective of teachers, parents, school administrators, government entities, and students themselves. One major barrier to this academic success in Georgia, and the entire United States, has been the paucity of success in middle level science classes. Many studies have been conducted to determine the learning approaches that will best enable students to not only acquire a deeper understanding of science concepts, but to equip them to apply that new knowledge in their daily activities. Inquiry-based, hands-on learning involves students participating in activities that reflect methods of scientific investigation. The effective utilization of the inquiry-based learning approach demands inclusion of learners in a self-directed learning environment, the ability to think critically, and an understanding of how to reflect and reason scientifically. The treatment group using an inquiry-based, hands-on program did score slightly higher on the CRCT. However, the results revealed that there was not a significant difference in student achievement. This study showed that the traditionally instructed control group had slightly higher interest in science than the inquiry-based treatment group. The findings of this research study indicated that the NCLB mandates might need to be altered if there are no significant academic gains that result from the use of inquiry-based strategies.

  17. Energy Transformation: Teaching Youth about Energy Efficiency while Meeting Science Essential Standards

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kirby, Sarah D.; Chilcote, Amy G.

    2014-01-01

    This article describes the Energy Transformation 4-H school enrichment curriculum. The curriculum addresses energy efficiency and conservation while meeting sixth-grade science essential standards requirements. Through experiential learning, including building and testing a model home, youth learn the relationship between various technologies and…

  18. Mālama I Ka `Āina, Sustainability: learning from Hawai`i's displaced place and culture-based science standard

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chinn, Pauline W. U.

    2011-03-01

    This response to Mitchell and Mueller's "A philosophical analysis of David Orr's theory of ecological literacy" comments on their critique of Orr's use of the phrase "ecological crisis" and what I perceive as their conflicting views of "crisis." I present my views on ecological crisis informed by standpoint theory and the definition of crisis as turning point. I connect the concept of turning point to tipping point as used in ecology to describe potentially irreversible changes in coupled social-ecological systems. I suggest that sustainable societies may provide models of adaptive learning in which monitoring of ecological phenomena is coupled to human behavior to mitigate threats to sustainability before a crisis/tipping point is reached. Finally, I discuss the Hawai`i State Department of Education's removal of its Indigenous science content standard Mālama I Ka `Āina, Sustainability and its continued use in community-based projects.

  19. Influence of an interprofessional HIV/AIDS education program on role perception, attitudes and teamwork skills of undergraduate health sciences students.

    PubMed

    Curran, Vernon R; Mugford, J Gerry; Law, Rebecca M T; MacDonald, Sandra

    2005-03-01

    An evaluation study of an undergraduate HIV/AIDS interprofessional education program for medical, nursing and pharmacy students was undertaken to assess changes in role perception, attitudes towards collaboration, self-reported teamwork skills and satisfaction with a shared learning experience. A combined one group pretest-posttest and time-series study design was used. Several survey instruments and observation checklists were completed by students and tutors before, during and after the educational program. Students reported greater awareness of roles and the continuous exposure to interprofessional learning led to improved attitudes towards teamwork. Standardized patients were effective in fostering an experience of realism and motivating collaboration between students. A problem-based learning approach combined with standardized patients was effective in enhancing HIV/AIDS interprofessional role perception, enhancing attitudes towards collaboration and interprofessional approaches to HIV/AIDS care and fostering confidence in teamwork skills among pre-licensure health sciences students.

  20. The role of differentiation and standards-based grading in the science learning of struggling and advanced learners in a detracked high school honors biology classroom

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    MacDonald, Michelina Ruth Carter

    The accountability movement in education resulting from the passage of The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has brought to light the disparities that exist in student achievement in the United States which play out along racial and socioeconomic lines. Three educational practices hold promise for reducing this achievement gap: differentiated instruction, standards-based assessment, and elimination of academic tracking. The purpose of this practitioner research study was to examine the ways that differentiation and standards-based assessment can support struggling learners and challenge advanced learners in a detracked, honors biology classroom. To gain insight into the role that differentiation and standards-based assessment played in supporting struggling and advanced learners, I used practitioner research to examine the development and implementation of a differentiated, standards-based instructional unit around the conceptual topic of protein synthesis. I collected multiple data pieces for 10 students in the study: two advanced learners, four struggling learners, and four strong learners who struggled in biology. Data analyzed included formative, self-, and summative assessment results; student artifacts; informal and formal student interviews; and, a practitioner reflection journal chronicling critical incidents and actions taken during the development and implementation of this unit and notes from peer debriefing during and following the unit's implementation. As I analyzed the data collected, my four findings fell into two overarching categories related to student grouping. My first three findings reflect what I learned about homogeneous grouping: (1) Pre-assessment based on unit outcomes is not useful for determining groups for tiered instruction; (2) Decisions about differentiation and grouping for differentiation must be made in the act of teaching using formative assessment results; and, (3) Flexible grouping structures are effective for both struggling and advanced learners. My fourth finding reflects what I learned about heterogeneous grouping: (4) Heterogeneously grouping students for argumentation through engagement in science inquiry serves both to reinforce proficiency of learning goals for struggling learners and simultaneously push all learners towards advanced proficiency. These findings indicate how planning for and implementing a differentiated, standards-based instructional unit can support the learning needs of both struggling and advanced learners in a detracked, honors biology classroom.

  1. Process oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL®) marginally effects student achievement measures but substantially increases the odds of passing a course.

    PubMed

    Walker, Lindsey; Warfa, Abdi-Rizak M

    2017-01-01

    While the inquiry approach to science teaching has been widely recommended as an epistemic mechanism to promote deep content understanding, there is also increased expectation that process and other transferable skills should be integral part of science pedagogy. To test the hypothesis that coupling process skills to content teaching impacts academic success measures, we meta-analyzed twenty-one studies (n = 21) involving 7876 students that compared Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL), a pedagogy that provides opportunities for improving process skills during content learning through guided-inquiry activities, to standard lecture conditions. Based on conventional measures of class performance, POGIL had a small effect on achievement outcomes (effect size = 0.29, [95% CI = 0.15-0.43]) but substantially improved the odds of passing a class (odds ratio = 2.02, [95% CI: 1.45-2.83]). That is, participants in the POGIL pedagogy had higher odds of passing a course and roughly performed 0.3 standard deviations higher on achievement measures than participants in standard lectures. In relative risk terms, POGIL reduced the risk of failing a course by 38%. These findings suggest providing opportunities to improve process skills during class instruction does not inhibit content learning but enhances conventional success measures. We compare these findings with those of recent large meta-analysis that examined the effects of global active learning methods on achievement outcomes and course failure rates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

  2. Process oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL®) marginally effects student achievement measures but substantially increases the odds of passing a course

    PubMed Central

    Walker, Lindsey

    2017-01-01

    While the inquiry approach to science teaching has been widely recommended as an epistemic mechanism to promote deep content understanding, there is also increased expectation that process and other transferable skills should be integral part of science pedagogy. To test the hypothesis that coupling process skills to content teaching impacts academic success measures, we meta-analyzed twenty-one studies (n = 21) involving 7876 students that compared Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL), a pedagogy that provides opportunities for improving process skills during content learning through guided-inquiry activities, to standard lecture conditions. Based on conventional measures of class performance, POGIL had a small effect on achievement outcomes (effect size = 0.29, [95% CI = 0.15–0.43]) but substantially improved the odds of passing a class (odds ratio = 2.02, [95% CI: 1.45–2.83]). That is, participants in the POGIL pedagogy had higher odds of passing a course and roughly performed 0.3 standard deviations higher on achievement measures than participants in standard lectures. In relative risk terms, POGIL reduced the risk of failing a course by 38%. These findings suggest providing opportunities to improve process skills during class instruction does not inhibit content learning but enhances conventional success measures. We compare these findings with those of recent large meta-analysis that examined the effects of global active learning methods on achievement outcomes and course failure rates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. PMID:29023502

  3. Perception of Science Standards' Effectiveness and Their Implementation by Science Teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Klieger, Aviva; Yakobovitch, Anat

    2011-06-01

    The introduction of standards into the education system poses numerous challenges and difficulties. As with any change, plans should be made for teachers to understand and implement the standards. This study examined science teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of the standards for teaching and learning, and the extent and ease/difficulty of implementing science standards in different grades. The research used a mixed methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative research methods. The research tools were questionnaires that were administered to elementary school science teachers. The majority of the teachers perceived the standards in science as effective for teaching and learning and only a small minority viewed them as restricting their pedagogical autonomy. Differences were found in the extent of implementation of the different standards and between different grades. The teachers perceived a different degree of difficulty in the implementation of the different standards. The standards experienced as easiest to implement were in the field of biology and materials, whereas the standards in earth sciences and the universe and technology were most difficult to implement, and are also those evaluated by the teachers as being implemented to the least extent. Exposure of teachers' perceptions on the effectiveness of standards and the implementation of the standards may aid policymakers in future planning of teachers' professional development for the implementation of standards.

  4. Comparison of the effect of multiple intelligence pedagogy and traditional pedagogy on grade 5 students' achievement and attitudes towards science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mussen, Kimberly S.

    This quantitative research study evaluated the effectiveness of employing pedagogy based on the theory of multiple intelligences (MI). Currently, not all students are performing at the rate mandated by the government. When schools do not meet the required state standards, the school is labeled as not achieving adequate yearly progress (AYP), which may lead to the loss of funding. Any school not achieving AYP would be interested in this study. Due to low state standardized test scores in the district for science, student achievement and attitudes towards learning science were evaluated on a pretest, posttest, essay question, and one attitudinal survey. Statistical significance existed on one of the four research questions. Utilizing the Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) for data analysis, student attitudes towards learning science were statically significant in the MI (experimental) group. No statistical significance was found in student achievement on the posttest, delayed posttest, or the essay question test. Social change can result from this study because studying the effects of the multiple intelligence theory incorporated into classroom instruction can have significant effect on how children learn, allowing them to compete in a knowledge society.

  5. Implementation of National Science Education Standards in suburban elementary schools: Teachers' perceptions and classroom practices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khan, Rubina Samer

    2005-07-01

    This was an interpretive qualitative study that focused on how three elementary school science teachers from three different public schools perceived and implemented the National Science Education Standards based on the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol and individual interviews with the teachers. This study provided an understanding of the standards movement and teacher change in the process. Science teachers who were experienced with the National Science Education Standards were selected as the subjects of the study. Grounded in the theory of teacher change, this study's phenomenological premise was that the extent to which a new reform has an effect on students' learning and achievement on standardized tests depends on the content a teacher teaches as well as the style of teaching. It was therefore necessary to explore how teachers understand and implement the standards in the classrooms. The surveys, interviews and observations provided rich data from teachers' intentions, reflections and actions on the lessons that were observed while also providing the broader contextual framework for the understanding of the teachers' perspectives.

  6. Making Sense of New Science Assessments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pellegrino, James W.

    2016-01-01

    What we choose to assess in science is what will end up being the focus of instruction. US science standards once treated content and inquiry as fairly separate strands of science learning, with content standards stating what students should know and inquiry standards stating what they should be able to do. In its content coverage, these standards…

  7. In Step with the New Science Standards

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marshall, Jeff C.

    2015-01-01

    "Whether your state has adopted the Next Generation Science Standards or will soon revise its own science standards, one thing is clear," writes noted science educator Jeff Marshall. "Change is underway--in what is learned, in how we teach, and in how we assess." This article offers five realizations that point to the potential…

  8. Cool Reaction: Go! Temp as a Tool for Science Teaching and Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Hanna

    2005-01-01

    The National Science Education Standards (NSES; National Research Council [NRC], 1996) include Science and Technology as one of the eight categories of content standards. The science and technology standards establish connections between the natural and designed worlds and provide students with opportunities to develop decision-making abilities.…

  9. Science for Life

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Umphrey, Jan

    2011-01-01

    The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) is committed to promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all students. Through the National Science Education Standards, NSTA calls attention to the importance of science standards for all students and the need for a scientifically literate populace. NSTA is also…

  10. Confronting Dilemmas Posed by Three-Dimensional Classroom Assessment: Introduction to a Virtual Issue of "Science Education"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Furtak, Erin Marie

    2017-01-01

    Wide-scale adoption of the "Next Generation Science Standards" has raised new challenges for classroom teachers as they learn not only how to engage students in this new vision of science learning, but also how to assess students' engagement in that learning. This paper introduces a virtual special issue of "Science Education"…

  11. Scientist-teacher collaboration: Integration of real data from a coastal wetland into a high school life science ecology-based research project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hagan, Wendy L.

    Project G.R.O.W. is an ecology-based research project developed for high school biology students. The curriculum was designed based on how students learn and awareness of the nature of science and scientific practices so that students would design and carry out scientific investigations using real data from a local coastal wetland. This was a scientist-teacher collaboration between a CSULB biologist and high school biology teacher. Prior to implementing the three-week research project, students had multiple opportunities to practice building requisite skills via 55 lessons focusing on the nature of science, scientific practices, technology, Common Core State Standards of reading, writing, listening and speaking, and Next Generation Science Standards. Project G.R.O.W. culminated with student generated research papers and oral presentations. Outcomes reveal students struggle with constructing explanations and the use of Excel to create meaningful graphs. They showed gains in data organization, analysis, teamwork and aspects of the nature of science.

  12. Science for Real Life

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hammerman, Elizabeth

    2008-01-01

    State and national standards identify what students should know and be able to do, including what it means to "do" science, the historical significance of science achievement and its ethical underpinnings, and science from the human perspective. Middle level science programs that address the full range of science standards and connect learning to…

  13. Preparing Science Teachers for Culturally Diverse Students: Developing Cultural Literacy Through Cultural Immersion, Cultural Translators and Communities of Practice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chinn, Pauline W. U.

    2006-09-01

    This three year study of P-12 professional development is grounded in sociocultural theories that hold that building knowledge and relationships among individuals from different cultural backgrounds entails joint activity toward common goals and cultural dialogues mediated by cultural translators. Sixty P-12 pre and in-service teachers in a year long interdisciplinary science curriculum course shared the goal of developing culturally relevant, standards-based science curricula for Native Hawai'ian students. Teachers and Native Hawai'ian instructors lived and worked together during a five day culture-science immersion in rural school and community sites and met several times at school, university, and community sites to build knowledge and share programs. Teachers were deeply moved by immersion experiences, learned to connect cultural understandings, e.g., a Hawai'ian sense of place and curriculum development, and highly valued collaborating with peers on curriculum development and implementation. The study finds that long term professional development providing situated learning through cultural immersion, cultural translators, and interdisciplinary instruction supports the establishment of communities of practice in which participants develop the cross-cultural knowledge and literacy needed for the development of locally relevant, place and standards-based curricula and pedagogy.

  14. Using Amphibians and Reptiles to Learn the Process of Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Greene, Janice Schnake; Greene, Brian D.

    2005-01-01

    Although every student must take some science courses to graduate, understanding the process of science is important, and some students never seem to really grasp science. The National Science Education Standards stress process as a major component in science instruction. The standards state that scientific inquiry is basic to science education…

  15. A Scientist's Guide to Achieving Broader Impacts through K-12 STEM Collaboration.

    PubMed

    Komoroske, Lisa M; Hameed, Sarah O; Szoboszlai, Amber I; Newsom, Amanda J; Williams, Susan L

    2015-03-01

    The National Science Foundation and other funding agencies are increasingly requiring broader impacts in grant applications to encourage US scientists to contribute to science education and society. Concurrently, national science education standards are using more inquiry-based learning (IBL) to increase students' capacity for abstract, conceptual thinking applicable to real-world problems. Scientists are particularly well suited to engage in broader impacts via science inquiry outreach, because scientific research is inherently an inquiry-based process. We provide a practical guide to help scientists overcome obstacles that inhibit their engagement in K-12 IBL outreach and to attain the accrued benefits. Strategies to overcome these challenges include scaling outreach projects to the time available, building collaborations in which scientists' research overlaps with curriculum, employing backward planning to target specific learning objectives, encouraging scientists to share their passion, as well as their expertise with students, and transforming institutional incentives to support scientists engaging in educational outreach.

  16. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center presents Enhancing Standards Based Science Curriculum through NASA Content Relevancy: A Model for Sustainable Teaching-Research Integration Dr. Robert Gabrys, Raquel Marshall, Dr. Evelina Felicite-Maurice, Erin McKinley

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marshall, R. H.; Gabrys, R.

    2016-12-01

    NASA Goddard Space Flight Center has developed a systemic educator professional development model for the integration of NASA climate change resources into the K-12 classroom. The desired outcome of this model is to prepare teachers in STEM disciplines to be globally engaged and knowledgeable of current climate change research and its potential for content relevancy alignment to standard-based curriculum. The application and mapping of the model is based on the state education needs assessment, alignment to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and implementation framework developed by the consortium of district superintendents and their science supervisors. In this presentation, we will demonstrate best practices for extending the concept of inquiry-based and project-based learning through the integration of current NASA climate change research into curriculum unit lessons. This model includes a significant teacher development component focused on capacity development for teacher instruction and pedagogy aimed at aligning NASA climate change research to related NGSS student performance expectations and subsequent Crosscutting Concepts, Science and Engineering Practices, and Disciplinary Core Ideas, a need that was presented by the district steering committee as critical for ensuring sustainability and high-impact in the classroom. This model offers a collaborative and inclusive learning community that connects classroom teachers to NASA climate change researchers via an ongoing consultant/mentoring approach. As a result of the first year of implementation of this model, Maryland teachers are implementing NGSS unit lessons that guide students in open-ended research based on current NASA climate change research.

  17. Travel without Leaving the Classroom.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zertuche, Albert A.

    2002-01-01

    Describes a lesson on different world ecosystems in which activities are based on the constructivist approach to teaching that encourages learners to control their own learning. Includes a sample grading rubric and national science education standards related to these activities. (KHR)

  18. Precursor model and preschool science learning about shadows formation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Delserieys, Alice; Jégou, Corinne; Boilevin, Jean-Marie; Ravanis, Konstantinos

    2018-04-01

    This work is based on the idea that young children benefit from early introduction of scientific concepts. Few researches describe didactical strategies focusing on physics understanding for young children and analyse their effectiveness in standard classroom environments.

  19. Improving student learning via mobile phone video content: Evidence from the BridgeIT India project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wennersten, Matthew; Quraishy, Zubeeda Banu; Velamuri, Malathi

    2015-08-01

    Past efforts invested in computer-based education technology interventions have generated little evidence of affordable success at scale. This paper presents the results of a mobile phone-based intervention conducted in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in 2012-13. The BridgeIT project provided a pool of audio-visual learning materials organised in accordance with a system of syllabi pacing charts. Teachers of Standard 5 and 6 English and Science classes were notified of the availability of new videos via text messages (SMS), which they downloaded onto their phones using an open-source application and showed, with suggested activities, to students on a TV screen using a TV-out cable. In their evaluation of this project, the authors of this paper found that the test scores of children who experienced the intervention improved by 0.36 standard deviations in English and 0.98 standard deviations in Science in Andhra Pradesh, relative to students in similar classrooms who did not experience the intervention. Differences between treatment and control schools in Tamil Nadu were less marked. The intervention was also cost-effective, relative to other computer-based interventions. Based on these results, the authors argue that is possible to use mobile phones to produce a strong positive and statistically significant effect in terms of teaching and learning quality across a large number of classrooms in India at a lower cost per student than past computer-based interventions.

  20. EarthLabs: A National Model for Earth Science Lab Courses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McDaris, J. R.; Dahlman, L.; Barstow, D.

    2008-12-01

    As a response to the need for more rigorous, inquiry-based high school Earth science courses, a coalition of scientists, educators, and five states have created EarthLabs, a set of pilot modules that can serve as a national model for lab-based science courses. The content of EarthLabs chapters focuses on Earth system science and environmental literacy and conforms to the National Science Education Standards as well as the states' curriculum frameworks. The effort is funded by NOAA's Environmental Literacy program. The pilot modules present activities on Corals, Drought, Fisheries, and Hurricanes. The Fisheries and Hurricanes units were reviewed and field-tested by educators in Texas and Arizona. The feedback from this evaluation led to revisions of these units and guided development of the Corals and Drought chapters. Each module consists of activities that use online data sets, satellite imagery, web-based readings, and hands-on laboratory experiments. The project comprises two separate websites, one for the instructor and one for students. The instructor's site contains the pedagogical underpinnings for each lab including teaching materials, assessment strategies, and the alignment of activities with state and national science standards. The student site provides access to all materials that students need to complete the activities or, in the case of the hands-on labs, where they access additional information to help extend their learning. There are also formative and summative questions embedded in the student webpages to help scaffold learning through the activities.

  1. The development of learning model for natural science based on environmental in conservation area of Bengkulu University

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Karyadi, B.; Susanta, A.; Winari, E. W.; Ekaputri, R. Z.; Enersi, D.

    2018-05-01

    Research on development of a learning model for Natural Science base on conservation area in Bengkulu University has been conducted. The research methods were referred to the standard steps of Research and Development. Stage activities were (a) analysis of needs, (b) observation of the ecological aspects of conservation area as a learning resource, and (c) instructional design based on conservation area for secondary school students. The observation results on the ecological aspects revealed that the diversity of plants and animals, at the conservation area were sufficient as a source for learning. The instructional design was prepared in three phase activities namely Introduction-Exploration-Interpretation (IEI), and then it was compiled in a teaching material Based on Surrounding Natural Environment” (BSNE). The results of a limited scale trial at secondary school students in two districts of Bengkulu province showed that, the students who learned using the IEI model at the conservation area have a good performance and critical thinking. The product from the research is a book named BSNE that can be used for teachers and conservation practitioners in doing the learning activities on environmental conservation which involved public participation.

  2. Blended learning in K-12 mathematics and science instruction -- An exploratory study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schmidt, Jason

    Blended learning has developed into a hot topic in education over the past several years. Flipped classrooms, online learning environments, and the use of technology to deliver educational content using rich media continue to garner national attention. While generally well accepted and researched in post-secondary education, not much research has focused on blended learning in elementary, middle, and high schools. This thesis is an exploratory study to begin to determine if students and teachers like blended learning and whether or not it affects the amount of time they spend in math and science. Standardized achievement test data were also analyzed to determine if blended learning had any effect on test scores. Based on student and teacher surveys, this population seems to like blended learning and to work more efficiently in this environment. There is no evidence from this study to support any effect on student achievement.

  3. Teachers, Research, and Reform: Improving Teaching and Learning in High School Science Courses.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaiser, Bonnie

    One of the challenges issued by the National Science Education Standards is for students to learn the content and process of modern scientific inquiry by engaging in research and entering science competitions. The Rockefeller University Precollege Science Education Outreach Programs (Science Outreach) provide access for about 70 students from…

  4. The Science Semester: Cross-Disciplinary Inquiry for Prospective Elementary Teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ford, Danielle J.; Fifield, Steve; Madsen, John; Qian, Xiaoyu

    2013-10-01

    We describe the Science Semester, a semester-long course block that integrates three science courses and a science education methods course for elementary teacher education majors, and examine prospective elementary teachers’ developing conceptions about inquiry, science teaching efficacy, and reflections on learning through inquiry. The Science Semester was designed to provide inquiry-oriented and problem-based learning experiences, opportunities to examine socially relevant issues through cross-disciplinary perspectives, and align with content found in elementary curricula and standards. By the end of the semester, prospective elementary teachers moved from naïve to intermediate understandings of inquiry and significantly increased self-efficacy for science teaching as measured on one subscore of the STEBI-B. Reflecting on the semester, prospective teachers understood and appreciated the goals of the course and the PBL format, but struggled with the open-ended and student-directed elements of the course.

  5. Methods and Strategies: Science Notebooks as Learning Tools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fulton, Lori

    2017-01-01

    Writing in science is a natural way to integrate science and literacy and meet the goals set by the "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS") and the "Common Core State Standards" ("CCSS"), which call for learners to be engaged with the language of science. This means that students should record…

  6. Practical Insights into Curricula Integration for Primary Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hudson, Peter

    2012-01-01

    As indicated in a previous Teaching Science article, effective planning for curricula integration requires using standards from two (or more) subject areas (e.g., Science and English, Science and Art or Science and Mathematics), which also becomes the assessment foci for teaching and learning. Curricula integration of standards into an activity…

  7. The Development of a Conceptual Framework for New K-12 Science Education Standards (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Keller, T.

    2010-12-01

    The National Academy of Sciences has created a committee of 18 National Academy of Science and Engineering members, academic scientists, cognitive and learning scientists, and educators, educational policymakers and researchers to develop a framework to guide new K-12 science education standards. The committee began its work in January, 2010, released a draft of the framework in July, 2010, and intends to have the final framework in the first quarter of 2011. The committee was helped in early phases of the work by consultant design teams. The framework is designed to help realize a vision for science and engineering education in which all students actively engage in science and engineering practices in order to deepen their understanding of core ideas in science over multiple years of school. These three dimensions - core disciplinary ideas, science and engineering practices, and cross-cutting elements - must blend together to build an exciting, relevant, and forward looking science education. The framework will be used as a base for development of next generation K-12 science education standards.

  8. Engaging a middle school teacher and students in formal-informal science education: Contexts of science standards-based curriculum and an urban science center

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Grace, Shamarion Gladys

    This is a three-article five chapter doctoral dissertation. The overall purpose of this three-pronged study is to engage a middle school science teacher and students in formal-informal science education within the context of a science standards-based curriculum and Urban Science Center. The goals of the study were: (1) to characterize the conversations of formal and informal science educators as they attempted to implement a standards-based curriculum augmented with science center exhibits; (2) to study the classroom discourse between the teacher and students that foster the development of common knowledge in science and student understanding of the concept of energy before observing science center exhibits on energy; (3) to investigate whether or not a standards-driven, project-based Investigating and Questioning our World through Science and Technology (IQWST) curriculum unit on forms and transformation of energy augmented with science center exhibits had a significant effect on urban African-American seventh grade students' achievement and learning. Overall, the study consisted of a mixed-method approach. Article one consists of a case study featuring semi-structured interviews and field notes. Article two consists of documenting and interpreting teacher-students' classroom discourse. Article three consists of qualitative methods (classroom discussion, focus group interviews, student video creation) and quantitative methods (multiple choice and open-ended questions). Oral discourses in all three studies were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. In article one, the community of educators' conversations were critically analyzed to discern the challenges educators encountered when they attempted to connect school curriculum to energy exhibits at the Urban Science Center. The five challenges that characterize the emergence of a third space were as follows: (a) science terminology for lesson focus, (b) "dumb-down" of science exhibits, (c) exploration distracts lesson structure, (d) meaning of model/modeling, and (e) Which comes first?--science content learning or science exhibit exploration. These challenges were considered and discussed as opportunities for personal growth. The third space allowed for participant reflection and transformation in formal-informal collaboration and communication. In article two, teacher-students' classroom discourse transcripts corresponding to the workbook lessons from the IQWST Physics Unit were analyzed. Four instructional events were selected for discourse analysis: focusing on the inquiry process; understanding about kinetic energy; formulating scientific explanations; and translating energy transformation. The discourse-excerpts representing the aforementioned instructional events revealed four teacher behaviors: teacher-posed questions, teacher-explanations, teacher responses, and teacher reference to past learning. Of these teacher behaviors, teacher-posed questions dominated and these consist of fill-in-the-blank, affirmation, second-order, descriptive, and explanatory. Article three represented the results of the IQWST Unit Achievement Test (IUAT) and students' understanding of the concepts of energy and energy transformation. The IUAT indicated that students (N=37) in the experimental group taught with the science center exhibits augmented IQWST curriculum unit achieved scores (p<0.001) about the same as students in the control group (N=31) taught only with the IQWST curriculum unit. However, the experimental (Deltapost-pre = 4.78) and control (Deltapost-pre = 4.04) groups revealed significant gains (p<0.001) from pre-test scores to post-test scores. These findings confirm that underserved urban students' learning can be enhanced with an augmented standards-based curriculum unit. The students also can realize significant achievement gains when professionally developed and administration supported teachers use standards-driven science curriculum whether or not augmented with science exhibits. The three qualitative analyses of data in article three indicated that students had reasonable understandings of the forms and transformation of energy. They were also able to explain the working of science exhibits using their understandings of the energy concepts developed in class. The first study (article 1) implies that a third space allows for participant reflection and transformation in formal-informal collaboration and communication. The second study (article 1) implies the following: (a) the teacher's struggle with dialogic discourse, a communicative approach that fosters common knowledge through a social process; and (b) the need for professional development that fosters dialogic discourse. The third study (article three) implies an integrated curriculum with both formal and informal components can be successfully enacted to achieve content mastery when teachers are given professional development on how to develop students' knowledge using science exhibits, time to develop concepts with students using exhibits, and support from administration to modify the time required to cover certain topics in the curriculum with more time spent on those topics such as energy that require creative teaching methods to assist students' science learning. Overall, the study implies that the science center exhibits can provide a context to observe whether students are able to translate classroom constructed knowledge at the intersection of formal-informal instruction.

  9. Factors affecting construction of science discourse in the context of an extracurricular science and technology project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Webb, Horace P.

    Doing and learning science are social activities that require certain language, activities, and values. Both constitute what Gee (2005) calls Discourses. The language of learning science varies with the learning context (Lemke, 2001,1990). Science for All Americans (AAAS, 1990) and Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards (NRC, 2000) endorse inquiry science learning. In the United States, most science learning is teacher-centered; inquiry science learning is rare (NRC, 2000). This study focused on 12 high school students from two suburban high schools, their three faculty mentors, and two engineering mentors during an extracurricular robotics activity with FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC). FRC employed student-centered inquiry focus to teach science principles integrating technology. Research questions were (a) How do science teachers and their students enact Discourses as they teach and learn science? and (b) How does the pedagogical approach of a learning activity facilitate the Discourses that are enacted by students and teachers as they learn and teach science? Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the study examined participants' language during robotic activities to determine how language used in learning science shaped the learning and vice versa. Data sources included videorecordings of participant language and semi-structured interviews with study participants. Transcribed recordings were coded initially using Gee's (2005) linguistic Building Tasks as a priori codes. CDA was applied to code transcripts, to construct Discourses enacted by the participants, and to determine how context facilitated their enactment. Findings indicated that, for the students, FRC facilitated elements of Science Discourse. Wild About Robotics (W.A.R.) team became, through FRC, part of a community similar to scientists' community that promoted knowledge and sound practices, disseminated information, supported research and development and encouraged interaction of its members. The public school science classroom in the U.S. is inimical to inquiry learning because of practices and policies associated with the epistemological stance that spawned the standards and/or testing movement and No Child Left Behind (Baez & Boyles, 2009). The findings of this study provided concrete ideas to accommodate the recommendations by NRC (1996) and NSES (2000) for creating contexts that might lead to inquiry science learning for meaningful student engagement.

  10. What is taking place in science classrooms?: A case study analysis of teaching and learning in seventh-grade science of one Alabama school and its impact on African American student learning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Norman, Lashaunda Renea

    This qualitative case study investigated the teaching strategies that improve science learning of African American students. This research study further sought the extent the identified teaching strategies that are used to improve African American science learning reflect culturally responsive teaching. Best teaching strategies and culturally responsive teaching have been researched, but there has been minimal research on the impact that both have on science learning, with an emphasis on the African American population. Consequently, the Black-White achievement gap in science persists. The findings revealed the following teaching strategies have a positive impact on African American science learning: (a) lecture-discussion, (b) notetaking, (c) reading strategies, (d) graphic organizers, (e) hands-on activities, (f) laboratory experiences, and (g) cooperative learning. Culturally responsive teaching strategies were evident in the seventh-grade science classrooms observed. Seven themes emerged from this research data: (1) The participating teachers based their research-based teaching strategies used in the classroom on all of the students' learning styles, abilities, attitudes towards science, and motivational levels about learning science, with no emphasis on the African American student population; (2) The participating teachers taught the state content standards simultaneously using the same instructional model daily, incorporating other content areas when possible; (3) The participating African American students believed their seventh-grade science teachers used a variety of teaching strategies to ensure science learning took place, that science learning was fun, and that science learning was engaging; (4) The participating African American students genuinely liked their teacher; (5) The participating African American students revealed high self-efficacy; (6) The African American student participants' parents value education and moved to Success Middle School district for better educational opportunities; and (7) Teachers were not familiar with the term "culturally responsive teaching," but there was evidence that several aspects of it were present in the seventh-grade science classroom environment. Critical Race Theory (CRT) was the framework for analysis and interpretation of this research study. The findings support the following tenets of CRT: (a) racism is normal, (b) interest-convergence or colorblindness, (c) contextual-historical analysis, (d) storytelling or counterstorytelling, and (e) social transformation. These findings indicate that racial inequalities remain an issue in the underachievement of African Americans and may be the solution to improving science learning of African Americans. The outcome of this study contributes to the limited research on utilizing culturally responsive teaching along with best teaching strategies to improve academic achievement of African American students, and CRT exposes the issues that contribute to the Black-White achievement gap in science widening.

  11. Project Learning in Science: 6th Graders' Scientific Investigations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shea, Mary; Shea, Brian

    2013-01-01

    This article presents rationale for an enhanced inquiry approach to science education that authentically integrates content knowledge and application skills in a middle school science curriculum. Such pedagogy ensures students' attainment of national and state standards for learning science and multiple literacies (e.g. language arts and…

  12. Encouraging Greater Student Inquiry Engagement in Science through Motivational Support by Online Scientist-Mentors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scogin, Stephen C.; Stuessy, Carol L.

    2015-01-01

    Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) call for integrating knowledge and practice in learning experiences in K-12 science education. "PlantingScience" (PS), an ideal curriculum for use as an NGSS model, is a computer-mediated collaborative learning environment intertwining scientific inquiry, classroom instruction, and online…

  13. Elaborative encoding through self-generation enhances outcomes with errorless learning: Findings from the Skypekids memory study.

    PubMed

    Haslam, Catherine; Wagner, Joseph; Wegener, Signy; Malouf, Tania

    2017-01-01

    Errorless learning has demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of memory impairment in adults and older adults with acquired brain injury. In the same population, use of elaborative encoding through supported self-generation in errorless paradigms has been shown to further enhance memory performance. However, the evidence base relevant to application of both standard and self-generation forms of errorless learning in children is far weaker. We address this limitation in the present study to examine recall performance in children with brain injury (n = 16) who were taught novel age-appropriate science and social science facts through the medium of Skype. All participants were taught these facts under conditions of standard errorless learning, errorless learning with self-generation, and trial-and-error learning after which memory was tested at 5-minute, 30-minute, 1-hour and 24-hour delays. Analysis revealed no main effect of time, with participants retaining most information acquired over the 24-hour testing period, but a significant effect of condition. Notably, self-generation proved more effective than both standard errorless and trial-and-error learning. Further analysis of the data revealed that severity of attentional impairment was less detrimental to recall performance under errorless conditions. This study extends the literature to provide further evidence of the value of errorless learning methods in children with ABI and the first demonstration of the effectiveness of self-generation when delivered via the Internet.

  14. Assessing the Effectiveness of a Mathematics-Focused, Instructional Technology Program for Grades 6-8: A 5-Year Trend Analysis of NASA CONNECT(tm) Evaluation Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Glassman, Nanci A.; Perry, Jeannine B.; Giersch, Christopher E.; Lambert, Matthew A.; Pinelli, Thomas E.

    2004-01-01

    NASA CONNECT is a research-, inquiry, and standards-based, integrated mathematics, science, and technology series of 30-minute instructional distance learning (television and web-based) programs for students in grades 6 8. Respondents who evaluated the programs in the series over the first five seasons (1998-99 through 2002-03) reported that (1) they used the programs in the series; (2) the goals and objectives for the series were met; (3) the programs were aligned with the national mathematics, science, and technology standards; (4) the program content was developmentally appropriate for the grade level; and (5) the programs in the series enhanced and enriched the teaching of mathematics, science, and technology.

  15. PBL in the Era of Reform Standards: Challenges and Benefits Perceived by Teachers in One Elementary School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nariman, Nahid; Chrispeels, Janet

    2016-01-01

    We explore teachers' efforts to implement problem-based learning (PBL) in an elementary school serving predominantly English learners. Teachers had an opportunity to implement the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) using PBL in a summer school setting with no test-pressures. To understand the challenges and benefits of PBL implementation, a…

  16. Effective Integration of Technology and Instruction. Q&A with Michael Jay. REL Mid-Atlantic Educator Effectiveness Webinar Series

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic, 2015

    2015-01-01

    In this webinar, long-time educator and developer of education technology Michael Jay discussed the importance of using technology to support learning and gave examples of how teachers can integrate technology into their instruction based on the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards. The PowerPoint presentation and…

  17. The Impact of Problem-Based Learning with Computer Simulation on Middle Level Educators' Instructional Practices and Understanding of the Nature of Middle Level Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huelskamp, Lisa M.

    2009-01-01

    The need for effective teachers is growing while national and state standards are putting ever-increasing demands on teachers and raising expectations for student achievement. Low science and mathematics standardized test scores, particularly in the middle grades, reflect unprepared adolescents, perhaps because of ineffective teaching strategies…

  18. Impact of SCALE-UP on science teaching self-efficacy of students in general education science courses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cassani, Mary Kay Kuhr

    The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of two pedagogical models used in general education science on non-majors' science teaching self-efficacy. Science teaching self-efficacy can be influenced by inquiry and cooperative learning, through cognitive mechanisms described by Bandura (1997). The Student Centered Activities for Large Enrollment Undergraduate Programs (SCALE-UP) model of inquiry and cooperative learning incorporates cooperative learning and inquiry-guided learning in large enrollment combined lecture-laboratory classes (Oliver-Hoyo & Beichner, 2004). SCALE-UP was adopted by a small but rapidly growing public university in the southeastern United States in three undergraduate, general education science courses for non-science majors in the Fall 2006 and Spring 2007 semesters. Students in these courses were compared with students in three other general education science courses for non-science majors taught with the standard teaching model at the host university. The standard model combines lecture and laboratory in the same course, with smaller enrollments and utilizes cooperative learning. Science teaching self-efficacy was measured using the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument - B (STEBI-B; Bleicher, 2004). A science teaching self-efficacy score was computed from the Personal Science Teaching Efficacy (PTSE) factor of the instrument. Using non-parametric statistics, no significant difference was found between teaching models, between genders, within models, among instructors, or among courses. The number of previous science courses was significantly correlated with PTSE score. Student responses to open-ended questions indicated that students felt the larger enrollment in the SCALE-UP room reduced individual teacher attention but that the large round SCALE-UP tables promoted group interaction. Students responded positively to cooperative and hands-on activities, and would encourage inclusion of more such activities in all of the courses. The large enrollment SCALE-UP model as implemented at the host university did not increase science teaching self-efficacy of non-science majors, as hypothesized. This was likely due to limited modification of standard cooperative activities according to the inquiry-guided SCALE-UP model. It was also found that larger SCALE-UP enrollments did not decrease science teaching self-efficacy when standard cooperative activities were used in the larger class.

  19. Test Of Astronomy STandards TOAST Survey of K-12 Teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Slater, Timothy F.; Slater, Stephanie; Stork, Debra J.

    2015-01-01

    Discipline-based education research in astronomy is focused on understanding the underlying mental mechanisms used by students when learning astronomy and teachers when teaching astronomy. Systematic surveys of K-12 teacher' knowledge in the domain of astronomy are conducted periodically in order to better focus and improve professional development. These surveys are most often done when doing contemporary needs assessments or when new assessment instruments are readily available. Designed by Stephanie J. Slater of the CAPER Center for Astronomy & Physics Education Research, the 29-item multiple-choice format Test Of Astronomy STandards - TOAST is a carefully constructed, criterion-referenced instrument constructed upon a solid list of clearly articulated and widely agreed upon learning objectives. The targeted learning concepts tightly align with the consensus learning goals stated by the American Astronomical Society - Chair's Conference on ASTRO 101, the American Association of the Advancement of Science's Project 2061 Benchmarks, and the National Research Council's 1996 National Science Education Standards. Without modification, the TOAST is also aligned with the significantly less ambitious 2013 Next Generation Science Standards created by Achieve, Inc., under the auspices of the National Research Council. This latest survey reveals that K-12 teachers still hold many of the same fundamental misconceptions uncovered by earlier surveys. This includes misconceptions about the size, scale, and structure of the cosmos as well as misconceptions about the nature of physical processes at work in astronomy. This suggests that professional development in astronomy is still needed and that modern curriculum materials are best served if they provide substantial support for implementation.

  20. Reversing the standard direction: Science emerging from the lives of African American students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Seiler, Gale

    2001-11-01

    Recognizing the persistent science achievement gap between inner-city African American students and students from mainstream, White society, this article suggests that the imposition of external standards on inner-city schools will do little to ameliorate this gap because such an approach fails to address the significance of the social and cultural lives of the students. Instead, it is suggested that the use of critical ethnographic research would enable educators to learn from the students how science education can change to meet their aims and interests. The article includes a report on how a science lunch group in an inner-city high school forged a community based on respect and caring and how this community afforded African American male teens the opportunity to participate in science in new ways.

  1. First Year Site Visits to Milwaukee Urban Systemic Initiative Schools. A Report on the Milwaukee Public Schools Milwaukee Urban Systemic Initiative.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huinker, DeAnn; Pearson, Gretchen; Posnanski, Tracy; Coan, Cheryl; Porter, Corrie

    The Urban Systemic Initiatives (USI) program is an effort sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that targets large urban school systems with the goal of sustainable implementation of high-quality, standards-based teaching for the purpose of attaining system-wide increases in students' learning of challenging mathematics and science.…

  2. Survey Results for First Wave Schools of the Milwaukee Urban Systemic Initiative. Report on Milwaukee Public Schools Milwaukee Urban Systemic Initiative.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huinker, DeAnn; Coan, Cheryl; Mueller, Leah

    The Urban Systemic Initiatives (USI) program is an effort sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) that targets large urban school systems with the goal of sustainable implementation of high-quality, standards-based teaching for the purpose of attaining system-wide increases in students' learning of challenging mathematics and science.…

  3. All Aboard! The Polar Express Is Traveling to Science--Understanding the States of Matter While Differentiating Instruction for Young Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vowell, Julie; Phillips, Marianne

    2015-01-01

    This standards-based science lesson introduces young learners to scientific inquiry and critical thinking by using activities to demonstrate three phases of matter (solid, liquid, and gas). By learning about the states of matter through a 5E instructional approach, students are encouraged to observe changes in the states of matter and to discuss…

  4. Why Implementing History and Philosophy in School Science Education Is a Challenge: An Analysis of Obstacles

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hottecke, Dietmar; Silva, Cibelle Celestino

    2011-01-01

    Teaching and learning with history and philosophy of science (HPS) has been, and continues to be, supported by science educators. While science education standards documents in many countries also stress the importance of teaching and learning with HPS, the approach still suffers from ineffective implementation in school science teaching. In order…

  5. Putting the Focus on Student Engagement: The Benefits of Performance-Based Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barlowe, Avram; Cook, Ann

    2016-01-01

    For more than two decades, the New York Performance Standards Consortium, a coalition of 38 public high schools, has steered clear of high-stakes testing, which superficially assess student learning. Instead, the consortium's approach relies on performance-based assessments--essays, research papers, science experiments, and high-level mathematical…

  6. The Effect of Design Modifications to the Typographical Layout of the New York State Elementary Science Learning Standards on User Preference and Process Time

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arnold, Jeffery E.

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of four different design layouts of the New York State elementary science learning standards on user processing time and preference. Three newly developed layouts contained the same information as the standards core curriculum. In this study, the layout of the core guide is referred to as Book.…

  7. Variables that impact the implementation of project-based learning in high school science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cunningham, Kellie

    Wagner and colleagues (2006) state the mediocrity of teaching and instructional leadership is the central problem that must be addressed if we are to improve student achievement. Educational reform efforts have been initiated to improve student performance and to hold teachers and school leaders accountable for student achievement (Wagner et al., 2006). Specifically, in the area of science, goals for improving student learning have led reformers to establish standards for what students should know and be able to do, as well as what instructional methods should be used. Key concepts and principles have been identified for student learning. Additionally, reformers recommend student-centered, inquiry-based practices that promote a deep understanding of how science is embedded in the everyday world. These new approaches to science education emphasize inquiry as an essential element for student learning (Schneider, Krajcik, Marx, & Soloway, 2002). Project-based learning (PBL) is an inquiry-based instructional approach that addresses these recommendations for science education reform. The objective of this research was to study the implementation of project-based learning (PBL) in an urban school undergoing reform efforts and identify the variables that positively or negatively impacted the PBL implementation process and its outcomes. This study responded to the need to change how science is taught by focusing on the implementation of project-based learning as an instructional approach to improve student achievement in science and identify the role of both school leaders and teachers in the creation of a school environment that supports project-based learning. A case study design using a mixed-method approach was used in this study. Data were collected through individual interviews with the school principal, science instructional coach, and PBL facilitator. A survey, classroom observations and interviews involving three high school science teachers teaching grades 9--12, were also used in the data collection process. The results of the study indicated that the use of PBL increased student engagement, ability to problem-solve, and to some extent academic performance. The results also revealed several factors that impacted the implementation of project-based learning: (a) Student attributes such as high student absenteeism, lack of motivation, and poor behavior prevented teachers from completing the PBL unit in a timely fashion. (b) Certain school and district policies and requirements were not conducive to PBL implementation. Policies and practices impacting instructional time and teaching supplies acquisition made it difficult for teachers to plan lessons and obtain necessary supplies. (c) Teachers did not receive PBL training in a timely fashion. Teachers received training approximately two months prior to implementation. (d) Teacher collaboration influenced PBL implementation as it enabled teachers to share and discuss ideas, resources, and lessons. Implications for practice include: (a) School and district leaders must create and follow policies and procedures that support conditions that support inquiry learning, (b) Teachers need resources to overcome the challenges associated with project-based learning, (c) Teachers must have the freedom to have a vision for the implementation of PBL that fits their particular classroom context, and (d) Steps should be taken to ensure students have the prior knowledge and skills to successfully engage in PBL.

  8. INACSL Standards of Best Practice for Simulation: Past, Present, and Future.

    PubMed

    Sittner, Barbara J; Aebersold, Michelle L; Paige, Jane B; Graham, Leslie L M; Schram, Andrea Parsons; Decker, Sharon I; Lioce, Lori

    2015-01-01

    To describe the historical evolution of the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning's (INACSL) Standards of Best Practice: Simulation. The establishment of simulation standards began as a concerted effort by the INACSL Board of Directors in 2010 to provide best practices to design, conduct, and evaluate simulation activities in order to advance the science of simulation as a teaching methodology. A comprehensive review of the evolution of INACSL Standards of Best Practice: Simulation was conducted using journal publications, the INACSL website, INACSL member survey, and reports from members of the INACSL Standards Committee. The initial seven standards, published in 2011, were reviewed and revised in 2013. Two new standards were published in 2015. The standards will continue to evolve as the science of simulation advances. As the use of simulation-based experiences increases, the INACSL Standards of Best Practice: Simulation are foundational to standardizing language, behaviors, and curricular design for facilitators and learners.

  9. Developing Learning Progressions in Support of the New Science Standards: A RAPID Workshop Series

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rogat, Aaron

    2011-01-01

    The hypothetical learning progressions presented here are the products of the deliberations of two working groups of science education researchers, each group also including a state science curriculum supervisor, organized by the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE), with support from the National Science Foundation. Their charge was…

  10. Taking Stock: Implications of a New Vision of Science Learning for State Science Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wertheim, Jill

    2016-01-01

    This article presents the author's response to the article "Taking Stock: Existing Resources for Assessing a New Vision of Science Learning" by Alonzo and Ke (this issue), which identifies numerous challenges that the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) pose for large-scale assessment. Jill Werthem comments that among those…

  11. Authentic Research in the Classroom: NITARP Teachers Connect Astronomy with NGSS.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pruett, Lee; Gibbs, John; Palmer, Robert; Young, Diedre; Gorjian, Varoujan

    2016-01-01

    The NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP) uses authentic astronomical research to bring the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) into the classroom. The creation of the NGSS was a collaborative effort between teams composed of teachers, scientists and other professionals from twenty-six states. These standards provide a framework for the change in how science is taught at all levels from kindergarten to twelfth grade in participating states. Scientific concepts are grouped into broad categories (physical, biological and earth sciences), and call for an interdisciplinary approach to content, along with the integration of engineering practices into the curriculum. This approach to the teaching of science has led educators to place more emphasis on authentic learning and problem-solving in their curricula. Project-based learning is a strategy that can effectively allow students to learn core scientific concepts within the context of a focused and complex scientific problem.The NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP) pairs teams of teachers and students with NASA astronomers. These teams are immersed in an astronomy research project over the course of the year, and are responsible for writing a project proposal, doing original research and presenting that research at a professional conference. The students who are involved in the NITARP research are provided with a rich hands-on experience that both exposes them to a deep understanding of an astronomical problem (and the core physics and math behind it), as well as the process of doing real science. The NITARP program offers a unique opportunity to bring project-based learning into K-12 science classrooms. We will highlight the ways in which this program has been implemented in classrooms across the country, as well as the connections to the NGSS.This research was made possible through the NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP) and was funded by NASA Astrophysics Data Program.

  12. Finding Patterns

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mulvey, Bridget

    2016-01-01

    Students best learn science through a combination of science inquiry and language learning. This article presents a series of chemistry lessons on the naming of compounds. The weeklong unit focuses on patterns across compound names and chemical formulas and addresses several of the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS Lead States…

  13. Elementary School Students' Emotions When Exploring an Authentic Socio-Scientific Issue through the Use of Models

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nicolaou, Chr. Th.; Evagorou, M.; Lymbouridou, Chr.

    2015-01-01

    Despite the belief that emotions are important in the learning process, research in the area of emotions and learning, especially in science, is scant. Modelling and SSI argumentation have shared with respect to the emphasis in recent science standards reports as core scientific practices that need to be part of science teaching and learning. Even…

  14. Work-Based Curriculum to Broaden Learners' Participation in Science: Insights for Designers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bopardikar, Anushree; Bernstein, Debra; Drayton, Brian; McKenney, Susan

    2018-05-01

    Around the globe, science education during compulsory schooling is envisioned for all learners regardless of their educational and career aspirations, including learners bound to the workforce upon secondary school completion. Yet, a major barrier in attaining this vision is low learner participation in secondary school science. Because curricula play a major role in shaping enacted learning, this study investigated how designers developed a high school physics curriculum with positive learning outcomes in learners with varied inclinations. Qualitative analysis of documents and semistructured interviews with the designers focused on the curriculum in different stages—from designers' ideas about learning goals to their vision for enactment to the printed materials—and on the design processes that brought them to fruition. This revealed designers' emphases on fostering workplace connections via learning goals and activities, and printed supports. The curriculum supported workplace-inspired, hands-on design-and-build projects, developed to address deeply a limited set of standards aligned learning goals. The curriculum also supported learners' interactions with relevant workplace professionals. To create these features, the designers reviewed other curricula to develop vision and printed supports, tested activities internally to assess content coverage, surveyed states in the USA receiving federal school-to-work grants and reviewed occupational information to choose unit topics and career contexts, and visited actual workplaces to learn about authentic praxis. Based on the worked example, this paper offers guidelines for designing work-based science curriculum products and processes that can serve the work of other designers, as well as recommendations for research serving designers and policymakers.

  15. Identifying Internet Sites to Coordinate with National Science Education Standards

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fehrenbach, Carolyn R.; Morris, Maxine G.

    2004-01-01

    Identifying Internet sites to coordinate with National Science Education Standards can be challenging for teachers and students. By identifying quality free Internet sites in science, teachers and students can use the extensive resources of the Internet to enhance learning and instruction while meeting National Science Education Content Standards…

  16. Science Education in the Boy Scouts of America

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hintz, Rachel Sterneman

    2009-01-01

    This study of science education in the Boy Scouts of America focused on males with Boy Scout experience. The mixed-methods study topics included: merit badge standards compared with National Science Education Standards, Scout responses to open-ended survey questions, the learning styles of Scouts, a quantitative assessment of science content…

  17. Is Project Based Learning More Effective than Direct Instruction in School Science Classrooms? An Analysis of the Empirical Research Evidence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dann, Clifford

    An increasingly loud call by parents, school administrators, teachers, and even business leaders for "authentic learning", emphasizing both group-work and problem solving, has led to growing enthusiasm for inquiry-based learning over the past decade. Although "inquiry" can be defined in many ways, a curriculum called "project-based learning" has recently emerged as the inquiry practice-of-choice with roots in the educational constructivism that emerged in the mid-twentieth century. Often, project-based learning is framed as an alternative instructional strategy to direct instruction for maximizing student content knowledge. This study investigates the empirical evidence for such a comparison while also evaluating the overall quality of the available studies in the light of accepted standards for educational research. Specifically, this thesis investigates what the body of quantitative research says about the efficacy of project-based learning vs. direct instruction when considering student acquisition of content knowledge in science classrooms. Further, existing limitations of the research pertaining to project based learning and secondary school education are explored. The thesis concludes with a discussion of where and how we should focus our empirical efforts in the future. The research revealed that the available empirical research contains flaws in both design and instrumentation. In particular, randomization is poor amongst all the studies considered. The empirical evidence indicates that project-based learning curricula improved student content knowledge but that, while the results were statistically significant, increases in raw test scores were marginal.

  18. Pathways--A Case of Large-Scale Implementation of Evidence-Based Practice in Scientific Inquiry-Based Science Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sotiriou, Sofoklis; Bybee, Rodger W.; Bogner, Franz X.

    2017-01-01

    The fundamental pioneering ideas about student-centered, inquiry-based learning initiatives are differing in Europe and the US. The latter had initiated various top-down schemes that have led to well-defined standards, while in Europe, with its some 50 independent educational systems, a wide variety of approaches has been evolved. In this present…

  19. The Validity of the earth and space science learning materials with orientation on multiple intelligences and character education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liliawati, W.; Utama, J. A.; Ramalis, T. R.; Rochman, A. A.

    2018-03-01

    Validation of the Earth and Space Science learning the material in the chapter of the Earth's Protector based on experts (media & content expert and practitioners) and junior high school students' responses are presented. The data came from the development phase of the 4D method (Define, Design, Develop, Dissemination) which consist of two steps: expert appraisal and developmental testing. The instrument employed is rubric of suitability among the book contents with multiple intelligences activities, character education, a standard of book assessment, a questionnaires and close procedure. The appropriateness of the book contents with multiple intelligences, character education and standard of book assessment is in a good category. Meanwhile, students who used the book in their learning process gave a highly positive response; the book was easy to be understood. In general, the result of cloze procedure indicates high readability of the book. As our conclusion is the book chapter of the Earth's Protector can be used as a learning material accommodating students’ multiple intelligences and character internalization.

  20. Developing models to predict 8th grade students' achievement levels on timss science based on opportunity-to-learn variables

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Whitford, Melinda M.

    Science educational reforms have placed major emphasis on improving science classroom instruction and it is therefore vital to study opportunity-to-learn (OTL) variables related to student science learning experiences and teacher teaching practices. This study will identify relationships between OTL and student science achievement and will identify OTL predictors of students' attainment at various distinct achievement levels (low/intermediate/high/advanced). Specifically, the study (a) address limitations of previous studies by examining a large number of independent and control variables that may impact students' science achievement and (b) it will test hypotheses of structural relations to how the identified predictors and mediating factors impact on student achievement levels. The study will follow a multi-stage and integrated bottom-up and top-down approach to identify predictors of students' achievement levels on standardized tests using TIMSS 2011 dataset. Data mining or pattern recognition, a bottom-up approach will identify the most prevalent association patterns between different student achievement levels and variables related to student science learning experiences, teacher teaching practices and home and school environments. The second stage is a top-down approach, testing structural equation models of relations between the significant predictors and students' achievement levels according.

  1. The Making of a History Standards Wiki: "Covering", "Uncovering", and "Discovering" Curriculum Frameworks Using a Highly Interactive Technology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maloy, Robert W.; Poirier, Michelle; Smith, Hilary K.; Edwards, Sharon A.

    2010-01-01

    This article explores using a wiki, one of the newest forms of interactive computer-based technology, as a resource for teaching the Massachusetts K-12 History and Social Science Curriculum Framework, a set of state-mandated learning standards. Wikis are web pages that can be easily edited by multiple authors. They invite active involvement by…

  2. Collaborative online projects for English language learners in science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Terrazas-Arellanes, Fatima E.; Knox, Carolyn; Rivas, Carmen

    2013-12-01

    This paper summarizes how collaborative online projects (COPs) are used to facilitate science content-area learning for English Learners of Hispanic origin. This is a Mexico-USA partnership project funded by the National Science Foundation. A COP is a 10-week thematic science unit, completely online, and bilingual (Spanish and English) designed to provide collaborative learning experiences with culturally and linguistically relevant science instruction in an interactive and multimodal learning environment. Units are integrated with explicit instructional lessons that include: (a) hands-on and laboratory activities, (b) interactive materials and interactive games with immediate feedback, (c) animated video tutorials, (d) discussion forums where students exchange scientific learning across classrooms in the USA and in Mexico, and (e) summative and formative assessments. Thematic units have been aligned to U.S. National Science Education Standards and are under current revisions for alignment to the Common Core State Standards. Training materials for the teachers have been integrated into the project website to facilitate self-paced and independent learning. Preliminary findings of our pre-experimental study with a sample of 53 students (81 % ELs), distributed across three different groups, resulted in a 21 % statistically significant points increase from pretest to posttest assessments of science content learning, t( 52) = 11.07, p = .000.

  3. "NGSS" in Action

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miller, Emily; Januszyk, Rita; Lee, Okhee

    2015-01-01

    The "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS") shift what it means to teach and learn science. One significant change emerges from the central role of discourse. As the practices are language-intensive and the performance expectations explain what a student should be able to do in science, every student must learn the…

  4. From F = ma to flying squirrels: curricular change in an introductory physics course.

    PubMed

    O'Shea, Brian; Terry, Laura; Benenson, Walter

    2013-06-01

    We present outcomes from curricular changes made to an introductory calculus-based physics course whose audience is primarily life sciences majors, the majority of whom plan to pursue postbaccalaureate studies in medical and scientific fields. During the 2011-2012 academic year, we implemented a Physics of the Life Sciences curriculum centered on a draft textbook that takes a novel approach to teaching physics to life sciences majors. In addition, substantial revisions were made to the homework and hands-on components of the course to emphasize the relationship between physics and the life sciences and to help the students learn to apply physical intuition to life sciences-oriented problems. Student learning and attitudinal outcomes were assessed both quantitatively, using standard physics education research instruments, and qualitatively, using student surveys and a series of postsemester interviews. Students experienced high conceptual learning gains, comparable to other active learning-based physics courses. Qualitatively, a substantial fraction of interviewed students reported an increased interest in physics relative to the beginning of the semester. Furthermore, more than half of students self-reported that they could now relate physics topics to their majors and future careers, with interviewed subjects demonstrating a high level of ability to come up with examples of how physics affects living organisms and how it helped them to better understand content presented in courses in their major.

  5. Focusing on the Processes of Science Using Inquiry-oriented Astronomy Labs for Learning Astronomy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Speck, Angela; Ruzhitskaya, L.; Whittington, A.; Witzig, S.

    2010-01-01

    The U.S. National Science Education Standards provide guidelines for teaching science through inquiry, where students actively develop their understanding of science by combining scientific knowledge with reasoning and thinking skills. Inquiry activities include reading scientific literature, generating hypotheses, designing and carrying out investigations, interpreting data, and formulating conclusions. Inquiry-based instruction emphasizes questions, evidence, and explanation, the essential features of inquiry. We present two projects designed to develop learning materials for laboratory experiences in an undergraduate astronomy course. First, we engage students in inquiry-based learning by using "mini-journal” articles that follow the format of a scientific journal article, including a title, authors, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion and citations to peer-reviewed literature. The mini-journal provides a scaffold and serves as a springboard for students to develop and carry out their own follow-up investigation. They then present their findings in the form of their own mini-journal. This mini-journal format more directly reflects and encourages scientific practice. We use this technique in both introductory and upper level courses. The second project develops 3D virtual reality environments to help students interact with scientific constructs, and the use of collaborative learning tools to motivate student activity, deepen understanding and support knowledge building.

  6. Effective Visual Design and Communication Practices for Research Posters: Exemplars Based on the Theory and Practice of Multimedia Learning and Rhetoric

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pedwell, Rhianna K.; Hardy, James A.; Rowland, Susan L.

    2017-01-01

    Evidence shows that science graduates often do not have the communication skills they need to meet workplace standards and expectations. One common mode of science communication is the poster. In a review of the literature we show that poster design is historically problematic, and that the guidance provided to students as they create posters for…

  7. The effect of instructional methodology on high school students natural sciences standardized tests scores

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Powell, P. E.

    Educators have recently come to consider inquiry based instruction as a more effective method of instruction than didactic instruction. Experience based learning theory suggests that student performance is linked to teaching method. However, research is limited on inquiry teaching and its effectiveness on preparing students to perform well on standardized tests. The purpose of the study to investigate whether one of these two teaching methodologies was more effective in increasing student performance on standardized science tests. The quasi experimental quantitative study was comprised of two stages. Stage 1 used a survey to identify teaching methods of a convenience sample of 57 teacher participants and determined level of inquiry used in instruction to place participants into instructional groups (the independent variable). Stage 2 used analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to compare posttest scores on a standardized exam by teaching method. Additional analyses were conducted to examine the differences in science achievement by ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status by teaching methodology. Results demonstrated a statistically significant gain in test scores when taught using inquiry based instruction. Subpopulation analyses indicated all groups showed improved mean standardized test scores except African American students. The findings benefit teachers and students by presenting data supporting a method of content delivery that increases teacher efficacy and produces students with a greater cognition of science content that meets the school's mission and goals.

  8. Real Science, Real Learning: Bridging the Gap Between Scientists, Educators and Students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lewis, Y.

    2006-05-01

    Today as never before, America needs its citizens to be literate in science and technology. Not only must we only inspire a new generation of scientists and engineers and technologists, we must foster a society capable of meeting complex, 21st-century challenges. Unfortunately, the need for creative, flexible thinkers is growing at a time when our young students are lagging in science interest and performance. Over the past 17 years, the JASON Project has worked to link real science and scientists to the classroom. This link provide viable pipeline to creating the next generation scientists and researchers. Ultimately, JASON's mission is to improve the way science is taught by enabling students to learn directly from leading scientists. Through partnerships with agencies such as NOAA and NASA, JASON creates multimedia classroom products based on current scientific research. Broadcasts of science expeditions, hosted by leading researchers, are coupled with classroom materials that include interactive computer-based simulations, video- on-demand, inquiry-based experiments and activities, and print materials for students and teachers. A "gated" Web site hosts online resources and provides a secure platform to network with scientists and other classrooms in a nationwide community of learners. Each curriculum is organized around a specific theme for a comprehensive learning experience. It may be taught as a complete package, or individual components can be selected to teach specific, standards-based concepts. Such thematic units include: Disappearing Wetlands, Mysteries of Earth and Mars, and Monster Storms. All JASON curriculum units are grounded in "inquiry-based learning." The highly interactive curriculum will enable students to access current, real-world scientific research and employ the scientific method through reflection, investigation, identification of problems, sharing of data, and forming and testing hypotheses. JASON specializes in effectively applying technology in science education by designing animated interactive visualizations that promote student understanding of complex scientific concepts and systems (Rieber, 1990, 1996). JASON's experience in utilizing the power of simulation technology has been widely recognized for its effectiveness in exciting and engaging students in science learning by independent evaluations of JASON's multimedia science curriculum (Ba et al., 2001; Goldenberg et al., 2003). The data collected indicates that JASON's science products have had a positive impact on students' science learning, have positively influenced their perceptions of scientists and of becoming scientists, and have helped diverse students grasp a deeper understanding of complex scientific content, concepts and technologies.

  9. Teacher Professional Develpment That Meets 21st Century Science Education Standards

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    van der Veen, Wil E.; Roelofsen Moody, T.

    2011-01-01

    The National Academies are working with several other groups to develop new National Science Education Standards, with the intention that they will be adopted by all states. It is critical that the science education community uses these new standards when planning teacher professional development and understands the potential implementation challenges. As a first step in developing these new standards, the National Research Council (NRC) recently published a draft Framework for Science Education. This framework describes the major scientific ideas and practices that all students should be familiar with by the end of high school. Following recommendations from the NRC Report "Taking Science to School” (NRC, 2007), it emphasizes the importance of integrating science practices with the learning of science content. These same recommendations influenced the recently revised New Jersey Science Education Standards. Thus, the revised New Jersey standards can be valuable as a case study for curriculum developers and professional development providers. While collaborating with the New Jersey Department of Education on the development of these revised science standards, we identified two critical needs for successful implementation. First, we found that many currently used science activities must be adapted to meet the revised standards and that new activities must be developed. Second, teacher professional development is needed to model the integration of science practices with the learning of science content. With support from the National Space Grant Foundation we developed a week-long Astronomy Institute, which was presented in the summers of 2009 and 2010. We will briefly describe our professional development model and how it helped teachers to bridge the gap between the standards and their current classroom practice. We will provide examples of astronomy activities that were either adapted or developed to meet the new standards. Finally, we will briefly discuss the evaluation results.

  10. Supporting Reform-Oriented Secondary Science Teaching through the Use of a Framework to Analyze Construction of Scientific Explanations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Richmond, Gail; Parker, Joyce M.; Kaldaras, Leonora

    2016-01-01

    The Next-Generation Science Standards (NGSS) call for a different approach to learning science. They promote three-dimensional (3D) learning that blends disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts and scientific practices. In this study, we examined explanations constructed by secondary science teacher candidates (TCs) as a scientific practice…

  11. Shadow Puppet Plays in Elementary Science Methods Class Help Preservice Teachers Learn about Minority Scientists

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gray, Phyllis; Rule, Audrey C.; Gentzsch, Anneliese; Tallakson, Denise A.

    2016-01-01

    This practical article describes an arts-integrated project with engineering design and science concepts from the Next Generation Science Standards, art principles from the National Arts Standards, as well as ideas under the theme of "Culture" from the National Council for the Social Studies Standards. Preservice teachers in an…

  12. Developing Practical Knowledge of the "Next Generation Science Standards" in Elementary Science Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanuscin, Deborah L.; Zangori, Laura

    2016-01-01

    Just as the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSSs) call for change in what students learn and how they are taught, teacher education programs must reconsider courses and curriculum in order to prepare teacher candidates to understand and implement new standards. In this study, we examine the development of prospective elementary…

  13. Lights, camera, action research: The effects of didactic digital movie making on students' twenty-first century learning skills and science content in the middle school classroom

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ochsner, Karl

    Students are moving away from content consumption to content production. Short movies are uploaded onto video social networking sites and shared around the world. Unfortunately they usually contain little to no educational value, lack a narrative and are rarely created in the science classroom. According to new Arizona Technology standards and ISTE NET*S, along with the framework from the Partnership for 21st Century Learning Standards, our society demands students not only to learn curriculum, but to think critically, problem solve effectively, and become adept at communicating and collaborating. Didactic digital movie making in the science classroom may be one way that these twenty-first century learning skills may be implemented. An action research study using a mixed-methods approach to collect data was used to investigate if didactic moviemaking can help eighth grade students learn physical science content while incorporating 21st century learning skills of collaboration, communication, problem solving and critical thinking skills through their group production. Over a five week period, students researched lessons, wrote scripts, acted, video recorded and edited a didactic movie that contained a narrative plot to teach a science strand from the Arizona State Standards in physical science. A pretest/posttest science content test and KWL chart was given before and after the innovation to measure content learned by the students. Students then took a 21st Century Learning Skills Student Survey to measure how much they perceived that communication, collaboration, problem solving and critical thinking were taking place during the production. An open ended survey and a focus group of four students were used for qualitative analysis. Three science teachers used a project evaluation rubric to measure science content and production values from the movies. Triangulating the science content test, KWL chart, open ended questions and the project evaluation rubric, it appeared that science content was gained from this project. Students felt motivated to learn and had positive experience. Students also felt that the repetition of production and watching their movies helped them remember science. Students also perceived that creating the didactic digital movie helped them use collaboration, communication, problem solving and critical thinking skills throughout their production.

  14. Changing Pedagogical Practice in Kenyan Primary Schools: The Impact of School-Based Training

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hardman, Frank; Abd-Kadir, Jan; Agg, Catherine; Migwi, James; Ndambuku, Jacinta; Smith, Fay

    2009-01-01

    This study reports on an investigation into the impact of a national, school-based teacher development programme on learning and teaching in Kenyan primary schools. Building on a national baseline study (n=102), 144 video-recorded lessons, covering the teaching of English, maths and science at Standards 3 and 6, were analysed to investigate…

  15. Using Innovative Resources and Programs to Prepare Pre- and In-Service Teachers for New Science Standards

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kinzler, R. J.; Short, J.; Contino, J.; Cooke-Nieves, N.; Howes, E.; Kravitz, D.; Randle, D.; Trowbridge, C.

    2014-12-01

    Leveraging the Rose Center for Earth and Space and active research departments in Earth and Planetary Science, Astrophysics, and Paleontology, the Education Department at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) offers an MAT program to prepare new Earth Science teachers (~100 new teachers by 2018) as well as a range of professional development (PD) opportunities for over 3,000 K-12 teachers annually, providing opportunities to learn with scientists; inquiry-based experiences; and standards-aligned resources. The AMNH produces innovative geoscience and other STEM resources supporting teacher and student science investigations with data visualizations and analysis tools, teaching case materials and other resources that provide rich nonfiction reading and writing opportunities for use in Earth and space science curricula that are integrated in the MAT and PD programs. Museum resources and the MAT and PD programs are aligned to support the recently released Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the Common Core State Standards. The NGSS is a set of science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts and disciplinary core ideas to help cultivate teachers' and K-12 students' scientific habits of mind, develop their knowledge and abilities to engage in scientific investigations, and teach them how to reason in context; goals that closely align with those of the AMNH's teacher preparation and professional development programs. A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (NRC, 2012) is a required text for the MAT program, and this text as well as the NGSS Performance Expectations guide the PD programs as well. Researchers working with Museum scientists and educators find it is not enough for programs for pre- and in-service teachers to provide access to resources. Research suggests that these programs need to engage pre- and in-service teachers in using and reflecting on these types of resources, as well as take into account school environments and support for pre- and in-service teachers with different levels of knowledge and teaching expertise. Evaluation findings from AMNH programs indicate pre- and in-service teachers deepen their science content knowledge and develop new ways of supporting inquiry-based learning and teaching.

  16. The Ohio Partnership for the Far East Region Science Teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beiersdorfer, Raymond; Sturrus, W. Gregg

    2008-03-01

    The Ohio Partnership for Far East Region Science Teachers (OPFERST) is a three-year project funded by Federal Math Science Partnership Funds through a grant to the Ohio Dept. of Education. OPFERST is a partnership (opferst.ysu.edu) of Youngstown State University science and education faculty, trained facilitators and the county and city science consultants. Every (47) school district in the region signed on and during the first year 32 districts participated. During the first two years, 198 teachers representing Ashtabula, Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull Counties, as well as Warren City and Youngstown City schools have participated. The vision of OPFERST is to improve the teaching and learning of the Ohio Science Academic Content Standards. Project goals are: 1) Increase science content knowledge of teachers; 2) Implement effective instructional practices; 3) Improve students performance in science; and 4) Develop professional learning communities which will lead to programmatic changes within districts. Goals one through three are met by modeling inquiry-based methods for teaching science content standards. Goal four is met by ongoing meetings through-out the school year, classroom visits by YSU faculty and fieldtrips to the YSU Campus by classes led by OPFERST teachers. Evaluation of OPFERST includes demographic and classroom practice data, pre- and post-tests of participants, journals, homework and the administration of evaluation instruments with some OPFERST participants' students.

  17. Early Learning Foundations. Indiana's Early Learning Development Framework Aligned to the Indiana Academic Standards, 2014

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Indiana Department of Education, 2015

    2015-01-01

    The "Foundations" (English/language arts, mathematics, social emotional skills, approaches to play and learning, science, social studies, creative arts, and physical health and growth) are Indiana's early learning development framework and are aligned to the 2014 Indiana Academic Standards. This framework provides core elements that…

  18. "Discovering Plate Boundaries in Data-Rich Environments": Supporting Pre-service Teachers involvement in Unique Practices of Geosciences

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barrie, A. S.; Moore, J.

    2012-12-01

    Plate tectonics is one of the core scientific concepts in both the NRC K-12 standards documents (#ESS2.B) and College Board Standards for Science (#ES.1.3). These documents also mention the scientific practices expected to improve as students are learning plate tectonics: interpreting data based on their observations of maps and argumentation around the evidence based on data. Research on students' understanding of maps emphasizes the difficulty of reading maps in science classrooms.We are conducting an ethnographic case study of the process of learning and teaching by novice teachers in the middle school science major at a mid-Atlantic University. The participants of the study are third-year majors (in the middle school science program and middle students at a suburban middle school. The study uses the data from four different fields (geography, geochronology, volcanology and seismology) to help involve preservice teachers in the practices of geosciences.The data for the study includes video and audio records of novice teachers' learning and teaching processes as well as teachers' reflections about their learning and on teaching Plate Tectonics by using real data. The video and audio data will be compiled and synthesized into event maps and transcripts, which are necessary for sociolinguistic analysis. Event maps provide an overall view of the events and are used to map the learning and teaching events into timely sequences and phases based on the subtopics and types of educational activities. Transcripts cover in detail the discussion and activity observed at each phase of the learning and teaching events. After compilation, event maps and transcripts will be analyzed by using Discourse analysis with an ethnographic perspective in order to identify novice teachers' challenges and the improvement they want to make on their teaching and assessment artifacts. The preliminary findings of the project identified challenges faced by novice teachers learning and teaching plate tectonics using key scientific practices. As a result of the educational activities developed in this project, we will try help teachers to overcome their challenges and develop the pedagogical skills that novice teachers need to use to teach plate tectonics by focusing on key scientific practices with the help of previously-developed educational resources. Learning about the processes that occur at plate boundaries will help future teachers (and their students) understand natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanoes. Furthermore, the study will have a significant, and broader, impact by 'teaching the teachers' and empowering novice teachers to overcome the challenges of reading maps and using argumentation in science classrooms.

  19. Teaching physics using project-based engineering curriculum with a theme of alternative energy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tasior, Bryan

    The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) provide a new set of science standards that, if adopted, shift the focus from content knowledge-based to skill-based education. Students will be expected to use science to investigate the natural world and solve problems using the engineering design process. The world also is facing an impending crisis related to climate, energy supply and use, and alternative energy development. Education has an opportunity to help provide the much needed paradigm shift from our current methods of providing the energy needs of society. The purpose of this research was to measure the effectiveness of a unit that accomplishes the following objectives: uses project-based learning to teach the engineering process and standards of the NGSS, addresses required content expectations of energy and electricity from the HSCE's, and provides students with scientific evidence behind issues (both environmental and social/economic) relating to the energy crisis and current dependence of fossil fuels as our primary energy source. The results of the research indicate that a physics unit can be designed to accomplish these objectives. The unit that was designed, implemented and reported here also shows that it was highly effective at improving students' science content knowledge, implementing the engineering design standards of the NGSS, while raising awareness, knowledge and motivations relating to climate and the energy crisis.

  20. How well do middle school science programs measure up? Findings from Project 2061's curriculum review

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kesidou, Sofia; Roseman, Jo Ellen

    2002-08-01

    The purposes of this study were to examine how well middle school programs support the attainment of key scientific ideas specified in national science standards, and to identify typical strengths and weaknesses of these programs using research-based criteria. Nine widely used programs were examined by teams of teachers and specialists in research on teaching and learning. Reviewers found that whereas key ideas were generally present in the programs, they were typically buried between detailed or even unrelated ideas. Programs only rarely provided students with a sense of purpose for the units of study, took account of student beliefs that interfere with learning, engaged students with relevant phenomena to make abstract scientific ideas plausible, modeled the use of scientific knowledge so that students could apply what they learned in everyday situations, or scaffolded student efforts to make meaning of key phenomena and ideas presented in the programs. New middle school science programs that reflect findings from learning research are needed to support teachers better in helping students learn key ideas in science. The criteria and findings from this study on the inadequacies in existing programs could serve as guidelines in new curriculum development.

  1. Assessing Current State Science Teaching and Learning Standards for Ability to Achieve Climate Science Literacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Busch, K. C.

    2012-12-01

    Even though there exists a high degree of consensus among scientists about climate change, doubt has actually increased over the last five years within the general U.S. public. In 2006, 79% of those polled agreed that there is evidence for global warming, while only 59% agreed in 2010 (Pew Research Center, 2010). The source for this doubt can be partially attributed to lack of knowledge. Formal education is one mechanism that potentially can address inadequate public understanding as school is the primary place where students - and future citizens - learn about the climate. In a joint effort, several governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, scientists and educators have created a framework called The Essential Principles of Climate Science Literacy, detailing seven concepts that are deemed vital for individuals and communities to understand Earth's climate system (USGCRP, 2009). Can students reach climate literacy - as defined by these 7 concepts - if they are taught using a curriculum based on the current state standards? To answer this question, the K-12 state science teaching and learning standards for Texas and California - two states that heavily influence nation-wide textbook creation - were compared against the Essential Principles. The data analysis consisted of two stages, looking for: 1) direct reference to "climate" and "climate change" and 2) indirect reference to the 7 Essential Principles through axial coding. The word "climate" appears in the California K-12 science standards 4 times and in the Texas standards 7 times. The word "climate change" appears in the California and Texas standards only 3 times each. Indirect references to the 7 Essential Principles of climate science literacy were more numerous. Broadly, California covered 6 of the principles while Texas covered all 7. In looking at the 7 principles, the second one "Climate is regulated by complex interactions among component of the Earth system" was the most substantively addressed. Least covered were number 6 "Human activities are impacting the climate system" and number 7 "Climate change will have consequences for the Earth system and human lives." Most references, either direct or indirect, occurred in the high school standards for earth science, a class not required for graduation in either state. This research points to the gaps between what the 7 Essential Principles of Climate Literacy defines as essential knowledge and what students may learn in their K-12 science classes. Thus, the formal system does not seem to offer an experience which can potentially develop a more knowledgeable citizenry who will be able to make wise personal and policy decisions about climate change, falling short of the ultimate goal of achieving widespread climate literacy. Especially troubling was the sparse attention to the principles addressing the human connection to the climate - principles number 6 and 7. If climate literate citizens are to make "wise personal and policy decisions" (USGCRP, 2009), these two principles especially are vital. This research, therefore, has been valuable for identifying current shortcomings in state standards.

  2. Combining Learning and Assessment to Improve Science Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Linn, Marcia C.; Chiu, Jennifer

    2011-01-01

    High-stakes tests take time away from valuable learning activities, narrow the focus of instruction, and imply that science involves memorizing details rather than understanding the natural world. Current tests lead precollege instructors to postpone science inquiry activities until after the last standardized test is completed--often during the…

  3. The Three-Story Challenge: Implications of the "Next Generation Science Standards" for Teacher Preparation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Windschitl, Mark A.; Stroupe, David

    2017-01-01

    The foundational document of the current science standards movement--the "Framework for K-12 Science Education"--is grounded in research about how students from diverse backgrounds learn science and the conditions under which they can participate in knowledge-building activities of the discipline. We argue that teacher educators should…

  4. Learning Science-Based Fitness Knowledge in Constructivist Physical Education

    PubMed Central

    Sun, Haichun; Chen, Ang; Zhu, Xihe; Ennis, Catherine D.

    2015-01-01

    Teaching fitness-related knowledge has become critical in developing children’s healthful living behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a science-based, constructivist physical education curriculum on learning fitness knowledge critical to healthful living in elementary school students. The schools (N = 30) were randomly selected from one of the largest school districts in the United States and randomly assigned to treatment curriculum and control conditions. Students in third, fourth, and fifth grade (N = 5,717) were pre- and posttested on a standardized knowledge test on exercise principles and benefits in cardiorespiratory health, muscular capacity, and healthful nutrition and body flexibility. The results indicated that children in the treatment curriculum condition learned at a faster rate than their counterparts in the control condition. The results suggest that the constructivist curriculum is capable of inducing superior knowledge gain in third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade children. PMID:26269659

  5. NASA's Kepler Mission: Lessons Learned from Teacher Professional Development Workshops

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Devore, E.; Harman, P.; Koch, D.; Gould, A.

    2010-08-01

    NASA's Kepler Mission conducts teacher professional development workshops on the search for exoplanets in the habitable zone of Sun-like stars. Each is supported by a Kepler team scientist, two Education and Public Outreach staff and local hosts. Activities combine a science content lecture and discussion, making models, kinesthetic activities, and interpretation of transit data. The emphasis is on inquiry-based instruction and supports science education standards in grades 7-12. Participants' kit includes an orrery, optical sensor and software to demonstrate transit detection. The workshop plan, teaching strategies, and lessons learned from evaluation will be discussed. Future events are planned. The Kepler Mission teacher professional development workshops are designed using the best practices and principals from the National Science Education Standards and similar documents. Sharing the outcome of our plans, strategies and formative evaluation results can be of use to other Education and Public Outreach practitioners who plan similar events. In sharing our experiences, we hope to assist others, and to learn from them as well. Supported by NASA Grants to the E. DeVore, SETI Institute NAG2-6066 Kepler Education and Public Outreach and NNX08BA74G, IYA Kepler Mission Pre-launch Workshops.

  6. Multilevel Assessments of Science Standards

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Quellmalz, Edys S.; Timms, Michael J.; Silberglitt, Matt D.

    2011-01-01

    The Multilevel Assessment of Science Standards (MASS) project is creating a new generation of technology-enhanced formative assessments that bring the best formative assessment practices into classrooms to transform what, how, when, and where science learning is assessed. The project is investigating the feasibility, utility, technical quality,…

  7. A Scientist's Guide to Achieving Broader Impacts through K–12 STEM Collaboration

    PubMed Central

    Komoroske, Lisa M.; Hameed, Sarah O.; Szoboszlai, Amber I.; Newsom, Amanda J.; Williams, Susan L.

    2015-01-01

    The National Science Foundation and other funding agencies are increasingly requiring broader impacts in grant applications to encourage US scientists to contribute to science education and society. Concurrently, national science education standards are using more inquiry-based learning (IBL) to increase students’ capacity for abstract, conceptual thinking applicable to real-world problems. Scientists are particularly well suited to engage in broader impacts via science inquiry outreach, because scientific research is inherently an inquiry-based process. We provide a practical guide to help scientists overcome obstacles that inhibit their engagement in K–12 IBL outreach and to attain the accrued benefits. Strategies to overcome these challenges include scaling outreach projects to the time available, building collaborations in which scientists’ research overlaps with curriculum, employing backward planning to target specific learning objectives, encouraging scientists to share their passion, as well as their expertise with students, and transforming institutional incentives to support scientists engaging in educational outreach. PMID:26955078

  8. Using the Delphi questionnaire technique to create a reading comprehension resource guide for middle school science teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wegner, Molly F.

    As students begin middle school, they are expected to possess and apply a wide array of nonfiction reading strategies if they are to comprehend new concepts from nonfiction texts. Although strategies and resource guides for fiction reading are available, an effective nonfiction reading comprehension resource guide tailored to middle school science teachers is lacking. The conceptual framework guiding this study is based on schema theory that supports the use of prior knowledge as a foundation for learning. The purpose of this project study was to address this local problem by providing middle school science teachers with a user-friendly resource for nonfiction reading comprehension strategies in a science context. The research question examined nonfiction reading comprehension strategies that could supplement middle school science teachers' instructional practices to increase student comprehension in science, as reflected on the results of state standardized tests. This project study consulted science and language arts teachers using a Delphi questionnaire technique to achieve a consensus through multiple iterations of questionnaires. Science teachers identified 7 areas of concern as students read nonfiction texts, and language arts teachers suggested effective reading comprehension strategies to address these areas. Based on the consensus of reading comprehension strategies and review of literature, a resource guide for middle school science teachers was created. By improving reading comprehension in content areas, teachers may not only increase student learning, but also underscore the importance of literacy relating to life-long learning through future occupations, academic endeavors, and society as well.

  9. Soil Science Education for Primary and Secondary Students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sparrow, Elena; Yoshikawa, Kenji; Kopplin, Martha

    2013-04-01

    Soils is one of the science investigation areas in the Global learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE), an international science and education program (112 countries) that teaches primary and secondary students to learn science by doing science. For each area of investigation GLOBE provides background information, measurement protocols and learning activities compiled as a chapter in the GLOBE Teacher's Guide. Also provided are data sheets and field guides to assist in the accurate collection of data as well as suggestions of scientific instruments and calibration methods. Teachers learn GLOBE scientific measurement protocols at professional development workshops led by scientists and educators, who then engage their students in soil studies that also contribute to ongoing science investigations. Students enter their data on the GLOBE website and can access their data as well as other data contributed by students from other parts of the world. Soil characterization measurements carried out in the field include site description, horizon depths, soil structure, soil color, soil consistence, soil texture, roots, rocks and carbonates. Other field measurements are soil temperature and soil moisture monitoring while the following measurements are carried out in the classroom or laboratory: gravimetric soil moisture, bulk density, particle density, particle size distribution, pH and soil fertility (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium). Learning activities provide support for preparing students to do the measurements and for better understanding of science concepts. Many countries in GLOBE have adopted standards for education including science education with commonalities among them. For the Teacher's Guide, the National Science Education Standards published by the US National Academy of Sciences, selected additional content standards that GLOBE scientists and educators feel are appropriate and the National Geography Standards prepared by the (US) National Education Standards Project, are being used. Educational objectives for students include gaining scientific inquiry abilities in addition to understanding scientific concepts. The Soils chapter also includes some suggestions for managing students in the field and classroom. A new protocol has also been developed by the Seasons and Biomes project, one of the GLOBE earth system science projects. Active Layer monitoring uses a Frost Tube that measures when and how deeply soil freezes and is currently being used in more than 200 sites in Alaska. Teachers have successfully implemented soil studies in their curriculum and have used it to teach about the science process.

  10. Academic integrity in the online learning environment for health sciences students.

    PubMed

    Azulay Chertok, Ilana R; Barnes, Emily R; Gilleland, Diana

    2014-10-01

    The online learning environment not only affords accessibility to education for health sciences students, but also poses challenges to academic integrity. Technological advances contribute to new modes of academic dishonesty, although there may be a lack of clarity regarding behaviors that constitute academic dishonesty in the online learning environment. To evaluate an educational intervention aimed at increasing knowledge and improving attitudes about academic integrity in the online learning environment among health sciences students. A quasi-experimental study was conducted using a survey of online learning knowledge and attitudes with strong reliability that was developed based on a modified version of a previously developed information technology attitudes rating tool with an added knowledge section based on the academic integrity statement. Blended-learning courses in a university health sciences center. 355 health sciences students from various disciplines, including nursing, pre-medical, and exercise physiology students, 161 in the control group and 194 in the intervention group. The survey of online learning knowledge and attitudes (SOLKA) was used in a pre-post test study to evaluate the differences in scores between the control group who received the standard course introduction and the intervention group who received an enhanced educational intervention about academic integrity during the course introduction. Post-intervention attitude scores were significantly improved compared to baseline scores for the control and intervention groups, indicating a positive relationship with exposure to the information, with a greater improvement among intervention group participants (p<0.001). There was a significant improvement in the mean post-intervention knowledge score of the intervention group compared to the control group (p=0.001). Recommendations are provided for instructors in promoting academic integrity in the online environment. Emphasis should be made about the importance of academic integrity in the online learning environment in preparation for professional behavior in the technologically advancing health sciences arena. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. The Effectiveness of Professional Development in Teaching Writing-to-Learn Strategies for Science: An Evaluative Case Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kravchuk, Deborah A.

    With the adoption of the Common Core Learning Standards and the release of the Next Generation Science Standards, New York State students are expected to write in science classes with science writing assessments becoming an indicator of grade level literacy proficiency. The introduction of these assessments raises questions concerning the readiness of teachers to help students learn the skills needed in order to be successful on standardized tests. While such mandates stress the need for incorporating writing into the classroom, few secondary science teachers receive content-specific training in how to teach writing strategies; rather, they often receive the same professional development as their non-science colleagues. This evaluative case study examined how eight secondary science teachers in the Hyde Park Central School District perceived student outcomes as they focused on identifying the challenges encountered and overcome by transferring writing-to-learn (WTL) strategies into the classroom. Targeted professional development (PD) allowed the group of eight secondary science teachers to research WTL strategies, practice them in the classroom, and assess their success through personal and collegial reflection. The results of this study showed a positive correlation between introducing low-stakes writing in the science classroom and increased student understanding of the content presented, that short low-stakes writing prompts helped the students focus on thinking and organizing their thoughts in the science settings (Totten, 2005), and that the secondary science teachers participating in this study perceived the inclusion writing in the classroom to have a positive effect on student outcomes.

  12. Issues in Informal Education: Event-Based Science Communication Involving Planetaria and the Internet

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Adams, Mitzi L.; Gallagher, D. L.; Whitt, A.; Whitaker, Ann F. (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    For the last several years the Science Directorate at Marshall Space Flight Center has carried out a diverse program of Internet-based science communication. The program includes extended stories about NASA science, a curriculum resource for teachers tied to national education standards, on-line activities for students, and webcasts of real-time events. The focus of sharing real-time science related events has been to involve and excite students and the public about science. Events have involved meteor showers, solar eclipses, natural very low frequency radio emissions, and amateur balloon flights. In some cases broadcasts accommodate active feedback and questions from Internet participants. Panel participation will be used to communicate the problems and lessons learned from these activities over the last three years.

  13. Integrating Science Content and Pedagogy in the Earth, Life, and Physical Sciences: A K-8 Pre-Service Teacher Preparation Continuum at the University of Delaware

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Madsen, J.; Allen, D.; Donham, R.; Fifield, S.; Ford, D.; Shipman, H.; Dagher, Z.

    2007-12-01

    University of Delaware faculty in the geological sciences, biological sciences, and the physics and astronomy departments have partnered with faculty and researchers from the school of education to form a continuum for K- 8 pre-service teacher preparation in science. The goal of the continuum is to develop integrated understandings of content and pedagogy so that these future teachers can effectively use inquiry-based approaches in teaching science in their classrooms. Throughout the continuum where earth science content appears an earth system science approach, with emphasis on inquiry-based activities, is employed. The continuum for K-8 pre-service teachers includes a gateway content course in the earth, life, or physical sciences taken during the freshman year followed by integrated science content and methods courses taken during the sophomore year. These integrated courses, called the Science Semester, were designed and implemented with funding from the National Science Foundation. During the Science Semester, traditional content and pedagogy subject matter boundaries are crossed to stress shared themes that teachers must understand to teach standards-based science. Students work collaboratively on multidisciplinary problem-based learning (PBL) activities that place science concepts in authentic contexts and build learning skills. They also critically explore the theory and practice of elementary science teaching, drawing on their shared experiences of inquiry learning during the Science Semester. The PBL activities that are the hallmark of the Science Semester provide the backdrop through which fundamental earth system interactions can be studied. For example in a PBL investigation that focuses on kids, cancer, and the environment, the hydrologic cycle with emphasis on surface runoff and ground water contamination is studied. Those students seeking secondary certification in science will enroll, as a bridge toward their student teaching experience, in an additional content course within a science discipline that is concurrently taught with a science methods course. Emphasizing inquiry-based activities, these bridge courses also focus on developing integrated understandings of the sciences. The continuum extends beyond the student teaching experience by tracking cohorts of science teachers during their in-service years. With funding from the National Science Foundation's Teacher Professional Continuum program, we are conducting research on this inquiry-based professional development approach for K-8 teachers across this continuum.

  14. Science Is for the Birds: Promoting Standards-Based Learning through Backyard Birdwatching.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coverdale, Gregory A.

    2003-01-01

    Explains forest fragmentation, the destruction of physical habitats for animals such as birds and points out the importance of studies on habitat and biodiversity. Introduces project ideas for songbird populations and their habitats which can be conducted in backyards or schoolyards. (YDS)

  15. Writing for Science Literacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chamberlin, Shannon Marie

    Scientific literacy is the foundation on which both California's currently adopted science standards and the recommended new standards for science are based (CDE, 2000; NRC, 2011). The Writing for Science Literacy (WSL) curriculum focuses on a series of writing and discussion tasks aimed at increasing students' scientific literacy. These tasks are based on three teaching and learning constructs: thought and language, scaffolding, and meta-cognition. To this end, WSL is focused on incorporating several strategies from the Rhetorical Approach to Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking to engage students in activities designed to increase their scientific literacy; their ability to both identify an author's claim and evidence and to develop their own arguments based on a claim and evidence. Students participated in scaffolded activities designed to strengthen their written and oral discourse, hone their rhetorical skills and improve their meta-cognition. These activities required students to participate in both writing and discussion tasks to create meaning and build their science content knowledge. Students who participated in the WSL curriculum increased their written and oral fluency and were able to accurately write an evidence-based conclusion all while increasing their conceptual knowledge. This finding implies that a discourse rich curriculum can lead to an increase in scientific knowledge.

  16. Variations on an Historical Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Field, Patrick

    2006-01-01

    The National Inquiry Standard for Science Education Preparation requires science teachers to introduce students to scientific inquiry to solve problems by various methods, including active learning in a collaborative environment. In order for science teachers to comply with this inquiry standard, activities must be designed for students to…

  17. Connecting Teachers and Students with Science Experts: NASA's Expedition Earth and Beyond Program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Graff, P. V.; Stefanov, W. L.; Willis, K. J.; Runco, S.; McCollum, T.; Baker, M.; Mailhot, M.; Lindgren, C. F.

    2010-12-01

    Classroom teachers are challenged with engaging and preparing today’s students for the future. Activities are driven by state required skills, education standards, and high stakes testing. How can educators teach required standards and motivate students to not only learn essential skills, but also acquire a sense of intrigue to want to learn more? One way is to allow students to take charge of their learning and conduct student-driven research. NASA’s Expedition Earth and Beyond program, based at the NASA Johnson Space Center, is designed to do just that. The program, developed by both educators and scientists, promotes inquiry-based investigations in classrooms (grades 5-14) by using current NASA data. By combining the expertise of teachers, who understand the everyday challenges of working with students, and scientists, who work with the process of science as they conduct their own research, the result is a realistic and useable means in which to promote authentic research in classrooms. NASA’s Expedition Earth and Beyond Program was created with the understanding that there are three important aspects that enable teachers to implement authentic research experiences in the classroom. These aspects are: 1) Standards-aligned, inquiry based curricular resources and an implementation structure to support student-driven research; 2) Professional development opportunities to learn techniques and strategies to ensure seamless implementation of resources; and 3) Ongoing support. Expedition Earth and Beyond provides all three of these aspects and adds two additional and inspiring motivators. One is the opportunity for student research teams to request new data. Data requested and approved would be acquired by astronauts orbiting Earth on the International Space Station. This aspect is part of the process of science structure and provides a powerful way to excite students. The second, and perhaps more significant motivator, is the creation of connections between science experts and classrooms. Scientists are able to connect with participating classrooms on a variety of different levels, including being a mentor. These powerful connections provide extraordinary opportunities for students to develop the rigor and relevance of their research, along with encouraging them to have a sense of pride in the work they are doing in school. Providing teachers with skills and the confidence to promote authentic research investigations in the classroom will equip them to create science literate students, and by extension, improve the public understanding of science. The opportunity to connect classrooms with science experts creates personal experiences that are engaging, motivating and impactful. These impactful experiences will help prepare today’s students to become the next generation of scientists or perhaps science educators who can help continue these powerful connections for generations to come.

  18. The scientifically substantiated art of teaching: A study in the development of standards in the new academic field of neuroeducation (mind, brain, and education science)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tokuhama-Espinosa, Tracey Noel

    Concepts from neuroeducation, commonly referred in the popular press as "brain-based learning," have been applied indiscreetly and inconsistently to classroom teaching practices for many years. While standards exist in neurology, psychology and pedagogy, there are no agreed upon standards in their intersection, neuroeducation, and a formal bridge linking the fields is missing. This study used grounded theory development to determine the parameters of the emerging neuroeducational field based on a meta-analysis of the literature over the past 30 years, which included over 2,200 documents. This research results in a new model for neuroeducation. The design of the new model was followed by a Delphi survey of 20 international experts from six different countries that further refined the model contents over several months of reflection. Finally, the revised model was compared to existing information sources, including popular press, peer review journals, academic publications, teacher training textbooks and the Internet, to determine to what extent standards in neuroeducation are met in the current literature. This study determined that standards in the emerging field, now labeled Mind, Brain, and Education: The Science of Teaching and Learning after the Delphi rounds, are the union of standards in the parent fields of neuroscience, psychology, and education. Additionally, the Delphi expert panel agreed upon the goals of the new discipline, its history, the thought leaders, and a model for judging quality information. The study culminated in a new model of the academic discipline of Mind, Brain, and Education science, which explains the tenets, principles and instructional guidelines supported by the meta-analysis of the literature and the Delphi response.

  19. Place-based Learning About Climate with Elementary GLOBE

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hatheway, B.; Gardiner, L. S.; Harte, T.; Stanitski, D.; Taylor, J.

    2017-12-01

    Place-based education - helping students make connections between themselves, their community, and their local environment - is an important tool to help young learners understand their regional climate and start to learn about climate and environmental change. Elementary GLOBE storybooks and learning activities allow opportunities for place-based education instructional strategies about climate. In particular, two modules in the Elementary GLOBE unit - Seasons and Climate - provide opportunities for students to explore their local climate and environment. The storybooks and activities also make connections to other parts of elementary curriculum, such as arts, geography, and math. Over the long term, place-based education can also encourage students to be stewards of their local environment. A strong sense of place may help students to see themselves as stakeholders in their community and its resilience. In places that are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate and environmental change and the economic, social, and environmental tradeoffs of community decisions, helping young students developing a sense of place and to see the connection between Earth science, local community, and their lives can have a lasting impact on how a community evolves for decades to come. Elementary GLOBE was designed to help elementary teachers (i.e., grades K-4) integrate Earth system science topics into their curriculum as they teach literacy skills to students. This suite of instructional materials includes seven modules. Each module contains a science-based storybook and learning activities that support the science content addressed in the storybooks. Elementary GLOBE modules feature air quality, climate, clouds, Earth system, seasons, soil, and water. New eBooks allow students to read stories on computers or tablets, with the option of listening to each story with an audio recording. A new Elementary GLOBE Teacher Implementation Guide, published in 2017, provides educators with information and strategies how Elementary GLOBE modules can be effectively applied in classrooms, how Elementary GLOBE modules are aligned with national standards, and how student literacy and science inquiry skills can be strengthened while learning about the Earth system.

  20. 3-D Teaching of Climate Change: An innovative professional learning model for K-12 teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stapleton, M.; Wolfson, J.; Sezen-Barrie, A.

    2017-12-01

    In spite of the presumed controversy over the evidence for climate change, the recently released Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for K-12 include a focus on climate literacy and explicitly use the term `climate change.' In addition to the increased focus on climate change, the NGSS are also built upon a new three dimensional framework for teaching and learning science. Three dimensional learning has students engaging in scientific and engineering practices (Dimension 1), while using crosscutting concepts (Dimension 2) to explore and explain natural phenomena using disciplinary core ideas (Dimension 3). The adoption of these new standards in many states across the nation has created a critical need for on-going professional learning as in-service science educators begin to implement both climate change instruction and three dimensional teaching and learning in their classrooms. In response to this need, we developed an innovative professional learning model for preparing teachers to effectively integrate climate change into their new curriculum and engage students in three dimensional learning. Our professional learning model utilized ideas that have emerged from recent science education research and include: a) formative assessment probes for three dimensional learning that monitor students' progress; b) collaboration with scientists with expertise in climate science to understand the domain specific ways of doing science; and c) development of a community of practice for in-service teachers to provide feedback to each other on their implementation. In this poster presentation, we will provide details on the development of this professional learning model and discuss the affordances and challenges of implementing this type of professional learning experience.

  1. Measuring Gains in Critical Thinking in Food Science and Human Nutrition Courses: The Cornell Critical Thinking Test, Problem-Based Learning Activities, and Student Journal Entries

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Iwaoka, Wayne T.; Li, Yong; Rhee, Walter Y.

    2010-01-01

    The Cornell Critical Thinking Test (CCTT) is one of the many multiple-choice tests with validated questions that have been reported to measure general critical thinking (CT) ability. One of the IFT Education Standards for undergraduate degrees in Food Science is the emphasis on the development of critical thinking. While this skill is easy to list…

  2. Assessment in Science Education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rustaman, N. Y.

    2017-09-01

    An analyses study focusing on scientific reasoning literacy was conducted to strengthen the stressing on assessment in science by combining the important of the nature of science and assessment as references, higher order thinking and scientific skills in assessing science learning as well. Having background in developing science process skills test items, inquiry in its many form, scientific and STEM literacy, it is believed that inquiry based learning should first be implemented among science educators and science learners before STEM education can successfully be developed among science teachers, prospective teachers, and students at all levels. After studying thoroughly a number of science researchers through their works, a model of scientific reasoning was proposed, and also simple rubrics and some examples of the test items were introduced in this article. As it is only the beginning, further studies will still be needed in the future with the involvement of prospective science teachers who have interests in assessment, either on authentic assessment or in test items development. In balance usage of alternative assessment rubrics, as well as valid and reliable test items (standard) will be needed in accelerating STEM education in Indonesia.

  3. Inquiry-based Science Instruction in High School Biology Courses: A Multiple Case Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aso, Eze

    A lack of research exists about how secondary school science teachers use inquiry-based instruction to improve student learning. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how science teachers used inquiry-based instruction to improve student learning in high school biology courses. The conceptual framework was based on Banchi and Bell's model of increasing levels of complexity for inquiry-based instruction. A multiple case study research design was conducted of biology programs at 3 high schools in an urban school district in the northeastern region of the United States. Participants included 2 biology teachers from each of the 3 high schools. Data were collected from individual interviews with biology teachers, observations of lessons in biology, and documents related to state standards, assessments, and professional development. The first level of data analysis involved coding and categorizing the interview and observation data. A content analysis was used for the documents. The second level of data analysis involved examining data across all sources and all cases for themes and discrepancies. According to study findings, biology teachers used confirmation, structure, and guided inquiry to improve student learning. However, they found open inquiry challenging and frustrating to implement because professional development about scaffolding of instruction over time was needed, and students' reading and writing skills needed to improve. This study contributes to positive social change by providing educators and researchers with a deeper understanding about how to scaffold levels of inquiry-based science instruction in order to help students become scientifically literate citizens.

  4. The Development and Validation of a Learning Progression for Argumentation in Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Osborne, Jonathan F.; Henderson, J. Bryan; MacPherson, Anna; Szu, Evan; Wild, Andrew; Yao, Shi-Ying

    2016-01-01

    Given the centrality of argumentation in the Next Generation Science Standards, there is an urgent need for an empirically validated learning progression of this core practice and the development of high-quality assessment items. Here, we introduce a hypothesized three-tiered learning progression for scientific argumentation. The learning…

  5. A Bold Experiment: Teachers Team with Scientists to Learn Next Generation Science Standards

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gilman, Sharon L.; Fout, Martha C.

    2017-01-01

    The "Next Generation Science Standards" place an emphasis on the practices of science and engineering, where ensuring that students understand and experience how science works is as important as, or maybe more important than, memorizing facts. The idea is that, while some facts may change, the practices will always be applicable, and it…

  6. Developing Deep Learning Applications for Life Science and Pharma Industry.

    PubMed

    Siegismund, Daniel; Tolkachev, Vasily; Heyse, Stephan; Sick, Beate; Duerr, Oliver; Steigele, Stephan

    2018-06-01

    Deep Learning has boosted artificial intelligence over the past 5 years and is seen now as one of the major technological innovation areas, predicted to replace lots of repetitive, but complex tasks of human labor within the next decade. It is also expected to be 'game changing' for research activities in pharma and life sciences, where large sets of similar yet complex data samples are systematically analyzed. Deep learning is currently conquering formerly expert domains especially in areas requiring perception, previously not amenable to standard machine learning. A typical example is the automated analysis of images which are typically produced en-masse in many domains, e. g., in high-content screening or digital pathology. Deep learning enables to create competitive applications in so-far defined core domains of 'human intelligence'. Applications of artificial intelligence have been enabled in recent years by (i) the massive availability of data samples, collected in pharma driven drug programs (='big data') as well as (ii) deep learning algorithmic advancements and (iii) increase in compute power. Such applications are based on software frameworks with specific strengths and weaknesses. Here, we introduce typical applications and underlying frameworks for deep learning with a set of practical criteria for developing production ready solutions in life science and pharma research. Based on our own experience in successfully developing deep learning applications we provide suggestions and a baseline for selecting the most suited frameworks for a future-proof and cost-effective development. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  7. A Rights-Based Approach to Science Literacy Using Local Languages: Contextualising Inquiry-Based Learning in Africa

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Babaci-Wilhite, Zehlia

    2017-01-01

    This article addresses the importance of teaching and learning science in local languages. The author argues that acknowledging local knowledge and using local languages in science education while emphasising inquiry-based learning improve teaching and learning science. She frames her arguments with the theory of inquiry, which draws on…

  8. Kids Making Sense of Air Quality Around Them Through a Hands-On, STEM-Based Program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dye, T.

    2015-12-01

    Air pollution in many parts of the world is harming millions of people, shortening lives, and taking a toll on our ecosystem. Cities in India, China, and even the United States frequently exceed air quality standards. The use of localized data is a powerful enhancement to regulatory monitoring site data. Learning about air quality at a local level is a powerful driver for change. The Kids Making Sense program unites Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education with a complete measurement and environmental education system that teaches youth about air pollution and empowers them to drive positive change in their communities. With this program, youth learn about particle pollution, its sources, and health effects. A half-day lecture is followed by hands-on activity using handheld air sensors paired with an app on smartphones. Students make measurements around schools to discover pollution sources and cleaner areas. Next, the data they collect are crowdsourced on a website for guided discussion and data interpretation. This program meets Next Generation Science Standards, encourages project-based learning and deep understanding of applied science, and allows students to practice science like real scientists. The program has been successfully implemented in several schools in the United States and Asia, including New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Sacramento in the United States, and Taipei and Taichung in Taiwan. During this talk, we'll provide an overview of the program, discuss some of the challenges, and lay out the next steps for Kids Making Sense.

  9. Precursor Model and Preschool Science Learning about Shadows Formation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Delserieys, Alice; Jégou, Corinne; Boilevin, Jean-Marie; Ravanis, Konstantinos

    2018-01-01

    Background: This work is based on the idea that young children benefit from early introduction of scientific concepts. Few researches describe didactical strategies focusing on physics understanding for young children and analyse their effectiveness in standard classroom environments. Purpose: The aim is to identify whether didactical strategies…

  10. In Our Neighborhood: Who's Been Here?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mann, Michele J.; Pynes, D'Anna

    2016-01-01

    In this article, Mann and Pynes describe a five-day mini-project-based learning (PBL) unit about organisms and their environments that addresses the "Next Generation Science Standards" (3-LS4-3). Third-grade students were asked how they could determine which animals live in their neighborhoods. In teacher-determined collaborative groups,…

  11. NEWTON'S APPLE 14th Season Teacher's Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wichmann, Sue, Ed.

    This guide was developed to help teachers use the 14th season of NEWTON'S APPLE in their classrooms and contains lessons formatted to follow the National Science Education Standards. The "Overview,""Main Activity," and "Try-This" sections were created with inquiry-based learning in mind. Each lesson page begins with…

  12. Developing Expert Interdisciplinary Thinkers: Online Resources for Preparing Pre-service Teachers to Teach the NGSS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kent, M.; Egger, A. E.; Bruckner, M. Z.; Manduca, C. A.

    2014-12-01

    Over 100,000 students obtain a bachelor's degree in education every year; these students most commonly encounter the geosciences through a general education course, and it may be the only geoscience course they ever take. However, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) contain much more Earth science content than previous standards. In addition, the NGSS emphasize the use of science and engineering practices in the K-12 classroom. Future teachers need to experience learning science as a scientist, through a hands-on, activity-based learning process, in order to give them the skills they need to teach science that same way in the future. In order to be successful at teaching the NGSS, both current and future teachers will need more than a single course in geoscience or science methods. As a result, there is now a key opportunity for geoscience programs to play a vital role in strengthening teacher preparation programs, both through introductory courses and beyond. To help programs and individual faculty take advantage of this opportunity, we have developed a set of web-based resources, informed by participants in the InTeGrate program as well as by faculty in exemplary teacher preparation programs. The pages address the program-level task of creating engaging and effective courses for teacher preparation programs, with the goal of introducing education majors to the active pedagogies and geoscience methods they will later use in their own classrooms. A collection of exemplary Teacher Preparation programs is also included. Additional pages provide information on what it means to be an "expert thinker" in the geosciences and how individual faculty and teachers can explicitly teach these valuable skills that are reflected in the science and engineering practices of the NGSS. Learn more on the InTeGrate web site about preparing future teachers: serc.carleton.edu/integrate/programs/teacher_prep.htmland training expert thinkers: serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/expert_thinkers.html

  13. How Teaching Science Using Project-Based Learning Strategies Affects the Classroom Learning Environment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hugerat, Muhamad

    2016-01-01

    This study involved 458 ninth-grade students from two different Arab middle schools in Israel. Half of the students learned science using project-based learning strategies and the other half learned using traditional methods (non-project-based). The classes were heterogeneous regarding their achievements in the sciences. The adapted questionnaire…

  14. The Coconut Wireless Project: Sharing Culturally Responsive Pedagogy through the World Wide Web.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nelson-Barber, Sharon; Trumbull, Elise; Wenn, Richard

    Beginning in the 1997-98 school year, WestEd staff, with the support of the Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL), worked intensively with a group of five Chamorro teachers from Rota Elementary School (Hawaii) to develop culturally responsive, standards-based science units. The larger goal was to develop Web-based case examples of…

  15. Evaluating the Effectiveness of the 2000-2001 NASA "Why?" Files Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pinelli, Thomas E.; Frank, Kari Lou; Ashcroft, Scott B.; Williams, Amy C.

    2002-01-01

    NASA 'Why?' Files, a research and standards-based, Emmy-award winning series of 60-minute instructional programs for grades 3-5, introduces students to NASA; integrates mathematics, science, and technology by using Problem-Based Learning (PBL), scientific inquiry, and the scientific method; and motivates students to become critical thinkers and active problem solvers. All four 2000-2001 NASA 'Why?' Files programs include an instructional broadcast, a lesson guide, an interactive web site, plus numerous instructional resources. In March 2001, 1,000 randomly selected program registrants participated in a survey. Of these surveys, 185 (154 usable) met the established cut-off date. Respondents reported that (1) they used the four programs in the 2000-2001 NASA 'Why?' Files series; (2) series goals and objectives were met; (3) programs met national mathematics, science, and technology standards; (4) program content was developmentally appropriate for grade level; and (5) programs enhanced/enriched the teaching of mathematics, science, and technology.

  16. Developing Practical Knowledge of the Next Generation Science Standards in Elementary Science Teacher Education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hanuscin, Deborah L.; Zangori, Laura

    2016-12-01

    Just as the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSSs) call for change in what students learn and how they are taught, teacher education programs must reconsider courses and curriculum in order to prepare teacher candidates to understand and implement new standards. In this study, we examine the development of prospective elementary teachers' practical knowledge of the NGSS in the context of a science methods course and innovative field experience. We present three themes related to how prospective teachers viewed and utilized the standards: (a) as a useful guide for planning and designing instruction, (b) as a benchmark for student and self-evaluation, and (c) as an achievable vision for teaching and learning. Our findings emphasize the importance of collaborative opportunities for repeated teaching of the same lessons, but question what is achievable in the context of a semester-long experience.

  17. Integrating outdoor activities into the FOSS curriculum: Effect on teacher practices on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, Montana

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Geraghty, E.

    2004-12-01

    A goal of the Center for Learning and Teaching West based at the University of Montana is to provide in-depth professional development through a combination of on-site and distance education activities to mathematics and science middle and high school teachers at identified high-needs schools. In accordance with the Center's goal, teachers on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation have been contacted as they meet the "high-needs" criteria: the schools are in a rural setting and educate mainly Native American students. Since the spring of 2003, contact with the directors of the Rural Systemic Initiative (RSI) on the Blackfeet Reservation has uncovered the need for integration of local outdoor earth science activities into the current Full Option Science System (FOSS) curriculum used in the middle school classrooms. This information combined with the results of a teacher interest survey sent out to the Blackfeet educators in early 2004 indicates an interest in professional development (PD) that covers training in both earth science and field experiences. This research focuses on the earth science teachers and their use of outdoor activities in their science curriculum. Much research has been conducted on the learning styles of Native American students and show that these students have some tendency toward: global/holistic style of organizing information, visual style of mental representation in thinking, reflective style for information processing, and preference of collaborative work on assigned tasks (Hilberg and Tharp, 2002). Though native students generally perform poorly in science, the belief is that their learning styles matched with hands-on, outdoor instruction may improve the students' connection with science and their performance on science assessments. Therefore, the first step in the process is to work with the teachers through professional development in order to incorporate activities that match the learning styles of their students. The workshop designed for the middle school teachers on the Blackfeet Reservation provides support for teachers with regards to FOSS training, content, and activities at local field sites (example is the outdoor classroom at Cut Bank Creek outside of Browning, MT) specific to the Earth History FOSS kit activities chosen for the workshop. The field activities will highlight National and Montana Science Content Standards identified by the teachers and specifically Montana Science Content Standard 5 which reads: "Students understand how scientific knowledge and technological developments impact society." The specific focus on this standard provides opportunity for the "traditional" and "practical" earth science experiences to be "integrated into the more formal content approach of school science (Cajete, 1988)"; a format more accessible to native students."

  18. Analysis of an Interactive Technology Supported Problem-Based Learning STEM Project Using Selected Learning Sciences Interest Areas (SLSIA)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kumar, David Devraj

    2017-01-01

    This paper reports an analysis of an interactive technology-supported, problem-based learning (PBL) project in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) from a Learning Sciences perspective using the Selected Learning Sciences Interest Areas (SLSIA). The SLSIA was adapted from the "What kinds of topics do ISLS [International…

  19. Science FEST: Preservice Teachers link Math and Science in Astronomy Lessons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    DeMuth, N. H.; Kasabian, J.; Hacking, P. B.

    2005-12-01

    Funded by the National Science Foundation and corporate sponsored by Northrop Grumman, Science FEST (Science for Future Elementary School Teachers) aims to develop the science content and pedagogy for project participants by connecting their college coursework to the science they will eventually teach. Working individually and in pairs, future elementary and secondary school teachers design a comprehensive module in astronomy that is inquiry-based and reflects national and state science standards. Project participants then teach their module in local elementary or middle school classrooms. Science FEST project participants report gaining a deep understanding of the science they are teaching, learning to engage all students to explore science concepts, and reflecting on their teaching and how it can be improved. The project's website can be found at www.science-fest.org.

  20. An exploratory study of the influence of national and state standards on middle school science teachers' classroom assessment practices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McWaters, Kathy Jean

    2001-07-01

    Classroom assessment practices of middle school science teachers were identified and the influence of national and state science standards on these practices was examined. In Phase I of this study a mail questionnaire was sent to 450 middle school (grades 5,6,7 and 8) science teachers in 17 parishes in Louisiana to obtain information about their classroom assessment practices. In Phase II, nine middle school teachers in eight departmentalized classrooms, two classes at each grade, participated in a qualitative study. Data were collected through questionnaires, classroom observations, interviews and document analysis. Data analysis revealed three major categories of classroom assessment targets: (a) student achievement, (b) student attitudes and, (c) student products. Results indicated that most teachers are using different assessment methods when assessing different achievement targets, as recommended by science reform documents. It was also determined that many teachers are using appropriate methods to assess student learning. While teachers reported that students spend an inordinate amount of time engaged in assessment activities, classroom observations suggested that the activities were not always written tests or graded activities. Another key finding is that there is a disconnect between the quality of teaching and the quality of assessment. Teachers who teach the material recommended by science reform documents and use recommended instructional strategies were observed to stop teaching and engage students in a "test rehearsal" geared towards rote memorization of factual information. Data suggest that the national and state science content standards are influencing the content and the format of teacher-made tests. Teachers' reported using the standards during assessment construction or selection in a wide variety of ways. The most direct use of the standards reported was to select content, format and cognitive level for test items. A more circumspect approach used by teachers was to use the standards to write lesson plans and objectives and then to plan assessments based on these teacher-constructed objectives. Questionnaire data indicated that the three factors having the most influence on teachers' selection or construction of a particular type of assessment were: (a) how students learn, (b) alignment with state/district standards, and (c) purpose for assessment.

  1. A Statewide Partnership for Implementing Inquiry Science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lytle, Charles

    The North Carolina Infrastructure for Science Education (NC-ISE) is a statewide partnership for implementing standards-based inquiry science using exemplary curriculum materials in the public schools of North Carolina. North Carolina is the 11th most populous state in the USA with 8,000,000 residents, 117 school districts and a geographic area of 48,718 miles. NC-ISE partners include the state education agency, local school systems, three branches of the University of North Carolina, the state mathematics and science education network, businesses, and business groups. The partnership, based upon the Science for All Children model developed by the National Science Resources Centre, was initiated in 1997 for improvement in teaching and learning of science and mathematics. This research-based model has been successfully implemented in several American states during the past decade. Where effectively implemented, the model has led to significant improvements in student interest and student learning. It has also helped reduce the achievement gap between minority and non-minority students and among students from different economic levels. A key program element of the program is an annual Leadership Institute that helps teams of administrators and teachers develop a five-year strategic plan for their local systems. Currently 33 of the117 local school systems have joined the NC-ISE Program and are in various stages of implementation of inquiry science in grades K-8.

  2. Spiral and Project-Based Learning with Peer Assessment in a Computer Science Project Management Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jaime, Arturo; Blanco, José Miguel; Domínguez, César; Sánchez, Ana; Heras, Jónathan; Usandizaga, Imanol

    2016-01-01

    Different learning methods such as project-based learning, spiral learning and peer assessment have been implemented in science disciplines with different outcomes. This paper presents a proposal for a project management course in the context of a computer science degree. Our proposal combines three well-known methods: project-based learning,…

  3. Enabling People Who Are Blind to Experience Science Inquiry Learning through Sound-Based Mediation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Levy, S. T.; Lahav, O.

    2012-01-01

    This paper addresses a central need among people who are blind, access to inquiry-based science learning materials, which are addressed by few other learning environments that use assistive technologies. In this study, we investigated ways in which learning environments based on sound mediation can support science learning by blind people. We used…

  4. The pre-college teaching of geosciences in the USA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stewart, R.

    2003-04-01

    Most students in the USA learn about the earth in elementary and middle school, with most of the learning in middle schools (students who are 12 to 15 years old). A few students study geosciences in high school (ages 15 to 19). In some states, for example Texas, the high-school courses are being de-emphasized, and very few students take geoscience courses after they are 15 years old. As a result, most high-school graduates know little about such important issues as global warming, air pollution, or water quality. In the USA, the geoscience curriculum is guided by national and state standards for teaching mathematics and science. But the guidance is weak. Curricula are determined essentially by local school boards and teachers with some overview by state governments. For example, the State of Texas requires all students to pass standardized examinations in science at grades 5,10, and 11. The tests are based on the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, the state's version of the national standards. The teaching of the geosciences, especially oceanography, is hindered by the weak guidance provided by the national standards. Because of the lack of strong guidance, textbooks include far too much material with very weak ties between the geosciences. As a result, students learn many disconnected facts, not earth system science. Improvements in the teaching of the geosciences requires a clear statement of the important in the geosciences. Why must they be taught? What must be taught? What are the major themes of geoscience research? What is important for all to know?

  5. Sampling in the Snow: High School Winter Field Experiences Provide Relevant, Real World Connections Between Scientific Practices and Disciplinary Core Ideas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hanson, E. W.; Burakowski, E. A.

    2014-12-01

    For much of the northern United States, the months surrounding the winter solstice are times of increased darkness, low temperatures, and frozen landscapes. It's a time when many high school science educators, who otherwise would venture outside with their classes, hunker down and are wary of the outdoors. However, a plethora of learning opportunities lies just beyond the classroom. Working collaboratively, a high school science teacher and a snow scientist have developed multiple activities to engage students in the scientific process of collecting, analyzing and interpreting the winter world using snow data to (1) learn about the insulative properties of snow, and (2) to learn about the role of snow cover on winter climate through its reflective properties while participating in a volunteer network that collects snow depth, albedo (reflectivity), and density data. These outdoor field-based snow investigations incorporate Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and disciplinary core ideas, including ESS2.C: The roles of water in Earth's surface processes and ESS2.D: Weather and Climate. Additionally, the lesson plans presented address Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Mathematics, including the creation and analysis of bar graphs and time series plots (CCSS.Math.HSS-ID.A.1) and xy scatter plots (CCSS.Math.HSS-ID.B.6). High school students participating in the 2013/2014 snow sampling season described their outdoor learning experience as "authentic" and "hands-on" as compared to traditional class indoors. They emphasized that learning outdoors was essential to their understanding of underlying content and concepts because they "learn through actual experience."

  6. A case study of secondary teachers facilitating a historical problem-based learning instructional unit

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pecore, John L.

    Current curriculum trends promote inquiry-based student-centered strategies as a way to foster critical thinking and learning. Problem-based learning (PBL), a type of inquiry focusing on an issue or "problem," is an instructional approach taught on the basis that science reform efforts increase scientific literacy. PBL is a constructivist approach to learning real life problems where understanding is a function of content, context, experiences, and learner goals; historical PBL situates the lesson in a historical context and provides opportunities for teaching NOS concepts. While much research exists on the benefits of historical PBL to student learning in general, more research is warranted on how teachers implement PBL in the secondary science curriculum. The purpose of this study was to examine the classroom-learning environment of four science teachers implementing a historical PBL instructional unit to identify the teachers' understandings, successes and obstacles. By identifying teachers' possible achievements and barriers with implementing a constructivist philosophy when executing historical PBL, educators and curriculum designers may improve alignment of the learning environment to constructivist principles. A qualitative interpretive case study guided this research study. The four participants of this study were purposefully and conveniently selected from biology teachers with at least three years of teaching experience, degrees in education, State Licensure, and completion of a PBL workshop. Data collection consisted of pre and post questionnaires, structured interviews, a card sort activity in which participants categorized instructional outcomes, and participant observations. Results indicated that the four teachers assimilated reform-based constructivist practices to fit within their preexisting routines and highlighted the importance of incorporating teachers' current systems into reform-based teacher instruction. While participating teachers addressed a few NOS tenets, emphasizing the full range of possible NOS objectives included in historical PBL is warranted. This study also revealed the importance of creating a collaborative classroom culture and building positive student-teacher relationships when implementing PBL instruction. The four teachers agreed that the historical PBL instructional unit provided a context for learning state standards, and they positively viewed their experiences teaching the lesson. Thus findings from this study suggest that teaching science in a historical context using PBL can be effective.

  7. Supporting Reform-Oriented Secondary Science Teaching Through the Use of a Framework to Analyze Construction of Scientific Explanations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Richmond, Gail; Parker, Joyce M.; Kaldaras, Leonora

    2016-08-01

    The Next-Generation Science Standards (NGSS) call for a different approach to learning science. They promote three-dimensional (3D) learning that blends disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts and scientific practices. In this study, we examined explanations constructed by secondary science teacher candidates (TCs) as a scientific practice outlined in the NGSS necessary for supporting students' learning of science in this 3D way. We examined TCs' ability to give explanations that include explicit statements of underlying reasons for natural phenomena, as opposed to simply describing patterns or laws. In their methods courses, TCs were taught to organize explanations into a what/how/why framework, where what refers to what happens in specific cases (data or observations); how refers to how things usually happen and is equivalent to patterns or laws; and why refers to causal explanations or models. We examined TCs' ability to do this spontaneously and in a resource-rich environment as a first step in gauging their preparedness for NGSS-aligned teaching. We found that (1) the ability of TCs to articulate complete and accurate causal scientific explanations for phenomena exists along a continuum; (2) TCs in our sample whose explanations fell on the upper end of this continuum were more likely to provide complete and accurate explanations even in the absence of support from explicit standards; and (3) teacher candidate's ability to construct complete and accurate explanations did not correlate with cross-course performance or academic major. The implications of these findings for the preparation of teachers for NGSS-based science instruction are discussed.

  8. Long-Term Self-Regulation of Biology Learning Using Standard Junior High School Science Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eilam, Billie; Reiter, Shoshi

    2014-01-01

    In today's world of information explosion, independent lifelong self-regulated learning (SRL) is becoming a necessity. However, opportunities in schools to experience such learning modes are relatively rare. This long-term explorative field study examined students' SRL of science. Changes in students' self-reported and enacted SRL…

  9. Multi-Year Professional Development Grounded in Educative Curriculum Focused on Integrating Technology with Reformed Science Teaching Principles

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Longhurst, Max L.; Coster, Daniel C.; Wolf, Paul G.; Duffy, Aaron M.; Lee, Hyunju; Campbell, Todd

    2016-01-01

    Visions of science teaching and learning in the newest U.S. standards documents are dramatically different than those found in most classrooms. This research addresses these differences through closely examining one professional development (PD) project that connects teacher learning and teacher practice with student learning/achievement. This…

  10. Universal Design for Learning and Elementary School Science: Exploring the Efficacy, Use, and Perceptions of a Web-Based Science Notebook

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rappolt-Schlichtmann, Gabrielle; Daley, Samantha G.; Lim, Seoin; Lapinski, Scott; Robinson, Kristin H.; Johnson, Mindy

    2013-01-01

    Science notebooks can play a critical role in activity-based science learning, but the tasks of recording, organizing, analyzing, and interpreting data create barriers that impede science learning for many students. This study (a) assessed in a randomized controlled trial the potential for a web-based science notebook designed using the Universal…

  11. Laboratory Instruction in the Service of Science Teaching and Learning: Reinventing and Reinvigorating the Laboratory Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McComas, William

    2005-01-01

    The Benchmarks for Science Literacy and the National Science Education Standards strongly suggest that students should be engaged in hands-on learning. However, from many corners, the original "mental training" rationale for school labs has been criticized, the "cookbook" nature of laboratory exercises condemned, and the prevalence of using…

  12. Informing Future Learning Designs in Preservice Teacher Education through Quantitative Research: A Primary Science Example

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hudson, Peter

    2005-01-01

    Reform documents have provided a framework for advancing science education (e.g., The Australian National Science Standard Committee, 2002), but omit the need to assess preservice teachers prior knowledge for designing effective learning programs. A pretest-posttest 34-item survey linked to the course outcomes (associated with four constructs)…

  13. Learning about the Human Genome. Part 2: Resources for Science Educators. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haury, David L.

    This ERIC Digest identifies how the human genome project fits into the "National Science Education Standards" and lists Human Genome Project Web sites found on the World Wide Web. It is a resource companion to "Learning about the Human Genome. Part 1: Challenge to Science Educators" (Haury 2001). The Web resources and…

  14. Investigative Primary Science: A Problem-Based Learning Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Etherington, Matthew B.

    2011-01-01

    This study reports on the success of using a problem-based learning approach (PBL) as a pedagogical mode of learning open inquiry science within a traditional four-year undergraduate elementary teacher education program. In 2010, a problem-based learning approach to teaching primary science replaced the traditional content driven syllabus. During…

  15. Theme-Based Project Learning: Design and Application of Convergent Science Experiments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chun, Man-Seog; Kang, Kwang Il; Kim, Young H.; Kim, Young Mee

    2015-01-01

    This case study aims to verify the benefits of theme-based project learning for convergent science experiments. The study explores the possibilities of enhancing creative, integrated and collaborative teaching and learning abilities in science-gifted education. A convergent project-based science experiment program of physics, chemistry and biology…

  16. Unifying K-12 Learning Processes: Integrating Curricula through Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bosse, Michael J.; Fogarty, Elizabeth A.

    2011-01-01

    This study was designed to examine whether a set of cross-curricular learning processes could be found in the respective K-12 US national standards for math, language arts, foreign language, science, social studies, fine arts, and technology. Using a qualitative research methodology, the standards from the national associations for these content…

  17. Computational Experiments for Science and Engineering Education

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Xie, Charles

    2011-01-01

    How to integrate simulation-based engineering and science (SBES) into the science curriculum smoothly is a challenging question. For the importance of SBES to be appreciated, the core value of simulations-that they help people understand natural phenomena and solve engineering problems-must be taught. A strategy to achieve this goal is to introduce computational experiments to the science curriculum to replace or supplement textbook illustrations and exercises and to complement or frame hands-on or wet lab experiments. In this way, students will have an opportunity to learn about SBES without compromising other learning goals required by the standards and teachers will welcome these tools as they strengthen what they are already teaching. This paper demonstrates this idea using a number of examples in physics, chemistry, and engineering. These exemplary computational experiments show that it is possible to create a curriculum that is both deeper and wider.

  18. What Do Young Science Students Need to Learn about Variables?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kuhn, Deanna

    2016-01-01

    Have the Next Generation Science Standards fulfilled a goal of specifying the objectives of precollege science education in clear and exact enough terms to make them readily implementable? Using students' understanding of the concept of a variable as a case in point, the author suggests that the standards, despite their seeming precision and…

  19. Playing with Science: An Investigation of Young Children's Science Conceptions and Misconceptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smolleck, Lori; Hershberger, Vanessa

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this research was to investigate the conceptions and misconceptions of young children (ages 3-8) related to science concepts, skills, and phenomena. These conceptions and misconceptions were investigated within the framework of the Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards for Pre-Kindergarten and the Pennsylvania Standards for…

  20. Modeling as an Anchoring Scientific Practice for Explaining Friction Phenomena

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Neilson, Drew; Campbell, Todd

    2017-12-01

    Through examining the day-to-day work of scientists, researchers in science studies have revealed how models are a central sense-making practice of scientists as they construct and critique explanations about how the universe works. Additionally, they allow predictions to be made using the tenets of the model. Given this, alongside research suggesting that engaging students in developing and using models can have a positive effect on learning in science classrooms, the recent national standards documents in science education have identified developing and using models as an important practice students should engage in as they apply and refine their ideas with peers and teachers in explaining phenomena or solving problems in classrooms. This article details how students can be engaged in developing and using models to help them make sense of friction phenomena in a high school conceptual physics classroom in ways that align with visions for teaching and learning outlined in the Next Generation Science Standards. This particular unit has been refined over several years to build on what was initially an inquiry-based unit we have described previously. In this latest iteration of the friction unit, students developed and refined models through engaging in small group and whole class discussions and investigations.

  1. Affordances of Augmented Reality in Science Learning: Suggestions for Future Research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheng, Kun-Hung; Tsai, Chin-Chung

    2013-08-01

    Augmented reality (AR) is currently considered as having potential for pedagogical applications. However, in science education, research regarding AR-aided learning is in its infancy. To understand how AR could help science learning, this review paper firstly has identified two major approaches of utilizing AR technology in science education, which are named as image- based AR and location- based AR. These approaches may result in different affordances for science learning. It is then found that students' spatial ability, practical skills, and conceptual understanding are often afforded by image-based AR and location-based AR usually supports inquiry-based scientific activities. After examining what has been done in science learning with AR supports, several suggestions for future research are proposed. For example, more research is required to explore learning experience (e.g., motivation or cognitive load) and learner characteristics (e.g., spatial ability or perceived presence) involved in AR. Mixed methods of investigating learning process (e.g., a content analysis and a sequential analysis) and in-depth examination of user experience beyond usability (e.g., affective variables of esthetic pleasure or emotional fulfillment) should be considered. Combining image-based and location-based AR technology may bring new possibility for supporting science learning. Theories including mental models, spatial cognition, situated cognition, and social constructivist learning are suggested for the profitable uses of future AR research in science education.

  2. A Phenomenological Examination of Perceived Skills and Concepts Necessary for Teaching Scientific Thinking

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kapetanis, Ana Cristina

    The use of high stakes testing to improve educational outcomes falls short in many settings. Proposals for improvement include providing more opportunities for students to extend their thinking, gaining experience in the social nature of science, and learning how to interpret, explain, and justify results. This phenomenological qualitative project study took place in a small independent school in the southeastern United States that lacked a cohesive elementary science program and was looking to create a vertically aligned science curriculum based on constructivism. The research question asked what skills and concepts teachers believed should be included in an elementary science program in order for students to learn scientific inquiry to be better prepared for middle and upper school science subjects. Using focus groups, observations, and interviews of a small sample of 4 teachers, data were collected, transcribed, and categorized through open coding. Inductive analysis was employed to look for patterns and emerging themes that painted a picture of how teachers viewed the current science program and what attributes they felt were important in the creation of a new curriculum. The findings revealed that teachers felt there was lack of a vertically aligned science curriculum, availability of resources throughout the school, and consistent support to provide an effective science program. The recommendations called for developing an elementary science program that includes all strands proposed by the National Science Education Standards and would provide students with opportunities to engage in scientific inquiry, conduct detailed observations, and learn to support conclusions using data. The implications for positive social change include development of programs that result in integrated science learning.

  3. Exploring Earth Systems Through STEM

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Loris; Salmon, Jennifer; Burns, Courtney

    2015-04-01

    During the 2010 school year, grade 8 science teachers at Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School in Wyckoff, New Jersey, began using the draft of A Framework for K-12 Science Education to transition to the Next Generation Science Standards. In an evolutionary process of testing and revising, teachers work collaboratively to develop problem-based science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) units that integrate earth science, physical science, and life science topics. Students explore the interconnections of Earth's atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere through problem-based learning. Problem-based learning engages students in (1) direct observations in the field and classroom, (2) collection and analysis of data from remote sensors and hand-held sensors, and (3) analysis of physical, mathematical, and virtual models. Students use a variety of technologies and applications in their investigations, for example iPad apps, Google Classroom, and Vernier sensors. Data from NASA, NOAA, non-government organizations, and scientific research papers inspire student questions and spark investigations. Teachers create materials and websites to support student learning. Teachers curate reading, video, simulations, and other Internet resources for students. Because curriculum is standards-based as opposed to textbook-based, teacher participation in workshops and institutes frequently translates into new or improved study units. Recent programs include Toyota International Teacher Program to Costa Rica, Japan Society Going Global, Siemens STEM Academy, U.S. Naval Academy SET Sail, and NJSTA Maitland P. Simmons Memorial Award Summer Institute. Unit themes include weather and climate, introduction to general chemistry and biochemistry, and cells and heredity. Each if the three 12-week units has embedded engineering challenges inspired by current events, community needs, and/or the work of scientists. The unit segments begin with a problem, progress to observations and data collection, and end with an engineering application. English language arts and mathematics skills are developed through performance assessments that include written arguments that require students to state a claim and support the claim with evidence, analysis, and reasoning. Student selected capstone projects are completed during the final three weeks of the school year. Partnerships with universities, research scientists, and science centers are essential to the development of unit challenges. Collaborative projects have included studies of iron cycling in the Ross Sea with scientists from Rutgers University, climate and climate change using NASA data and resources from Liberty Science Center, human and natural impacts on endangered species with San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, and air quality monitoring with the University of Northern Iowa. Grant funds have supported student research projects involving air quality improvement, urban heat island mitigation, alternative energies, and sustainability.

  4. The South Carolina Amazing Coast Program: Using Ocean Sciences to Address Next Generation Science Standards in Grades 3-5

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bell, E. V.; Thomas, C.; Weiss, B.; Bliss, A.; Spence, L.

    2013-12-01

    The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are more inclusive of ocean sciences than the National Science Standards and respective state science standards. In response, the Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence-SouthEast (COSEE SE) is piloting the South Carolina's Amazing Coast (SCAC) program: a three-year initiative that incorporates ocean science concepts in grades 3-5 with the goals of addressing NGSS, STEM (science-technology-engineering-math) disciplines, and inquiry skills. The SCAC program targeted two Charleston County, South Carolina elementary schools that were demographically similar: Title 1 status (75% free or reduced lunch), > 90% African American student population, grade level size <55, and proximity to tidal salt marsh or barrier islands (< 2 miles). Fourteen teachers and approximately 240 students participated in the SCAC program between 2010 and 2013. The SCAC framework uses a scaffolding and multi-pronged approach for teacher professional development and student engagement. The scaffolding approach to curriculum implementation focuses on one grade level per year (Year 1 = 3rd; Year 2 = 4th, and Year 3 = 5th), thus building student and teacher literacy in ocean sciences. The coach-mentor model of teacher professional development was also used for the implementation of the program which differs from the traditional 'train the trainer' method in allowing for more frequent and consistent interaction by COSEE SE staff with the students and teachers during the school year. The coach mentor model enabled the creation of a community of practice where teachers served as both learners and practitioners of student learning. Methods for student engagement aligned with the NGSS and included hands-on classroom activities, use of 'hook' species such as loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta), diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) and smooth cord grass (Spartina alterniflora), field experiences to explore local ecosystems, interactions with marine scientists, and a capstone project incorporating STEM and inquiry skills. Specifically, third grade students learn about coastal habitats, animal and plant adaptations, and human impacts to the environment, and engage in a salt marsh restoration capstone project. This part of the curriculum aligns with the NGSS Core Ideas 3-LS1, 3-LS3, 3-LS4, 3-ESS3. The fourth grade students learn about weather, organism responses to the environment, and engage in a weather buoy construction capstone project. This part of the curriculum aligns with the NGSSS Core Ideas 4-LS1, 4-ESS2, 4-ESS3, 3-5-ETS1. In 5th grade, students focus specifically on the ocean ecosystem, human impacts on the environment and engage in a capstone project of designing and constructing remotely operated vehicles. This part of the curriculum aligns with NGSS Core Ideas 5-PS2, 5-LS1, 5-LS2, 5-ESS2, 3-5-ETS1. Initial evaluation results indicate that the SCAC teachers value the coach mentor approach for teacher professional development as well as the impact of field based experiences, place-based learning, and a culminating capstone project on student learning. Teacher feedback also indicates elements of sustainability that extend beyond the scope of the pilot project.These initial evaluation results poise the SCAC curriculum to be replicated in other southeastern states.

  5. Science writing heurisitc: A writing-to-learn strategy and its effect on student's science achievement, science self-efficacy, and scientific epistemological view

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Caukin, Nancy S.

    The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to determine if employing the writing-to-learn strategy known as a "Science Writing Heuristic" would positively effect students' science achievement, science self-efficacy, and scientific epistemological view. The publications Science for All American, Blueprints for Reform: Project 2061 (AAAS, 1990; 1998) and National Science Education Standards (NRC 1996) strongly encourage science education that is student-centered, inquiry-based, active rather than passive, increases students' science literacy, and moves students towards a constructivist view of science. The capacity to learn, reason, problem solve, think critically and construct new knowledge can potentially be experienced through writing (Irmscher, 1979; Klein, 1999; Applebee, 1984). Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) is a tool for designing science experiences that move away from "cookbook" experiences and allows students to design experiences based on their own ideas and questions. This non-traditional classroom strategy focuses on claims that students make based on evidence, compares those claims with their peers and compares those claims with the established science community. Students engage in reflection, meaning making based on their experiences, and demonstrate those understandings in multiple ways (Hand, 2004; Keys et al, 1999, Poock, nd.). This study involved secondary honors chemistry students in a rural prek-12 school in Middle Tennessee. There were n = 23 students in the group and n = 8 in the control group. Both groups participated in a five-week study of gases. The treatment group received the instructional strategy known as Science Writing Heuristic and the control group received traditional teacher-centered science instruction. The quantitative results showed that females in the treatment group outscored their male counterparts by 11% on the science achievement portion of the study and the males in the control group had a more constructivist scientific epistemological view after the study than the males in the treatment group. Two representative students, one male and one female, were chosen to participate in a case study for the qualitative portion of the study. Results of the case study showed that these students constructed meaning and enhanced their understanding of how gases behave, had a neutral (male) or positive (female) perception of how employing Science Writing Heuristic helped them to learn, had a favorable experience that positively influenced their self-confidence in science, and increased their scientific literacy as they engaged in science as scientist do.

  6. Developing the Learning Physical Science Curriculum: Adapting a Small Enrollment, Laboratory and Discussion Based Physical Science Course for Large Enrollments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goldberg, Fred; Price, Edward; Robinson, Stephen; Boyd-Harlow, Danielle; McKean, Michael

    2012-01-01

    We report on the adaptation of the small enrollment, lab and discussion based physical science course, "Physical Science and Everyday Thinking" (PSET), for a large-enrollment, lecture-style setting. Like PSET, the new "Learning Physical Science" (LEPS) curriculum was designed around specific principles based on research on learning to meet the…

  7. Developing a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum for professionalism and scientific integrity training for biomedical graduate students.

    PubMed

    Jones, Nancy L; Peiffer, Ann M; Lambros, Ann; Guthold, Martin; Johnson, A Daniel; Tytell, Michael; Ronca, April E; Eldridge, J Charles

    2010-10-01

    A multidisciplinary faculty committee designed a curriculum to shape biomedical graduate students into researchers with a high commitment to professionalism and social responsibility and to provide students with tools to navigate complex, rapidly evolving academic and societal environments with a strong ethical commitment. The curriculum used problem-based learning (PBL), because it is active and learner-centred and focuses on skill and process development. Two courses were developed: Scientific Professionalism: Scientific Integrity addressed discipline-specific and broad professional norms and obligations for the ethical practice of science and responsible conduct of research (RCR). Scientific Professionalism: Bioethics and Social Responsibility focused on current ethical and bioethical issues within the scientific profession, and implications of research for society. Each small-group session examined case scenarios that included: (1) learning objectives for professional norms and obligations; (2) key ethical issues and philosophies within each topic area; (3) one or more of the RCR instructional areas; and (4) at least one type of moral reflection. Cases emphasised professional standards, obligations and underlying philosophies for the ethical practice of science, competing interests of stakeholders and oversight of science (internal and external). To our knowledge, this is the first use of a longitudinal, multi-semester PBL course to teach scientific integrity and professionalism. Both faculty and students endorsed the active learning approach for these topics, in contrast to a compliance-based approach that emphasises learning rules and regulations.

  8. Reading instruction in science: Teachers' practices, beliefs, & self-efficacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morales, Christina M.

    The Common Core State Standards (CCSS, 2010) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS, 2013) call on science teachers to play a stronger role in helping students learn from informational science texts. Curriculum implementation efforts aimed at addressing these new standards should build on what teachers are already doing to help students with reading in their classrooms and the pedagogical issues that they feel are important to science learning. However, few current studies have gathered these important insights from science teachers. Aiming to fill this gap in the literature, this study attempted to describe middle school science teachers' current practices, beliefs, and self-efficacy regarding reading and reading instruction in their classrooms. A conceptual model hypothesizing that self-efficacy mediates the relationship between teachers' beliefs about how important reading instruction is to science learning and how often they provide reading instruction in their science classes was also tested. Participants (N = 247) reported that students regularly engaged in reading-related tasks in science class. Somer's D correlation analyses highlighted positive associations between the frequency with which teachers reported that students engaged in various reading-related tasks and the frequency with which they reported providing reading instruction for those tasks, suggesting that students tended to receive explicit instruction or coaching for the reading-related tasks they engaged in most often. Middle school science teachers also expressed positive beliefs about the importance of reading-related tasks and explicit instruction or coaching for reading in science and tended to take on responsibility for helping students become better readers of science texts. Last, a path analysis confirmed that the association between teachers' beliefs and practices was mediated through teachers' self-efficacy (beta = .07, p < .001). This suggests that self-efficacy can influence teacher practice: even if teachers believe that reading instruction is important or even essential to science learning, they might avoid or resist providing reading instruction if they do not feel efficacious in helping students become stronger readers of science texts.

  9. Rocky River Watershed Based Curriculum Guide Project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cox, Phillip Howard

    Environmental education has the ability to increase cognitive ability, have a positive impact on group work skills, attitudes and self-efficacy, and increase student performance. Due to Federal "No Child Left Behind Act" legislation, increased standardized testing has resulted in the disenfranchisement of students from formal learning. The purpose of this project was to develop a curriculum guide based on the Rocky River watershed so teachers could use the Rocky River watershed as a means to satisfy the objectives of the NC Standard Course of Study and at the same time increase student environmental awareness, classroom engagement, sense of place and scores on the NC Earth/Environmental Final Exams. The project was developed to correlate with the newly revised North Carolina Standard Course of Study for Earth/Environmental Science. The curriculum guide was developed by utilizing the best practices suggested by scientific literature, the NC Standard Course of Study for Earth/Environmental Science, the North American Association for Environmental Education and the National Education Association.

  10. Problem-based learning in elementary science methods: Exploring a format to prepare teachers for the 21st century

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Diercks, Rodney Wayne

    In order to meet the demands of the twenty-first century, national standards are calling for a new type of teacher to educate the future workforce. These standards include new methods for preparing teachers to address the challenging and complex issues facing educators and students. The Problem-Based Learning (PBL) method that has enjoyed success in medical training is showing promise in teacher education. The purpose of this blended case study was to describe the experiences of sixteen preservice teachers participating in a problem-based learning format while enrolled in a science methods class for elementary and middle school majors. The sixteen preservice teachers worked in collaborative groups mentored by inservice elementary and middle school teachers. The following five themes emerged regarding the effective implementation of PBL in teacher education: (1) The role of the instructor becomes one of facilitator; (2) The PBL process should be integrated throughout the entire course term; (3) The problems preservice teachers address must be challenging, personally relevant, and must build on their prior knowledge; (4) Students need to work collaboratively within the external conditions of safety, value, and freedom; (5) The solutions to the problems are most meaningful if students believe they can apply their solution to current and future classrooms. The Science Teacher Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI) was administered before and after the PBL experience. The results indicated an increase in the preservice teachers' self-efficacy in teaching science. The results from the STEBI support the qualitative findings of the study. The results of this study provide teacher education with a model for instruction that will help preservice teachers develop the skills and understandings of inquiry and inquiry-based methods needed to plan and teach successfully in their classrooms as well as collaborate and communicate with colleagues.

  11. Using the Geoscience Literacy Frameworks and Educational Technologies to Promote Science Literacy in Non-science Major Undergraduates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carley, S.; Tuddenham, P.; Bishop, K. O.

    2008-12-01

    In recent years several geoscience communities have been developing ocean, climate, atmosphere and earth science literacy frameworks as enhancements to the National Science Education Standards content standards. Like the older content standards these new geoscience literacy frameworks have focused on K-12 education although they are also intended for informal education and general public audiences. These geoscience literacy frameworks potentially provide a more integrated and less abstract approach to science literacy that may be more suitable for non-science major students that are not pursuing careers in science research or education. They provide a natural link to contemporary environmental issues - e.g., climate change, resource depletion, species and habitat loss, natural hazards, pollution, development of renewable energy, material recycling. The College of Exploration is an education research non-profit that has provided process and technical support for the development of most of these geoscience literacy frameworks. It has a unique perspective on their development. In the last ten years it has also gained considerable national and international expertise in facilitating web-based workshops that support in-depth conversations among educators and working scientists/researchers on important science topics. These workshops have been of enormous value to educators working in K-12, 4-year institutions and community colleges. How can these geoscience literacy frameworks promote more collaborative inquiry-based learning that enhances the appreciation of scientific thinking by non-majors? How can web- and mobile-based education technologies transform the undergraduate non-major survey course into a place where learners begin their passion for science literacy rather than end it? How do we assess science literacy in students and citizens?

  12. NGSS and the Next Generation of Science Teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bybee, Rodger W.

    2014-03-01

    This article centers on the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and their implications for teacher development, particularly at the undergraduate level. After an introduction to NGSS and the influence of standards in the educational system, the article addresses specific educational shifts—interconnecting science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts; recognizing learning progressions; including engineering; addressing the nature of science, coordinating with Common Core State Standards. The article continues with a general discussion of reforming teacher education programs and a concluding discussion of basic competencies and personal qualities of effective science teachers.

  13. The Acquisition of Integrated Science Process Skills in a Web-Based Learning Environment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saat, Rohaida Mohd

    2004-01-01

    Web-based learning is becoming prevalent in science learning. Some use specially designed programs, while others use materials available on the Internet. This qualitative case study examined the process of acquisition of integrated science process skills, particularly the skill of controlling variables, in a web-based learning environment among…

  14. Inquiry-based Learning and Digital Libraries in Undergraduate Science Education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Apedoe, Xornam S.; Reeves, Thomas C.

    2006-12-01

    The purpose of this paper is twofold: to describe robust rationales for integrating inquiry-based learning into undergraduate science education, and to propose that digital libraries are potentially powerful technological tools that can support inquiry-based learning goals in undergraduate science courses. Overviews of constructivism and situated cognition are provided with regard to how these two theoretical perspectives have influenced current science education reform movements, especially those that involve inquiry-based learning. The role that digital libraries can play in inquiry-based learning environments is discussed. Finally, the importance of alignment among critical pedagogical dimensions of an inquiry-based pedagogical framework is stressed in the paper, and an example of how this can be done is presented using earth science education as a context.

  15. Status of Standards Implementation in Anchorage Secondary Schools: A Concerns Based Acceptance Model (CBAM) Review, 2001-2002.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fenton, Ray

    The Concerns Based Acceptance Model (CBAM) has been a key element in developing and assessing the implementation of science and mathematics programs over the past 20 years. CBAM provides an organized approach to assessing where people stand as they learn about, and accept, changes in organizations. This study examined the status of the adoption of…

  16. Conceptual Change in Understanding the Nature of Science Learning: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    DiBenedetto, Christina M.

    This study is the first of its kind to explore the thoughts, beliefs, attitudes and values of secondary educators as they experience conceptual change in their understanding of the nature of science learning vis a vis the Framework for K-12 Science Education published by the National Research Council. The study takes aim at the existing gap between the vision for science learning as an active process of inquiry and current pedagogical practices in K-12 science classrooms. For students to understand and explain everyday science ideas and succeed in science studies and careers, the means by which they learn science must change. Focusing on this change, the study explores the significance of educator attitudes, beliefs and values to science learning through interpretive phenomenological analysis around the central question, "In what ways do educators understand and articulate attitudes and beliefs toward the nature of science learning?" The study further explores the questions, "How do educators experience changes in their understanding of the nature of science learning?" and "How do educators believe these changes influence their pedagogical practice?" Study findings converge on four conceptions that science learning: is the action of inquiry; is a visible process initiated by both teacher and learner; values student voice and changing conceptions is science learning. These findings have implications for the primacy of educator beliefs, attitudes and values in reform efforts, science teacher leadership and the explicit instruction of both Nature of Science and conceptual change in educator preparation programs. This study supports the understanding that the nature of science learning is cognitive and affective conceptual change. Keywords: conceptual change, educator attitudes and beliefs, framework for K-12 science education, interpretive phenomenological analysis, nature of science learning, next generation science standards, science professional development, secondary science education.

  17. A Case Study of the Implementation of Chinese Kindergarten Mathematics Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hu, Bi Ying; Fuentes, Sarah Quebec; Wang, Chun Yan; Ye, Feiwei

    2014-01-01

    In 2001, the Chinese Ministry of Education issued Guidelines for Preschool Education (GPE) (trial version) to call on early childhood practitioners to use a child-centered and play-based approach to teaching and learning. The guidelines also include mathematics within the science domain and described its standards in a way that significantly…

  18. NASA CONNECT: Dancing in the Night Sky. [Videotape].

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Hampton, VA. Langley Research Center.

    NASA CONNECT is a research and standards-based annual series of integrated mathematics, science, and technology instructional distance learning programs for students in grades 6-8. This program has three components: (1) a 30-minute television broadcast which can be viewed live or taped for later use; (2) a companion educator's guide including a…

  19. Resident and student education in otolaryngology: A 10-year update on e-learning.

    PubMed

    Tarpada, Sandip P; Hsueh, Wayne D; Gibber, Marc J

    2017-07-01

    E-learning, in its most rudimentary form, is the use of Internet-based resources for teaching and learning purposes. In surgical specialties, this definition encompasses the use of virtual patient cases, digital modeling, and online tutorials, as well as standardized video and imaging. As new technological frontiers rapidly emerge within otolaryngology, e-learning may be an effective alternative to traditional teaching. Here we present a systematic review of the literature assessing the efficacy of e-learning for otolaryngology education and a discussion of the relevance of these programs for both medical students and residents within the field. Systematic review. A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library was conducted according to the guidelines defined in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement. Twelve studies met inclusion criteria. These studies measured a range of outcomes from basic science anatomical knowledge to clinically relevant endpoints such as diagnostic accuracy. Nearly all of the studies reported greater satisfaction and/or significantly increased objective knowledge using the e-learning intervention compared to traditional techniques. E-learning proves to be a powerful alternative to standard teaching techniques within otolaryngology education for both residents and medical students. Future work should focus on validating specific e-learning programs and accessing long-term knowledge retention using these innovative platforms. NA Laryngoscope, 127:E219-E224, 2017. © 2016 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

  20. Teaching about Complex Systems Is No Simple Matter: Building Effective Professional Development for Computer-Supported Complex Systems Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yoon, Susan A.; Anderson, Emma; Koehler-Yom, Jessica; Evans, Chad; Park, Miyoung; Sheldon, Josh; Schoenfeld, Ilana; Wendel, Daniel; Scheintaub, Hal; Klopfer, Eric

    2017-01-01

    The recent next generation science standards in the United States have emphasized learning about complex systems as a core feature of science learning. Over the past 15 years, a number of educational tools and theories have been investigated to help students learn about complex systems; but surprisingly, little research has been devoted to…

  1. The Effect of Reform-Based Science Teaching on SES-Associated Achievement Gap on PISA 2006: A Comparative Study of the United States and Taiwan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tang, Nai-En

    The goal of this study is to examine how reform-based science teaching has been implemented and whether reform-based science teaching has promoted education equity through being available and beneficial for students from different socioeconomic status (SES) family backgrounds in the U.S. and Taiwan. No existing study used large-scale assessment to investigate the implementation and outcomes of the science reform movement in the U.S. and Taiwan. This study was developed to fill this gap using the Program of International Student Assessment (PISA) 2006 data including 5,611 students in the United States and 5995 students in Taiwan. A Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was used to classify students into different science learning subgroups to understand how broadly reform-based science learning has been implemented in classrooms. The results showed that students in the U.S. had more opportunity to learn science through the reform-based learning activities than students in Taiwan. Latent Class Regression (LCR) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were used for examining the availability of reform-based science teaching in both countries. The results showed that in the U.S., higher SES students had more opportunity to learn science reform-based learning activities. On the other hand, students' SES had no association with reform-based science learning in Taiwan. Regression Mixture Modeling and SEM were used to examine whether there was an association between reform-based science teaching and SES-associated achievement gaps. The results found no evidence to support the claim that reform-based science teaching helps to minimize SES-associated achievement gaps in both countries.

  2. The Place of Social Science in Medical Education: A Case Study of Language and Culture in Experiential Learning in a Multilingual Society

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marcus, Tessa S.

    2011-01-01

    The ?"biopsychosocial model"? is the education paradigm of knowledge that is expected to inform medical practice. Yet in medical education, medical science is the gold standard. Social science barely features in the formal curriculum, and when it does, it is considered best done through experiential learning. This paper analyses…

  3. A Meta-Analytic Review of Graphic Organizers and Science Instruction for Adolescents with Learning Disabilities: Implications for the Intermediate and Secondary Science Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dexter, Douglas D.; Park, Youn J.; Hughes, Charles A.

    2011-01-01

    This article presents a meta-analysis of experimental and quasi-experimental studies in which intermediate and secondary students with learning disabilities were taught science content through the use of graphic organizers (GOs). Following an exhaustive search for studies meeting specified selection criteria, 23 standardized mean effect sizes were…

  4. Cool Astronomy: Education and Public Outreach for the WISE mission

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mendez, Bryan J.

    2011-01-01

    The Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) program of the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) aims to educate and engage students, teachers, and the general public in the endeavor of science. We bring a collection of accomplished professionals in formal and informal astronomy education from around the nation to create learning materials and experiences that appeal to broad audiences. Our E/PO program trains teachers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics related to WISE; creates standards-based classroom resources and lessons using WISE data and WISE-related STEM topics; develops interactive programming for museums and science centers; and inspires the public with WISE science and images.

  5. Issues in Informal Education: Event-Based Science Communication Involving Planetaria and the Internet

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Adams, M.; Gallagher, D. L.; Whitt, A.; Six, N. Frank (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    For the past four years the Science Directorate at Marshall Space Flight Center has carried out a diverse program of science communication through the web resources on the Internet. The program includes extended stories about NAS.4 science, a curriculum resource for teachers tied to national education standards, on-line activities for students, and webcasts of real-time events. Events have involved meteor showers, solar eclipses, natural very low frequency radio emissions, and amateur balloon flights. In some cases broadcasts accommodate active feedback and questions from Internet participants. We give here, examples of events, problems, and lessons learned from these activities.

  6. Redesigning Problem-Based Learning in the Knowledge Creation Paradigm for School Science Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yeo, Jennifer; Tan, Seng Chee

    2014-01-01

    The introduction of problem-based learning into K-12 science classrooms faces the challenge of achieving the dual goal of learning science content and developing problem-solving skills. To overcome this content-process tension in science classrooms, we employed the knowledge-creation approach as a boundary object between the two seemingly…

  7. Pasta Power

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duran, Lena B.

    2003-01-01

    A prominent theme permeating national science education reform reports such as the "National Science Education Standards" (National Research Council [NRC], 1996) and "Project 2061: Science for All Americans" (Rutherford & Alhgren, 1990) recommends the incorporation of cooperative learning in the science classroom. Although…

  8. Explorations in Statistics: Standard Deviations and Standard Errors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Curran-Everett, Douglas

    2008-01-01

    Learning about statistics is a lot like learning about science: the learning is more meaningful if you can actively explore. This series in "Advances in Physiology Education" provides an opportunity to do just that: we will investigate basic concepts in statistics using the free software package R. Because this series uses R solely as a vehicle…

  9. Inquiry-Based Learning in China: Lesson Learned for School Science Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nuangchalerm, Prasart

    2014-01-01

    Inquiry-based learning is widely considered for science education in this era. This study aims to explore inquiry-based learning in teacher preparation program and the findings will help us to understanding what inquiry-based classroom is and how inquiry-based learning are. Data were collected by qualitative methods; classroom observation,…

  10. A comparison of Massachusetts and Texas high school biology teachers' attitudes towards the teaching of evolution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Howarth, Richard T.

    Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection is considered to be the unifying theory for all life sciences (American Association for the Advancement of Science, AAAS, 1990; National Academy of Sciences, 1998; National Research Council, NRC, 1996; National Science Teachers Association, NSTA, 2010a) and as such, the biology topic has been established as a central learning standard by the National Science Education Science Standards (NSES, 2005). The purpose of this study was to compare how Massachusetts and Texas high school biology teachers' attitudes toward the teaching of evolution differ as compared to other biology topics. Texas and Massachusetts are two states that exemplify standards based education yet differ dramatically in their histories surrounding the topic of evolution. A survey was conducted among 217 Massachusetts and 139 Texas in-service high school biology teachers to help provide a sense of the phenomena surrounding biology teachers in respect to how their attitudes towards the teaching of evolution are shaped. Additionally, an open-ended question was asked to help contextualize the results of the survey between teachers of these two states. The findings in this study suggest that community appears to be a powerful persuasive message and socialization experience that shapes the development of attitudes towards evolution for some educators, especially when it is highly intertwined with religion. For biology teachers in the state of Texas, the synergistic result of this relationship has resulted in statistically significant differences in regards to attitudes towards evolution as compared to teachers in Massachusetts. These findings yield implications regarding scientific literacy, student learning, assessment, the quality of science instruction, curriculum, undergraduate biology programs, and the needs of biology teachers in terms of professional development.

  11. Evaluating the Effectiveness of the 2001-2002 NASA "Why?" Files Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pinelli, Thomas E.; Frank, Kari Lou; Lambert, Matthew A.

    2002-01-01

    This report contains the results of the evaluation conducted for the 2001-2002 NASA 'Why?' Files program that was conducted in March 2002. The analysis is based on the results of 139 surveys collected from educators registered for the program. Respondents indicated that (1) the programs in the series are aligned with the national mathematics, science, and technology standards; (2) the programs are developmentally (grade level) appropriate; and (3) the programs enhance and enrich the teaching and learning of mathematics, science, and technology.

  12. Using science soundly: The Yucca Mountain standard

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fri, R.W.

    1995-09-01

    Using sound science to shape government regulation is one of the most hotly argued topics in the ongoing debate about regulatory reform. Even though no one advaocates using unsound science, the belief that even the best science will sweep away regulatory controversy is equally foolish. As chair of a National Research Council (NRC) committee that studied the scientific basis for regulating high-level nuclear waste disposal, the author learned that science alone could resolve few of the key regulatory questions. Developing a standard that specifies a socially acceptable limit on the human health effects of nuclear waste releases involves many decisions.more » As the NRC committee learned in evaluating the scientific basis for the Yucca Mountain standard, a scientifically best decision rarely exists. More often, science can only offer a useful framework and starting point for policy debates. And sometimes, science`s most helpful contribution is to admit that it has nothing to say. The Yucca mountain study clearly illustrates that excessive faith in the power of science is more likely to produce messy frustration than crisp decisions. A better goal for regulatory reform is the sound use of science to clarify and contain the inevitable policy controversy.« less

  13. Building Learning Communities for Research Collaboration and Cross-Cultural Enrichment in Science Education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sparrow, E. B.

    2003-12-01

    The GLOBE program has provided opportunities for environmental science research and education collaborations among scientists, teachers and K-12 students, and for cross-cultural enrichment nationally and abroad. In Alaska, GLOBE has also provided funding leverage in some cases, and a base for several other science education programs that share a common goal of increasing student interest, understanding, process skills and achievement in science, through involvement in ongoing research investigations. These programs that use GLOBE methodologies (standardized scientific measurements and learning activities developed by scientists and educators) are: Global Change Education Using Western Science and Native Knowledge also known as "Observing Locally, Connecting Globally" (OLCG); Alaska Earth System Science Education Alliance: Improving Understanding of Climate Variability and Its Relevance to Rural Alaska; Schoolyard Long Term Ecological Research; Alaska Rural Research Partnership; Alaska Partnership for Teacher Enhancement; Alaska Lake Ice and Snow Observatory Network; Alaska Boreal Forest Council Education Outreach; Calypso Farm and Ecology Center; Environmental Education Outreach; and also GLOBE Arctic POPs (persistent organic pollutants) a program that involves countries in the circumpolar North. The University of Alaska GLOBE Partnership has collaborated with the BLM Campbell Creek Science Center Globe Partnership in facilitating GLOBE Training Workshops and providing teacher support. GLOBE's extensive website including data entry, archive, analysis and visualization capabilities; GLOBE Teacher Guide, videos and other materials provided; excellent GLOBE science research and education staff, training support office, GLOBE help desk, alignment of GLOBE curriculum with national science education standards and GLOBE certification of teachers trained on even just one GLOBE investigation, have made it easier to implement GLOBE in the classroom. Using GLOBE, whole classes of students have engaged in and contributed data to science investigations. In Alaska, classes and individual students have conducted their own inquiry studies and have successfully presented their investigations and competed at science fairs and statewide high school science symposium and international conferences. Two students presented their research investigations at the GLOBE Learning Expedition in Croatia and four students presented their study at the GLOBE Arctic POPs Conference in Sweden. These students increased not only their understanding and knowledge of science but also in appreciation of people in other countries and their cultures. Friendships have also bloomed. The learning community in Alaska has expanded to include family and community members including Native elders (using OLCG), teachers, scientists and students from other countries. The following challenges remain: 1) getting funds to be able to provide GLOBE equipment and continuous support to GLOBE teachers and students throughout the year, 2) reaching teachers and students in remote areas, 3) rapid teacher turn-over rate in rural areas, 4) using inquiry-based pedagogies during GLOBE professional development workshops including the opportunity for teacher participants to conduct their own inquiries during the workshop, 5) time, school curriculum and national education requirement constraints, 6) involving school administrators, and more local scientists and community members, and 7) providing culturally relevant and responsive science education programs and life-long learning communities.

  14. Real Science for Real Science Teachers: Providing Astrobiology Science Content and Contemporary Pedagogy for Today's Educators Online

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Offerdahl, E. G.; Prather, E. E.; Slater, T. F.

    2003-12-01

    As teachers strive to improve the way science is taught in the classroom, many are turning to the interdisciplinary science of astrobiology as a way integrate inquiry effectively in the science classroom. However, it is generally recognized that teachers do not often have easy access to understandable and usable cutting-edge science to enrich their science lessons. Through the generous support of the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI), middle and high school teachers have the opportunity to learn current and provocative scientific results within the context of astrobiology as well as receive training in pedagogically sound methods of incorporating astrobiology appropriately in the classroom. In Astrobiology for Teachers, a 15-week on-line distance learning course co-sponsored by NAI, the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Professional Development Institute, National Teachers Enhancement Network (NTEN), Montana State University, and the Department of Astronomy at University of Arizona, teachers engage in a virtual classroom facilitated by an integrated teaching team of educators and scientists using a standards-based, inquiry curriculum. The collaborative nature of the course encourages, demonstrates, and enhances a professional exchange among scientists and educators which, in turn, fosters implementation of innovative science teaching in today's classroom.

  15. Participating in Authentic Science with the Aid of Learning Progressions through Mission Earth Workshops

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lewis, P. M., Jr.; Taylor, J.; Harte, T.; Czajkowski, K. P.

    2016-12-01

    "MISSION EARTH: Fusing GLOBE with NASA Assets to Build Systemic Innovation In STEM Education" is one of the new education cooperative agreements funded by the NASA Science Mission Directorate. Students will learn how to conduct "real science" through hands-on data collection using Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) protocols combined with other NASA science educational materials. This project aims to work with educators spanning the full K-12 range, requiring three grade bands of learning progressions and vertical alignment among materials and resources to best meet classroom needs. From K to 12 students have vastly different abilities to conduct and learn from scientific investigations. Hand-picked NASA assets will provide appropriate exposure across the curriculum and grade bands, and we are developing unique learning progressions that bring together GLOBE protocols for data collection and learning activities, NASA data sets through MY NASA DATA for data comparison, and more. The individual materials are not limited to science, but also include all elements of STEM with literacy components added in where appropriate. This will give the students an opportunity to work on better understanding the world around them in a well-rounded way, and offer cross-subject/classroom exposure to improve student understanding. To ensure that these learning progressions can continue to be used in the classroom in the future, alignment to the Next Generation Science Standards will help frame all of the materials and products. The learning progressions will be living documents that will change based on context. After several iterations, it is our goal to produce learning progressions for grades K-12 that will allow any STEM teacher to pick up and infuse NASA and GLOBE in their classroom at any location and at any time in their school year. This presentation will share results from the first year of development for this project.

  16. Simulation-Based e-Learning Tools for Science,Engineering, and Technology Education(SimBeLT)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Davis, Doyle V.; Cherner, Y.

    2006-12-01

    The focus of Project SimBeLT is the research, development, testing, and dissemination of a new type of simulation-based integrated e-learning set of modules for two-year college technical and engineering curricula in the areas of thermodynamics, fluid physics, and fiber optics that can also be used in secondary schools and four-year colleges. A collection of sophisticated virtual labs is the core component of the SimBeLT modules. These labs will be designed to enhance the understanding of technical concepts and underlying fundamental principles of these topics, as well as to master certain performance based skills online. SimBeLT software will help educators to meet the National Science Education Standard that "learning science and technology is something that students do, not something that is done to them". A major component of Project SimBeLT is the development of multi-layered technology-oriented virtual labs that realistically mimic workplace-like environments. Dynamic data exchange between simulations will be implemented and links with instant instructional messages and data handling tools will be realized. A second important goal of Project SimBeLT labs is to bridge technical skills and scientific knowledge by enhancing the teaching and learning of specific scientific or engineering subjects. SimBeLT builds upon research and outcomes of interactive teaching strategies and tools developed through prior NSF funding (http://webphysics.nhctc.edu/compact/index.html) (Project SimBeLT is partially supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation DUE-0603277)

  17. Learning progressions from a sociocultural perspective: response to "co-constructing cultural landscapes for disciplinary learning in and out of school: the next generation science standards and learning progressions in action"

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tytler, Russell

    2016-10-01

    This article discusses a case for a different, socio-cultural way of looking at learning progressions as treated in the next generation science standards (NGSS) as described by Ralph Cordova and Phyllis Balcerzak's paper "Co-constructing cultural landscapes for disciplinary learning in and out of school: the next generation science standards and learning progressions in action". The paper is interesting for a number of reasons, and in this response I will identify different aspects of the paper and link the points made to my own research, and that of colleagues, as complementary perspectives. First, the way that the science curriculum is conceived as an expanding experience that moves from the classroom into the community, across subjects, and across time, links to theoretical positions on disciplinary literacies and notions of learning as apprenticeship into the discursive tools, or `habits of mind' as the authors put it, that underpin disciplinary practice. Second, the formulation of progression through widening communities of practice is a strong feature of the paper, and shows how children take on the role of scientists through this expanding exposure. I will link this approach to some of our own work with school—community science partnerships, drawing on the construct of boundary crossing to tease out relations between school science and professional practice. Third, the demonstration of the expansion of the children's view of what scientists do is well documented in the paper, illustrated by Figure 13 for instance. However I will, in this response, try to draw out and respond to what the paper is saying about the nature of progression; what the progression consists of, over what temporal or spatial dimensions it progresses, and how it can productively frame curriculum processes.

  18. Digital Badges for STEM Learning in Secondary Contexts: A Mixed Methods Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Elkordy, Angela

    The deficit in STEM skills is a matter of concern for national economies and a major focus for educational policy makers. The development of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) has resulted in a rapidly changing workforce of global scale. In addition, ICT have fostered the growth of digital and mobile technologies which have been the learning context, formal and informal, for a generation of youth. The purpose of this study was to design an intervention based upon a competency-based, digitally-mediated, learning intervention: digital badges for learning STEM habits of mind and practices. Designed purposefully, digital badge learning trajectories and criteria can be flexible tools for scaffolding, measuring, and communicating the acquisition of knowledge, skills, or competencies. One of the most often discussed attributes of digital badges, is the ability of badges to motivate learners. However, the research base to support this claim is in its infancy; there is little empirical evidence. A skills-based digital badge intervention was designed to demonstrate mastery learning in key, age-appropriate, STEM competencies aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and other educational standards. A mixed methods approach was used to study the impact of a digital badge intervention in the sample middle and high school population. Among the findings were statistically significant measures which substantiate that in this student population, the digital badges increased perceived competence and motivated learners to persist at task.

  19. Representation and Analysis of Chemistry Core Ideas in Science Education Standards between China and the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wan, Yanlan; Bi, Hualin

    2016-01-01

    Chemistry core ideas play an important role in students' chemistry learning. On the basis of the representations of chemistry core ideas about "substances" and "processes" in the Chinese Chemistry Curriculum Standards (CCCS) and the U.S. Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), we conduct a critical comparison of chemistry…

  20. "Theme" Bee

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Noel, Andrea M.; Cash, Julie Shornstein

    2006-01-01

    Thematic topics offer tremendous potential for science learning in the early grades and beyond. One second-grade class explored honeybees, a subject their teacher found both fascinating and easy to connect to a number of learning standards and science concepts. Her unit, "Honeybees and Apple Trees: A Close Look at Nature's Balancing Act," explored…

  1. Science 2.0: When Students Become Digital Citizens

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Ben; Mader, Jared

    2016-01-01

    Modern science learning requires the use of digital tools and a shift in teaching philosophy and pedagogy. The backbone to this shift rests in a yet unaddressed skill: digital citizenship. The authors discuss the Digital Citizen standard where "students (will) recognize the rights, responsibilities, and opportunities of living, learning, and…

  2. Results and Implications of a 12-Year Longitudinal Study of Science Concept Learning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Novak, Joseph D.

    2005-03-01

    This paper describes the methods and outcomes of a 12-year longitudinal study into the effects of an early intervention program, while reflecting back on changes that have occurred in approaches to research, learning and instruction since the preliminary inception stages of the study in the mid 1960s. We began the study to challenge the prevailing consensus at the time that primary school children were either preoperational or concrete operational in their cognitive development and they could not learn abstract concepts. Our early research, based on Ausubelian theory, suggested otherwise. The paper describes the development and implementation of a Grade 1-2 audio tutorial science instructional sequence, and the subsequent tracing over 12 years, of the children's conceptual understandings in science compared to a matched control group. During the study the concept map was developed as a new tool to trace children's conceptual development. We found that students in the instruction group far outperformed their non-instructed counterparts, and this difference increased as they progressed through middle and high school. The data clearly support the earlier introduction of science instruction on basic science concepts, such as the particulate nature of matter, energy and energy transformations. The data suggest that national curriculum standards for science grossly underestimate the learning capabilities of primary-grade children. The study has helped to lay a foundation for guided instruction using computers and concept mapping that may help both teachers and students become more proficient in understanding science.

  3. Science 2.0: Communicating Science Creatively

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Ben; Mader, Jared

    2017-01-01

    This column shares web tools that support learning. The authors have been covering the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards in every issue since September 2016. This article examines the final standard, called Creative Communicator, which requires students to communicate effectively and creatively express themselves…

  4. The earth in technological balance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stout, Dorothy L.

    1998-08-01

    The K-12 National Science Education Standards have been developed and published by the National Research Council (1995)to "improve scientific literacy across the nation to prepare our students to be scientifically literate". The Standards stress that a quality science education requires an "active learning" approach to science inquiry within the areas of science teaching, professional development, assessment, science content, science education programs and science education systems. In this time of increasing technological advance, the equal treatment of earth and space science alongside biology, physics and chemistry bodes well for the future.

  5. Teaching practices and professional development of biology professors at small, private, liberal arts colleges in the Southeast

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mallory, Sarah Elizabeth Bradford

    Science teaching in pre-college institutions has been undergoing reform in recent years, particularly since 1996, when the National Science Education Standards were published. This reform includes inquiry-based teaching, student-centered classrooms, authentic assessment, and collaborative learning. Professional development is also recommended in the Standards document as the means for preparing teachers for reform-based teaching in pre-college classrooms. In post-secondary institutions, there is no curriculum-governing body to institute reform, and college faculty have devised their own standards and methods for teaching science, most often in the form of lecture and traditional procedure-driven laboratory exercises. This study was conducted to find examples of reform-based biology teaching in small, private, liberal arts colleges in the Southeast, where teaching innovations may be more likely to occur due to the size and independence of the schools. Professional development opportunities were also examined, since these would be important in the development of new curricula and methods of teaching. Data were collected from 151 participants, representing 78.3% of these colleges in eight southeastern states, by survey and from three volunteers by on-site interviews. Teaching was the main responsibility reported by all respondents, with both lower and upper level biology courses taught by all participants. Significant differences were found in the use of reform-based teaching in lower level biology courses versus upper level biology courses. Overall average use of inquiry-based teaching was 70.5%, while student-centered learning was reported on average by 57% of respondents, authentic assessment was reported on average by 56.6% of respondents, and collaborative learning was reported on average by 56% of respondents. Professional development opportunities most frequently used were reported to be journal, books, and videotapes. Multivariate regression analyses revealed that professional development which involves contact with colleagues at other institutions explained the variance in teaching practices in the simplest model, although much of the variance in the dependent variables of teaching practices remains unexplained. Qualitative data from the survey and also from interviews with volunteers served to further explain and corroborate the quantitative findings.

  6. Moving toward equitable, systemic science education reform: The synergy among science education and school-level reforms in an urban middle school

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kelly, Mary Kathryn

    The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of the relationships among school-level and science education reform efforts and how, collectively, they contribute to the progress of equitable, systemic science education reform. A case study research design was employed to gather both qualitative and quantitative data between 1995 and 1999. The site of this study is a non-selective, urban middle school in a large district that participated in several reform efforts. These reforms include both efforts focused on school-level change and efforts focused on change in science teaching and learning. Its program incorporates aspects of several school-level reforms---from the underlying Paideia philosophy, to structural characteristics of middle schools, to site-based decision-making, to its status as a magnet school, to its participation as a professional development school. Further, the participation of all science teachers in the intensive, standards-based professional development offered by Ohio's systemic reform of mathematics and science created a critical mass of reform-oriented teachers who supported one another as they incorporated reform-based practices into their teaching. The interplay of the reform efforts has manifested in a high level of science achievement in comparison to the school's district. Addressing the third component of O'Day and Smith's model for systemic reform, the need for school-level change to enable implementation of curriculum frameworks and aligned policies, this study illustrates two important points. First, the high-quality teacher professional development increased teachers' capacity to change their practices by enhancing their knowledge of and skills in implementing standards-based teaching practices. Second, because of the synchrony among the school-level reforms and between the school-level and science education reforms, the context of Webster provided a supportive environment in which lasting changes in science teaching and learning were implemented. Science education reform efforts were mediated by the school's context to create an environment in which the reform practices could be implemented and sustained. Using Kahle's (1998) Equity Metric, this study demonstrates that the synergy of the policies and practices of school-level and science education reforms can contribute to the progress of equitable, systemic science education reform.

  7. Engaging Nature of Science to Preservice Teachers through Inquiry-Based Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nuangchalerm, Prasart

    2013-01-01

    Inquiry-based classroom is widely distributed in the school science based on its useful and effective instruction. Science teachers are key elements allowing students to have scientific inquiry. If teachers understand and imply inquiry-based learning into science classroom, students will learn science as scientific inquiry and understand nature of…

  8. The Kansas Collaborative Research Network, KanCRN: Teaching science content through process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Case, Steven B.

    The Kansas Collaborative Research Network, KanCRN is an Internet-based research community, in which citizens, teachers and students can engage in authentic, meaningful scientific inquiry. Recent efforts to reform science education in the United States have strongly emphasized that understanding of the nature of science is an essential component of general scientific literacy. The National Science Education Standards suggest that engaging students in scientific inquiry is one opportunity to develop an understanding of the nature of science. Extending the philosophical understanding of science to specific science classroom organization, KanCRN is large-scale, systemic project that attempts to achieve the vision of scientific inquiry in the National Science Education Standards. The underlying question of standards-based reform still remains; does participation in scientific inquiry provide compelling evidence of an increase in the understanding of the process of science and the ability to apply these skills in novel situations? This study took advantage of the Kansas City Kansas Public Schools involvement in districtwide systemic reform, First Things First. Each year the students in grades 3--12 complete a district First Things First questionnaire. Since longitudinal measures of student attitudes are generally difficult to obtain, this study tapped into this wealth of attitude measures gained from these questionnaires. These data sets include general demographics of the students, attitudinal data toward school and learning, and general achievement data. Running a factor analysis on these data sets allowed factoring out the influence of non-critical variables. In running this initial factor analysis of the First Things First data sets, several factors emerged as related to student's academic success on the Science Performance Assessment; Academic Effort, Teacher Quality, Project-based Learning, General Academic Ability (Self-Attitude Data), and Parental Support. Using the technique of Structural Equation Modeling, these factors were combined with participation in the KanCRN research model; this study created and tested a model of science classroom variables related to scores on a science performance assessment. Models were run separately for samples of middle school students (grades 6--8) and high school students (grades 9--12). The middle school model indicates that participation in the KanCRN research model is an independent, positive, direct, and meaningful predictor of science performance. Examination of the magnitude of the standardized coefficients and the R 2 values indicates that 27% of the variance on science achievement is accounted for by the middle school model. The high school model indicated that student attitudes were unrelated to KanCRN participation however, the relationship between participation in KanCRN and students performance on the assessment was not a significant path. Examination of the magnitude of the standardized coefficients and the R2 values for the high school model indicates that 7% of the variance on science achievement is accounted for by the model. This is identical the explanatory power of the high school model that only included information about KanCRN participation and student background characteristics, but leaving out the attitude data. The finding that KanCRN participation is significant at the middle school and is insignificant at the high school raises a number of interesting questions that requires further investigation.

  9. Science education in the Boy Scouts of America

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hintz, Rachel Sterneman

    This study of science education in the Boy Scouts of America focused on males with Boy Scout experience. The mixed-methods study topics included: merit badge standards compared with National Science Education Standards, Scout responses to open-ended survey questions, the learning styles of Scouts, a quantitative assessment of science content knowledge acquisition using the Geology merit badge, and a qualitative analysis of interview responses of Scouts, Scout leaders, and scientists who were Scouts. The merit badge requirements of the 121 current merit badges were mapped onto the National Science Education Standards: 103 badges (85.12%) had at least one requirement meeting the National Science Education Standards. In 2007, Scouts earned 1,628,500 merit badges with at least one science requirement, including 72,279 Environmental Science merit badges. "Camping" was the "favorite thing about Scouts" for 54.4% of the boys who completed the survey. When combined with other outdoor activities, what 72.5% of the boys liked best about Boy Scouts involved outdoor activity. The learning styles of Scouts tend to include tactile and/or visual elements. Scouts were more global and integrated than analytical in their thinking patterns; they also had a significant intake element in their learning style. Earning a Geology merit badge at any location resulted in a significant gain of content knowledge; the combined treatment groups for all location types had a 9.13% gain in content knowledge. The amount of content knowledge acquired through the merit badge program varied with location; boys earning the Geology merit badge at summer camp or working as a troop with a merit badge counselor tended to acquire more geology content knowledge than boys earning the merit badge at a one-day event. Boys retained the content knowledge learned while earning the merit badge. Scientists, Scout leaders, and Scouts felt that Scouts learned science through participation in the Boy Scout program, both in the merit badge program and also through activities, trips, outdoors, in meetings, and through rank advancement. On an open-ended questionnaire, 75.2% of Scouts reported that doing merit badges helped them do better in school. Scout leaders indicated that the overall Scouting environment introduced boys to science. Scout scientists credited Boy Scouts with providing experiences that interested and/or helped them in their scientific careers.

  10. Implementing Elementary School Next Generation Science Standards

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kennedy, Katheryn B.

    Implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards requires developing elementary teacher content and pedagogical content knowledge of science and engineering concepts. Teacher preparation for this undertaking appears inadequate with little known about how in-service Mid-Atlantic urban elementary science teachers approach this task. The purpose of this basic qualitative interview study was to explore the research questions related to perceived learning needs of 8 elementary science teachers and 5 of their administrators serving as instructional leaders. Strategies needed for professional growth to support learning and barriers that hamper it at both building and district levels were included. These questions were considered through the lens of Schon's reflective learning and Weick's sensemaking theories. Analysis with provisional and open coding strategies identified informal and formal supports and barriers to teachers' learning. Results indicated that informal supports, primarily internet usage, emerged as most valuable to the teachers' learning. Formal structures, including professional learning communities and grade level meetings, arose as both supportive and restrictive at the building and district levels. Existing formal supports emerged as the least useful because of the dominance of other priorities competing for time and resources. Addressing weaknesses within formal supports through more effective planning in professional development can promote positive change. Improvement to professional development approaches using the internet and increased hands on activities can be integrated into formal supports. Explicit attention to these strategies can strengthen teacher effectiveness bringing positive social change.

  11. Bringing Engineering Design into High School Science Classrooms: The Heating/Cooling Unit

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Apedoe, Xornam S.; Reynolds, Birdy; Ellefson, Michelle R.; Schunn, Christian D.

    2008-01-01

    Infusing engineering design projects in K-12 settings can promote interest and attract a wide range of students to engineering careers. However, the current climate of high-stakes testing and accountability to standards leaves little room to incorporate engineering design into K-12 classrooms. We argue that design-based learning, the combination…

  12. Malthus under a Microscope: Using the Soil Nematode "Coenorhabditis elegans" to Test Darwin's Premises about Populations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mueller, Melinda M.

    2007-01-01

    Biological evolution is one of the over-arching concepts recommended for student learning by the "National Science Education Standards." As with all such complex concepts, student understanding of evolution is improved when instruction includes hands-on, inquiry-based activities. However, even authors writing in strong support of teaching…

  13. "Malama I Ka 'Aina, Sustainability": Learning from Hawai'i's Displaced Place and Culture-Based Science Standard

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chinn, Pauline W. U.

    2011-01-01

    This response to Mitchell and Mueller's "A philosophical analysis of David Orr's theory of ecological literacy" comments on their critique of Orr's use of the phrase "ecological crisis" and what I perceive as their conflicting views of "crisis." I present my views on ecological crisis informed by standpoint theory and…

  14. Turning Misinformation into Climate Change Education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Borah, N.; Cook, J.

    2017-12-01

    Misinformation reduces science literacy and interferes with new learning. This undermines the application of science to understanding and addressing important societal issues. Intentional misinformation and fake news is of growing concern to the scientists, educators and policymakers. Specifically, misinformation about human-caused climate change has become prominent in recent times creating confusion among the public. Hence, interventions that inoculate people against climate change misinformation are very much necessary. One of the most promising applications of inoculation is in the classroom, using a teaching approach known as misconception-based learning. This involves explaining scientific concepts while directly refuting related misconceptions. Misconception-based learning is a powerful way to neutralize the influence of climate change misinformation by increasing both science literacy and critical thinking skills. Students do not possess as many erroneous preconceptions about climate change relative to adults and hence correcting such misconceptions among students is more effective using this teaching approach. The misconception-based teaching approach has a number of benefits. It results in greater and longer-lasting learning gains relative to standard lessons. It equips students with the tools and knowledge to distinguish between facts and myths and increases confidence to engage in constructive discussion with family and friends about climate change. Further, research has shown that students have an effect on parents' environmental attitudes and behavior. Consequently, misconception-based learning presents the opportunity to reach the adult community through the students. We have developed a high school climate change curriculum based on the misconception-based learning framework. Our intent is to run a pilot project that tests the impact of this curriculum on students' climate perceptions, and any second-order influence on their parents. This research project will establish the effectiveness of this teaching approach in raising climate literacy, neutralizing the influence of misinformation, and equipping students with the tools and confidence to converse with their friends and family about climate change.

  15. Using an Interdisciplinary Approach to Enhance Climate Literacy for K-12 Teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hanselman, J. A.; Oches, E. A.; Sliko, J.; Wright, L.

    2014-12-01

    The Next Generation Science Standards (2014) will begin to change how K-12 teachers teach science. Using a scaffolding approach, the standards focus on a depth of knowledge across multiple content areas. This philosophy should encourage inquiry-based teaching methods, provided the teacher has both the knowledge and the confidence to teach the content. Although confidence to teach science is high among secondary science (biology, general science, chemistry) teachers, depth of knowledge may be lacking in certain areas, including climate science. To address this issue, a graduate course in climate science (Massachusetts Colleges Online Course of Distinction award winner) was developed to include inquiry-based instruction, connections to current research, and interdisciplinary approaches to teaching science. With the support of the InTeGrate program (SERC) at Carleton College, a module was developed to utilize cli-fi (climate science present in fictional literature) and related climate data. Graduate students gain an appreciation of scientific communication and an understanding of climate data and its connection to societal issues. In addition, the graduate students also gain the ability to connect interdisciplinary concepts for a deeper understanding of climate science and have the opportunity. By the end of the course, the graduate students use the content learned and the examples of pedagogical tools to develop their own activities in his or her classroom.

  16. ScienceFEST: Preservice Teachers link Math and Science in Astronomy Lessons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    DeMuth, N. H.; Kasabian, J.

    2005-05-01

    Funded by the National Science Foundation, Science FEST (Science for Future Elementary School Teachers) aims to develop the science content and pedagogy for project participants by connecting their college coursework to the science they will eventually teach. Working individually and in pairs, future elementary and middle school teachers design a comprehensive module in astronomy that is inquiry-based and reflects the national and state science standards. Project participants then teach their modules in local elementary or middle school classrooms. Science FEST project participants report gaining a deep understanding of the science they are teaching, learning to engage all students to explore science concepts, and reflecting on their teaching and how it can be improved. The session presenters will share some of the instructional materials developed by the college students and how their experiences in Science FEST have enhanced their pre-professional development. The project's website can be found at www.science-fest.org.

  17. Earthquake!: An Event-Based Science Module. Teacher's Guide. Earth Science Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Russell G.

    This book is designed for middle school earth science teachers to help their students learn about earthquakes and scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event- based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork,…

  18. Oil Spill!: An Event-Based Science Module. Teacher's Guide. Oceanography Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Russell G.

    This book is designed for middle school earth science or general science teachers to help their students learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event- based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork,…

  19. Young Children's Development of Scientific Knowledge Through the Combination of Teacher-Guided Play and Child-Guided Play

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sliogeris, Marija; Almeida, Sylvia Christine

    2017-09-01

    Play-based approaches to science learning allow children to meaningfully draw on their everyday experiences and activities as they explore science concepts in context. Acknowledging the crucial role of the teacher in facilitating science learning through play, the purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how teacher-guided play, in conjunction with child-guided play, supports children's development of science concepts. While previous research on play-based science learning has mainly focused on preschool settings, this study explores the possibilities of play-based approaches to science in primary school contexts. Using a qualitative methodology grounded in the cultural-historical theoretical perspective, children's learning was examined during a science learning sequence that combined teacher-guided and child-guided play. This study revealed that the teacher-guided play explicitly introduced science concepts which children then used and explored in subsequent child-guided play. However, intentional teaching during the child-guided play continued to be important. Play-based approaches to science allowed children to make sense of the science concepts using familiar, everyday knowledge and activities. It became evident that the expectations and values communicated through classroom practices influenced children's learning through play.

  20. Understanding the Development of a Hybrid Practice of Inquiry-Based Science Instruction and Language Development: A Case Study of One Teacher's Journey Through Reflections on Classroom Practice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Capitelli, Sarah; Hooper, Paula; Rankin, Lynn; Austin, Marilyn; Caven, Gennifer

    2016-04-01

    This qualitative case study looks closely at an elementary teacher who participated in professional development experiences that helped her develop a hybrid practice of using inquiry-based science to teach both science content and English language development (ELD) to her students, many of whom are English language learners (ELLs). This case study examines the teacher's reflections on her teaching and her students' learning as she engaged her students in science learning and supported their developing language skills. It explicates the professional learning experiences that supported the development of this hybrid practice. Closely examining the pedagogical practice and reflections of a teacher who is developing an inquiry-based approach to both science learning and language development can provide insights into how teachers come to integrate their professional development experiences with their classroom expertise in order to create a hybrid inquiry-based science ELD practice. This qualitative case study contributes to the emerging scholarship on the development of teacher practice of inquiry-based science instruction as a vehicle for both science instruction and ELD for ELLs. This study demonstrates how an effective teaching practice that supports both the science and language learning of students can develop from ongoing professional learning experiences that are grounded in current perspectives about language development and that immerse teachers in an inquiry-based approach to learning and instruction. Additionally, this case study also underscores the important role that professional learning opportunities can play in supporting teachers in developing a deeper understanding of the affordances that inquiry-based science can provide for language development.

  1. Defining the requisite knowledge for providers of in-service professional development for K--12 teachers of science: Refining the construct

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tucker, Deborah L.

    Purpose. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to refine, using a Delphi study process, the four categories of the theoretical model of the comprehensive knowledge base required by providers of professional development for K-12 teachers of science generated from a review of the literature. Methodology. This grounded theory study used data collected through a modified Delphi technique and interviews to refine and validate the literature-based knowledge base required by providers of professional development for K-12 teachers of science. Twenty-three participants, experts in the fields of science education, how people learn, instructional and assessment strategies, and learning contexts, responded to the study's questions. Findings. By "densifying" the four categories of the knowledge base, this study determined the causal conditions (the science subject matter knowledge), the intervening conditions (how people learn), the strategies (the effective instructional and assessment strategies), and the context (the context and culture of formal learning environments) surrounding the science professional development process. Eight sections were added to the literature-based knowledge base; the final model comprised of forty-nine sections. The average length of the operational definitions increased nearly threefold and the number of citations per operational definition increased more than twofold. Conclusions. A four-category comprehensive model that can serve as the foundation for the knowledge base required by science professional developers now exists. Subject matter knowledge includes science concepts, inquiry, the nature of science, and scientific habits of mind; how people learn includes the principles of learning, active learning, andragogy, variations in learners, neuroscience and cognitive science, and change theory; effective instructional and assessment strategies include constructivist learning and inquiry-based teaching, differentiation of instruction, making knowledge and thinking accessible to learners, automatic and fluent retrieval of nonscience-specific skills, and science assessment and assessment strategies, science-specific instructional strategies, and safety within a learning environment; and, contextual knowledge includes curriculum selection and implementation strategies and knowledge of building program coherence. Recommendations. Further research on the use of which specific instructional strategies identified in the refined knowledge base have positive, significant effect sizes for adult learners is recommended.

  2. Teacher understanding of the nature of science and its impact on student learning about the nature of science in STS/Constructivist classrooms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lieu, Sang-Chong

    In the National Science Education Standards both STS/Constructivist teaching strategies and student understanding of the nature of science are stressed. If certain teaching practices can achieve both goals at one time, many problems will be solved. Such relationships were investigated in this study. Teacher subjects were selected based on two extremes of scores on the Testing on Understanding Science. The Secondary Teacher Analysis Matrix - Science Version was used to categorize teachers into their use of STS/Constructivist or more traditional strategies based on their teaching behaviors observed from video tapes. After the teacher subjects were selected, a non-equivalent control group design was adapted for the administration of items from the Views on Science-Technology-Society (VOSTS) to the students of these teachers. Pre- and post-test data were collected using 20 VOSTS items. VOSTS options were categorized into a Congruent/Partially Congruent/Naive format by a panel of six science educators. A special scoring procedure was devised for the VOSTS items to allow the use of inferential statistics. When performance on 17 VOSTS items were studied, more understanding of the nature of science by teachers, the presence of an STS/Constructivist learning environment in the classroom, or a combination of both factors was not found to help students learn more about the nature of science. Explanations for such results are offered. A McNemar test was performed to take a closer look at the 17 VOSTS items individually. The results indicated that students who were taught by STS/Constructivist teachers with high TOUS scores moved toward "congruent" views concerning the nature of science on a number of VOSTS items. Also, students who were taught by more traditional teachers with low TOUS scores moved toward "naive" views on other VOSTS items. The findings support the fact that teachers who know more about the nature of science and who practice many of the STS/Constructivist teaching strategies assist students in learning more about the nature of science.

  3. Urban Elementary STEM Initiative

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parker, Carolyn; Abel, Yolanda; Denisova, Ekaterina

    2015-01-01

    The new standards for K-12 science education suggest that student learning should be more integrated and should focus on crosscutting concepts and core ideas from the areas of physical science, life science, Earth/space science, and engineering/technology. This paper describes large-scale, urban elementary-focused science, technology, engineering,…

  4. Transformative Professional Development: Inquiry-Based College Science Teaching Institutes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhao, Ningfeng; Witzig, Stephen B.; Weaver, Jan C.; Adams, John E.; Schmidt, Frank

    2012-01-01

    Two Summer Institutes funded by the National Science Foundation were held for current and future college science faculty. The overall goal was to promote learning and practice of inquiry-based college science teaching. We developed a collaborative and active learning format for participants that involved all phases of the 5E learning cycle of…

  5. The effect of conceptual metaphors through guided inquiry on student's conceptual change

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Menia, Meli; Mudzakir, Ahmad; Rochintaniawati, Diana

    2017-05-01

    The purpose of this study was to identify student's conceptual change of global warming after integrated science learning based guided inquiry through conceptual metaphors. This study used a quasi-experimental with a nonequivalent control group design. The subject was students of two classes of one of MTsN Salido. Data was collected using conceptual change test (pretest and posttest), observation sheet to observe the learning processes, questionnaire sheet to identify students responses, and interview to identifyteacher'srespons of science learning with conceptual metaphors. The results showed that science learning based guided inquiry with conceptual metaphors is better than science learning without conceptual metaphors. The average of posttest experimental class was 79,40 and control class was 66,09. The student's conceptual change for two classes changed significantly byusing mann whitney U testwith P= 0,003(P less than sig. value, P< 0,05). This means that there was differenceson student's conceptual changebeetwen integrated science learning based guided inquiry with conceptual metaphors class and integrated science learning without conceptual metaphors class. The study also showed that teachers and studentsgive positive responsesto implementation of integrated science learning based guided inquiry with conceptual metaphors.

  6. Integrating Engineering into Delaware's K-5 Classrooms: A Study of Pedagogical and Curricular Resources

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Grusenmeyer, Linda Huey

    This study examines the personal and curricular resources available to Delaware's elementary teachers during a time of innovative curriculum change, i.e., their knowledge, goals and beliefs regarding elementary engineering curriculum and the pedagogical support to teach two Science and Engineering Practices provided by science teaching materials. Delaware was at the forefront of K-12 STEM movement, first to adopt statewide elementary curriculum materials to complement existing science units, and one of the first to adopt the new science standards--Next Generation Science Standards. What supports were available to teachers as they adapted and adopted this new curriculum? To investigate this question, I examined (1) teachers' beliefs about engineering and the engineering curriculum, and (2) the pedagogical supports available to teachers in selected science and engineering curriculum. Teachers' knowledge, goals, and beliefs regarding Delaware's adoption of new elementary engineering curriculum were surveyed using an adapted version of the Design, Engineering, and Technology Survey (Hong, Purser, & Gardella, 2011; Yaser, Baker, Carpius, Krauss, & Roberts, 2006). Also, three open ended questions sought to reveal deeper understanding of teacher knowledge and understanding of engineering; their concerns about personal and systemic resources related to the new curriculum, its logistics, and feasibility; and their beliefs about the potential positive impact presented by the engineering education initiative. Teacher concerns were analyzed using the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (Hall & Hord, 2010). Lay understandings of engineering were analyzed by contrasting naive representations of engineering with three key characteristics of engineering adapted from an earlier study (Capobianco Diefes-Dux, Mena, & Weller, 2011). Survey findings for teachers who had attended training and those who have not yet attended professional development in the new curriculum were compared with few notable differences. Almost all elementary teacher respondents were familiar with engineering and able to define it using one or more key characteristics. They valued the inclusion of engineering in the elementary curriculum; however trained and untrained teachers reported they were not confident about teaching it and were unaware of the new standards related to engineering. Teachers saw potential advantages or benefits of the new curriculum as helping improve science and math understanding, an opportunity to increase vocational awareness, and engaging students and motivating them to learn. Most teachers saw similar barriers to implementation- lack of teacher knowledge, lack of time to learn about engineering and how to teach engineering, and lack of administrative support. Almost all were open to additional in-service training to learn more about this new curriculum. Three fifth grade science units were examined for evidence of teacher pedagogical support in teaching two Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) advocated by the Next Generation Science Standards. An analytic framework was developed based upon two NGSS SEPs: Asking questions, defining problems and Engaging in argument from evidence. Findings revealed that the kits varied greatly in their pedagogical approaches to the two SEPs and differences might be explained by each kit's underlying orientations to the teaching-learning process. Findings from these investigations have implications for the design of professional development and for engineering curricula. They highlight the importance of considering teacher beliefs about curriculum implementation and subject matter, as well as the importance of creating curriculum materials that focus teacher attention toward student thinking and the language rich science and engineering practices. Recommendations also include ongoing professional development to allow teachers time to try out and revise pedagogical routines that support the SEPs studied here.

  7. DEVELOPING A PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING (PBL) CURRICULUM FOR PROFESSIONALISM AND ETHICS TRAINING FOR BIOMEDICAL GRADUATE STUDENTS

    PubMed Central

    Jones, Nancy L.; Peiffer, Ann M.; Lambros, Ann; Guthold, Martin; Johnson, A. Daniel; Tytell, Michael; Ronca, April E.; Eldridge, J. Charles

    2013-01-01

    A curriculum was designed to shape biomedical graduate students into researchers with a high commitment to professionalism and social responsibility, and to provide students with tools to navigate the complex, rapidly evolving academic and societal environments with a strong ethical commitment. Problem-Based Learning (PBL) pedagogy was chosen because it is active, learner-centered, and focuses on skill and process development. Additionally, the small group format provides a high degree of socialization around professional norms. Two courses were developed. Scientific Professionalism Scientific Integrity addressed discipline-specific and broad professional norms and obligations for the ethical practice of science and responsible conduct of research (RCR). Scientific Professionalism Bioethics and Social Responsibility focused on current ethical and bioethical issues within the scientific profession and implications of research for society. Each small-group session examined case scenarios that included: (1) learning objectives for professional norms and obligations; (2) key ethical issues and philosophies within each topic area; (3) one or more of the RCR instructional areas; and (4) at least one type of moral reflection. Cases went beyond covering overt research misconduct to emphasize professional standards, obligations, and underlying philosophies for the ethical practice of science, competing interests of stakeholders, and oversight of science (internal and external). To our knowledge this was the first use of PBL to teach scientific integrity and ethics. Both faculty and students at Wake Forest endorsed the orientation of professionalism, active learning, and acquiring skills in contrast to a compliance-based approach that emphasizes learning rules and regulations. PMID:20797979

  8. Improving Consistency in Large Laboratory Courses: A Design for a Standardized Practical Exam

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, Xinnian; Graesser, Donnasue; Sah, Megha

    2015-01-01

    Laboratory courses serve as important gateways to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. One of the challenges in assessing laboratory learning is to conduct meaningful and standardized practical exams, especially for large multisection laboratory courses. Laboratory practical exams in life sciences courses are frequently…

  9. Building Dynamic Conceptual Physics Understanding

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trout, Charlotte; Sinex, Scott A.; Ragan, Susan

    2011-01-01

    Models are essential to the learning and doing of science, and systems thinking is key to appreciating many environmental issues. The National Science Education Standards include models and systems in their unifying concepts and processes standard, while the AAAS Benchmarks include them in their common themes chapter. Hyerle and Marzano argue for…

  10. The National Educational Science Planning Conference.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-01-27

    OF STANDARDS-1963-A =7 FTD-ID(RS)T-1606-82 FOREIGN TECHNOLOGY DIVISION THE NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL SCIENCE PLANNING CONFERENCE DTIC EECTE %%C.. D...institute were abolished; people were laid off. Many officials and teachers never learned education theories and do not know anything about S Sponsored by...levels of education must learn educational sciences in order to master the objective laws of educational work. *: We must turn laymen into professionals

  11. The impact of computer-based versus "traditional" textbook science instruction on selected student learning outcomes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rothman, Alan H.

    This study reports the results of research designed to examine the impact of computer-based science instruction on elementary school level students' science content achievement, their attitude about science learning, their level of critical thinking-inquiry skills, and their level of cognitive and English language development. The study compared these learning outcomes resulting from a computer-based approach compared to the learning outcomes from a traditional, textbook-based approach to science instruction. The computer-based approach was inherent in a curriculum titled The Voyage of the Mimi , published by The Bank Street College Project in Science and Mathematics (1984). The study sample included 209 fifth-grade students enrolled in three schools in a suburban school district. This sample was divided into three groups, each receiving one of the following instructional treatments: (a) Mixed-instruction primarily based on the use of a hardcopy textbook in conjunction with computer-based instructional materials as one component of the science course; (b) Non-Traditional, Technology-Based -instruction fully utilizing computer-based material; and (c) Traditional, Textbook-Based-instruction utilizing only the textbook as the basis for instruction. Pre-test, or pre-treatment, data related to each of the student learning outcomes was collected at the beginning of the school year and post-test data was collected at the end of the school year. Statistical analyses of pre-test data were used as a covariate to account for possible pre-existing differences with regard to the variables examined among the three student groups. This study concluded that non-traditional, computer-based instruction in science significantly improved students' attitudes toward science learning and their level of English language development. Non-significant, positive trends were found for the following student learning outcomes: overall science achievement and development of critical thinking-inquiry skills. These conclusions support the value of a non-traditional, computer-based approach to instruction, such as exemplified by The Voyage of the Mimi curriculum, and a recommendation for reform in science teaching that has recommended the use of computer technology to enhance learning outcomes from science instruction to assist in reversing the trend toward what has been perceived to be relatively poor science performance by American students, as documented by the 1996 Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).

  12. Scaling up Three-Dimensional Science Learning through Teacher-Led Study Groups across a State

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reiser, Brian J.; Michaels, Sarah; Moon, Jean; Bell, Tara; Dyer, Elizabeth; Edwards, Kelsey D.; McGill, Tara A. W.; Novak, Michael; Park, Aimee

    2017-01-01

    The vision for science teaching in the Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards requires a radical departure from traditional science teaching. Science literacy is defined as three-dimensional (3D), in which students engage in science and engineering practices to develop and apply science disciplinary ideas…

  13. VDOE :: Standards of Learning (SOL) and Testing

    Science.gov Websites

    Health History & Social Science Family Life Fine Arts Foreign Language Mathematics Physical Education the end of each grade or course in English, mathematics, science, history/social science and other subjects. SOL tests in reading, writing, mathematics, science and history/social science measure the

  14. Teaching Teachers: Assessing Students as Scientists

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Russ, Rosemary S.; Conlin, Luke

    2017-01-01

    Most elementary science teachers would like to give their students opportunities to do science. The "Next Generation Science Standards" and "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" (NGSS Lead States 2013; NRC 2012) make this goal explicit by requiring that students learn how to engage in the practices of science. Consequently,…

  15. Blight! An Event-Based Science Module. Teacher's Guide. Plants and Plant Diseases Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Russell G.

    This book is designed for middle school life science or physical science teachers to help their students learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event- based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork,…

  16. Fire!: An Event-Based Science Module. Teacher's Guide. Chemistry and Fire Ecology Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Russell G.

    This book is designed for middle school earth science or physical science teachers to help their students learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event- based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork,…

  17. Adventures in supercomputing: Scientific exploration in an era of change

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gentry, E.; Helland, B.; Summers, B.

    1997-11-01

    Students deserve the opportunity to explore the world of science surrounding them. Therefore it is important that scientific exploration and investigation be a part of each student`s educational career. The Department of Energy`s Adventures in Superconducting (AiS) takes students beyond mere scientific literacy to a rich embodiment of scientific exploration. AiS provides today`s science and math students with a greater opportunity to investigate science problems, propose solutions, explore different methods of solving the problem, organize their work into a technical paper, and present their results. Students learn at different rates in different ways. Science classes with students having varying learningmore » styles and levels of achievement have always been a challenge for teachers. The AiS {open_quotes}hands-on, minds-on{close_quotes} project-based method of teaching science meets the challenge of this diversity heads on! AiS uses the development of student chosen projects as the means of achieving a lifelong enthusiasm for scientific proficiency. One goal of AiS is to emulate the research that takes place in the everyday environment of scientists. Students work in teams and often collaborate with students nationwide. With the help of mentors from the academic and scientific community, students pose a problem in science, investigate possible solutions, design a mathematical and computational model for the problem, exercise the model to achieve results, and evaluate the implications of the results. The students then have the opportunity to present the project to their peers, teachers, and scientists. Using this inquiry-based technique, students learn more than science skills, they learn to reason and think -- going well beyond the National Science Education Standard. The teacher becomes a resource person actively working together with the students in their quest for scientific knowledge.« less

  18. Three-Dimensional Instruction: Using a New Type of Teaching in the Science Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krajcik, Joe

    2015-01-01

    Science teaching and learning in the United States are at a pivotal point. "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" (NRC 2012b) and the "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS"; NGSS Lead States 2013) shift science educators' focus from simply teaching science ideas to helping students figure out phenomena and…

  19. Fifth Graders' Flow Experience in a Digital Game-Based Science Learning Environment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zheng, Meixun

    2012-01-01

    This mixed methods study examined the flow experience of 5th graders in the CRYSTAL ISLAND game-based science learning environment. Participants were 73 5th graders from a suburban public school in the southeastern US. Quantitative data about students' science content learning and attitudes towards science was collected via pre-and post surveys.…

  20. Teacher Professional Development: Lessons Learned from Six Kepler Mission Workshops

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    DeVore, Edna; Harman, P.; Gould, A.; Koch, D.

    2010-01-01

    NASA's Kepler Mission conducted teacher professional development workshops on the search for exoplanets in the habitable zone of Sun-like stars. During late 2008 and into 2009, six workshops were conducted surrounding the launch of the Kepler Mission. These were a part of the Kepler Mission's outreach honoring the International Year of Astronomy. Each workshop was supported by a Kepler team scientist, two Education & Public Outreach staff and local hosts. Activities combined a science content lecture and discussion, making models, kinesthetic activities, and interpretation of transit data. The emphasis was on inquiry-based instruction and supported science education standards in grades 7-12. Participants’ kit included an orrery, optical sensor and software to demonstrate transit detection. The workshop plan, teaching strategies, and lessons learned from evaluation will be discussed. The Kepler Mission teacher professional development workshops were designed using the best practices and principals from the National Science Education Standards and similar documents. Sharing the outcome of our plans, strategies and evaluation results can be of use to other Education and Public Outreach practitioners who plan similar events. In sharing our experiences, we hope to assist others, and to learn from them as well. Future events are planned. Supported by NASA Grants to the SETI Institute: NAG2-6066 Kepler Education and Public Outreach and NNX08BA74G, IYA Kepler Mission Pre-launch Workshops.

  1. An instructional package integrating science and social studies instruction at the fifth-grade level

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hulley, Kathy Louise Sullivan

    Integrative education is being implemented by classroom teachers who want to immerse students in an environment rich in problem-solving skills, critical analysis skills, ethics, valuing of knowledge, and communication of learning. Several subject areas in the curriculum have been integrated, such as literature with social studies and mathematics with science. The focus of this dissertation is on the integration of science and social studies at the fifth grade level using the Mississippi State Department of Education Curriculum Guidelines and Objectives (MSDE, 1995) and the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council (NRC), 1996). An instructional package of lesson plans that teachers can use as ideas to create their own plans for an integrated curriculum of science and social studies was devised. The Mississippi State Department of Education Curriculum Guidelines and Objectives for Social Studies (MSDE, 1995) at the fifth grade level contain fifteen competencies. Three standards from the National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996) were chosen. They include (a) science and technology, (b) science in personal and social perspectives, and (c) the history and nature of science. Each competency for social studies has three lesson plans written that integrate the three chosen standards from the National Science Education Standards. A total of forty-five lesson plans were written integrating science and social studies. Each lesson plan includes an objective, materials, procedures, and evaluation for teachers. Teachers are encouraged to use the lesson plans as a guide in creating their own lesson plans that would correspond to their school's particular curriculum guidelines. Consideration should be given to the learning levels and styles of their classroom. This qualitative study was done to create lesson plans that integrate science and social studies with the hope that teachers will expand upon them and implement them into their curricula.

  2. ME science as mobile learning based on virtual reality

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fradika, H. D.; Surjono, H. D.

    2018-04-01

    The purpose of this article described about ME Science (Mobile Education Science) as mobile learning application learning of Fisika Inti. ME Science is a product of research and development (R&D) that was using Alessi and Trollip model. Alessi and Trollip model consists three stages that are: (a) planning include analysis of problems, goals, need, and idea of development product, (b) designing includes collecting of materials, designing of material content, creating of story board, evaluating and review product, (c) developing includes development of product, alpha testing, revision of product, validation of product, beta testing, and evaluation of product. The article describes ME Science only to development of product which include development stages. The result of development product has been generates mobile learning application based on virtual reality that can be run on android-based smartphone. These application consist a brief description of learning material, quizzes, video of material summery, and learning material based on virtual reality.

  3. Problem-Based Learning in Web-Based Science Classroom.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Heeyoung; Chung, Ji-Sook; Kim, Younghoon

    The purpose of this paper is to discuss how general problem-based learning (PBL) models and social-constructivist perspectives are applied to the design and development of a Web-based science program, which emphasizes inquiry-based learning for fifth grade students. The paper also deals with the general features and learning process of a Web-based…

  4. Inquiring with Geoscience Datasets: Instruction and Assessment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zalles, D.; Quellmalz, E.; Gobert, J.

    2005-12-01

    This session will describe a new NSF-funded project in Geoscience education, Inquiring with Geoscience Data Sets. The goals of the project are to (1) Study the impacts on student learning of Web-based supplementary curriculum modules that engage secondary-level students in inquiry projects addressing important geoscience problems using an Earth System Science approach. Students will use technologies to access real data sets in the geosciences and to interpret, analyze, and communicate findings based on the data sets. The standards addressed will include geoscience concepts, inquiry abilities in NSES and Benchmarks for Science Literacy, data literacy, NCTM standards, and 21st-century skills and technology proficiencies (NETTS/ISTE). (2) Develop design principles, specification templates, and prototype exemplars for technology-based performance assessments that provide evidence of students' geoscientific knowledge and inquiry skills (including data literacy skills) and students' ability to access, use, analyze, and interpret technology-based geoscience data sets. (3) Develop scenarios based on the specification templates that describe curriculum modules and performance assessments that could be developed for other Earth Science standards and curriculum programs. Also to be described in the session are the project's efforts to differentiate among the dimensions of data literacy and scientific inquiry that are relevant for the geoscience discplines, and how recognition and awareness of the differences can be effectively channelled for the betterment of geoscience education.

  5. "What's So Terrible About Swallowing an Apple Seed?" Problem-Based Learning in Kindergarten

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Meilan; Parker, Joyce; Eberhardt, Jan; Passalacqua, Susan

    2011-10-01

    Problem-Based Learning (PBL), an instructional approach originated in medical education, has gained increasing attention in K-12 science education because of its emphasis on self-directed learning and real-world problem-solving. Yet few studies have examined how PBL can be adapted for kindergarten. In this study, we examined how a veteran kindergarten teacher, who was experienced with PBL in her own learning, adapted PBL to teach students earth materials, a topic emphasized in the new state curriculum standards but students had difficulty understanding. The pre-post tests showed that students improved their content understanding. Analysis of the classroom discourse showed that PBL and the teacher's facilitation strategies provided opportunities for students to develop their questioning skills. In conclusion, we discuss the implications of this study for using PBL in kindergarten classrooms.

  6. Earthquake!: An Event-Based Science Module. Student Edition. Earth Science Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Russell G.

    This book is designed for middle school students to learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork, independent research, hands-on investigations, and…

  7. Strengthening STEM Education through Community Partnerships

    PubMed Central

    Lopez, Colleen A.; Rocha, Jon; Chapman, Matthew; Rocha, Kathleen; Wallace, Stephanie; Baum, Steven; Lawler, Brian R.; Mothé, Bianca R.

    2017-01-01

    California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) and San Marcos Elementary Schools have established a partnership to offer a large-scale community service learning opportunity to enrich science curriculum for K-5 students. It provides an opportunity for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors to give back to the community, allowing them to experience teaching in an elementary classroom setting, in schools that lack the resources and science instructor specialization needed to instill consistent science curricula. CSUSM responded to this need for more STEM education by mobilizing its large STEM student body to design hands-on, interactive science lessons based on Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Since 2012, the program has reached out to over four thousand K-5 students, and assessment data have indicated an increase in STEM academic performance and interest. PMID:28725512

  8. Strengthening STEM Education through Community Partnerships.

    PubMed

    Lopez, Colleen A; Rocha, Jon; Chapman, Matthew; Rocha, Kathleen; Wallace, Stephanie; Baum, Steven; Lawler, Brian R; Mothé, Bianca R

    2016-01-01

    California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) and San Marcos Elementary Schools have established a partnership to offer a large-scale community service learning opportunity to enrich science curriculum for K-5 students. It provides an opportunity for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors to give back to the community, allowing them to experience teaching in an elementary classroom setting, in schools that lack the resources and science instructor specialization needed to instill consistent science curricula. CSUSM responded to this need for more STEM education by mobilizing its large STEM student body to design hands-on, interactive science lessons based on Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Since 2012, the program has reached out to over four thousand K-5 students, and assessment data have indicated an increase in STEM academic performance and interest.

  9. Turning K-12 Science Education Inside Out, Knocking Down Walls and Empowering the Disenchanted.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, A. Y. M.

    2016-12-01

    For a 'user' there are several genres of citizen science activities one can enlist themselves in, from microtasked analytics to data collection. Often times design conversation for these efforts are focused around the goal of collecting high quality data for an urgent scientific question. However, there is much to be discussed around the opportunity to expand upon the interaction experience of the 'user'. This is particularly relevant in the integration of citizen science in the classroom. Here we explore the role of citizen science in formal K-12 science education through the lens of "Project Based Learning", examining design challenges in classroom adoption (including standards alignment) as well as interaction design focused around long term user/student motivation and engagement in the science exploration.

  10. Using an Inquiry Approach to Teach Science to Secondary School Science Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McBride, John W.; Bhatti, Muhammad I.; Hannan, Mohammad A.; Feinberg, Martin

    2004-01-01

    Leaders in science education have actively promoted inquiry science since the 1960s and continue to do so today. The US National Science Education Standards recommend that science instruction and learning should be well grounded in inquiry. In spite of these efforts, however, little has changed in the way science is taught. Teacher-talk and…

  11. From F = ma to Flying Squirrels: Curricular Change in an Introductory Physics Course

    PubMed Central

    O’Shea, Brian; Terry, Laura; Benenson, Walter

    2013-01-01

    We present outcomes from curricular changes made to an introductory calculus-based physics course whose audience is primarily life sciences majors, the majority of whom plan to pursue postbaccalaureate studies in medical and scientific fields. During the 2011–2012 academic year, we implemented a Physics of the Life Sciences curriculum centered on a draft textbook that takes a novel approach to teaching physics to life sciences majors. In addition, substantial revisions were made to the homework and hands-on components of the course to emphasize the relationship between physics and the life sciences and to help the students learn to apply physical intuition to life sciences–oriented problems. Student learning and attitudinal outcomes were assessed both quantitatively, using standard physics education research instruments, and qualitatively, using student surveys and a series of postsemester interviews. Students experienced high conceptual learning gains, comparable to other active learning–based physics courses. Qualitatively, a substantial fraction of interviewed students reported an increased interest in physics relative to the beginning of the semester. Furthermore, more than half of students self-reported that they could now relate physics topics to their majors and future careers, with interviewed subjects demonstrating a high level of ability to come up with examples of how physics affects living organisms and how it helped them to better understand content presented in courses in their major. PMID:23737630

  12. Teaching for adaptive expertise in biomedical engineering ethics.

    PubMed

    Martin, Taylor; Rayne, Karen; Kemp, Nate J; Hart, Jack; Diller, Kenneth R

    2005-04-01

    This paper considers an approach to teaching ethics in bioengineering based on the How People Learn (HPL) framework. Curricula based on this framework have been effective in mathematics and science instruction from the kindergarten to the college levels. This framework is well suited to teaching bioengineering ethics because it helps learners develop "adaptive expertise". Adaptive expertise refers to the ability to use knowledge and experience in a domain to learn in unanticipated situations. It differs from routine expertise, which requires using knowledge appropriately to solve routine problems. Adaptive expertise is an important educational objective for bioengineers because the regulations and knowledge base in the discipline are likely to change significantly over the course of their careers. This study compares the performance of undergraduate bioengineering students who learned about ethics for stem cell research using the HPL method of instruction to the performance of students who learned following a standard lecture sequence. Both groups learned the factual material equally well, but the HPL group was more prepared to act adaptively when presented with a novel situation.

  13. Putting education in "educational" apps: lessons from the science of learning.

    PubMed

    Hirsh-Pasek, Kathy; Zosh, Jennifer M; Golinkoff, Roberta Michnick; Gray, James H; Robb, Michael B; Kaufman, Jordy

    2015-05-01

    Children are in the midst of a vast, unplanned experiment, surrounded by digital technologies that were not available but 5 years ago. At the apex of this boom is the introduction of applications ("apps") for tablets and smartphones. However, there is simply not the time, money, or resources available to evaluate each app as it enters the market. Thus, "educational" apps-the number of which, as of January 2015, stood at 80,000 in Apple's App Store (Apple, 2015)-are largely unregulated and untested. This article offers a way to define the potential educational impact of current and future apps. We build upon decades of work on the Science of Learning, which has examined how children learn best. From this work, we abstract a set of principles for two ultimate goals. First, we aim to guide researchers, educators, and designers in evidence-based app development. Second, by creating an evidence-based guide, we hope to set a new standard for evaluating and selecting the most effective existing children's apps. In short, we will show how the design and use of educational apps aligns with known processes of children's learning and development and offer a framework that can be used by parents and designers alike. Apps designed to promote active, engaged, meaningful, and socially interactive learning-four "pillars" of learning-within the context of a supported learning goal are considered educational. © The Author(s) 2015.

  14. Perspectives on learning through research on critical issues-based science center exhibitions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pedretti, Erminia G.

    2004-07-01

    Recently, science centers have created issues-based exhibitions as a way of communicating socioscientific subject matter to the public. Research in the last decade has investigated how critical issues-based installations promote more robust views of science, while creating effective learning environments for teaching and learning about science. The focus of this paper is to explore research conducted over a 10-year period that informs our understanding of the nature of learning through these experiences. Two specific exhibitions - Mine Games and A Question of Truth - provide the context for discussing this research. Findings suggest that critical issues-based installations challenge visitors in different ways - intellectually and emotionally. They provide experiences beyond usual phenomenon-based exhibitions and carry the potential to enhance learning by personalizing subject matter, evoking emotion, stimulating dialogue and debate, and promoting reflexivity. Critical issues-based exhibitions serve as excellent environments in which to explore the nature of learning in these nonschool settings.

  15. An Exploration of Students' Science Learning Interest Related to Their Cognitive Anxiety, Cognitive Load, Self-Confidence and Learning Progress Using Inquiry-Based Learning with an iPad

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hong, Jon-Chao; Hwang, Ming-Yueh; Tai, Kai-Hsin; Tsai, Chi-Ruei

    2017-01-01

    Based on the cognitive-affective theory, the present study designed a science inquiry learning model, "predict-observe-explain" (POE), and implemented it in an app called "WhyWhy" to examine the effectiveness of students' science inquiry learning practice. To understand how POE can affect the cognitive-affective learning…

  16. Validity of "Hi_Science" as instructional media based-android refer to experiential learning model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qamariah, Jumadi, Senam, Wilujeng, Insih

    2017-08-01

    Hi_Science is instructional media based-android in learning science on material environmental pollution and global warming. This study is aimed: (a) to show the display of Hi_Science that will be applied in Junior High School, and (b) to describe the validity of Hi_Science. Hi_Science as instructional media created with colaboration of innovative learning model and development of technology at the current time. Learning media selected is based-android and collaborated with experiential learning model as an innovative learning model. Hi_Science had adapted student worksheet by Taufiq (2015). Student worksheet had very good category by two expert lecturers and two science teachers (Taufik, 2015). This student worksheet is refined and redeveloped in android as an instructional media which can be used by students for learning science not only in the classroom, but also at home. Therefore, student worksheet which has become instructional media based-android must be validated again. Hi_Science has been validated by two experts. The validation is based on assessment of meterials aspects and media aspects. The data collection was done by media assessment instrument. The result showed the assessment of material aspects has obtained the average value 4,72 with percentage of agreement 96,47%, that means Hi_Science on the material aspects is in excellent category or very valid category. The assessment of media aspects has obtained the average value 4,53 with percentage of agreement 98,70%, that means Hi_Science on the media aspects is in excellent category or very valid category. It was concluded that Hi_Science as instructional media can be applied in the junior high school.

  17. The Effectiveness of Guided Inquiry-based Learning Material on Students’ Science Literacy Skills

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aulia, E. V.; Poedjiastoeti, S.; Agustini, R.

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this research is to describe the effectiveness of guided inquiry-based learning material to improve students’ science literacy skills on solubility and solubility product concepts. This study used Research and Development (R&D) design and was implemented to the 11th graders of Muhammadiyah 4 Senior High School Surabaya in 2016/2017 academic year with one group pre-test and post-test design. The data collection techniques used were validation, observation, test, and questionnaire. The results of this research showed that the students’ science literacy skills are different after implementation of guided inquiry-based learning material. The guided inquiry-based learning material is effective to improve students’ science literacy skills on solubility and solubility product concepts by getting N-gain score with medium and high category. This improvement caused by the developed learning material such as lesson plan, student worksheet, and science literacy skill tests were categorized as valid and very valid. In addition, each of the learning phases in lesson plan has been well implemented. Therefore, it can be concluded that the guided inquiry-based learning material are effective to improve students’ science literacy skills on solubility and solubility product concepts in senior high school.

  18. An early start to STEM education among year 1 primary students through project-based inquiry learning in the context of a magnet

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Safiee, N.; Jusoh, Z. M.; Noor, A. M. H. M.; Tek, O. E.; Salleh, S. M.

    2018-01-01

    For the needs of the 21st century, the Government of Malaysia has conceptualized the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 which embodies 11 strategic and operational shifts. In Shift 1, it is emphasized that the quality of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education will be enhanced. This study employed the mixed-method approach using the “one-group pre-test and post-test design”. Accordingly, this paper describes the pedagogical practice of Project-based Inquiry Learning (PIL) which promotes STEM Education among Year 1 students in the move to progress in tandem with Shift 1. Specifically, using the context of a magnet which has been stipulated in the Primary School Standard Curriculum, Year 1 students experienced the STEM Education through the STEM Pedagogy in which they raised questions upon the presentation of a relevant stimulus (Inquiry Phase), explored the ways in which a train carriage or coach could be assembled by means of recycled materials and magnets (Exploration Phase), designed a train carriage (Design Phase), and ultimately reflected on their inventions (Reflection Phase). The cognitive and affective impacts through the use of this Project-based Inquiry Learning are presented. Implications for the teaching and learning of science are discussed within the context of STEM Education.

  19. Tornado! An Event-Based Science Module. Teacher's Guide. Meteorology Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Russell G.

    This book is designed for middle school earth science teachers to help their students learn about problems with tornadoes and scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning,…

  20. Volcano!: An Event-Based Science Module. Teacher's Guide. Geology Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Russell G.

    This book is designed for middle school earth science teachers to help their students learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork, independent research,…

  1. Piquing Student Interest with Pharmacology: An Interdisciplinary Program Helps High School Students Learn Biology and Chemistry Principles

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Halpin, Myra J.; Hoeffler, Leanne; Schwartz-Bloom, Rochelle D.

    2005-01-01

    To help students learn science concepts, Pharmacology Education Partnership (PEP)--a science education program that incorporates relevant topics related to drugs and drug abuse into standard biology and chemistry curricula was developed. The interdisciplinary PEP curriculum provides six modules to teach biology and chemistry principles within the…

  2. An Exploratory Analysis of a Middle School Science Curriculum: Implications for Students with Learning Disabilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, Gregory S.; Hord, Casey

    2016-01-01

    An exploratory study of a middle school curriculum directly aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards was conducted with a focus on how the curriculum addresses the instructional needs of students with learning disabilities. A descriptive analysis of a lesson on speed and velocity was conducted and implications discussed for students with…

  3. A Study on Learning Effect among Different Learning Styles in a Web-Based Lab of Science for Elementary School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sun, Koun-tem; Lin, Yuan-cheng; Yu, Chia-jui

    2008-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to explore the learning effect related to different learning styles in a Web-based virtual science laboratory for elementary school students. The online virtual lab allows teachers to integrate information and communication technology (ICT) into science lessons. The results of this experimental teaching method…

  4. Use of Digital Game Based Learning and Gamification in Secondary School Science: The Effect on Student Engagement, Learning and Gender Difference

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Khan, Amna; Ahmad, Farzana Hayat; Malik, Muhammad Muddassir

    2017-01-01

    This study aimed to identify the impact of a game based learning (GBL) application using computer technologies on student engagement in secondary school science classrooms. The literature reveals that conventional Science teaching techniques (teacher-centered lecture and teaching), which foster rote learning among students, are one of the major…

  5. Science teacher's perception about science learning experiences as a foundation for teacher training program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tapilouw, Marisa Christina; Firman, Harry; Redjeki, Sri; Chandra, Didi Teguh

    2017-05-01

    Teacher training is one form of continuous professional development. Before organizing teacher training (material, time frame), a survey about teacher's need has to be done. Science teacher's perception about science learning in the classroom, the most difficult learning model, difficulties of lesson plan would be a good input for teacher training program. This survey conducted in June 2016. About 23 science teacher filled in the questionnaire. The core of questions are training participation, the most difficult science subject matter, the most difficult learning model, the difficulties of making lesson plan, knowledge of integrated science and problem based learning. Mostly, experienced teacher participated training once a year. Science training is very important to enhance professional competency and to improve the way of teaching. The difficulties of subject matter depend on teacher's education background. The physics subject matter in class VIII and IX are difficult to teach for most respondent because of many formulas and abstract. Respondents found difficulties in making lesson plan, in term of choosing the right learning model for some subject matter. Based on the result, inquiry, cooperative, practice are frequently used in science class. Integrated science is understood as a mix between Biology, Physics and Chemistry concepts. On the other hand, respondents argue that problem based learning was difficult especially in finding contextual problem. All the questionnaire result can be used as an input for teacher training program in order to enhanced teacher's competency. Difficult concepts, integrated science, teaching plan, problem based learning can be shared in teacher training.

  6. Novice High School Science Teachers: Lesson Plan Adaptations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scharon, Aracelis Janelle

    2013-01-01

    The Next Generation Science Standards (NRC, 2013) positions teachers as responsible for necessary decision making about how their intended science lesson plan content supports continuous student science learning. Teachers interact with their instructional lesson plans in dynamic and constructive ways. Adapting lesson plans is complex. This process…

  7. Science in Sync: Integrating Science with Literacy Provides Rewarding Learning Opportunities in Both Subjects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wallace, Carolyn S.; Coffey, Debra

    2016-01-01

    The "Next Generation Science Standards'" ("NGSS") eight scientific and engineering practices invite teachers to develop key investigative skills while addressing important disciplinary science ideas (NGSS Lead States 2013). The "NGSS" can also provide direct links to "Common Core English Language Arts…

  8. Comparison of Science-Technology-Society Approach and Textbook Oriented Instruction on Students' Abilities to Apply Science Concepts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kapici, Hasan Ozgur; Akcay, Hakan; Yager, Robert E.

    2017-01-01

    It is important for students to learn concepts and using them for solving problems and further learning. Within this respect, the purpose of this study is to investigate students' abilities to apply science concepts that they have learned from Science-Technology-Society based approach or textbook oriented instruction. Current study is based on…

  9. Building effective learning experiences around visualizations: NASA Eyes on the Solar System and Infiniscope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tamer, A. J. J.; Anbar, A. D.; Elkins-Tanton, L. T.; Klug Boonstra, S.; Mead, C.; Swann, J. L.; Hunsley, D.

    2017-12-01

    Advances in scientific visualization and public access to data have transformed science outreach and communication, but have yet to realize their potential impacts in the realm of education. Computer-based learning is a clear bridge between visualization and education, but creating high-quality learning experiences that leverage existing visualizations requires close partnerships among scientists, technologists, and educators. The Infiniscope project is working to foster such partnerships in order to produce exploration-driven learning experiences around NASA SMD data and images, leveraging the principles of ETX (Education Through eXploration). The visualizations inspire curiosity, while the learning design promotes improved reasoning skills and increases understanding of space science concepts. Infiniscope includes both a web portal to host these digital learning experiences, as well as a teaching network of educators using and modifying these experiences. Our initial efforts to enable student discovery through active exploration of the concepts associated with Small Worlds, Kepler's Laws, and Exoplanets led us to develop our own visualizations at Arizona State University. Other projects focused on Astrobiology and Mars geology led us to incorporate an immersive Virtual Field Trip platform into the Infiniscope portal in support of virtual exploration of scientifically significant locations. Looking to apply ETX design practices with other visualizations, our team at Arizona State partnered with the Jet Propulsion Lab to integrate the web-based version of NASA Eyes on the Eclipse within Smart Sparrow's digital learning platform in a proof-of-concept focused on the 2017 Eclipse. This goes a step beyond the standard features of "Eyes" by wrapping guided exploration, focused on a specific learning goal into standards-aligned lesson built around the visualization, as well as its distribution through Infiniscope and it's digital teaching network. Experience from this development effort has laid the groundwork to explore future integrations with JPL and other NASA partners.

  10. Science curiosity in learning environments: developing an attitudinal scale for research in schools, homes, museums, and the community

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weible, Jennifer L.; Toomey Zimmerman, Heather

    2016-05-01

    Although curiosity is considered an integral aspect of science learning, researchers have debated how to define, measure, and support its development in individuals. Prior measures of curiosity include questionnaire type scales (primarily for adults) and behavioral measures. To address the need to measure scientific curiosity, the Science Curiosity in Learning Environments (SCILE) scale was created and validated as a 12-item scale to measure scientific curiosity in youth. The scale was developed through (a) adapting the language of the Curiosity and Exploration Inventory-II [Kashdan, T. B., Gallagher, M. W., Silvia, P. J., Winterstein, B. P., Breen, W. E., Terhar, D., & Steger, M. F. (2009). The curiosity and exploration inventory-II: Development, factor structure, and psychometrics. Journal of Research in Personality, 43(6), 987-998] for youth and (b) crafting new items based on scientific practices drawn from U.S. science standards documents. We administered a preliminary set of 30 items to 663 youth ages 8-18 in the U.S.A. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis resulted in a three-factor model: stretching, embracing, and science practices. The findings indicate that the SCILE scale is a valid measure of youth's scientific curiosity for boys and girls as well as elementary, middle school, and high school learners.

  11. Roles, intents, and actions: First-year teachers' uses of discourse during elementary science instruction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Newman, William J., Jr.

    In this study, I examined how three first-year elementary teachers constructed and used classroom discourse during science instruction. The three participants, though graduates from different universities, learned to teach science through similar science methods courses, which stressed the importance of inquiry-based science instruction. The participants taught different grade levels, and two of them taught at the same school. Data sources included field notes, videotapes, audiotapes, and semi-structured teacher interviews. While monologic and dialogic discourse existed in all three classrooms, monologic discourse was more prominent, especially when the discourse was teacher controlled. Dialogic discourse occurred most often during student-centered activities. The teachers constructed discourse with authoritative function to present science content and determine student comprehension. Generative function was most likely during student-based small group discussions. Monologic character often aligned with authoritative function, and dialogic character often aligned with generative function. However, monologic/generative and dialogic/authoritative discourse events did occur, contributing to the development of a discourse theory model. The teacher explanations for discourse included classroom control, inadequate planning, time constraints, life experiences, science education standards, and assessment. The teachers relied on their texts, kits, and state science standards to determine the content and methods for science instruction. They rarely reported that their science methods courses influenced how they taught science. The observed lessons rarely aligned with science education reform descriptions of appropriate science instruction. Implications include the need for in-service programs for beginning science teachers, curricular reform for science texts and kits, and explicit instruction of discourse strategies in science methods courses and in-service programs.

  12. A Five-Stage Prediction-Observation-Explanation Inquiry-Based Learning Model to Improve Students' Learning Performance in Science Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hsiao, Hsien-Sheng; Chen, Jyun-Chen; Hong, Jon-Chao; Chen, Po-Hsi; Lu, Chow-Chin; Chen, Sherry Y.

    2017-01-01

    A five-stage prediction-observation-explanation inquiry-based learning (FPOEIL) model was developed to improve students' scientific learning performance. In order to intensify the science learning effect, the repertory grid technology-assisted learning (RGTL) approach and the collaborative learning (CL) approach were utilized. A quasi-experimental…

  13. Utilizing the National Research Council's (NRC) Conceptual Framework for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): A Self-Study in My Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Classroom

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Corvo, Arthur Francis

    Given the reality that active and competitive participation in the 21 st century requires American students to deepen their scientific and mathematical knowledge base, the National Research Council (NRC) proposed a new conceptual framework for K--12 science education. The framework consists of an integration of what the NRC report refers to as the three dimensions: scientific and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas in four disciplinary areas (physical, life and earth/spaces sciences, and engineering/technology). The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS ), which are derived from this new framework, were released in April 2013 and have implications on teacher learning and development in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Given the NGSS's recent introduction, there is little research on how teachers can prepare for its release. To meet this research need, I implemented a self-study aimed at examining my teaching practices and classroom outcomes through the lens of the NRC's conceptual framework and the NGSS. The self-study employed design-based research (DBR) methods to investigate what happened in my secondary classroom when I designed, enacted, and reflected on units of study for my science, engineering, and mathematics classes. I utilized various best practices including Learning for Use (LfU) and Understanding by Design (UbD) models for instructional design, talk moves as a tool for promoting discourse, and modeling instruction for these designed units of study. The DBR strategy was chosen to promote reflective cycles, which are consistent with and in support of the self-study framework. A multiple case, mixed-methods approach was used for data collection and analysis. The findings in the study are reported by study phase in terms of unit planning, unit enactment, and unit reflection. The findings have implications for science teaching, teacher professional development, and teacher education.

  14. Using the Hitachi SEM to engage learners and promote next generation science standards inquiry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Menshew, D. E.

    2014-09-01

    In this study participants will learn how the Hitachi TM3000 scanning electron microscope (SEM) played a central role in one school's movement towards Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and promoted exceptional student engagement. The device was used to create high quality images that were used by students in a variety of lab activities including a simulated crime scene investigation focusing on developing evidence based arguments as well as a real world conservation biology study. It provided opportunities for small group and independent investigations in support of NGSS, and peer-peer mentoring. Furthermore, use of the device was documented and were included to enhance secondary students' college and scholarship applications, all of which were successful.

  15. Brain Based Learning in Science Education in Turkey: Descriptive Content and Meta Analysis of Dissertations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yasar, M. Diyaddin

    2017-01-01

    This study aimed at performing content analysis and meta-analysis on dissertations related to brain-based learning in science education to find out the general trend and tendency of brain-based learning in science education and find out the effect of such studies on achievement and attitude of learners with the ultimate aim of raising awareness…

  16. Learning Science beyond the Classroom.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ramey-Gassert, Linda

    1997-01-01

    Examines a cross-section of craft knowledge and research-based literature of science learning beyond the classroom. Describes informal science education programs, and discusses implications for science teaching, focusing on the importance of informal science learning for children and in-service and preservice teachers. Proposes a model for…

  17. Inquiry-Based Integrated Science Education: Implementation of Local Content “Soil Washing” Project To Improve Junior High School Students’ Environmental Literacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Syifahayu

    2017-02-01

    The study was conducted based on teaching and learning problems led by conventional method that had been done in the process of learning science. It gave students lack opportunities to develop their competence and thinking skills. Consequently, the process of learning science was neglected. Students did not have opportunity to improve their critical attitude and creative thinking skills. To cope this problem, the study was conducted using Project-Based Learning model through inquiry-based science education about environment. The study also used an approach called Sains Lingkungan and Teknologi masyarakat - “Saling Temas” (Environmental science and Technology in Society) which promoted the local content in Lampung as a theme in integrated science teaching and learning. The study was a quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest control group design. Initially, the subjects were given a pre-test. The experimental group was given inquiry learning method while the control group was given conventional learning. After the learning process, the subjects of both groups were given post-test. Quantitative analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney U-test and also a qualitative descriptive. Based on the result, environmental literacy skills of students who get inquiry learning strategy, with project-based learning model on the theme soil washing, showed significant differences. The experimental group is better than the control group. Data analysis showed the p-value or sig. (2-tailed) is 0.000 <α = 0.05 with the average N-gain of experimental group is 34.72 and control group is 16.40. Besides, the learning process becomes more meaningful.

  18. The ontology of science teaching in the neoliberal era

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sharma, Ajay

    2017-12-01

    Because of ever stricter standards of accountability, science teachers are under an increasing and unrelenting pressure to demonstrate the effects of their teaching on student learning. Econometric perspectives of teacher quality have become normative in assessment of teachers' work for accountability purposes. These perspectives seek to normalize some key ontological assumptions about teachers and teaching, and thus play an important role in shaping our understanding of the work science teachers do as teachers in their classrooms. In this conceptual paper I examine the ontology of science teaching as embedded in econometric perspectives of teacher quality. Based on Foucault's articulation of neoliberalism as a discourse of governmentality in his `The Birth of Biopolitics' lectures, I suggest that this ontology corresponds well with the strong and substantivist ontology of work under neoliberalism, and thus could potentially be seen as reflection of the influence of neoliberal ideas in education. Implications of the mainstreaming of an ontology of teaching that is compatible with neoliberalism can be seen in increasing marketization of teaching, `teaching evangelism', and impoverished notions of learning and teaching. A shift of focus from teacher quality to quality of teaching and building conceptual models of teaching based on relational ontologies deserve to be explored as important steps in preserving critical and socially just conceptions of science teaching in neoliberal times.

  19. Teacher collaboration and elementary science teaching: Using action research as a tool for instructional leadership

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roberts, Sara Hayes

    The primary purpose of this action research study was to explore an elementary science program and find ways to support science education as an administrator of an elementary school. The study took place in a large suburban school system in the southeastern United States. Seven teachers at a small rural school volunteered to participate in the study. Each participant became an active member of the research by determining what changes needed to take place and implementing the lessons in science. The study was also focused on teacher collaboration and how it influenced the science instruction. The data collected included two interviews, ten observations of science lessons, the implementation of four science units, and informal notes from planning sessions over a five month period. The questions that guided this study focused on how teachers prepare to teach science through active learning and how instruction shifts due to teacher collaboration. Teachers were interviewed at the beginning of the study to gain the perceptions of the participants in the areas of (a) planning, (b) active learning, (c) collaboration, and (d) teaching science lessons. The teachers and principal then formed a research team that determined the barriers to teaching science according to the Standards, designed units of study using active learning strategies, and worked collaboratively to implement the units of study. The action research project reviewed the National Science Education Standards, the theory of constructivism, active learning and teacher collaboration as they relate to the actions taken by a group of teachers in an elementary school. The evidence from this study showed that by working together collaboratively and overcoming the barriers to teaching science actively, teachers feel more confident and knowledgeable about teaching the concepts.

  20. Preservice Elementary Teachers' Adaptation of Science Curriculum Materials for Inquiry-Based Elementary Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Forbes, Cory T.

    2011-01-01

    Curriculum materials are important resources with which teachers make pedagogical decisions about the design of science learning environments. To become well-started beginning elementary teachers capable of engaging their students in inquiry-based science, preservice elementary teachers need to learn to use science curriculum materials…

  1. Middle School Teacher Misconceptions and Anxieties Concerning Space Science Disciplinary Core Ideas in NGSS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Larsen, Kristine

    2017-01-01

    The Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are grouped into the broad disciplinary areas of Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Earth and Space Sciences, and Engineering, Technology and Application of Science, and feature learning progressions based on endpoint targets for each grade band. Since the Middle School DCIs build on the expected learning achievements to be reached by the end of Fifth Grade, and High School DCI similarly build on the expected learning achievements expected for the end of Eighth Grade, the Middle School grade band is of particular importance as the bridge between the Elementary and High School curriculum. In states where there is not a special Middle School Certification many of these science classes are taught by teachers prepared to teach at the Elementary level (and who may have limited content background). As a result, some pre-service and in-service teachers have expressed reduced self-confidence in both their own science content knowledge and their ability to apply it in the NGSS-based classroom, while decades of research has demonstrated the pervasiveness of science misconceptions among teachers. Thus the adoption of NGSS has the potential to drive talented teachers out of the profession who feel that they are ill-prepared for this sweeping transition. The key is providing rigorous education in both content and pedagogy for pre-service teachers and quality targeted professional development for in-service teachers. This report focuses on the Middle School Space Sciences grade band DCIs and presents research on specific difficulties, misconceptions and uncertainties with the material demonstrated by pre-service education students over the past four years in a required university science content course, as well as two year-long granted workshop series for current Middle School teachers. This information is relevant to the development of both new content courses aligned with NGSS for pre-service teachers and professional development for in-service teachers.

  2. Demystifying Nature of Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lederman, Judith; Bartels, Selina; Lederman, Norman; Gnanakkan, Dionysius

    2014-01-01

    With the emergence of the "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS"; NGSS Lead States 2013), it is apparent that teaching and learning about nature of science (NOS) continues to be an important goal of science education for all K-12 students. With this emphasis on NOS, early childhood teachers are asking how to design…

  3. Engineering Encounters: Engineer It, Learn It--Science and Engineering Practices in Action

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lachapelle, Cathy P.; Sargianis, Kristin; Cunningham, Christine M.

    2013-01-01

    Engineering is prominently included in the "Next Generation Science Standards" (Achieve Inc. 2013), as it was in "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" (NRC 2012). The National Research Council, authors of the "Framework," write, "Engineering and technology are featured alongside the natural sciences (physical…

  4. The effect of design modifications to the typographical layout of the New York State elementary science learning standards on user preference and process time

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arnold, Jeffery E.

    The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of four different design layouts of the New York State elementary science learning standards on user processing time and preference. Three newly developed layouts contained the same information as the standards core curriculum. In this study, the layout of the core guide is referred to as Book. The layouts of the new documents are referred to as Chart, Map, and Tabloid based on the format used to convey content hierarchy information. Most notably, all the new layouts feature larger page sizes, color, page tabs, and an icon based navigation system (IBNS). A convenience sample of 48 New York State educators representing three educator types (16 pre-service teachers, 16 in-service teachers, and 16 administrators) participated in the study. After completing timed tasks accurately, participants scored each layout based on preference. Educator type and layout were the independent variables, and process time and user preference were the dependent variables. A two-factor experimental design with Educator Type as the between variable and with repeated measures on Layout, the within variable, showed a significant difference in process time for Educator Type and Layout. The main effect for Educator Type (F(2, 45) = 8.03, p <.001) was significant with an observed power of .94, and an effect size of .26. The pair-wise comparisons for process time showed that pre-service teachers (p = .02) and administrators (p =.009) completed the assigned tasks more quickly when compared to in-service teachers. The main effect for Layout (F(3, 135) = 4.47, p =.01) was also significant with an observed power of .80, and an effect size of .09. Pair-wise comparisons showed that the newly developed Chart (p = .019) and Map (p = .032) layouts reduced overall process time when compared to the existing state learning standards (Book). The Layout X Educator type interaction was not significant. The same two-factor experimental design on preference, showed the main effect for Layout (F(3, 135) = 28.43, p =.001) was significant. The observed power was 1.0, with an effect size of .39. Pair-wise comparisons for preference scores showed that the Chart (p = .001), Map (p = .001), and Tabloid (p = .001) were preferred over the Book layout. The Layout Type X Educator Type interaction and the main effect for Educator Type were not significant. This study provides evidence that the newly developed design layouts improve usability (as measured by process time and preference scores) of the New York State elementary science learning standard documents. Features in the new layout design, such as the IBNS, may provide a foundation for a visual language and aid users in navigating standard documents across grade level and subject areas. Implications for the next generation of standard documents are presented.

  5. Leveraging Current Initiatives to Bring Earth and Space Science into Elementary and Early Childhood Classrooms: NGSS in the Context of the Classroom Technology Push

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pacheco-Guffrey, H. A.

    2016-12-01

    Classroom teachers face many challenges today such as new standards, the moving targets of high stakes tests and teacher evaluations, inconsistent/insufficient access to resources and evolving education policies. Science education in the K-5 context is even more complex. NGSS can be intimidating, especially to K-5 educators with little science background. High stakes science tests are slow to catch up with newly drafted state level science standards, leaving teachers unsure about what to change and when to implement updated standards. Amid all this change, many schools are also piloting new technology programs. Though exciting, tech initiatives can also be overwhelming to teachers who are already overburdened. A practical way to support teachers in science while remaining mindful of these stressors is to design and share resources that leverage other K-5 school initiatives. This is often done by integrating writing or math into science learning to meet Common Core requirements. This presentation will suggest a method for bringing Earth and space science learning into elementary / early childhood classrooms by utilizing the current push for tablet technology. The goal is to make science integration reasonable by linking it to technology programs that are in their early stages. The roles and uses of K-5 Earth and space science apps will be examined in this presentation. These apps will be linked to NGSS standards as well as to the science and engineering practices. To complement the app resources, two support frameworks will also be shared. They are designed to help educators consider new technologies in the context of their own classrooms and lessons. The SAMR Model (Puentadura, 2012) is a conceptual framework that helps teachers think critically about the means and purposes of integrating technology into existing lessons. A practical framework created by the author will also be shared. It is designed to help teachers identify and address the important logistical and curricular decision-making aspects of integrating technology into K-5 classroom science. This method provides clear applications for new technology while also bringing meaningful Earth and space science learning into K-5 classrooms.

  6. DIG Texas Blueprints - Pathways for Teaching a Rigorous Earth Science Course

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ellins, K. K.; Riggs, E. M.; Serpa, L. F.; Pennington, D. D.; Fox, S.; Larsen, K.; Ledley, T. S.; Stocks, E.; Mosher, S.; Miller, K. C.

    2013-12-01

    The DIG (Diversity and Innovation for Geosciences) Texas Instructional Blueprint project supports the development of five online instructional blueprints that document what to teach in a yearlong high school-level Earth science course. Each blueprint stitches together units that contain approximately 10 well-vetted, curated educational resources and learning activities. Units may focus on specific geoscience content, place-based concerns, features or ideas, or other specific conceptual threads. Five regional teams composed of Earth scientists, pedagogy specialists, and practicing science teachers are creating the blueprints. The cross-disciplinary collaboration among blueprint team members provides opportunities for them to develop knowledge in new areas and to share their own discipline-based knowledge and perspectives. Team members also learn where to find and how to evaluate high quality geoscience educational resources, using a web-based resource review tool. Blueprint development is guided by the Next Generation Science Standards and selected educational resources are aligned with the Texas state standards (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) for Earth and Space Science and the Earth Science Literacy Principles. The Science Education Resource Center (SERC) serves as the repository for the DIG Texas blueprint web pages. The Cyber-ShARE Center of Excellence at UTEP and SERC are engaged in the development of automated tools to allow educators to compile resources into customized instructional blueprints by reshuffling units within an existing blueprint, by mixing and matching units from other blueprints, or creating new units and blueprints. These innovations are intended to provide access to the blueprints in such a way that enhances their use by secondary Earth science educators. In this presentation, we provide an overview of the project, showcase examples of the blueprints, report on the preliminary results of classroom implementation, and consider challenges encountered in developing and testing the blueprints. Sponsored by NSF, the DIG Texas Instructional Blueprint project is a collaborative effort that draws on the resources of three major research universities, The University of Texas at Austin, The University of Texas at El Paso, and Texas A&M University, all of which are members of the DIG Texas alliance.

  7. Physics and Education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Quinn, Helen

    2016-03-01

    I make a distinction between science outreach work and science education work, and my stress in this talk will be on the latter, though I have done both. Using my own career in physics and education as an example, as well as some examples of the contributions of other physicists, I will discuss the variety of ways in which scientists can contribute to science education at the pre-college level. I will argue for the need for more scientists to undertake this work as a serious professional commitment. In order to do so effectively a scientist must take the time to learn about science education and research on learning, and about how the education systems and policies that one is trying to impact function and are controlled. While working with individual teachers and/or their students provides a valuable service to those individuals, working at the State and National policy level, or with those developing curriculum materials, professional development for teachers and assessment strategies aligned to the broadly adopted Next Generation Science Standards can have much broader impacts. These standards have been adopted by over 14 states and have strongly influenced the science standards of a number of others. I will talk about my role in developing the vision of ``three-dimensional'' science education embodied in those standards, explain the fundamental components of that vision, and discuss the work that still needs to be done to realize that vision over the coming years.

  8. Authentic Learning Experiences for Educators through Summer Internships: Revising the DIG Texas Instructional Blueprints

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martinez, A. O.; Bohls-Graham, E.; Jacobs, B. E.; Ellins, K. K.

    2014-12-01

    Texas teachers have expressed a need for engaging activities for use in high school Earth science courses. With funding from the NSF, geoscience and education faculty from different institutions around the state collaborated with ten Earth science teachers to create five online Earth science instructional blueprints. The work is part of the DIG (Diversity and Innovation for Geosciences) Texas Instructional Blueprint project. A blueprint stitches together nine units for a yearlong Earth science course (scope and sequence). Each unit covers three weeks of teaching and contains lectures, readings, visualizations, lab investigations, learning activities, and other educational materials from credible sources, which are aligned with Texas state science standards for Earth and Space Science and the Earth Science Literacy Principles. Taken together, the collection of activities address the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). During summer 2014, three minority-serving secondary teachers completed a six-week internship at The University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG). As DIG Texas Education Interns, we organized and revised the content of the units, created scaffolding notes, and built blueprints by selecting groups of nine units from the project's current collection of twenty-one units. Because fieldwork is an important element of geoscience learning, we integrated virtual field trips into each unit. We (1) gained expertise in selecting high quality activities that directly correlate with state standards and address the Earth Science Literacy Principles; (2) developed a keen awareness of the value of the NGSS; (3) learned how to navigate through the NGSS website to track the relationships between the Science and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Crosscutting Concepts for Earth science, as well as connections to other disciplines in the same grade level. Collaborating with other secondary Earth science teachers introduced each of us to new teaching practices, allowing us to build relationships that we expect to last for many years. UTIG researchers mentored and introduced us to their research and methodology. In addition, they helped us find high quality activities for the units. In turn, we shared our knowledge of pedagogy and classroom expertise with them.

  9. Integrating the Dimensions of NGSS within a Collaborative Board Game about Honey Bees

    PubMed Central

    Lauren, Hillary; Lutz, Claudia; Wallon, Robert C.; Hug, Barbara

    2016-01-01

    The current reform in U.S. science education calls for the integration of three dimensions of science learning in classroom teaching and learning: Science and Engineering Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Disciplinary Core Ideas. While the Next Generation Science Standards provide flexibility in how curriculum and instruction are structured to meet learning goals, there are few examples of existing curricula that portray the integration of these dimensions as “three-dimensional learning.” Here, we describe a collaborative board game about honey bees that incorporates scientific evidence on how genetic and environmental factors influence variations of traits and social behavior and requires students to collaboratively examine and use a system model. Furthermore, we show how students used and evaluated the game as a model in authentic classroom settings. PMID:27990024

  10. Investigation of guided school tours, student learning, and science reform recommendations at a museum of natural history

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cox-Petersen, Anne M.; Marsh, David D.; Kisiel, James; Melber, Leah M.

    2003-02-01

    A study of docent-led guided school tours at a museum of natural history was investigated. Researchers engaged in naturalistic inquiry to describe how natural history content was conveyed to students and what students gained from this model of touring. They also investigated how the content and pedagogy within the guided tour complemented recommendations from formal science standards documents and informal learning literature. About 30 visiting school groups in Grades 2-8 were observed. Teachers (n = 30) and select students (n = 85) were interviewed. Researchers found that tours were organized in a didactic way that conflicted with science education reform documents and research related to learning within informal contexts. Students' responses to interview questions indicated high satisfaction with the tours but low levels of science learning.

  11. Students’ perceptions of the academic learning environment in seven medical sciences courses based on DREEM

    PubMed Central

    Bakhshialiabad, Hamid; Bakhshi, Mohammadhosien; Hassanshahi, Gholamhossein

    2015-01-01

    Objective Learning environment has a significant role in determining students’ academic achievement and learning. The aim of this study is to investigate the viewpoints of undergraduate medical sciences students on the learning environment using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) at Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences (RUMS). Methods The descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 493 medical sciences students in the following majors: nursing, midwifery, radiology, operating room nursing, laboratory sciences, medical emergency, and anesthesia. The DREEM questionnaire was used as a standard tool. Data were analyzed using SPSS (v17) software. Student’s t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA) statistical tests were used. Results The mean of the achieved scores in the five domains was 113.5 out of 200 (56.74%), which was considered to be more positive than negative. The total mean scores for perception of learning, teaching, and atmosphere were 27.4/48 (57.24%), 24.60/44 (55.91%), and 26.8/48 (55.89%), respectively. Academic and social self-perceptions were 20.5/32 (64.11%) and 15.7/28 (56.36%), respectively. The total DREEM scores varied significantly between courses (P<0.01). The total scores of the students of operating room nursing, anesthesia, and laboratory sciences, first year students, and females were significantly higher than the other students (P<0.01). Conclusion The results have suggested that the students of medical sciences courses at RUMS generally hold positive perceptions toward their course environment. The differences between courses and their study pathway should be further investigated by analysis of specific items. Our results showed that it is essential for faculty members and course managers to make more efforts toward observing principles of instructional designs, to create an appropriate educational environment, and to reduce deficits in order to provide a better learning environment with more facilities and supportive systems for the students. PMID:25848331

  12. Exploring the Influences of Elementary School Students' Learning Motivation on Web-Based Collaborative Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chin-Fei, Huang; Chia-Ju, Liu

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to explore the influences of students' learning motivation on Web-based collaborative learning. This study conducted learning materials of Web pages about science and collaborative learning, a motivation questionnaire and interviews were used for data collection. Eighty Grade 5 students and a science teacher were…

  13. Games for Participatory Science: A Paradigm for Game-Based Learning for Promoting Science Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shapiro, R. Benjamin; Squire, Kurt D.

    2011-01-01

    Debates in forums such as "Educational Technology" and the National Academies of Science (National Research Council, 2011) emphasize the promise (and indeed recent successes) of digital game-based learning programs, but also the need for research-driven approaches that carefully delineate learning goals. This article introduces one such…

  14. Measuring Teachers' Learning from a Problem-Based Learning Approach to Professional Development in Science Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Weizman, Ayelet; Covitt, Beth A.; Koehler, Matthew J.; Lundeberg, Mary A.; Oslund, Joy A.; Low, Mark R.; Eberhardt, Janet; Urban-Lurain, Mark

    2008-01-01

    In this study we measured changes in science teachers' conceptual science understanding (content knowledge) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) while participating in a problem-based learning (PBL) model of professional development. Teachers participated in a two-week long workshop followed by nine monthly meetings during one academic year…

  15. Developing standards and expectations for the teaching and learning of science

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Haeffele, L.

    1992-01-01

    Although science is often considered by the public and even some educators to be merely a syllabus of information to be learned by the pupil, it is much more. It is primarily concerned with developing a logical disiplined approach to inquiry. Consequently, the goals for science education are related to developing science literacy in the student population, preparing for its use in the postschool world, and its application in society. Despite the recognized importance of science and mathamatics to our long-term economic health, the urgency does not seem to have reached some of our schools.

  16. Impacts and Characteristics of Computer-Based Science Inquiry Learning Environments for Precollege Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Donnelly, Dermot F.; Linn, Marcia C.; Ludvigsen, Sten

    2014-01-01

    The National Science Foundation-sponsored report "Fostering Learning in the Networked World" called for "a common, open platform to support communities of developers and learners in ways that enable both to take advantage of advances in the learning sciences." We review research on science inquiry learning environments (ILEs)…

  17. Scientists at Work

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trautmann, Nancy M.; MaKinster, James G.

    2014-01-01

    The introduction to the "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS") calls for students to learn science within the context of practice because "practices alone are activities and content alone is memorization. It is through integration that science begins to make sense and allows students to apply the material" (NGSS…

  18. The development of guided inquiry-based learning devices on photosynthesis and respiration matter to train science literacy skills

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Choirunnisak; Ibrahim, M.; Yuliani

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this research was to develop a guided inquiry-based learning devices on photosynthesis and respiration matter that are feasible (valid, practical, and effective) to train students’ science literacy. This research used 4D development model and tested on 15 students of biology education 2016 the State University of Surabaya with using one group pretest-posttest design. Learning devices developed include (a) Semester Lesson Plan (b) Lecture Schedule, (c) Student Activity Sheet, (d) Student Textbook, and (e) testability of science literacy. Research data obtained through validation method, observation, test, and questionnaire. The results were analyzed descriptively quantitative and qualitative. The ability of science literacy was analyzed by n-gain. The results of this research showed that (a) learning devices that developed was categorically very valid, (b) learning activities performed very well, (c) student’s science literacy skills improved that was a category as moderate, and (d) students responses were very positively to the learning that already held. Based on the results of the analysis and discussion, it is concluded that the development of guided inquiry-based learning devices on photosynthesis and respiration matter was feasible to train students literacy science skills.

  19. The Earth System Course at the University of Oklahoma: Science and Pedagogy Aimed at Pre-service Teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Postawko, S.; Soreghan, M.; Marek, E.

    2005-12-01

    Traditionally, education majors at the University of Oklahoma took either Introduction to Physical Geology or Introduction to Meteorology to fulfill their physical sciences requirement. Science education majors were required to take both courses. These courses are large-enrollment lecture type courses, with required lab sections taught by graduate teaching assistants. Beginning in 1997, faculty from the Colleges of Education and Geosciences at the University of Oklahoma began working together to provide effective earth science education for pre-service teachers. The first step in this collaboration was the development of a new course on The Earth System that focuses on Earth as a whole rather than on the more narrow focus of either the geology or meteorology courses. The new course, which was taught for the first time in the Spring of 2001, covers a number of major themes related to Earth Science, including the Carbon Cycle, Earth Materials, Plate Tectonics, Atmosphere and Oceans. The particular concepts within each theme were chosen based on two criteria: 1) alignment with content advocated by national (NSES) and state (Priority Academic Student Skills-PASS) standards; and 2) they are amenable to a learning cycle pedagogical approach. Besides an interdisciplinary approach to the content, the new course features pedagogical innovations. In lieu of independent laboratory and lecture times, we scheduled two class periods of longer duration, so that active learning, involving hands-on activities and experiments were possible throughout each class period. The activities modeled the learning-cycle approach with an exploration, concept invention, and an expansion phase (Marek and Cavallo, 1997). Therefore, the pre-service teachers experienced the learning cycle in practice prior to learning the theory in their upper division "methods" course. In the first 3 years that the course was taught, students were given surveys early in the semester and at the end of the semester. The surveys aimed to both assess the students' learning and retention (compared to students in the more traditional Introductory Geology course, who were given similar surveys), and solicit the students' opinions of the inquiry-based learning approach compared to more traditional lecture/lab classroom teaching methods.

  20. Energy matters: An investigation of drama pedagogy in the science classroom

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alrutz, Megan

    The purpose of this study is to explore and document how informal and improvisational drama techniques affect student learning in the science classroom. While implementing a drama-based science unit, I examined multiple notions of learning, including, but not limited to, traditional notions of achievement, student understanding, student participation in the science classroom, and student engagement with, and knowledge of, science content. Employing an interpretivist research methodology, as outlined by Fredrick Erickson for qualitative analysis in the classroom, I collected data through personal observations; student and teacher interviews; written, artistic and performed class work; video-recorded class work; written tests; and questionnaires. In analyzing the data, I found strong support for student engagement during drama-based science instruction. The drama-based lessons provided structures that drew students into lessons, created enthusiasm for the science curriculum, and encouraged meaningful engagement with, and connections to, the science content, including the application and synthesis of science concepts and skills. By making student contributions essential to each of the lessons, and by challenging students to justify, explain, and clarify their understandings within a dramatic scenario, the classroom facilitators created a conducive learning environment that included both support for student ideas and intellectual rigor. The integration of drama-based pedagogy most affected student access to science learning and content. Students' participation levels, as well as their interest in both science and drama, increased during this drama-based science unit. In addition, the drama-based lessons accommodated multiple learning styles and interests, improving students' access to science content and perceptions of their learning experience and abilities. Finally, while the drama-based science lessons provided multiple opportunities for solidifying understanding of the science content, the data also revealed missed opportunities for sense-making within the delivery of several drama-based science lessons. In conclusion, this study demonstrates how the integration of drama and science prepares students for seeking, accessing, and organizing information in different ways, providing multiple means for students to build knowledge and understanding for actively participating in the changing world around us.

  1. 75 FR 79261 - Supplemental Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Federal Labor Relations Authority

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-12-20

    ... of science or learning customarily acquired by a course of specialized instruction and study in an... advice or consultation, which requires advanced knowledge in a field of science or learning customarily...;Prices of new books are listed in the first FEDERAL REGISTER issue of each #0;week. #0; #0; #0; #0;#0...

  2. Informing a Learning Progression in Genetics: Which Should Be Taught First, Mendelian Inheritance or the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duncan, Ravit Golan; Castro-Faix, Moraima; Choi, Jinnie

    2016-01-01

    The Framework for Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards in the USA emphasize learning progressions (LPs) that support conceptual coherence and the gradual building of knowledge over time. In the domain of genetics there are two independently developed alternative LPs. In essence, the difference between the two progressions…

  3. Software Quality and Security in Teachers' and Students' Codes When Learning a New Programming Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boutnaru, Shlomi; Hershkovitz, Arnon

    2015-01-01

    In recent years, schools (as well as universities) have added cyber security to their computer science curricula. This topic is still new for most of the current teachers, who would normally have a standard computer science background. Therefore the teachers are trained and then teaching their students what they have just learned. In order to…

  4. The Credentials of Brain-Based Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis, Andrew

    2004-01-01

    This paper discusses the current fashion for brain-based learning, in which value-laden claims about learning are grounded in neurophysiology. It argues that brain science cannot have the authority about learning that some seek to give it. It goes on to discuss whether the claim that brain science is relevant to learning involves a category…

  5. OceanGLOBE: an Outdoor Research and Environmental Education Program for K-12 Students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Perry, R. B.; Hamner, W. M.

    2006-12-01

    OceanGLOBE is an outdoor environmental research and education program for upper elementary, middle and high school students, supplemented by online instructional materials that are available without charge to any educator. OceanGLOBE was piloted in 1995 with support from a National Science Foundation Teacher Enhancement project, "Leadership in Marine Science" (award no.ESI-9454413 to UCLA). Continuing support by a second NSF Teacher Enhancement project (award no. ESI-9819424 to UCLA) and by COSEE-West (NSF awards OCE-215506 to UCLA and OCE-0215497 to USC) has enabled OceanGLOBE to expand to a growing number of schools and to provide an increasingly robust collection of marine science instructional materials on its website, http://www.msc.ucla.edu/oceanglobe/ OceanGLOBE provides a mechanism for students to conduct inquiry-based, hands-on marine science research, providing experiences that anchor the national and state science content standards learned in the classroom. Students regularly collect environmental and biological data from a beach site over an extended period of time. In the classroom they organize, graph and analyze their data, which can lead to a variety of student-created science products. Beach research is supported by instructional marine science materials on the OceanGLOBE website. These online materials also can be used in the classroom independent of the field component. Annotated PowerPoint slide shows explain research protocols and provide marine science content. Field guides and photographs of marine organisms (with emphasis on the Southern California Bight) and a growing collection of classroom investigations (applicable to any ocean location) support the science content presented in the beach research program and slide shows. In summary, OceanGLOBE is a comprehensive learning package grounded in hands-on, outdoor marine science research project in which students are the principal investigators. By doing scientific work repetitively over an extended time period students learn about how science is done as much as they learn science content.

  6. Status of teaching elementary science for English learners in science, mathematics and technology centered magnet schools

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Han, Alyson Kim

    According to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (2001), one in three students speaks a language other than English. Additionally, the Commission stated that a student is considered to be an English learner if the second language acquisition is English. In California more than 1.4 million English learners enter school speaking a variety of languages, and this number continues to rise. There is an imminent need to promote instructional strategies that support this group of diverse learners. Although this was not a California study, the results derived from the nationwide participants' responses provided a congruent assessment of the basic need to provide effective science teaching strategies to all English learners. The purpose of this study was to examine the status of elementary science teaching practices used with English learners in kindergarten through fifth grade in public mathematics, science, and technology-centered elementary magnet schools throughout the country. This descriptive research was designed to provide current information and to identify trends in the areas of curriculum and instruction for English learners in science themed magnet schools. This report described the status of elementary (grades K-5) school science instruction for English learners based on the responses of 116 elementary school teachers: 59 grade K-2, and 57 grade 3-5 teachers. Current research-based approaches support incorporating self-directed learning strategy, expository teaching strategy, active listening strategies, questioning strategies, wait time strategy, small group strategy, peer tutoring strategy, large group learning strategy, demonstrations strategy, formal debates strategy, review sessions strategy, mediated conversation strategy, cooperative learning strategy, and theme-based instruction into the curriculum to assist English learners in science education. Science Technology Society (STS) strategy, problem-based learning strategy, discovery learning strategy, constructivist learning strategy, learning cycle strategy, SCALE technique strategy, conceptual change strategy, inquiry-based strategy, cognitive academic language learning approach (CALLA) strategy, and learning from text strategy provide effective science teaching instruction to English learners. These science instructional strategies assist elementary science teachers by providing additional support to make science instruction more comprehensible for English learners.

  7. RAFTing with Raptors: Connecting Science, English Language Arts, and the Common Core State Standards

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Senn, Gary J.; McMurtrie, Deborah H.; Coleman, Bridget K.

    2013-01-01

    This article explores using the RAFT strategy (Role, Audience, Format, Topic) for writing in science classes. The framework of the RAFT strategy will be explained, and connections with Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for ELA/Literacy will be discussed. Finally, there will be a discussion of a professional learning experience for teachers in…

  8. States Move toward Computer Science Standards. Policy Update. Vol. 23, No. 17

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tilley-Coulson, Eve

    2016-01-01

    While educators and parents recognize computer science as a key skill for career readiness, only five states have adopted learning standards in this area. Tides are changing, however, as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) recognizes with its call on states to provide a "well-rounded education" for students, to include computer science…

  9. Drama-Based Science Teaching and Its Effect on Students' Understanding of Scientific Concepts and Their Attitudes towards Science Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abed, Osama H.

    2016-01-01

    This study investigated the effect of drama-based science teaching on students' understanding of scientific concepts and their attitudes towards science learning. The study also aimed to examine if there is an interaction between students' achievement level in science and drama-based instruction. The sample consisted of (87) of 7th grade students…

  10. Content-oriented Approach to Organization of Theories and Its Utilization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hayashi, Yusuke; Bourdeau, Jacqueline; Mizoguch, Riichiro

    In spite of the fact that the relation between theory and practice is a foundation of scientific and technological development, the trend of increasing the gap between theory and practice accelerates in these years. The gap embraces a risk of distrust of science and technology. Ontological engineering as the content-oriented research is expected to contribute to the resolution of the gap. This paper presents the feasibility of organization of theoretical knowledge on ontological engineering and new-generation intelligent systems based on it through an application of ontological engineering in the area of learning/instruction support. This area also has the problem of the gap between theory and practice, and its resolution is strongly required. So far we proposed OMNIBUS ontology, which is a comprehensive ontology that covers different learning/instructional theories and paradigms, and SMARTIES, which is a theory-aware and standard-compliant authoring system for making learning/instructional scenarios based on OMNIBUS ontology. We believe the theory-awareness and standard-compliance bridge the gap between theory and practice because it links theories to practical use of standard technologies and enables practitioners to easily enjoy theoretical support while using standard technologies in practice. The following goals are set in order to achieve it; computers (1) understand a variety of learning/instructional theories based on the organization of them, (2) utilize the understanding for helping authors' learning/instructional scenario making and (3) make such theoretically sound scenarios interoperable within the framework of standard technologies. This paper suggests an ontological engineering solution to the achievement of these three goals. Although the evaluation is far from complete in terms of practical use, we believe that the results of this study address high-level technical challenges from the viewpoint of the current state of the art in the research area of artificial intelligence not only in education but also in general, and therefore we hope that constitute a substantial contribution for organization of theoretical knowledge in many other areas.

  11. Comparing the performance and preference of students experiencing a Reading Aloud Accommodation to those who do not on a virtual science assessment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shelton, Angela

    Many United States secondary students perform poorly on standardized summative science assessments. Situated Assessments using Virtual Environments (SAVE) Science is an innovative assessment project that seeks to capture students' science knowledge and understanding by contextualizing problems in a game-based virtual environment called Scientopolis. Within Scientopolis, students use an "avatar" to interact with non-player characters (NPCs), artifacts, embedded clues and "sci-tools" in order to help solve the problems of the townspeople. In an attempt to increase students' success on assessments, SAVE science places students in an environment where they can use their inquiry skills to solve problems instead of reading long passages which attempt to contextualize questions but ultimately cause construct-irrelevant variance. However, within these assessments reading is still required to access the test questions and character interactions. This dissertation explores how students' in-world performances differ when exposed to a Reading Aloud Accommodation (RAA) treatment in comparison to a control group. Student perceptions of the treatment are also evaluated. While a RAA is typically available for students with learning disabilities or English language learners, within this study, all students were randomly assigned to either the treatment or control, regardless of any demographic factors or learning barriers. The theories of Universal design for learning and brain-based learning advocate for multiple ways for students to engage, comprehend, and illustrate their content knowledge. Further, through providing more ways for students to interact with content, all students should benefit, not just those with learning disabilities. Students in the experimental group listened to the NPCs speak the dialogue that provides them with the problem, clues, and assessment questions, instead of relying on reading skills to gather the information. Overall, students in the treatment group statistically outperformed those in the control. Student perceptions of using the reading aloud accommodation were generally positive. Ideas for future research are presented to investigate the accommodation further.

  12. Effect of Inquiry-Based Learning Approach on Student Resistance in a Science and Technology Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sever, Demet; Guven, Meral

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this study was to identify the resistance behaviors of 7th grade students exhibited during their Science and Technology course teaching-learning processes, and to remove the identified resistance behaviors through teaching-learning processes that were constructed based on the inquiry-based learning approach. In the quasi-experimentally…

  13. Can Middle-School Science Textbooks Help Students Learn Important Ideas? Findings from Project 2061's Curriculum Evaluation Study: Life Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stern, Luli; Roseman, Jo Ellen

    2004-01-01

    The transfer of matter and energy from one organism to another and between organisms and their physical setting is a fundamental concept in life science. Not surprisingly, this concept is common to the "Benchmarks for Science Literacy" (American Association for the Advancement of Science, [1993]), the "National Science Education Standards"…

  14. Science Teachers' Views and Stereotypes of Religion, Scientists and Scientific Research: A Call for Scientist-Science Teacher Partnerships to Promote Inquiry-Based Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mansour, Nasser

    2015-01-01

    Despite a growing consensus regarding the value of inquiry-based learning (IBL) for students' learning and engagement in the science classroom, the implementation of such practices continues to be a challenge. If science teachers are to use IBL to develop students' inquiry practices and encourage them to think and act as scientists, a better…

  15. Learning Science Content through Socio-Scientific Issues-Based Instruction: A Multi-Level Assessment Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sadler, Troy D.; Romine, William L.; Topçu, Mustafa Sami

    2016-01-01

    Science educators have presented numerous conceptual and theoretical arguments in favor of teaching science through the exploration of socio-scientific issues (SSI). However, the empirical knowledge base regarding the extent to which SSI-based instruction supports student learning of science content is limited both in terms of the number of…

  16. Engaging Students In The Science Of Climate Change

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rhew, R. C.; Halversen, C.; Weiss, E.; Pedemonte, S.; Weirman, T.

    2013-12-01

    Climate change is arguably the defining environmental issue of our generation. It is thus increasingly necessary for every member of the global community to understand the basic underlying science of Earth's climate system and how it is changing in order to make informed, evidence-based decisions about how we will respond individually and as a society. Through exploration of the inextricable interconnection between Earth's ocean, atmosphere and climate, we believe students will be better prepared to tackle the complex issues surrounding the causes and effects of climate change and evaluate possible solutions. If students are also given opportunities to gather evidence from real data and use scientific argumentation to make evidence-based explanations about climate change, not only will they gain an increased understanding of the science concepts and science practices, the students will better comprehend the nature of climate change science. Engaging in argument from evidence is a scientific practice not only emphasized in the Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), but also emphasized in the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies and Science (CCSS). This significant overlap between NGSS and CCSS has implications for science and language arts classrooms, and should influence how we support and build students' expertise with this practice of sciences. The featured exemplary curricula supports middle school educators as they address climate change in their classrooms. The exemplar we will use is the NOAA-funded Ocean Sciences Sequence (OSS) for Grades 6-8: The ocean-atmosphere connection and climate change, which are curriculum units that deliver rich science content correlated to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Disciplinary Core Ideas and an emphasis on the Practices of Science, as called for in NGSS and the Framework. Designed in accordance with the latest research on learning this curriculum provides numerous opportunities for students to use real data to make evidence-based explanations. During the session, we will discuss ways in which students can use scientific data related to climate change as evidence in their construction of scientific arguments.

  17. On learning science and pseudoscience from prime-time television programming

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Whittle, Christopher Henry

    The purpose of the present dissertation is to determine whether the viewing of two particular prime-time television programs, ER and The X-Files, increases viewer knowledge of science and to identify factors that may influence learning from entertainment television programming. Viewer knowledge of scientific dialogue from two science-based prime-time television programs, ER, a serial drama in a hospital emergency room and The X-Files, a drama about two Federal Bureau of Investigation agents who pursue alleged extraterrestrial life and paranormal activity, is studied. Level of viewing, education level, science education level, experiential factors, level of parasocial interaction, and demographic characteristics are assessed as independent variables affecting learning from entertainment television viewing. The present research involved a nine-month long content analysis of target television program dialogue and data collection from an Internet-based survey questionnaire posted to target program-specific on-line "chat" groups. The present study demonstrated that entertainment television program viewers incidentally learn science from entertainment television program dialogue. The more they watch, the more they learn. Viewing a pseudoscientific fictional television program does necessarily influence viewer beliefs in pseudoscience. Higher levels of formal science study are reflected in more science learning and less learning of pseudoscience from entertainment television program viewing. Pseudoscience learning from entertainment television programming is significantly related to experience with paranormal phenomena, higher levels of viewer parasocial interaction, and specifically, higher levels of cognitive parasocial interaction. In summary, the greater a viewer's understanding of science the more they learn when they watch their favorite science-based prime-time television programs. Viewers of pseudoscience-based prime-time television programming with higher levels of paranormal experiences and parasocial interaction demonstrate cognitive interest in and learning of their favorite television program characters ideas and beliefs. What television viewers learn from television is related to what they bring to the viewing experience. Television viewers are always learning, even when their intentions are to simply relax and watch the tube.

  18. Developing Critical Thinking of Middle School Students using Problem Based Learning 4 Core Areas (PBL4C) Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haridza, R.; E Irving, K.

    2017-02-01

    Traditional methods such as rote learning and memorization in teaching science create passive students in science classrooms. The impact of this continuous action for many decades is inactive learners who cannot develop higher order thinking skills. Based on the performance test, students’ critical thinking skill in Public Middle School 3 Pontianak was in low level although their achievement score were higher than school standards. The purpose of this study is to develop critical thinking skills of middle school students using Problem Based Learning 4 Core Areas (PBL4C). The design of this research is classroom action research with two cycles. Data has been collected using observation checklist, rating scale, self and peer assessment. Research findings reveal that students experience development from 11.11% to 88.45% in identifying the problem correctly, 37.03% to 76.92% for sub skills distinguish knowledge and opinion, 18.51% to 65.38% for sub skills providing possible solution, 22.22% to 69.23% for sub skills making decision, and 11.11% to 69.23% for sub skills identifying the impact of the implementation of their solution. In conclusion, the findings indicate that development of students’ critical thinking skills occurs when PBL4C model applied in science classroom. These findings suggest that teachers should act as facilitator in a classroom as well as should provide meaningful learning resources that can benefit students’ critical thinking skills. On the other hand, students should practice constantly to offer a sharp, accurate and appropriate solution.

  19. Teacher Discourse Strategies Used in Kindergarten Inquiry-Based Science Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harris, Karleah; Crabbe, Jordan Jimmy; Harris, Charlene

    2017-01-01

    This study examines teacher discourse strategies used in kindergarten inquiry-based science learning as part of the Scientific Literacy Project (SLP) (Mantzicopoulos, Patrick & Samarapungavan, 2005). Four public kindergarten science classrooms were chosen to implement science teaching strategies using a guided-inquiry approach. Data were…

  20. Active-learning assignments to integrate basic science and clinical course material.

    PubMed

    Marshall, Leisa L; Nykamp, Diane

    2010-09-10

    To develop, implement, and evaluate active-learning exercises requiring the integration and application of pathophysiology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and therapeutics knowledge of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis to formulate therapeutic recommendations for patients with musculoskeletal disorders. Two team-based case study exercises, one evaluating a patient with osteoarthritis and the second, a patient with rheumatoid arthritis, were developed, incorporating material and questions from pathophysiology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and therapeutics. The learning assignments were implemented in a required pharmacotherapy module. Student learning was evaluated using performance on the team-based case study exercises and on 2 examinations. A standard student course evaluation was used to assess students' impressions of the learning activity. The mean student grades for the osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis activities were 9.1 and 8.9, respectively, on a 10-point scale. The majority of students indicated that the learning exercises were more than adequate to excellent in helping students learn. The addition of active-learning activities was successful in teaching pharmacy students the knowledge needed to formulate therapeutic recommendations for patients with musculoskeletal disorders.

  1. Developing a Mobile Learning Management System for Outdoors Nature Science Activities Based on 5E Learning Cycle

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lai, Ah-Fur; Lai, Horng-Yih; Chuang, Wei-Hsiang; Wu, Zih-Heng

    2015-01-01

    Traditional outdoor learning activities such as inquiry-based learning in nature science encounter many dilemmas. Due to prompt development of mobile computing and widespread of mobile devices, mobile learning becomes a big trend on education. The main purpose of this study is to develop a mobile-learning management system for overcoming the…

  2. Energy Tracking Diagrams

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scherr, Rachel E.; Harrer, Benedikt W.; Close, Hunter G.; Daane, Abigail R.; DeWater, Lezlie S.; Robertson, Amy D.; Seeley, Lane; Vokos, Stamatis

    2016-01-01

    Energy is a crosscutting concept in science and features prominently in national science education documents. In the "Next Generation Science Standards," the primary conceptual learning goal is for learners to conserve energy as they "track" the transfers and transformations of energy within, into, or out of the system of…

  3. Towards a Pedagogical Model for Science Education: Bridging Educational Contexts through a Blended Learning Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bidarra, José; Rusman, Ellen

    2017-01-01

    This paper proposes a design framework to support science education through blended learning, based on a participatory and interactive approach supported by ICT-based tools, called "Science Learning Activities Model" (SLAM). The development of this design framework started as a response to complex changes in society and education (e.g.…

  4. A Case Study for Comparing the Effectiveness of a Computer Simulation and a Hands-on Activity on Learning Electric Circuits

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ekmekci, Adem; Gulacar, Ozcan

    2015-01-01

    Science education reform emphasizes innovative and constructivist views of science teaching and learning that promotes active learning environments, dynamic instructions, and authentic science experiments. Technology-based and hands-on instructional designs are among innovative science teaching and learning methods. Research shows that these two…

  5. Tornado! An Event-Based Science Module. Student Edition. Meteorology Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Russell G.

    This book is designed for middle school students to learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork, independent research, hands-on investigations, and…

  6. Volcano!: An Event-Based Science Module. Student Edition. Geology Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Russell G.

    This book is designed for middle school students to learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork, independent research, hands-on investigations, and…

  7. Oil Spill! An Event-Based Science Module. Student Edition. Oceanography Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Russell G.

    This book is designed for middle school students to learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork, independent research, hands-on investigations, and…

  8. Why Teach Science with an Interdisciplinary Approach: History, Trends, and Conceptual Frameworks

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    You, Hye Sun

    2017-01-01

    This study aims to describe the history of interdisciplinary education and the current trends and to elucidate the conceptual framework and values that support interdisciplinary science teaching. Many science educators have perceived the necessity for a crucial paradigm shift towards interdisciplinary learning as shown in science standards.…

  9. Describing the on-line graduate science student: An examination of learning style, learning strategy, and motivation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Spevak, Arlene J.

    Research in science education has presented investigations and findings related to the significance of particular learning variables. For example, the factors of learning style, learning strategy and motivational orientation have been shown to have considerable impact upon learning in a traditional classroom setting. Although these data have been somewhat generous for the face-to-face learning situation, this does not appear to be the case for distance education, particularly the Internet-based environment. The purpose of this study was to describe the on-line graduate science student, regarding the variables of learning style, learning strategy and motivational orientation. It was believed that by understanding the characteristics of adult science learners and by identifying their learning needs, Web course designers and science educators could create on-line learning programs that best utilized students' strengths in learning science. A case study method using a questionnaire, inventories, telephone interviews and documents was applied to nine graduate science students who participated for ten weeks in an asynchronous, exclusively Internet mediated graduate science course at a large, Northeastern university. Within-case and cross-case analysis indicated that these learners displayed several categories of learning styles as well as learning strategies. The students also demonstrated high levels of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and this, together with varying strategy use, may have compensated for any mismatch between their preferred learning styles and their learning environment. Recommendations include replicating this study in other online graduate science courses, administration of learning style and learning strategy inventories to perspective online graduate science students, incorporation of synchronous communication into on-line science courses, and implementation of appropriate technology that supports visual and kinesthetic learners. Although the study was limited to nine participants, the implications of the findings are clear. Most adult science students experience learning in an on-line environment. Those who are independent, highly motivated learners and utilize a variety of learning strategies can adapt their learning style to the situational aspects of the learning environment. This further indicates that Internet-based graduate science education institutions should become aware of different learning styles and strategies, and be prepared to address this variety when developing and delivering such programming.

  10. Integrating Various Apps on BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) into Seamless Inquiry-Based Learning to Enhance Primary Students' Science Learning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Song, Yanjie; Wen, Yun

    2018-04-01

    Despite that BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) technology model has been increasingly adopted in education, few studies have been reported on how to integrate various apps on BYOD into inquiry-based pedagogical practices in primary schools. This article reports a case study, examining what apps on BYOD can help students enhance their science learning, and how students develop their science knowledge in a seamless inquiry-based learning environment supported by these apps. A variety of qualitative data were collected and analyzed. The findings show that the affordances of the apps on BYOD could help students improve their science knowledge without time and place constraints and gain a better sense of ownership in learning.

  11. Mi-STAR: Designing Integrated Science Curriculum to Address the Next Generation Science Standards and Their Foundations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gochis, E. E.; Huntoon, J. E.

    2015-12-01

    Mi-STAR (Michigan Science Teaching and Assessment Reform, http://mi-star.mtu.edu/) was funded by the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation to reform K-12 science education to present science as an integrated body of knowledge that is applied to address societal issues. To achieve this goal, Mi-STAR is developing an integrated science curriculum for the middle grades that will be aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Similar to the geosciences, the curriculum requires the integration of science, engineering and math content to explore 21st-century issues and demonstrates how these concepts can be used in service of society. The curriculum is based on the Mi-STAR Unit Specification Chart which pairs interdisciplinary themes with bundled NGSS Performance Expectations. Each unit is developed by a collaborative team of K-12 teachers, university STEM content experts and science education experts. Prior to developing a unit, each member on the team attends the on-line Mi-STAR Academy, completing 18+ hours of professional development (PD). This on-line PD program familiarizes teachers and experts with necessary pedagogical and content background knowledge, including NGSS and three-dimensional learning. With this background, teams use a staged, backwards design process to craft a multi-week unit based on a series of performance based tasks, or 'challenges' that engage students in actively doing science and engineering. Each unit includes Disciplinary Core Ideas from multiple disciplines, which focus on local and familiar examples that demonstrate the relevance of science in student's lives. Performance-based assessments are interwoven throughout the unit. Mi-STAR units will go through extensive pilot testing in several school districts across the state of Michigan. Additionally, the Mi-STAR program will develop teacher professional development programs to support implementation of the curriculum and design a pre-service teacher program in integrated science. We will share preliminary results on the collaborative Mi-STAR process of designing integrated science curriculum to address NGSS.

  12. MODIS Science Algorithms and Data Systems Lessons Learned

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wolfe, Robert E.; Ridgway, Bill L.; Patt, Fred S.; Masuoka, Edward J.

    2009-01-01

    For almost 10 years, standard global products from NASA's Earth Observing System s (EOS) two Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors are being used world-wide for earth science research and applications. This paper discusses the lessons learned in developing the science algorithms and the data systems needed to produce these high quality data products for the earth sciences community. Strong science team leadership and communication, an evolvable and scalable data system, and central coordination of QA and validation activities enabled the data system to grow by two orders of magnitude from the initial at-launch system to the current system able to reprocess data from both the Terra and Aqua missions in less than a year. Many of the lessons learned from MODIS are already being applied to follow-on missions.

  13. Discipline-Based Education Research: Understanding and Improving Learning in Undergraduate Science and Engineering

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Singer, Susan R.; Nielsen, Natalie R.; Schweingruber, Heidi A.

    2012-01-01

    The National Science Foundation funded a synthesis study on the status, contributions, and future direction of discipline-based education research (DBER) in physics, biological sciences, geosciences, and chemistry. DBER combines knowledge of teaching and learning with deep knowledge of discipline-specific science content. It describes the…

  14. Effects of Engineering Design-Based Science on Elementary School Science Students' Engineering Identity Development across Gender and Grade

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Capobianco, Brenda M.; Yu, Ji H.; French, Brian F.

    2015-01-01

    The integration of engineering concepts and practices into elementary science education has become an emerging concern for science educators and practitioners, alike. Moreover, how children, specifically preadolescents (grades 1-5), engage in engineering design-based learning activities may help science educators and researchers learn more about…

  15. A Randomized Controlled Trial Validating the Impact of the LASER Model of Science Education on Student Achievement and Teacher Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaldon, Carolyn R.; Zoblotsky, Todd A.

    2014-01-01

    Previous research has linked inquiry-based science instruction (i.e., science instruction that engages students in doing science rather than just learning about science) with greater gains in student learning than text-book based methods (Vanosdall, Klentschy, Hedges & Weisbaum, 2007; Banilower, 2007; Ferguson 2009; Bredderman, 1983;…

  16. STEM Integration in Middle School Life Science: Student Learning and Attitudes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guzey, S. Selcen; Moore, Tamara J.; Harwell, Michael; Moreno, Mario

    2016-08-01

    In many countries around the world, there has been an increasing emphasis on improving science education. Recent reform efforts in the USA call for teachers to integrate scientific and engineering practices into science teaching; for example, science teachers are asked to provide learning experiences for students that apply crosscutting concepts (e.g., patterns, scale) and increase understanding of disciplinary core ideas (e.g., physical science, earth science). Engineering practices and engineering design are essential elements of this new vision of science teaching and learning. This paper presents a research study that evaluates the effects of an engineering design-based science curriculum on student learning and attitudes. Three middle school life science teachers and 275 seventh grade students participated in the study. Content assessments and attitude surveys were administered before and after the implementation of the curriculum unit. Statewide mathematics test proficiency scores were included in the data analysis as well. Results provide evidence of the positive effects of implementing the engineering design-based science unit on student attitudes and learning.

  17. Physics of Health Sciences

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baublitz, Millard; Goldberg, Bennett

    A one-semester algebra-based physics course is being offered to Boston University students whose major fields of study are in allied health sciences: physical therapy, athletic training, and speech, language, and hearing sciences. The classroom instruction incorporates high-engagement learning techniques including worksheets, student response devices, small group discussions, and physics demonstrations instead of traditional lectures. The use of pre-session exercises and quizzes has been implemented. The course also requires weekly laboratory experiments in mechanics or electricity. We are using standard pre- and post-course concept inventories to compare this one-semester introductory physics course to ten years of pre- and post-course data collected on students in the same majors but who completed a two-semester course.

  18. A view of the tip of the iceberg: revisiting conceptual continuities and their implications for science learning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brown, Bryan A.; Kloser, Matt

    2009-12-01

    We respond to Hwang and Kim and Yeo's critiques of the conceptual continuity framework in science education. First, we address the criticism that their analysis fails to recognize the situated perspective of learning by denying the dichotomy of the formal and informal knowledge as a starting point in the learning process. Second, we address the critique that students' descriptions fail to meet the "gold standard" of science education—alignment with an authoritative source and generalizability—by highlighting some student-expert congruence that could serve as the foundation for future learning. Third, we address the critique that a conceptual continuity framework could lead to less rigorous science education goals by arguing that the ultimate goals do not change, but rather that if the pathways that lead to the goals' achievement could recognize existing lexical continuities' science teaching may become more efficient. In sum, we argue that a conceptual continuities framework provides an asset, not deficit lexical perspective from which science teacher educators and science educators can begin to address and build complete science understandings.

  19. Advancing perinatal patient safety through application of safety science principles using health IT.

    PubMed

    Webb, Jennifer; Sorensen, Asta; Sommerness, Samantha; Lasater, Beth; Mistry, Kamila; Kahwati, Leila

    2017-12-19

    The use of health information technology (IT) has been shown to promote patient safety in Labor and Delivery (L&D) units. The use of health IT to apply safety science principles (e.g., standardization) to L&D unit processes may further advance perinatal safety. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with L&D units participating in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ's) Safety Program for Perinatal Care (SPPC) to assess units' experience with program implementation. Analysis of interview transcripts was used to characterize the process and experience of using health IT for applying safety science principles to L&D unit processes. Forty-six L&D units from 10 states completed participation in SPPC program implementation; thirty-two (70%) reported the use of health IT as an enabling strategy for their local implementation. Health IT was used to improve standardization of processes, use of independent checks, and to facilitate learning from defects. L&D units standardized care processes through use of electronic health record (EHR)-based order sets and use of smart pumps and other technology to improve medication safety. Units also standardized EHR documentation, particularly related to electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) and shoulder dystocia. Cognitive aids and tools were integrated into EHR and care workflows to create independent checks such as checklists, risk assessments, and communication handoff tools. Units also used data from EHRs to monitor processes of care to learn from defects. Units experienced several challenges incorporating health IT, including obtaining organization approval, working with their busy IT departments, and retrieving standardized data from health IT systems. Use of health IT played an integral part in the planning and implementation of SPPC for participating L&D units. Use of health IT is an encouraging approach for incorporating safety science principles into care to improve perinatal safety and should be incorporated into materials to facilitate the implementation of perinatal safety initiatives.

  20. Genetics in the 21st Century: The Benefits & Challenges of Incorporating a Project-Based Genetics Unit in Biology Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alozie, Nonye; Eklund, Jennifer; Rogat, Aaron; Krajcik, Joseph

    2010-01-01

    How can science instruction help students and teachers engage in relevant genetics content that stimulates learning and heightens curiosity? Project-based science can enhance learning and thinking in science classrooms. We describe how we use project-based science features as a framework for a genetics unit, discuss some of the challenges…

  1. Designing Science Learning in the First Years of Schooling. An Intervention Study with Sequenced Learning Material on the Topic of "Floating and Sinking"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leuchter, Miriam; Saalbach, Henrik; Hardy, Ilonca

    2014-01-01

    Research on learning and instruction of science has shown that learning environments applied in preschool and primary school rarely makes use of structured learning materials in problem-based environments although these are decisive quality features for promoting conceptual change and scientific reasoning within early science learning. We thus…

  2. An Analysis of the Professional Learning of Science Teachers Using the Metaphor of Learning by Expanding

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goodnough, Karen; Murphy, Elizabeth

    2017-01-01

    This study reports on the professional learning of two teachers of science who were learning to engage their grade four students in meaningful, hands-on learning. Teachers' learning took place in the context of a 10-month university-based action research program designed to help improve the practice of science, technology, engineering and…

  3. Voices from inside the elementary classroom: Three teachers' perspectives on the Alabama Reading Initiative and elementary science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Webb, Brenda Hainley

    The influences of mandates, particularly the Alabama Reading Initiative (ARI) as the response to No Child Left Behind (2002), on elementary science education in Alabama were investigated. Teachers' voices provided insights to the status of science education in kindergarten, second grade, and third grade, and all three case participants reported negative influences of ARI on science education in their classrooms. The multiple case study, framed by critical theory and critical pedagogy, indicated that these teachers sometimes accepted marginalized roles in determining curriculum and pedagogy yet at other times made the decisions to empower themselves and negotiate or discard mandates in favor of meeting their children's learning needs or their own professional needs as they perceived them to be. Whether the case participants reached a threshold of resisting mandates or not, they struggled with the view of the political hierarchy that continues to force them into the status of being a technician rather than being a teaching professional. NCLB currently mandates standardized science testing, beginning in the spring of 2008. Historically, standardized testing reduces learning to low-level recall and teaching to rigid, uncreative, uncritical strategies. All of this intersects with science education reform and a national call for more attention to be given to science, technology, and mathematics learning. Research should track the continued influences of intersecting mandates on science education at every level.

  4. Newly qualified teachers' visions of science learning and teaching

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Roberts, Deborah L.

    2011-12-01

    This study investigated newly qualified teachers' visions of science learning and teaching. The study also documented their preparation in an elementary science methods course. The research questions were: What educational and professional experiences influenced the instructor's visions of science learning and teaching? What visions of science learning and teaching were promoted in the participants' science methods course? What visions of science learning and teaching did these newly qualified teachers bring with them as they graduated from their teacher preparation program? How did these visions compare with those advocated by reform documents? Data sources included participants' assignments, weekly reflections, and multi-media portfolio finals. Semi-structured interviews provided the emic voice of participants, after graduation but before they had begun to teach. These data were interpreted via a combination of qualitative methodologies. Vignettes described class activities. Assertions supported by excerpts from participants' writings emerged from repeated review of their assignments. A case study of a typical participant characterized weekly reflections and final multi-media portfolio. Four strands of science proficiency articulated in a national reform document provided a framework for interpreting activities, assignments, and interview responses. Prior experiences that influenced design of the methods course included an inquiry-based undergraduate physics course, participation in a reform-based teacher preparation program, undergraduate and graduate inquiry-based science teaching methods courses, participation in a teacher research group, continued connection to the university as a beginning teacher, teaching in diverse Title 1 schools, service as the county and state elementary science specialist, participation in the Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, service on a National Research Council committee, and experience teaching a science methods course. The methods course studied here emphasized reform-based practices, science as inquiry, culturally responsive teaching, scientific discourse, and integration of science with technology and other disciplines. Participants' writings and interview responses articulated visions of science learning and teaching that included aspects of reform-based practices. Some participants intentionally incorporated and implemented reform-based strategies in field placements during the methods course and student teaching. The strands of scientific proficiency were evident in activities, assignments and participants' interviews in varying degrees.

  5. Toxic Leak!: An Event-Based Science Module. Student Edition. Groundwater Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Russell G.

    This book is designed for the middle school students to learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork, independent research, hands-on investigations, and…

  6. Fire!: An Event-Based Science Module. Student Edition. Chemistry and Fire Ecology Module.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Russell G.

    This book is designed for middle school students to learn scientific literacy through event-based science. Unlike traditional curricula, the event-based earth science module is a student-centered, interdisciplinary, inquiry-oriented program that emphasizes cooperative learning, teamwork, independent research, hands-on investigations, and…

  7. UTeach: Secondary Teacher Preparation in Science and Mathematics at the University of Texas at Austin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marder, Michael

    2006-03-01

    The UTeach Program is a joint effort of the College of Natural Sciences, the College of Education and the Austin Independent School District to recruit, prepare and support math and science teachers for the State of Texas. UTeach uses early and on-going field experiences to capture the imagination of preservice teachers and provide a foundation for more advanced pedagogical courses. With over 400 students enrolled and over 80 graduates per year, UTeach is one of the largest programs producing secondary science, mathematics, and computer science teachers in the nation. Most UTeach students are undergraduates, but around 10% are people of many ages with strong backgrounds in mathematics or science who have decided to enter teaching. Hallmarks include: *Four-year degree plans that enable undergraduates to obtain certification at no cost in time or money. *Active recruitment and support including tuition reimbursement, paid internships, personal advising, and guidance by master teachers. *Emphasis on preparing teachers who will be knowledgeable of their discipline, experienced with involving students in scientific inquiry, and practiced in employing new technologies to enhance student learning. *A revised, streamlined professional education sequence drawing on research on learning, standards-based curricula, multiple forms of assessment, and proven strategies for achieving equity and integrating technology into math and science education. *Program flexibility with multiple entry points (from freshman to post baccalaureate), integrated degree plans, and proficiency-based assessment, including the development of individual teaching portfolios. For more information on UTeach, see http://uteach.utexas.edu

  8. Relationships Between the Way Students Are Assessed in Science Classrooms and Science Achievement Across Canada

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chu, Man-Wai; Fung, Karen

    2018-04-01

    Canadian students experience many different assessments throughout their schooling (O'Connor 2011). There are many benefits to using a variety of assessment types, item formats, and science-based performance tasks in the classroom to measure the many dimensions of science education. Although using a variety of assessments is beneficial, it is unclear exactly what types, format, and tasks are used in Canadian science classrooms. Additionally, since assessments are often administered to help improve student learning, this study identified assessments that may improve student learning as measured using achievement scores on a standardized test. Secondary analyses of the students' and teachers' responses to the questionnaire items asked in the Pan-Canadian Assessment Program were performed. The results of the hierarchical linear modeling analyses indicated that both students and teachers identified teacher-developed classroom tests or quizzes as the most common types of assessments used. Although this ranking was similar across the country, statistically significant differences in terms of the assessments that are used in science classrooms among the provinces were also identified. The investigation of which assessment best predicted student achievement scores indicated that minds-on science performance-based tasks significantly explained 4.21% of the variance in student scores. However, mixed results were observed between the student and teacher responses towards tasks that required students to choose their own investigation and design their own experience or investigation. Additionally, teachers that indicated that they conducted more demonstrations of an experiment or investigation resulted in students with lower scores.

  9. Can an Inquiry Approach Improve College Student Learning in a Teaching Laboratory?

    PubMed Central

    Cogan, John G.

    2009-01-01

    We present an inquiry-based, hands-on laboratory exercise on enzyme activity for an introductory college biology course for science majors. We measure student performance on a series of objective and subjective questions before and after completion of this exercise; we also measure performance of a similar cohort of students before and after completion of an existing, standard, “direct” exercise over the same topics. Although student performance on these questions increased significantly after completion of the inquiry exercise, it did not increase after completion of the control, standard exercise. Pressure to “cover” many complex topics as preparation for high-stakes examinations such as the Medical College Admissions Test may account for persistence of highly efficient, yet dubiously effective “cookbook” laboratory exercises in many science classes. PMID:19255136

  10. Recognizing Excellence: Pinging--Sound at Work

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lindquist, William; Forsberg, Britt

    2014-01-01

    One author shares the unique opportunity to be immersed in the science of "sound at work" through participation in NOAA's (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Teacher at Sea Program. A third- through fifth-grade learning outcome within the Nature of Science section of the "Next Generation Science Standards"…

  11. Making the Most of a Limited Opportunity: Empowering our Future Earth Science Educators by Engaging Them in Field-Based Inquiry.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Levy, R.; David, H.; Carlson, D.; Kunz, G.

    2004-12-01

    Geoscience courses that engage students in our K-12 learning environments represent a fundamental method to increase public awareness and understanding of Earth systems science. K-12 teachers are ultimately responsible for developing and teaching these courses. We recognize that it is our role as university instructors to ensure that our future K-12 teachers receive a high-quality and practical Earth science education; unfortunately many education majors at our institution receive no formal exposure to geoscience. Furthermore, for those students who choose to take a geoscience course, the experience is typically limited to a large introductory lecture-lab. While these courses are rich in content they neither provide opportunities for students to experience `real' Earth science nor address the skills required to teach Earth science to others. In 2002 we began to develop a field-based introductory geoscience course designed specifically for education students. Our major goal was to attract education majors and provide a field-based geoscience learning experience that was challenging, exciting, and directly applicable to their chosen career. Specific objectives of our project were to: (1) teach geoscience concepts and skills that K-12 teachers are expected to understand and teach to their students (outlined in national standards); (2) provide students with an opportunity to learn through scientific inquiry; (3) enhance student confidence in their ability to teach geoscience in the K-12 classroom. We piloted a two-week field course during summer 2004. The field excursion followed a route through Nebraska and Wyoming. Instructors focused on exposing students to the Earth systems concepts and content outlined in national education standards. The primary instructional approach was to engage students in inquiry-based learning. Students were provided many opportunities to utilize science process skills including: observation, documentation, classification, questioning, formulation of hypotheses and models, and interpretation and debate. Evening `classes' on effective teaching practices were conducted at camp. A mobile library, comprising a range of K-12 Earth science curricular materials and activities, was provided for students to utilize, examine, and critique. Students were given sample boxes so that they could collect and curate Earth materials to build their own `teaching set'. Digital cameras were used to record images of natural phenomena. Each student will receive a DVD of the images to use in their future classroom activities. Near the end of the course students were asked to generate a series of lesson plans to teach plate tectonics. Evaluation of our pilot project comprised a series of pre and post instruments to measure: geoscience content knowledge, science process skills, confidence for teaching science related courses, self-efficacy for self-regulation, and student perceptions of classroom knowledge-building. Results indicate significant gains in all measures. The course instructors have also spent time reflecting on instructional approach and associated activities and will use student feedback to modify and improve the course for the future. We are currently applying the evaluation instruments to education majors taking a large lecture-lab course in order to compare outcomes between the two course models. Results will help guide future geoscience education course development.

  12. A rights-based approach to science literacy using local languages: Contextualising inquiry-based learning in Africa

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Babaci-Wilhite, Zehlia

    2017-06-01

    This article addresses the importance of teaching and learning science in local languages. The author argues that acknowledging local knowledge and using local languages in science education while emphasising inquiry-based learning improve teaching and learning science. She frames her arguments with the theory of inquiry, which draws on perspectives of both dominant and non-dominant cultures with a focus on science literacy as a human right. She first examines key assumptions about knowledge which inform mainstream educational research and practice. She then argues for an emphasis on contextualised learning as a right in education. This means accounting for contextualised knowledge and resisting the current trend towards de-contextualisation of curricula. This trend is reflected in Zanzibar's recent curriculum reform, in which English replaced Kiswahili as the language of instruction (LOI) in the last two years of primary school. The author's own research during the initial stage of the change (2010-2015) revealed that the effect has in fact proven to be counterproductive, with educational quality deteriorating further rather than improving. Arguing that language is essential to inquiry-based learning, she introduces a new didactic model which integrates alternative assumptions about the value of local knowledge and local languages in the teaching and learning of science subjects. In practical terms, the model is designed to address key science concepts through multiple modalities - "do it, say it, read it, write it" - a "hands-on" experiential combination which, she posits, may form a new platform for innovation based on a unique mix of local and global knowledge, and facilitate genuine science literacy. She provides examples from cutting-edge educational research and practice that illustrate this new model of teaching and learning science. This model has the potential to improve learning while supporting local languages and culture, giving local languages their rightful place in all aspects of education.

  13. My Science Is Better than Your Science: Conceptual Change as a Goal in Teaching Science Majors Interested in Teaching Careers about Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Utter, Brian C.; Paulson, Scott A.; Almarode, John T.; Daniel, David B.

    2018-01-01

    We argue, based on a multi-year collaboration to develop a pedagogy course for physics majors by experts in physics, education, and the science of learning, that the process of teaching science majors about education and the science of learning, and evidence-based teaching methods in particular, requires conceptual change analogous to that…

  14. A Comprehensive Analysis of High School Genetics Standards: Are States Keeping Pace with Modern Genetics?

    PubMed Central

    Dougherty, M.J.; Pleasants, C.; Solow, L.; Wong, A.; Zhang, H.

    2011-01-01

    Science education in the United States will increasingly be driven by testing and accountability requirements, such as those mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act, which rely heavily on learning outcomes, or “standards,” that are currently developed on a state-by-state basis. Those standards, in turn, drive curriculum and instruction. Given the importance of standards to teaching and learning, we investigated the quality of life sciences/biology standards with respect to genetics for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, using core concepts developed by the American Society of Human Genetics as normative benchmarks. Our results indicate that the states’ genetics standards, in general, are poor, with more than 85% of the states receiving overall scores of Inadequate. In particular, the standards in virtually every state have failed to keep pace with changes in the discipline as it has become genomic in scope, omitting concepts related to genetic complexity, the importance of environment to phenotypic variation, differential gene expression, and the differences between inherited and somatic genetic disease. Clearer, more comprehensive genetics standards are likely to benefit genetics instruction and learning, help prepare future genetics researchers, and contribute to the genetic literacy of the U.S. citizenry. PMID:21885828

  15. Applying the Science of Learning: Evidence-Based Principles for the Design of Multimedia Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mayer, Richard E.

    2008-01-01

    During the last 100 years, a major accomplishment of psychology has been the development of a science of learning aimed at understanding how people learn. In attempting to apply the science of learning, a central challenge of psychology and education is the development of a science of instruction aimed at understanding how to present material in…

  16. Instructional Suggestions Supporting Science Learning in Digital Environments Based on a Review of Eye-Tracking Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yang, Fang-Ying; Tsai, Meng-Jung; Chiou, Guo-Li; Lee, Silvia Wen-Yu; Chang, Cheng-Chieh; Chen, Li-Ling

    2018-01-01

    The main purpose of this study was to provide instructional suggestions for supporting science learning in digital environments based on a review of eye tracking studies in e-learning related areas. Thirty-three eye-tracking studies from 2005 to 2014 were selected from the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) database for review. Through a…

  17. Urban schools' teachers enacting project-based science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tal, Tali; Krajcik, Joseph S.; Blumenfeld, Phyllis C.

    2006-09-01

    What teaching practices foster inquiry and promote students to learn challenging subject matter in urban schools? Inquiry-based instruction and successful inquiry learning and teaching in project-based science (PBS) were described in previous studies (Brown & Campione, [1990]; Crawford, [1999]; Krajcik, Blumenfeld, Marx, Bass, & Fredricks, [1998]; Krajcik, Blumenfeld, Marx, & Solloway, [1994]; Minstrell & van Zee, [2000]). In this article, we describe the characteristics of inquiry teaching practices that promote student learning in urban schools. Teaching is a major factor that affects both achievement of and attitude of students toward science (Tamir, [1998]). Our involvement in reform in a large urban district includes the development of suitable learning materials and providing continuous and practiced-based professional development (Fishman & Davis, in press; van Es, Reiser, Matese, & Gomez, [2002]). Urban schools face particular challenges when enacting inquiry-based teaching practices like those espoused in PBS. In this article, we describe two case studies of urban teachers whose students achieved high gains on pre- and posttests and who demonstrated a great deal of preparedness and commitment to their students. Teachers' attempts to help their students to perform well are described and analyzed. The teachers we discuss work in a school district that strives to bring about reform in mathematics and science through systemic reform. The Center for Learning Technologies in Urban Schools (LeTUS) collaborates with the Detroit Public Schools to bring about reform in middle-school science. Through this collaboration, diverse populations of urban-school students learn science through inquiry-oriented projects and the use of various educational learning technologies. For inquiry-based science to succeed in urban schools, teachers must play an important role in enacting the curriculum while addressing the unique needs of students. The aim of this article is to describe patterns of good science teaching in urban school.

  18. Catalyzing Effective Science Education: Contributions from the NASA Science Education and Public Outreach Forums

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smith, Denise A.; Bartolone, L.; Eisenhamer, B.; Lawton, B. L.; Schultz, G. R.; Peticolas, L.; Schwerin, T.; Shipp, S.; Astrophysics E/PO Community, NASA; NASA Astrophysics Forum Team

    2013-06-01

    Advancing scientific literacy and strengthening the Nation’s future workforce through stimulating, informative, and effective learning experiences are core principles of the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) education and public outreach (E/PO) program. To support and coordinate its E/PO community in offering a coherent suite of activities and experiences that effectively meet the needs of the education community, NASA SMD has created four Science Education and Public Outreach Forums (Astrophysics, Planetary Science, Heliophysics, Earth Science). Forum activities include: professional development to raise awareness of the existing body of best practices and educational research; analysis and cataloging of SMD-funded education materials with respect to AAAS Benchmarks for Science Literacy; Working Groups that assemble needs assessment and best practices data relevant to Higher Education, K-12 Formal Education, and Informal Science Education audiences; and community collaborations that enable SMD E/PO community members to develop new partnerships and to learn and share successful strategies and techniques. This presentation will highlight examples of Forum and community-based activities related to astronomy education and teacher professional development, within the context of the principles articulated within the NRC Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards. Among these are an emerging community of practice for K-12 educators and online teacher professional development and resources that incorporate misconception research and authentic experiences with NASA Astrophysics data.

  19. Using Science to Take a Stand: Action-Oriented Learning in an Afterschool Science Club

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hagenah, Sara

    This dissertation study investigates what happens when students participate in an afterschool science club designed around action-oriented science instruction, a set of curriculum design principles based on social justice pedagogy. Comprised of three manuscripts written for journal publication, the dissertation includes 1) Negotiating community-based action-oriented science teaching and learning: Articulating curriculum design principles, 2) Middle school girls' socio-scientific participation pathways in an afterschool science club, and 3) Laughing and learning together: Productive science learning spaces for middle school girls. By investigating how action-oriented science design principles get negotiated, female identity development in and with science, and the role of everyday social interactions as students do productive science, this research fills gaps in the understanding of how social justice pedagogy gets enacted and negotiated among multiple stakeholders including students, teachers, and community members along what identity development looks like across social and scientific activity. This study will be of interest to educators thinking about how to enact social justice pedagogy in science learning spaces and those interested in identity development in science.

  20. The Application of Community Service Learning in Science Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ng, Betsy Ling-Ling

    2012-01-01

    Learning of science has been traditionally conducted in classrooms or in the form of lectures. Science education is usually context-specific learning as students are taught a particular module of content in class. In problem-based learning, they are provided with examples of problems in which they learn how to solve these types of problems.…

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