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…

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…

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.

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…

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…

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.…

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…

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"…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.

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.

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…

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…

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".

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.

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.

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…

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…

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.…

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.

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…

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…

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.

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.

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.

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.

"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…

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…

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…

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.

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.

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…

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…

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…

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.

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…

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,…

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.

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.…

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…

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…

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,…

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.

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.

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…

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.

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.

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…

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…

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…

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…

"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…

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…

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.

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.

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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)…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.

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…

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.

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.

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.

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.

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…

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.

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.

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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

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.

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.

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…

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…

"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…

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…

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…

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…

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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,…

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.

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…

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…

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

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…

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…

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.

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.

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

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,…

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.

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…

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…

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.

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.

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.

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…

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…

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.

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.

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.

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.

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…

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…

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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…

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.

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.…

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...

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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"…

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…

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…

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.…

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.

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.

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.

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.

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…

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,…

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"…

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.

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

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.

Investigating Correspondence between Language Proficiency Standards and Academic Content Standards: A Generalizability Theory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Chih-Kai; Zhang, Jinming

2014-01-01

Research on the relationship between English language proficiency standards and academic content standards serves to provide information about the extent to which English language learners (ELLs) are expected to encounter academic language use that facilitates their content learning, such as in mathematics and science. Standards-to-standards…

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.

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

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.

Reframing Science Learning and Teaching: A Communities of Practice Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sansone, Anna

2018-01-01

Next Generation Science Standards encourage science instruction that offers not only opportunities for inquiry but also the diverse social and cognitive processes involved in scientific thinking and communication. This article gives an introduction to Lave and Wenger's (1991) communities of practice framework as a potential way of viewing…

Supporting Newly Hired Science Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luft, Julie A.; Nixon, Ryan S.; Dubois, Shannon L.; Campbell, Benjamin K.

2014-01-01

New teachers are common in the teaching workforce (Ingersoll and Merrill 2012). All new teachers will learn about the school curriculum and school policies in their first years. New science teachers, however, need to attend to the "Next Generation of Science Standards" (NGSS Lead States 2013) as they build their instruction and knowledge…

Becoming Nonfiction Authors: Engaging in Science Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kersten, Sara

2017-01-01

This article describes how second-grade students' literacy learning was enhanced as they used their developing knowledge of nonfiction in an integrated English language arts/science unit toward the creation of multimodal nonfiction science books. After explaining the Common Core State Standards that guided the unit, the author outlines the…

Using Discrepant Events in Science Demonstrations to Promote Student Engagement in Scientific Investigations: An Action Research Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mancuso, Vincent J.

2010-01-01

Students' scientific investigations have been identified in national standards and related reform documents as a critical component of students' learning experiences in school, yet it is not easy to implement them in science classrooms. Could science demonstrations help science teachers put this recommendation into practice? While demonstrations…

The Use of Probeware to Improve Learning Outcomes in Middle School Science: A Mixed Methods Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Price, Elizabeth Lamond

2017-01-01

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) call upon K-12 science teachers to provide authentic science and engineering practices which deepen understanding of core ideas and crosscutting concepts (NGSS Lead States, 2013). Probeware technology provides exposure to these scientific practices; however, there is a disconnect between the frequency…

Teaching professionalism in science courses: anatomy to zoology.

PubMed

Macpherson, Cheryl C

2012-02-01

Medical professionalism is reflected in attitudes, behaviors, character, and standards of practice. It is embodied by physicians who fulfill their duties to patients and uphold societies' trust in medicine. Professionalism requires familiarity with the ethical codes and standards established by international, governmental, institutional, or professional organizations. It also requires becoming aware of and responsive to societal controversies. Scientific uncertainty may be used to teach aspects of professionalism in science courses. Uncertainty about the science behind, and the health impacts of, climate change is one example explored herein that may be used to teach both professionalism and science. Many medical curricula provide students with information about professionalism and create opportunities for students to reflect upon and strengthen their individually evolving levels of professionalism. Faculties in basic sciences are rarely called upon to teach professionalism or deepen medical students understanding of professional standards, competencies, and ethical codes. However they have the knowledge and experience to develop goals, learning objectives, and topics relevant to professionalism within their own disciplines and medical curricula. Their dedication to, and passion for, science will support basic science faculties in designing innovative and effective approaches to teaching professionalism. This paper explores topics and formats that scientists may find useful in teaching professional attitudes, skills, and competencies in their medical curriculum. It highlights goals and learning objectives associated with teaching medical professionalism in the basic sciences. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V.

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.

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.

Elementary Science Education in Classrooms and Outdoors: Stakeholder views, gender, ethnicity, and testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrier, Sarah J.; Thomson, Margareta M.; Tugurian, Linda P.; Tate Stevenson, Kathryn

2014-09-01

In this article, we present a mixed-methods study of 2 schools' elementary science programs including outdoor instruction specific to each school's culture. We explore fifth-grade students in measures of science knowledge, environmental attitudes, and outdoor comfort levels including gender and ethnic differences. We further examine students' science and outdoor views and activity choices along with those of adults (teachers, parents, and principals). Significant differences were found between pre- and posttest measures along with gender and ethnic differences with respect to students' science knowledge and environmental attitudes. Interview data exposed limitations of outdoor learning at both schools including standardized test pressures, teachers' views of science instruction, and desultory connections of alternative learning settings to 'school' science.

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).

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…

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.

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

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.

Science Alive!: Connecting with Elementary Students through Science Exploration.

PubMed

Raja, Aarti; Lavin, Emily Schmitt; Gali, Tamara; Donovan, Kaitlin

2016-05-01

A novel program called Science Alive! was developed by undergraduate faculty members, K-12 school teachers, and undergraduate students to enrich science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) literacy at community schools located near the university. The ultimate goal of the program is to bolster the scientific knowledge and appreciation of local area students and community members and serve as a model for similar programs. Through the program, we observed that elementary school students made gains toward learning their grade-level science curricula after a hands-on learning experience and had fun doing these hands-on activities. Through the program, undergraduate students, working with graduate students and alumni, build scientific learning modules using explanatory handouts and creative activities as classroom exercises. This helps better integrate scientific education through a collaborative, hands-on learning program. Results showed that elementary school students made the highest learning gains in their performance on higher-level questions related to both forces and matter as a result of the hands-on learning modules. Additionally, college students enjoyed the hands-on activities, would consider volunteering their time at such future events, and saw the service learning program as a benefit to their professional development through community building and discipline-specific service. The science modules were developed according to grade-level curricular standards and can be used year after year to teach or explain a scientific topic to elementary school students via a hands-on learning approach.

Academic, Industry and Student Perspectives on the Inclusion of "Vocational Knowledge" in a "Learning and Teaching Academic Standards Statement" for Agriculture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Acuña, Tina Botwright; Kelder, Jo-Anne; Able, Amanda J.; Guisard, Yann; Bellotti, William D.; McDonald, Glenn; Doyle, Richard; Wormell, Paul; Meinke, Holger

2014-01-01

This paper reports on the perspective of industry stakeholders in a national project to develop a Learning and Teaching Academic Standards (LTAS) Statement for the Agriculture discipline. The AgLTAS Statement will be aligned with the Science LTAS Statement published in 2011 and comprise a discourse on the nature and extent of the Agriculture…

Lessons Learned from Conducting a K-12 Project to Revitalize Achievement by Using Instrumentation in Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kapila, Vikram; Iskander, Magued

2014-01-01

A student's first introduction to engineering and technology is typically through high school science labs. Unfortunately, in many high schools, science labs often make use of antiquated tools that fail to deliver exciting lab content. As a result, many students are turned off by science, fail to excel on standardized science exams, and do not…

Examining the Impact of Using the Science Writing Heuristic Approach in Learning Science: A Cluster Randomized Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hand, Brian; Therrien, William; Shelley, Mack

2013-01-01

The U.S. began a new national standards movement in the area of K-12 science education curriculum reform in the 1980s known as "Science for All" to develop a population that is literate in economic and democratic agendas for a global market focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) (Duschl, 2008). The National…

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…

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.

The Effect of a Reading Accommodation on Standardized Test Scores of Learning Disabled and Non Learning Disabled Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meloy, Linda L.; Deville, Craig; Frisbie, David

The effect of the Read Aloud accommodation on the performances of learning disabled in reading (LD-R) and non-learning disabled (non LD) middle school students was studied using selected texts from the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) achievement battery. Science, Usage and Expression, Math Problem Solving and Data Interpretation, and Reading…

Explorations in Statistics: The Analysis of Ratios and Normalized Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curran-Everett, Douglas

2013-01-01

Learning about statistics is a lot like learning about science: the learning is more meaningful if you can actively explore. This ninth installment of "Explorations in Statistics" explores the analysis of ratios and normalized--or standardized--data. As researchers, we compute a ratio--a numerator divided by a denominator--to compute a…

Using Arts Integration to Make Science Learning Memorable in the Upper Elementary Grades: A Quasi-Experimental Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graham, Nicholas James; Brouillette, Liane

2016-01-01

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) have brought a stronger emphasis on engineering into K-12 STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) instruction. Introducing the design process used in engineering into science classrooms simulated a dialogue among some educators about adding the arts to the mix. This led to proposals for…

Effective STEM Programs for Adolescent Girls: Three Approaches and Many Lessons Learned

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mosatche, Harriet S.; Matloff-Nieves, Susan; Kekelis, Linda; Lawner, Elizabeth K.

2013-01-01

While women's participation in math and physical science continues to lag to some degree behind that of men, the disparity is much greater in engineering and computer science. Though boys may outperform girls at the highest levels on math and science standardized tests, girls tend to get better course grades in math and science than boys do.…

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…

Collaborations in a Community of Practice Working to Integrate Engineering Design in Elementary Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lehman, James D.; Kim, WooRi; Harris, Constance

2014-01-01

The new standards for K-12 science education in the United States call for science teachers to integrate engineering concepts and practices within their science teaching in order to improve student learning. To accomplish this, teachers need appropriate instructional materials as well as the knowledge and skills to effectively use them. This mixed…

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…

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…

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…

Negligence Liability of K-12 Chemistry Teachers: The Need for Legal Balance and Responsible Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zirkel, Perry A.; Barnes, Marianne B.

2011-01-01

The science education community promotes inquiry teaching and learning enhanced by the school laboratory experience, and this emphasis is reflected in state and national science education standards. However, science teachers, especially those in chemistry settings, have been known to avoid laboratory activities because of fear of legal liability…

What Is PSQM?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turner, Jane; Marshall, Steven; Elsmore, Heidi

2011-01-01

From schools across the UK, 250 science subject leaders are taking part in this year's Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM) scheme, seeking to achieve an award to celebrate the quality of science teaching and learning in their schools. It is a new award scheme and has attracted lots of interest. The Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) has…

The Science of Safety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jensen, Jill

2012-01-01

The author's first reaction to learning that the new science standards adopted in Minnesota included engineering was fear and apprehension. She couldn't picture what an engineering project would look like at the elementary level. As a K-5 elementary science specialist, it was now her job to figure out how to incorporate engineering in their…

Teaching and Learning about the Earth. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Hyonyong

This ERIC Digest investigates the earth and space science guidelines of the National Science Education Standards. These guidelines are frequently referred to as the earth system and include components such as plate tectonics, the water cycle, and the carbon cycle. This Digest describes the development of earth systems science and earth systems…

Engaging Students in the Scientific Practices of Explanation and Argumentation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reiser, Brian J.; Berland, Leema K.; Kenyon, Lisa

2012-01-01

"A Framework for K-12 Science Education" identifies eight science and engineering practices for K-12 classrooms. These practices, along with core ideas and crosscutting concepts, define the nation's learning goals for science. An important advance from earlier standards (AAAS 1993, NRC 1996), these practices are clearly identified "not" as…

High School Physics: An Interactive Instructional Approach That Meets the Next Generation Science Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Shaobo; Mejia, Joel Alejandro; Becker, Kurt; Neilson, Drew

2015-01-01

Improving high school physics teaching and learning is important to the long-term success of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Efforts are currently in place to develop an understanding of science among high school students through formal and informal educational experiences in engineering design activities…

Cultivating Primary Students' Scientific Thinking through Sustained Teacher Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Roxanne Greitz; Curwen, Margaret Sauceda; White-Smith, Kimberly A.; Calfee, Robert C.

2015-01-01

While the United States' National Research Council (NRC 2012) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS 2013) advocate children's engagement in active science learning, elementary school teachers in the US indicate lack of time to teach science regularly because of (1) school and district pressure to focus on English language arts and…

Mathematics and Science Learning Opportunities in Preschool Classrooms

PubMed Central

Piasta, Shayne B.; Pelatti, Christina Yeager; Miller, Heather Lynnine

2014-01-01

Research findings The present study observed and coded instruction in 65 preschool classrooms to examine (a) overall amounts and (b) types of mathematics and science learning opportunities experienced by preschool children as well as (c) the extent to which these opportunities were associated with classroom and program characteristics. Results indicated that children were afforded an average of 24 and 26 minutes of mathematics and science learning opportunities, respectively, corresponding to spending approximately 25% of total instructional time in each domain. Considerable variability existed, however, in the amounts and types of mathematics and science opportunities provided to children in their classrooms; to some extent, this variability was associated with teachers’ years of experience, teachers’ levels of education, and the socioeconomic status of children served in the program. Practice/policy Although results suggest greater integration of mathematics and science in preschool classrooms than previously established, there was considerable diversity in the amounts and types of learning opportunities provided in preschool classrooms. Affording mathematics and science experiences to all preschool children, as outlined in professional and state standards, may require additional professional development aimed at increasing preschool teachers’ understanding and implementation of learning opportunities in these two domains in their classrooms. PMID:25489205

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.

The Relationship Between the Learning Style Perceptual Preferences of Urban Fourth Grade Children and the Acquisition of Selected Physical Science Concepts Through Learning Cycle Instructional Methodology.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adams, Kenneth Mark

The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between the learning style perceptual preferences of fourth grade urban students and the attainment of selected physical science concepts for three simple machines as taught using learning cycle methodology. The sample included all fourth grade children from one urban elementary school (N = 91). The research design followed a quasi-experimental format with a single group, equivalent teacher demonstration and student investigation materials, and identical learning cycle instructional treatment. All subjects completed the Understanding Simple Machines Test (USMT) prior to instructional treatment, and at the conclusion of treatment to measure student concept attainment related to the pendulum, the lever and fulcrum, and the inclined plane. USMT pre and post-test scores, California Achievement Test (CAT-5) percentile scores, and Learning Style Inventory (LSI) standard scores for four perceptual elements for each subject were held in a double blind until completion of the USMT post-test. The hypothesis tested in this study was: Learning style perceptual preferences of fourth grade students as measured by the Dunn, Dunn, and Price Learning Style Inventory (LSI) are significant predictors of success in the acquisition of physical science concepts taught through use of the learning cycle. Analysis of pre and post USMT scores, 18.18 and 30.20 respectively, yielded a significant mean gain of +12.02. A controlled stepwise regression was employed to identify significant predictors of success on the USMT post-test from among USMT pre-test, four CAT-5 percentile scores, and four LSI perceptual standard scores. The CAT -5 Total Math and Total Reading accounted for 64.06% of the variance in the USMT post-test score. The only perceptual element to act as a significant predictor was the Kinesthetic standard score, accounting for 1.72% of the variance. The study revealed that learning cycle instruction does not appear to be sensitive to different perceptual preferences. Students with different preferences for auditory, visual, and tactile modalities, when learning, seem to benefit equally from learning cycle exposure. Increased use of a double blind for future learning styles research was recommended.

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.

Science, Standards, and Differentiation: It Really Can Be Fun!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sondergeld, Toni A.; Schultz, Robert A.

2008-01-01

Teaching in a regular classroom has become more complicated than ever with increased student diversity and pressure to connect learning experiences to educational standards and test preparation. Although teaching to the middle is often what occurs in traditional classrooms to meet required standards, it is neither an appropriate nor meaningful…

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.

Integrating Ubunifu, informal science, and community innovations in science classrooms in East Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Semali, Ladislaus M.; Hristova, Adelina; Owiny, Sylvia A.

2015-12-01

This study examines the relationship between informal science and indigenous innovations in local communities in which students matured. The discussion considers methods for bridging the gap that exists between parents' understanding of informal science ( Ubunifu) and what students learn in secondary schools in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. In an effort to reconcile the difference between students' lived experiences and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) taught in classrooms, this study presents an experiential iSPACES instructional model as an example of curriculum integration in science classrooms. The culmination is presentation of lessons learned from history, including Africa's unique contributions to science, theory, and indigenous innovations, in the hope that these lessons can spur the development of new instructional practices, standards, curriculum materials, professional and community development, and dialogue among nations.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Project VISION (Very Intensive Scientific Intercurricular On-Site Education

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roig, Gustavo A.

1999-01-01

Project VISION (Very Intensive Scientific Intercurricular On-Site Education) is a joint effort among NASA/John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida International University, Universidad del Turabo, Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the Caguas/Gurabo Public Schools in Puerto Rico. The project's main mission is to institutionalize change among the elementary and middle school science and math teachers at participating schools so that their students receive continuously enriched instruction in the principles of science and math through the use of hands-on and minds-on experiments called learning modules. These leaming modules incorporate the national science and math education standards provided by the National Committee on Science Education Standards and Assessments and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, respectively. The use of learning modules that require hands-on and minds-on activities in a classroom setting garners great enthusiasm and motivation on the part of the target students for the understanding of the lesson's underlying math and science principles. With this enthusiasm and motivation, comes acceptance, attention, participation, discipline, acquiescence, and collaboration. Additionally, the use of hands-on activities may also require learning through a gamut of senses. Not only can the student use his/her eyes and ears during these activities, but most times, they can also use their senses of touch, smell, and taste, as well as intuition. Learning is, therefore, achieved using most or all the human senses. The combination of motivation/enthusiasm and the use of multiple senses creates an ideal environment conducive to leaming at a profound level.

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.

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.

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

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…

Middle School Students' Conceptual Learning from the Implementation of a New NSF Supported Curriculum: Interactions in Physical Science[TM

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eick, Charles J.; Dias, Michael; Smith, Nancy R. Cook

2009-01-01

A new National Science Foundation supported curriculum, Interactions in Physical Science[TM], was evaluated on students' conceptual change in the twelve concept areas of the national physical science content standard (B) for grades 5-8. Eighth grade students (N = 66) were evaluated pre and post on a 31-item multiple-choice test of conceptual…

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…

The Nature of Science and the Next Generation Science Standards: Analysis and Critique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McComas, William F.; Nouri, Noushin

2016-08-01

This paper provides a detailed analysis of the inclusion of aspects of nature of science (NOS) in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). In this new standards document, NOS elements in eight categories are discussed in Appendix H along with illustrative statements (called exemplars). Many, but not all, of these exemplars are linked to the standards by their association with either the "practices of science" or "crosscutting concepts," but curiously not with the recommendations for science content. The study investigated all aspects of NOS in NGSS including the accuracy and inclusion of the supporting exemplar statements and the relationship of NOS in NGSS to other aspects of NOS to support teaching and learning science. We found that while 92 % of these exemplars are acceptable, only 78 % of those written actually appear with the standards. "Science as a way of knowing" is a recommended NOS category in NGSS but is not included with the standards. Also, several other NOS elements fail to be included at all grade levels thus limiting their impact. Finally, NGSS fails to include or insufficiently emphasize several frequently recommended NOS elements such as creativity and subjectivity. The paper concludes with a list of concerns and solutions to the challenges of NOS in NGSS.

Science Alive!: Connecting with Elementary Students through Science Exploration†

PubMed Central

Raja, Aarti; Lavin, Emily Schmitt; Gali, Tamara; Donovan, Kaitlin

2016-01-01

A novel program called Science Alive! was developed by undergraduate faculty members, K–12 school teachers, and undergraduate students to enrich science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) literacy at community schools located near the university. The ultimate goal of the program is to bolster the scientific knowledge and appreciation of local area students and community members and serve as a model for similar programs. Through the program, we observed that elementary school students made gains toward learning their grade-level science curricula after a hands-on learning experience and had fun doing these hands-on activities. Through the program, undergraduate students, working with graduate students and alumni, build scientific learning modules using explanatory handouts and creative activities as classroom exercises. This helps better integrate scientific education through a collaborative, hands-on learning program. Results showed that elementary school students made the highest learning gains in their performance on higher-level questions related to both forces and matter as a result of the hands-on learning modules. Additionally, college students enjoyed the hands-on activities, would consider volunteering their time at such future events, and saw the service learning program as a benefit to their professional development through community building and discipline-specific service. The science modules were developed according to grade-level curricular standards and can be used year after year to teach or explain a scientific topic to elementary school students via a hands-on learning approach. PMID:27158309

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…

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).

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…

Teachers' Incorporation of Argumentation to Support Engineering Learning in STEM Integration Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mathis, Corey A.; Siverling, Emilie A.; Glancy, Aran W.; Moore, Tamara J.

2017-01-01

One of the fundamental practices identified in Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) is argumentation, which has been researched in P-12 science education for the previous two decades but has yet to be studied within the context of P-12 engineering education. This research explores how elementary and middle school science teachers incorporated…

Modeling Evolution in the Classroom: The Case of Fukushima's Mutant Butterflies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lark, Amy; Richmond, Gail; Pennock, Robert T.

2014-01-01

New science standards and reform recommendations spanning grades K--16 focus on a limited set of key scientific concepts from each discipline that all students should know. They also emphasize the integration of these concepts with science practices so that students learn not only the "what" of science but also the "how" and…

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…

An Initial Needs Assessment of Science Inquiry Curriculum Practices at a Local Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cottingham, Susan M.

2010-01-01

Frequently, students learn in science classes taught like traditional reading courses in which reading texts and answering questions is the main activity. The problem at one southern middle school is that students are not developing an understanding of science concepts and are doing poorly on standardized testing. Students are seldom given the…

Makerspaces in the Library: Science in a Student's Hands

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Julian, Kristi D.; Parrott, Deborah J.

2017-01-01

Makerspaces supply a venue for students to construct a variety of real-world products at the collegiate level using science and technology standards. The maker movement is sweeping the science learning community by storm in the library setting with remarkable success. The maker movement provides an opportunity to transform the library into a…

Teachers' Sensemaking about Implementation of an Innovative Science Curriculum across the Settings of Professional Development and Classroom Enactment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de los Santos, Xeng

2017-01-01

Designing professional development that effectively supports teachers in learning new and often challenging practices remains a dilemma for teacher educators. Within the context of current reform efforts in science education, such as the "Next Generation Science Standards," teacher educators are faced with managing the dilemma of how to…

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.

First Results from the Test Of Astronomy STandards (TOAST) Assessment Instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slater, Stephanie

2009-01-01

Considerable effort in the astronomy education research over the past several years has focused on developing assessment tools in the form of multiple-choice conceptual diagnostics and content knowledge surveys. This has been critically important in advancing astronomy as a sub-discipline of physics education research, allowing researchers to establish the initial knowledge state of students as well as to attempt to measure some of the impacts of innovative instructional interventions. Before now, few of the existing instruments were constructed upon a solid list of clearly articulated and widely agreed upon learning objectives. Moving beyond the 10-year old Astronomy Diagnostics Test, we have developed and validated a new assessment instrument that is 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) designed a criterion-referenced assessment tool, called the Test Of Astronomy STandards (TOAST). Through iterative development, this multiple-choice instrument has a high degree of reliability and validity for instructors and researchers needing information on students’ initial knowledge state at the beginning of a course and can be used, in aggregate, to help 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.

Academic performance: A case study of mathematics and science educators from rural Washington high schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hancock, Tira K.

A qualitative descriptive case study explored courses of action for educators and leaders of math and science educators to implement to help students achieve state assessment standard and postsecondary success. The problem focused on two demographically similar rural high schools in Southwest Washington that demonstrated inadequate rates of student achievement in mathematics and science. The research question investigated courses of action that may assist educators and leaders of secondary math and science educators to help students achieve WASL standards and postsecondary success in compliance with the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. Senge's learning organization theory (1990, 2006) and Fullan's (2001) contributions to leading and learning in times of change provided the theoretical framework for the study. Twenty study participant responses analyzed with qualitative analysis software QSR NVivo 7 revealed six themes. Triangulation of responses with secondary data from WASL assessment scores and case study school assessment data identified 14 courses of action and three recommendations for educators and leaders of math and science educators to help students meet state standards and postsecondary success. Critical factors identified in the study as needed to assist educators to help students succeed included professional development, collaboration, teaching practices, funding, student accountability, and parental involvement.

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.

Interprofessional education and the basic sciences: Rationale and outcomes.

PubMed

Thistlethwaite, Jill E

2015-01-01

Interprofessional education (IPE) aims to improve patient outcomes and the quality of care. Interprofessional learning outcomes and interprofessional competencies are now included in many countries' health and social care professions' accreditation standards. While IPE may take place at any time in health professions curricula it tends to focus on professionalism and clinical topics rather than basic science activities. However generic interprofessional competencies could be included in basic science courses that are offered to at least two different professional groups. In developing interprofessional activities at the preclinical level, it is important to define explicit interprofessional learning outcomes plus the content and process of the learning. Interprofessional education must involve interactive learning processes and integration of theory and practice. This paper provides examples of IPE in anatomy and makes recommendations for course development and evaluation. © 2015 American Association of Anatomists.

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."

Eight-Legged Encounters—Arachnids, Volunteers, and Art help to Bridge the Gap between Informal and Formal Science Learning

PubMed Central

Hebets, Eileen A.; Welch-Lazoritz, Melissa; Tisdale, Pawl; Wonch Hill, Trish

2018-01-01

Increased integration and synergy between formal and informal learning environments is proposed to provide multiple benefits to science learners. In an effort to better bridge these two learning contexts, we developed an educational model that employs the charismatic nature of arachnids to engage the public of all ages in science learning; learning that aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas associated with Biodiversity and Evolution). We created, implemented, and evaluated a family-focused, interactive science event—Eight-Legged Encounters (ELE)—which encompasses more than twenty modular activities. Volunteers facilitated participant involvement at each activity station and original artwork scattered throughout the event was intended to attract visitors. Initial ELE goals were to increase interest in arachnids and science more generally, among ELE participants. In this study, we tested the efficacy of ELE in terms of (i) activity-specific visitation rates and self-reported interest levels, (ii) the self-reported efficacy of our use of volunteers and original artwork on visitor engagement, and (iii) self-reported increases in interest in both spiders and science more generally. We collected survey data across five ELE events at four museum and zoo sites throughout the Midwest. We found that all activities were successful at attracting visitors and capturing their interest. Both volunteers and artwork were reported to be effective at engaging visitors, though likely in different ways. Additionally, most participants reported increased interest in learning about arachnids and science. In summary, ELE appears effective at engaging the public and piquing their interest. Future work is now required to assess learning outcomes directly, as well as the ability for participants to transfer knowledge gain across learning environments. PMID:29495395

Eight-Legged Encounters-Arachnids, Volunteers, and Art help to Bridge the Gap between Informal and Formal Science Learning.

PubMed

Hebets, Eileen A; Welch-Lazoritz, Melissa; Tisdale, Pawl; Wonch Hill, Trish

2018-02-26

Increased integration and synergy between formal and informal learning environments is proposed to provide multiple benefits to science learners. In an effort to better bridge these two learning contexts, we developed an educational model that employs the charismatic nature of arachnids to engage the public of all ages in science learning; learning that aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas associated with Biodiversity and Evolution). We created, implemented, and evaluated a family-focused, interactive science event- Eight-Legged Encounters (ELE )-which encompasses more than twenty modular activities. Volunteers facilitated participant involvement at each activity station and original artwork scattered throughout the event was intended to attract visitors. Initial ELE goals were to increase interest in arachnids and science more generally, among ELE participants. In this study, we tested the efficacy of ELE in terms of (i) activity-specific visitation rates and self-reported interest levels, (ii) the self-reported efficacy of our use of volunteers and original artwork on visitor engagement, and (iii) self-reported increases in interest in both spiders and science more generally. We collected survey data across five ELE events at four museum and zoo sites throughout the Midwest. We found that all activities were successful at attracting visitors and capturing their interest. Both volunteers and artwork were reported to be effective at engaging visitors, though likely in different ways. Additionally, most participants reported increased interest in learning about arachnids and science. In summary, ELE appears effective at engaging the public and piquing their interest. Future work is now required to assess learning outcomes directly, as well as the ability for participants to transfer knowledge gain across learning environments.

Scientists and Classroom Teachers Working Together, a Win-win Scenario Demonstrated Over a Ten Year Period of Collaboration Through Arctic Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carvellas, B.; Grebmeier, J. M.; Cooper, L. W.

2016-02-01

From 2002-2012 NSF and NOAA have supported a Vermont high school biology teacher to work with Dr. Jackie Grebmeier on 8 research cruises to the Arctic. Not only was the teacher embedded in Dr. Grebmeier's research team efforts, but her students were able to follow the work on board through her daily journals and photos. Subsequently, Dr. Grebmeier traveled to Vermont for a personal visit to students in multiple classes, grades 4-12. The opportunity for teachers to be teamed with a researcher, especially over an extended period of time as we will discuss in our presentation, allows their students to share in the tremendous learning experience and gain a deeper understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of science. The result is that the students begin to understand how the content they learn in the classroom is utilized in a real world setting. We will also discuss the more subtle benefits that occurred throughout the school year through connecting academic content with personal examples of "real" science. Note that the recently released Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), when fully implemented, will change the way students learn science. Appendix A of the NGSS lists 7 Conceptual Shifts in these new standards. #1 states "K-12 Science Education Should Reflect the Interconnected Nature of Science as it is Practiced and Experienced in the Real World" and #4 calls for a "Focus on Deeper Understanding of Content as well as Application of Content." What better way to address the standards than bringing real world science research into the classroom? Many K-12 science teachers, particularly those in elementary classrooms, have never had the opportunity to pursue their own research and even fewer have experienced first hand the real world work of a research scientist. This presentation will provide insights about our successful collaboration and value-added aspects to enhance the educational experience.

Professional Identity Development of Teacher Candidates Participating in an Informal Science Education Internship: A focus on drawings as evidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katz, Phyllis; McGinnis, J. Randy; Hestness, Emily; Riedinger, Kelly; Marbach-Ad, Gili; Dai, Amy; Pease, Rebecca

2011-06-01

This study investigated the professional identity development of teacher candidates participating in an informal afterschool science internship in a formal science teacher preparation programme. We used a qualitative research methodology. Data were collected from the teacher candidates, their informal internship mentors, and the researchers. The data were analysed through an identity development theoretical framework, informed by participants' mental models of science teaching and learning. We learned that the experience in an afterschool informal internship encouraged the teacher candidates to see themselves, and to be seen by others, as enacting key recommendations by science education standards documents, including exhibiting: positive attitudes, sensitivity to diversity, and increasing confidence in facilitating hands-on science participation, inquiry, and collaborative work. Our study provided evidence that the infusion of an informal science education internship in a formal science teacher education programme influenced positively participants' professional identity development as science teachers.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Höttecke, Dietmar; Silva, Cibelle Celestino

2011-03-01

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 to better understand this problem, an analysis of the obstacles of implementing HPS into classrooms was undertaken. The obstacles taken into account were structured in four groups: 1. culture of teaching physics, 2. teachers' skills, epistemological and didactical attitudes and beliefs, 3. institutional framework of science teaching, and 4. textbooks as fundamental didactical support. Implications for more effective implementation of HPS are presented, taking the social nature of educational systems into account.

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.

The Right "Fit": Exploring Science Teacher Candidates' Approaches to Natural Selection Within a Clinical Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dotger, Benjamin; Dotger, Sharon; Masingila, Joanna; Rozelle, Jeffrey; Bearkland, Mary; Binnert, Ashley

2018-06-01

Teachers and students struggle with the complexities surrounding the evolution of species and the process of natural selection. This article examines how science teacher candidates (STCs) engage in a clinical simulation that foregrounds two common challenges associated with natural selection—students' understanding of "survival of the fittest" and the variation of species over time. We outline the medical education pedagogy of clinical simulations and its recent diffusion to teacher education. Then, we outline the study that situates each STC in a one-to-one interaction with a standardized student who is struggling to accurately interpret natural selection concepts. In simulation with the standardized student, each STC is challenged to recognize content misconceptions and respond with appropriate instructional strategies and accurate explanations. Findings and implications center on the STCs' instructional practices in the simulation and the use of clinical learning environments to foster science teacher learning.

The Right "Fit": Exploring Science Teacher Candidates' Approaches to Natural Selection Within a Clinical Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dotger, Benjamin; Dotger, Sharon; Masingila, Joanna; Rozelle, Jeffrey; Bearkland, Mary; Binnert, Ashley

2017-04-01

Teachers and students struggle with the complexities surrounding the evolution of species and the process of natural selection. This article examines how science teacher candidates (STCs) engage in a clinical simulation that foregrounds two common challenges associated with natural selection—students' understanding of "survival of the fittest" and the variation of species over time. We outline the medical education pedagogy of clinical simulations and its recent diffusion to teacher education. Then, we outline the study that situates each STC in a one-to-one interaction with a standardized student who is struggling to accurately interpret natural selection concepts. In simulation with the standardized student, each STC is challenged to recognize content misconceptions and respond with appropriate instructional strategies and accurate explanations. Findings and implications center on the STCs' instructional practices in the simulation and the use of clinical learning environments to foster science teacher learning.

The Priority of the Question: Focus Questions for Sustained Reasoning in Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lustick, David

2010-08-01

Science education standards place a high priority on promoting the skills and dispositions associated with inquiry at all levels of learning. Yet, the questions teachers employ to foster sustained reasoning are most likely borrowed from a textbook, lab manual, or worksheet. Such generic questions generated for a mass audience, lack authenticity and contextual cues that allow learners to immediately appreciate a question’s relevance. Teacher queries intended to motivate, guide, and foster learning through inquiry are known as focus questions. This theoretical article draws upon science education research to present a typology and conceptual framework intended to support science teacher educators as they identify, develop, and evaluate focus questions with their students.

The Science of Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barringer, Mary-Dean

2009-01-01

Principals who are determined to help their teachers inspire all students to bold accomplishments while identifying the right strategies for their most complex and struggling learners need to have a relentless focus on making "learning" the core business of school. This isn't the same as emphasizing assessment data, standards, and…

The Ontology of Science Teaching in the Neoliberal Era

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharma, Ajay

2017-01-01

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…

What's the Weather Like Today?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Heather; Smith, Mandy McCormick; Trundle, Kathy Cabe

2014-01-01

Teaching students to make daily weather observations is one way educators assist them as they learn to dress appropriately. In addition, it provides a natural and developmentally appropriate link between science and other curriculum areas, such as literacy and language development. The "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS Lead…

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.

Pesticide Reevaluation

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Learn about the process for periodically evaluating registered pesticides to ensure they meet current science standards for risk assessment, as required by the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act.

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…

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.

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.

Secondary School Chemistry Teacher's Current Use of Laboratory Activities and the Impact of Expense on Their Laboratory Choices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boesdorfer, Sarah B.; Livermore, Robin A.

2018-01-01

In the United States with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)'s emphasis on learning science while doing science, laboratory activities in the secondary school chemistry continues to be an important component of a strong curriculum. Laboratory equipment and consumable materials create a unique expense which chemistry teachers and schools…

Making Sense of Safety: Cooperative Learning Activities Allow Students Time to Reflect on the Implications of Lab Safety Rules

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrier, Regina

2005-01-01

An important part of the science classroom involves teaching students how to safely use tools, techniques, and procedures. As emphasized in the National Science Education Standards, "safety is a fundamental concern in all experiential science" and teachers must "teach students how to engage safely in investigations inside and outside the…

Inquiry, Argumentation, and the Phases of the Moon: Helping Students Learn Important Concepts and Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Cady B.; Sampson, Victor

2009-01-01

An important goal of the current reform movement in science education is to promote scientific literacy in the United States, and scientific inquiry is at its heart. However, the National Science Education Standards clearly indicate that to promote inquiry, more emphasis should be placed on "science as argument and explanation" rather than on…

Explicit Instruction and Next Generation Science Standards Aligned Classrooms: A Fit or a Split?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Therrien, William J.; Benson, Sarah K.; Hughes, Charles A.; Morris, Jared R.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this article is to discuss the use of explicit instruction in the curriculum area of science where non-explicit approaches (e.g., discovery learning) are often used. While there has been a relative paucity of research on explicit instruction in science classrooms, we argue that explicit instruction, particularly when it is embedded…

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…

The impact of federal policy on teachers' use of science manipulatives: A survey of teacher philosophy and practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helgoe, Catherine A.

Recently, educators in public K-12 schools have added testing of science knowledge to the measures of Adequate Yearly Progress required by the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. Research of the impact of NCLB policy on general teaching practices had credited the policy with improving instruction; however, negative impacts noted included the concern that teachers "teach to the test," narrowing the curriculum. Testing as an assessment strategy was not advocated by the professional educators and scientists responsible for the National Science Education Standards (NSES). Results from previous studies pointed to a potential conflict between the NCLB reforms and the National Science Education Standards science standards, in which teachers might reduce or eliminate hands-on activities and other constructivist practices in order to focus class time on other topics and tasks. Most research on NCLB policy, however, had not evaluated instructional practices regarding science education. This study examined the relationship among teacher beliefs, specifically the strength of their constructivist versus traditional beliefs, teachers' responses to NCLB policy, and teachers' use of constructivist practices in the form of manipulatives. This study showed that national policy did have an impact on teachers; however, that impact was not specific to the hands-on practices in science education. Teachers who responded to this survey had found many benefits in student learning using manipulatives and those positive impacts on their students justified the increased use of manipulatives in the classroom. The strength of teachers' constructivist beliefs showed a weak positive correlation to choices related to curriculum priorities, learning goals and advantages in using manipulatives. However, a relationship to beliefs was not found in the changes teachers made to various instructional practices, or in how they viewed certain manipulative materials, or in how they viewed federal policies. The impact of the federal policies was related more to school climate and teacher motivation than instructional choices. Most teachers reported positive impacts on student learning using manipulatives and these results, more than the pressure they felt to "cover the curriculum" or prepare students for standardized tests, provided reasons to continue using the practice.

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.

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.

Bioinformatics in the secondary science classroom: A study of state content standards and students' perceptions of, and performance in, bioinformatics lessons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wefer, Stephen H.

The proliferation of bioinformatics in modern Biology marks a new revolution in science, which promises to influence science education at all levels. This thesis examined state standards for content that articulated bioinformatics, and explored secondary students' affective and cognitive perceptions of, and performance in, a bioinformatics mini-unit. The results are presented as three studies. The first study analyzed secondary science standards of 49 U.S States (Iowa has no science framework) and the District of Columbia for content related to bioinformatics at the introductory high school biology level. The bionformatics content of each state's Biology standards were categorized into nine areas and the prevalence of each area documented. The nine areas were: The Human Genome Project, Forensics, Evolution, Classification, Nucleotide Variations, Medicine, Computer Use, Agriculture/Food Technology, and Science Technology and Society/Socioscientific Issues (STS/SSI). Findings indicated a generally low representation of bioinformatics related content, which varied substantially across the different areas. Recommendations are made for reworking existing standards to incorporate bioinformatics and to facilitate the goal of promoting science literacy in this emerging new field among secondary school students. The second study examined thirty-two students' affective responses to, and content mastery of, a two-week bioinformatics mini-unit. The findings indicate that the students generally were positive relative to their interest level, the usefulness of the lessons, the difficulty level of the lessons, likeliness to engage in additional bioinformatics, and were overall successful on the assessments. A discussion of the results and significance is followed by suggestions for future research and implementation for transferability. The third study presents a case study of individual differences among ten secondary school students, whose cognitive and affective percepts were analyzed in relation to their experience in learning a bioinformatics mini-unit. There were distinct individual differences among the participants, especially in the way they processed information and integrated procedural and analytical thought during bioinformatics learning. These differences may provide insights into some of the specific needs of students that educators and curriculum designers should consider when designing bioinformatics learning experiences. Implications for teacher education and curriculum design are presented in addition to some suggestions for further research.

On Marcuse and Caring in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shel, Tammy

2006-01-01

Can caring and standardized testing coincide? Marcuse criticized the misuse of science because it also legitimizes social and economic hierarchy. By the same token, scholars develop standardized testing, claiming these tests are scientific and can measure objectively individuals' learning and intelligence capabilities. However, if inclusive caring…

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.

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.

The Next Generation Science Standards: An Historic Opportunity for K-12 Earth and Space Science Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, R. M.; Passow, M. J.; Holzer, M. A.; Moore, J.

2014-12-01

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) provide an historic opportunity to significantly improve Earth and space science (ESS) education nationally at the K-12 level. The increased emphasis on ESS related topics in the NGSS relative to previous standards provides a real opportunity for ensuring all K-12 students in adopting states learn about the ESS - allowing us to reach many more students than are currently are exposed to our discipline. The new standards are also exciting in that they explicitly couple science and engineering practice, cross-cutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas in such a way that student must actively demonstrate their understanding through actions rather than through mere regurgitation of memorized responses. Achieving mastery of NGSS Performance Expectations will require practice with higher-order learning skills - with students engaging in the practices of scientists and engineers. Preparing students for this mastery will be a challenging task for teachers, since in many states professional development support is limited at best for the current curriculum - let alone the curricula that will be developed to address the NGSS. As adoption of the NGSS expands across the country, states will be at various levels of implementation of the new standards over the next several years - and there is real concern that teachers must have sufficient professional development to be able to be successful in preparing their students - particularly in view of likely coupled assessments and teacher evaluations. NESTA strongly supports implementation of the NGSS, and the rigorous and compelling ESS education it will engender, when coupled with a strong emphasis nationwide on teacher professional development. For the past two years, the National Earth Science Teachers Association (NESTA) has continued our leadership in K-12 ESS education through workshops, web seminars, events and publications that emphasize implementation of the NGSS in ESS-related courses. Our recent survey of K-12 Earth and space science educators confirms widespread enthusiasm about the potential offered by the new standards, as well as concern about the urgent need for professional development to support teacher implementation of the standards.

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.

Ditching the Desks: Kinesthetic Learning in College Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mobley, Kayce; Fisher, Sarah

2014-01-01

In this article we argue that social science instructors at all levels should openly embrace kinesthetic learning as an everyday pedagogical tool. The standard model of instruction at the college level relies on lecture, perhaps with special alternative activities (e.g., simulations) scattered throughout each semester. We argue that students…

Enhancing Preservice Teachers' Understanding of Students' Misconceptions in Learning Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naah, Basil Mugaga

2015-01-01

Preservice teachers enrolled in a modified introductory chemistry course used an instructional rubric to improve and evaluate their understanding of students' misconceptions in learning various chemistry concepts. A sample of 79 preservice teachers first explored the state science standards to identify chemistry misconceptions associated with the…

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…

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…

Goals for Teacher Learning about Energy Degradation and Usefulness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daane, Abigail R.; Vokos, Stamatis; Scherr, Rachel E.

2014-01-01

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) require teachers to understand aspects of energy degradation and the second law of thermodynamics, including energy's availability and usefulness, changes in energy concentration, and the tendency of energy to spread uniformly. In an effort to develop learning goals that support teachers in building…

"Lettuce" Learn Math: Teaching Mathematics with Seeds and Centimeters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rickard, Laura N.; Wilson, Colette

2006-01-01

"Lettuce Learn Math" is an interdisciplinary program that has effectively linked a small-scale agricultural production system to a sixth-grade mathematics and science curriculum. The mathematical concepts and skills, including measurement and geometry, taught in this project met and often exceeded the standards set by New York state for…

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.

NGSS for English Language Learners: From Theory to Planning to Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Emily; Lauffer, Hedi Baxter; Messina, Paula

2014-01-01

Because of the "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS"), all of Emily Miller, Hedi Baxter Lauffer, and Paula Messina's students needed to learn the practice of scientific argumentation within the context of sense-making about core ideas in science. The goal, to meet the "NGSS," enabled them to simultaneously…

iSTEM: Learning Mathematics through Minecraft

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bos, Beth; Wilder, Lucy; Cook, Marcelina; O'Donnell, Ryan

2014-01-01

The Common Core State Standards can be taught with Minecraft, an interactive creative Lego®-like game. Integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (iSTEM) authors share ideas and activities that stimulate student interest in the integrated fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in K-grade 6 classrooms.

Implementing Inclusive Engineering Challenges for Elementary Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silva Mangiante, Elaine; Moore, Adam

2015-01-01

The Next Generation Science Standards emphasize the need to promote equitable opportunities for all students to engage in science and engineering. This article offers eight tips that educators can use to support students of all abilities, including those with special learning needs, to engage in engineering challenges at the elementary level.

Climate Change Professional Development: Design, Implementation, and Initial Outcomes on Teacher Learning, Practice, and Student Beliefs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shea, Nicole A.; Mouza, Chrystalla; Drewes, Andrea

2016-04-01

In this work, we present the design, implementation, and initial outcomes of the Climate Academy, a hybrid professional development program delivered through a combination of face-to-face and online interactions, intended to prepare formal and informal science teachers (grades 5-16) in teaching about climate change. The Climate Academy was designed around core elements of successful environmental professional development programs and aligned with practices advocated in benchmarked science standards. Data were collected from multiple sources including observations of professional development events, participants' reflections on their learning, and collection of instructional units designed during the Academy. Data were also collected from a focal case study teacher in a middle school setting. Case study data included classroom observations, teacher interviews, and student beliefs toward climate change. Results indicated that the Climate Academy fostered increased learning among participants of both climate science content and pedagogical strategies for teaching about climate change. Additionally, results indicated that participants applied their new learning in the design of climate change instructional units. Finally, results from the case study indicated positive impacts on student beliefs and greater awareness about climate change. Results have implications for the design of professional development programs on climate change, a topic included for the first time in national standards.

Use of the Outdoor Classroom and Nature-Study to Support Science and Literacy Learning: A Narrative Case Study of a Third-Grade Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eick, Charles J.

2012-11-01

A case study of an exemplary third grade teacher's use of the outdoor classroom for meeting both state science and language arts standards is described. Data from the researcher's field journal, teacher lesson plans, and teacher interviews document how this teacher used nature-study to bridge outdoor classroom experiences with the state science and language arts curriculum. This teacher's early life experiences supported her strong interest in science and nature in the outdoors and experiencing it with her children. Children interacted with the outdoor classroom throughout the day as a context for science and literacy learning. All but one child successfully met Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) goals in reading at the end of the school year.

Development of the Test Of Astronomy STandards (TOAST) Assessment Instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slater, Timothy F.; Slater, S. J.

2008-05-01

Considerable effort in the astronomy education research (AER) community over the past several years has focused on developing assessment tools in the form of multiple-choice conceptual diagnostics and content knowledge surveys. This has been critically important in advancing the AER discipline so that researchers could establish the initial knowledge state of students as well as to attempt measure some of the impacts of innovative instructional interventions. Unfortunately, few of the existing instruments were constructed upon a solid list of clearly articulated and widely agreed upon learning objectives. This was not done in oversight, but rather as a result of the relative youth of AER as a discipline. Now that several important science education reform documents exist and are generally accepted by the AER community, we are in a position to develop, validate, and disseminate a new assessment instrument which is 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. In response, researchers from the Cognition in Astronomy, Physics and Earth sciences Research (CAPER) Team at the University of Wyoming's Science & Math Teaching Center (UWYO SMTC) have designed a criterion-referenced assessment tool, called the Test Of Astronomy STandards (TOAST). Through iterative development, this instrument has a high degree of reliability and validity for instructors and researchers needing information on students’ initial knowledge state at the beginning of a course and can be used, in aggregate, to help measure the impact of course-length duration instructional strategies for courses with learning goals tightly aligned to the consensus goals of our community.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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…

Characterizing the Development of Students' Understandings regarding the Second Law of Thermodynamics: Using Learning Progressions to Illuminate Thinking in High School Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cunningham, Kevin D.

2011-01-01

As demonstrated by their emphasis in the new, national, science education standards, learning progressions (LPs) have become a valuable means of informing teaching and learning. LPs serve this role by isolating the key components of central skills and understandings, and by describing how those abilities and concepts tend to develop over time…

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.…

What Are Elementary and Middle School Students Expected to Learn about the Sun and Moon in Taiwan and the US?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Li-Ling; Soprano, Kristina; McAllister, Meredith

2012-01-01

The overarching goal of this study is to examine what is considered most important regarding the depth, breadth and content of space science concepts as reflected in current national science education standards and science curricula in Taiwan and the US. Major findings of this study conclude that many skills and concepts articulated in the…

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…

Laptop Use, Interactive Science Software, and Science Learning Among At-Risk Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Binbin; Warschauer, Mark; Hwang, Jin Kyoung; Collins, Penelope

2014-08-01

This year-long, quasi-experimental study investigated the impact of the use of netbook computers and interactive science software on fifth-grade students' science learning processes, academic achievement, and interest in further science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) study within a linguistically diverse school district in California. Analysis of students' state standardized science test scores indicated that the program helped close gaps in scientific achievement between at-risk learners (i.e., English learners, Hispanics, and free/reduced-lunch recipients) and their counterparts. Teacher and student interviews and classroom observations suggested that computer-supported visual representations and interactions supported diverse learners' scientific understanding and inquiry and enabled more individualized and differentiated instruction. Finally, interviews revealed that the program had a positive impact on students' motivation in science and on their interest in pursuing science-related careers. This study suggests that technology-facilitated science instruction is beneficial for improving at-risk students' science achievement, scaffolding students' scientific understanding, and strengthening students' motivation to pursue STEM-related careers.

Literacy events during science instruction in a fifth-grade classroom: Listening to teacher and student voices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deal, Debby

Concern with science literacy and how to achieve it has a long history in our education system. The goals and definitions established by the National Science Education Standards (1996) suggest that if we are to successfully prepare students for the information age, science education must blend the natural and social sciences. However, research indicates that connections between hands-on science and literacy, as a tool for processing information, do not regularly occur during school science instruction. This case study explored the use of literacy by a second year teacher in a fifth grade class during consecutive science units on chemistry and liquids. The research questions focused on how and why the teacher and students used literacy during science and how and why the teacher and selected focus students believed literacy influenced their learning in science. Data was collected through classroom observations and multiple interviews with the teacher and selected focus students. Interview data was analyzed and coded using an iterative process. Field notes and student artifacts were used to triangulate the data. The study found that the teacher and students used reading and writing to record and acquire content knowledge, learn to be organized, and to facilitate assessment. Although the teacher had learned content literacy strategies in her pre-service program, she did not implement them in the classroom and her practice seemed to reflect her limited science content knowledge and understanding of the nature of science. The focus students believed that recording and studying notes, reading books, drawing, and reading study guides helped them learn science. The findings suggest the following implications: (1) More data is needed on the relationship between teaching approach, science content knowledge, and beliefs about science. (2) Elementary student voices make a valuable contribution to our understanding of science learning. (3) Pre-service candidates should have multiple opportunities to explicitly reflect on their beliefs about literacy, the nature of science, and learning in general. (4) Science methods classes should balance content, beliefs and attitudes related to science, and content literacy strategies.

The Pedometer as a Tool to Enrich Science Learning in a Public Health Context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rye, James A.; Zizzi, Samuel J.; Vitullo, Elizabeth A.; Tompkins, Nancy O'hara

2005-12-01

The United States is experiencing an obesity epidemic: A science-technology-society public health issue tied to our built environment, which is characterized by heavy dependence on automobiles and reduced opportunities to walk and bicycle for transportation. This presents an informal science education opportunity within "science in personal and social perspectives'' to use pedometer technology for enhancing students' understandings about human energy balance. An exploratory study was conducted with 29 teachers to investigate how pedometers could be used for providing academic enrichment to secondary students participating in after-school Health Sciences and Technology Academy clubs. Frequency analysis revealed that the pedometer activities often investigated kilocalorie expenditure and/or incorporated hypothesis testing/experimenting. Teachers' perspectives on learning outcomes most frequently conveyed that students increased their awareness of the importance of health habits relative to kilocalorie intake and expenditure. Pedometers have considerable merit for the regular science curriculum as they allow for numerous mathematics applications and inquiry learning and target concepts such as energy and equilibrium that cut across the National Science Education Standards. Pedometers and associated resources on human energy balance are important tools that science teachers can employ in helping schools respond to the national call to prevent childhood obesity.

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.

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.

Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Mission EARTH (GME) program delivers climate change science content, pedagogy, and data resources to K12 educators, future teachers, and professional development providers.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ostrom, T.

2017-12-01

This presentation will include a series of visuals that discuss how hands-on learning activities and field investigations from the the Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Mission EARTH (GME) program deliver climate change science content, pedagogy, and data resources to K12 educators, future teachers, and professional development providers. The GME program poster presentation will also show how teachers strengthen student preparation for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM)-related careers while promoting diversity in the future STEM workforce. In addition to engaging students in scientific inquiry, the GME program poster will show how career exploration and preparation experiences is accomplished through direct connection to scientists and real science practices. The poster will show which hands-on learning activities that are being implemented in more than 30,000 schools worldwide, with over a million students, teachers, and scientists collecting environmental measurements using the GLOBE scientific protocols. This poster will also include how Next Generation Science Standards connect to GME learning progressions by grade strands. The poster will present the first year of results from the implementation of the GME program. Data is currently being agrigated by the east, midwest and westen regional operations.

Relationships among constructivist learning environment perceptions, motivational beliefs, self-regulation and science achievement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kingir, Sevgi; Tas, Yasemin; Gok, Gulsum; Sungur Vural, Semra

2013-11-01

Background. There are attempts to integrate learning environment research with motivation and self-regulation research that considers social context influences an individual's motivation, self-regulation and, in turn, academic performance. Purpose. This study explored the relationships among constructivist learning environment perception variables (personal relevance, uncertainty, shared control, critical voice, student negotiation), motivational beliefs (self-efficacy, intrinsic interest, goal orientation), self-regulation, and science achievement. Sample. The sample for this study comprised 802 Grade 8 students from 14 public middle schools in a district of Ankara in Turkey. Design and methods. Students were administered 4 instruments: Constructivist Learning Environment Survey, Goal Achievement Questionnaire, Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, and Science Achievement Test. LISREL 8.7 program with SIMPLIS programming language was used to test the conceptual model. Providing appropriate fit indices for the proposed model, the standardized path coefficients for direct effects were examined. Results. At least one dimension of the constructivist learning environment was associated with students' intrinsic interest, goal orientation, self-efficacy, self-regulation, and science achievement. Self-efficacy emerged as the strongest predictor of both mastery and performance avoidance goals rather than the approach goals. Intrinsic value was found to be significantly linked to science achievement through its effect on self-regulation. The relationships between self-efficacy and self-regulation and between goal orientation and science achievement were not significant. Conclusion. In a classroom environment supporting student autonomy and control, students tend to develop higher interest in tasks, use more self-regulatory strategies, and demonstrate higher academic performance. Science teachers are highly recommended to consider these findings when designing their lessons. For the creation of such a learning environment, teachers can design open-ended inquiry activities in which students have opportunities to take responsibility, reflect on their views, and accomplish challenging tasks.

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…

Enhancing American Identity and Citizenship in Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benninga, Jacques; Quinn, Brandy

2011-01-01

By examining history-social science learning standards in the state of California, an argument is made that schools should be concerned about more than narrowly defined academic achievement goals. Instead, a review of those standards suggests that schools are responsible for helping to foster democratic citizenship that grows out of a strong…

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…

Business Students Should Learn More about Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laprise, Shari L.; Winrich, Charles; Sharpe, Norean Radke

2008-01-01

Educators have been giving much-needed attention recently to innovations in the standard M.B.A. and the undergraduate business curriculum. Most notable has been the integration of fundamental courses in the core curriculum--finance, marketing, accounting--to emphasize a more-realistic team approach to learning, and to reflect that managers do not…

Negotiating the Use of Formative Assessment for Learning in an Era of Accountability Testing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yin, Xinying

2013-01-01

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…

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…

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.

"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…

Learning Goals and Conceptual Difficulties in Cell Metabolism--An Explorative Study of University Lecturers' Views

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Degerman, Mari Stadig; Tibell, Lena A. E.

2012-01-01

The rapid development and increasing inter- and multi-disciplinarity of life sciences invokes revisions of life science course curricula, recognizing ("inter alia") the need to compromise between covering specific phenomena and general processes/principles. For these reasons there have been several initiatives to standardize curricula,…

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…

How Do Students Understand Energy in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics? Development and Validation of an Assessment Instrument

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Opitz, Sebastian Tobias; Neumann, Knut; Bernholt, Sascha; Harms, Ute

2017-01-01

Science standards of different countries introduced disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts--such as energy--to help students develop a more interconnected science understanding. As previous research has mostly addressed energy learning in specific disciplinary contexts, this study targets students' cross-disciplinary understanding of…

Augmented Reality Games: Using Technology on a Budget

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Annetta, Leonard; Burton, Erin Peters; Frazier, Wendy; Cheng, Rebecca; Chmiel, Margaret

2012-01-01

As smartphones become more ubiquitous among adolescents, there is increasing potential for these as a tool to engage students in science instruction through innovative learning environments such as augmented reality (AR). Aligned with the National Science Education Standards (NRC 1996) and integrating the three dimensions of "A Framework for K-12…

Geoscience Education in the Boy Scouts of America

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hintz, Rachel; Thomson, Barbara

2012-01-01

Boy Scout geoscience education is not "desk" education--it is an informal, hands-on, real-world education where Scouts learn through activities, trips, and the outdoors, as well as in meetings and in the merit badge program. Merit badge requirements, many of which meet National Science Education Standards for Earth and Space Science,…

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…

All about Animal Life Cycles. Animal Life for Children. [Videotape].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

2000

While watching the development from tadpole to frog, caterpillar to butterfly, and pup to wolf, children learn about the life cycles of animals, the different stages of development, and the average life spans of a variety of creatures. This videotape correlates to the following National Science Education Standards for Life Science: characteristics…

Earth/Space Science Course No. 2001310. [Student Guide and] Teacher's Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atkinson, Missy

These documents contain instructional materials for the Earth/Space Science curriculum designed by the Florida Department of Education. The student guide is adapted for students with disabilities or diverse learning needs. The content of Parallel Alternative Strategies for Students (PASS) differs from standard textbooks with its simplified text,…

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…

Using a Guided Inquiry Approach in the Traditional Vertebrate Anatomy Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meuler, Debra

2008-01-01

A central theme of the "National Science Education Standards" is teaching science as an inquiry process, allowing students to explore an authentic problem using the tools and skills of the discipline. Research indicates that more active participation by the student, which usually requires higher-order thinking skills, results in deeper learning.…

The Priority of the Question: Focus Questions for Sustained Reasoning in Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lustick, David

2010-01-01

Science education standards place a high priority on promoting the skills and dispositions associated with inquiry at all levels of learning. Yet, the questions teachers employ to foster sustained reasoning are most likely borrowed from a textbook, lab manual, or worksheet. Such generic questions generated for a mass audience, lack authenticity…

The Use of the Microcomposter to Study the Dynamics of a Mini-Ecosystem

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoeber, Rodelyn Padua; Saurette, Fernand; Dubois-Jacques, Daniele; Gravel, Deny

2010-01-01

Compost bins are beginning to make their way into home gardens and classrooms, allowing students to actively participate in greening their environment. However, do they really understand the process of composting? According to the "National Science Education Standards" (National Research Council [NRC] 1996, 20), "Learning science is something…

A Comprehensive Analysis of High School Genetics Standards: Are States Keeping Pace with Modern Genetics?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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.…

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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."

Learning science through talk: A case study of middle school students engaged in collaborative group investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zinicola, Debra Ann

Reformers call for change in how science is taught in schools by shifting the focus towards conceptual understanding for all students. Constructivist learning is being promoted through the dissemination of National and State Science Standards that recommend group learning practices in science classrooms. This study examined the science learning and interactions, using case study methodology, of one collaborative group of 4 students in an urban middle school. Data on science talk and social interaction were collected over 9 weeks through 12 science problem solving sessions. To determine student learning through peer interaction, varied group structures were implemented, and students reflected on the group learning experience. Data included: field notes, cognitive and reflective journals, audiotapes and videotapes of student talk, and audiotapes of group interviews. Journal data were analyzed quantitatively and all other data was transcribed into The Ethnograph database for qualitative analysis. The data record was organized into social and cognitive domains and coded with respect to interaction patterns to show how group members experienced the social construction of science concepts. The most significant finding was that all students learned as a result of 12 talk sessions as evidenced by pre- and post-conceptual change scores. Interactions that promoted learning involved students connecting their thoughts, rephrasing, and challenging ideas. The role structure was only used by students about 15% of the time, but it started the talk with a science focus, created awareness of scientific methods, and created an awareness of equitable member participation. Students offered more spontaneous, explanatory talk when the role structure was relaxed, but did not engage in as much scientific writing. They said the role structure was important for helping them know what to do in the talk but they no longer needed it after a time. Gender bias, status, and early adolescent developmental factors influenced many of the group's interactions. Recommendations are that: collaborative group problem solving be used frequently to promote conceptual change, teachers begin with a role structure to guide interactions, create heterogeneous groups, keep the same students together for a significant period of time, and monitor, guide, and teach during group learning sessions.

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.

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.

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.

Creationism & Climate Change (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newton, S.

2009-12-01

Although creationists focus on the biological sciences, recently creationists have also expanded their attacks to include the earth sciences, especially on the topic of climate change. The creationist effort to deny climate change, in addition to evolution and radiometric dating, is part of a broader denial of the methodology and validity of science itself. Creationist misinformation can pose a serious problem for science educators, who are further hindered by the poor treatment of the earth sciences and climate change in state science standards. Recent changes to Texas’ science standards, for example, require that students learn “different views on the existence of global warming.” Because of Texas’ large influence on the national textbook market, textbooks presenting non-scientific “different views” about climate change—or simply omitting the subject entirely because of the alleged “controversy”—could become part of K-12 classrooms across the country.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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…

NEEDS (The National Engineering Education Delivery System): If We Build It (According to Standards) They Will Come!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saylor, John M.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is providing funds for coalitions of engineering educational institutions to improve the quality of undergraduate engineering education. A hypothesis that is being tested is that people can learn better in environments that allow self-paced and/or collaborative learning. The main tools for providing this…

Preschool Success: Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Child Learn

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

James, Amy

2006-01-01

This Knowledge Essentials book shows parents how to enrich their child's first classroom experience and take an active role in preschool education. This book includes advice and offers information about: (1) What a child is learning at school and the educational standards to expect in preschool-level reading and writing readiness, math, science,…

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,…

Spatial Thinking Concepts in Early Grade-Level Geography Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anthamatten, Peter

2010-01-01

Research in the cognition and learning sciences has demonstrated that the human brain contains basic structures whose functions are to perform a variety of specific spatial reasoning tasks and that children are capable of learning basic spatial concepts at an early age. There has been a call from within geography to recognize research on spatial…

Learning about Phases of the Moon and Eclipses: A Guide for Teachers and Curriculum Developers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kavanagh, Claudine; Agan, Lori; Sneider, Cary

2005-01-01

"National Science Education Standards" (1996), published by the National Research Council, recommends that students learn to explain Moon phases and eclipses by the time they graduate from eighth grade. It is clear from the research literature, however, that misconceptions about Moon phases and eclipses are widespread and resistant to change, even…

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…

U.S. Science Teaching and Learning of Evolution: A Critical Review of the Literature 2000-2014

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glaze, Amanda L.; Goldston, M. Jenice

2015-01-01

This critical analysis examined research on evolution in the United States between the years 2000-2014, spanning early classroom implementation of the National Science Education Standards to current research findings. First, we sought to understand how the research literature published between 2000 and 2014 contributed to knowledge of evolution…

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.…

Development and Preliminary Evaluation of the Measure of Understanding of Macroevolution: Introducing the MUM

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nadelson, Louis S.; Southerland, Sherry A.

2010-01-01

The challenges in teaching and learning of biological evolution continue to be documented (NAS, 2008). Developers of science standards continue their work to increase emphasis on evolution. Although gains have been made, many K-12 science curricula focus on microevolution (i.e., natural selection, genetic drift), and a more limited effort is in…

Three- and Four-Year Olds Learn about Gears through Arts Incorporation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoycheva, Dessy; Perkins, Leann

2016-01-01

This research paper explores art integration into a science lesson unit that follows the Next Generation Science Standards (K-PS2-1) and focuses on the effects on memory retention of key concepts along with levels of enjoyment. An experiment was conducted with children ages 3 and 4 teaching scientific concepts about gears while incorporating…

Using the Learning Together Strategy to Affect Student Achievement in Physical Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Manda D.

2013-01-01

Despite efforts mandated by national legislation, the state of Georgia has made little progress in improving Grade 5 students' standardized test scores in science, spurring the need for social change. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to determine whether there was a significant difference in the student achievement in…

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…

Preparing medical students for future learning using basic science instruction.

PubMed

Mylopoulos, Maria; Woods, Nicole

2014-07-01

The construct of 'preparation for future learning' (PFL) is understood as the ability to learn new information from available resources, relate new learning to past experiences and demonstrate innovation and flexibility in problem solving. Preparation for future learning has been proposed as a key competence of adaptive expertise. There is a need for educators to ensure that opportunities are provided for students to develop PFL ability and that assessments accurately measure the development of this form of competence. The objective of this research was to compare the relative impacts of basic science instruction and clinically focused instruction on performance on a PFL assessment (PFLA). This study employed a 'double transfer' design. Fifty-one pre-clerkship students were randomly assigned to either basic science instruction or clinically focused instruction to learn four categories of disease. After completing an initial assessment on the learned material, all participants received clinically focused instruction for four novel diseases and completed a PFLA. The data from the initial assessment and the PFLA were submitted to independent-sample t-tests. Mean ± standard deviation [SD] scores on the diagnostic cases in the initial assessment were similar for participants in the basic science (0.65 ± 0.11) and clinical learning (0.62 ± 0.11) conditions. The difference was not significant (t[42] = 0.90, p = 0.37, d = 0.27). Analysis of the diagnostic cases on the PFLA revealed significantly higher mean ± SD scores for participants in the basic science learning condition (0.72 ± 0.14) compared with those in the clinical learning condition (0.63 ± 0.15) (t[42] = 2.02, p = 0.05, d = 0.62). Our results show that the inclusion of basic science instruction enhanced the learning of novel related content. We discuss this finding within the broader context of research on basic science instruction, development of adaptive expertise and assessment in medical education. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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.

Valuing Professional Development Components for Emerging Undergraduate Researchers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheung, I.

2015-12-01

In 2004 the Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC) at Oregon State University (OSU) established a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program to engage undergraduate students in hands-on research training in the marine sciences. The program offers students the opportunity to conduct research focused on biological and ecological topics, chemical and physical oceanography, marine geology, and atmospheric science. In partnership with state and federal government agencies, this ten-week summer program has grown to include 20+ students annually. Participants obtain a background in the academic discipline, professional development training, and research experience to make informed decisions about careers and advanced degrees in marine and earth system sciences. Professional development components of the program are designed to support students in their research experience, explore career goals and develop skills necessary to becoming a successful young marine scientist. These components generally include seminars, discussions, workshops, lab tours, and standards of conduct. These componentscontribute to achieving the following professional development objectives for the overall success of new emerging undergraduate researchers: Forming a fellowship of undergraduate students pursuing marine research Stimulating student interest and understanding of marine research science Learning about research opportunities at Oregon State University "Cross-Training" - broadening the hands-on research experience Exploring and learning about marine science careers and pathways Developing science communication and presentation skills Cultivating a sense of belonging in the sciences Exposure to federal and state agencies in marine and estuarine science Academic and career planning Retention of talented students in the marine science Standards of conduct in science Details of this program's components, objectives and best practices will be discussed.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Science Professional Learning Communities: Beyond a singular view of teacher professional development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, M. Gail; Gardner, Grant E.; Robertson, Laura; Robert, Sarah

2013-07-01

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are frequently being used as a vehicle to transform science education. This study explored elementary teachers' perceptions about the impact of participating in a science PLC on their own professional development. With the use of The Science Professional Learning Communities Survey and a semi-structured interview protocol, elementary teachers' perceptions of the goals of science PLCs, the constraints and benefits of participation in PLCs, and reported differences in the impact of PLC participation on novice and experienced teachers were examined. Sixty-five elementary teachers who participated in a science PLC were surveyed about their experiences, and a subsample of 16 teachers was interviewed. Results showed that most of the teachers reported their science PLC emphasized sharing ideas with other teachers as well as working to improve students' science standardized test scores. Teachers noted that the PLCs had impacted their science assessment practices as well as their lesson planning. However, a majority of the participants reported a differential impact of PLCs depending on a teacher's level of experience. PLCs were reported as being more beneficial to new teachers than experienced teachers. The interview results demonstrated that there were often competing goals and in some cases a loss of autonomy in planning science lessons. A significant concern was the impact of problematic interpersonal relationships and communication styles on the group functioning. The role of the PLC in addressing issues related to obtaining science resources and enhancing science content knowledge for elementary science teachers is discussed.

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.

Self-regulated learning and achievement by middle-school children.

PubMed

Sink, C A; Barnett, J E; Hixon, J E

1991-12-01

The relationship of self-regulated learning to the achievement test scores of 62 Grade 6 students was studied. Generally, the metacognitive and affective variables correlated significantly with teachers' grades and standardized test scores in mathematics, reading, and science. Planning and self-assessment significantly predicted the six measures of achievement. Step-wise multiple regression analyses using the metacognitive and affective variables largely indicate that students' and teachers' perceptions of scholastic ability and planning appear to be the most salient factors in predicting academic performance. The locus of control dimension had no utility in predicting classroom grades and performance on standardized measures of achievement. The implications of the findings for teaching and learning are discussed.

Teacher perceptions of usefulness of mobile learning devices in rural secondary science classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tighe, Lisa

The internet and easy accessibility to a wide range of digital content has created the necessity for teachers to embrace and integrate digitial media in their curriculums. Although there is a call for digital media integration in curriculum by current learning standards, rural schools continue to have access to fewer resources due to limited budgets, potentially preventing teachers from having access to the most current technology and science instructional materials. This dissertation identifies the perceptions rural secondary science teachers have on the usefulness of mobile learning devices in the science classroom. The successes and challenges in using mobile learning devices in the secondary classroom were also explored. Throughout this research, teachers generally supported the integration of mobile devices in the classroom, while harboring some concerns relating to student distractability and the time required for integrating mobile devices in exisiting curriculum. Quantitative and qualitative data collected through surveys, interviews, and classroom observations revealed that teachers perceive that mobile devices bring benefits such as ease of communication and easy access to digitial information. However, there are perceived challenges with the ability to effectively communicate complex scientific information via mobile devices, distractibility of students, and the time required to develop effective curriculum to integrate digital media into the secondary science classroom.

A Comparative Study of Hawaii Middle School Science Student Academic Achievement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Askew Cain, Peggy

The problem was middle-grade students with specific learning disabilities (SWDs) in reading comprehension perform less well than their peers on standardized assessments. The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to examine the effect of electronic concept maps on reading comprehension of eighth grade students with SWD reading comprehension in a Hawaii middle school Grade 8 science class on the island of Oahu. The target population consisted of Grade 8 science students for school year 2015-2016. The sampling method was a purposeful sampling with a final sample size of 338 grade 8 science students. De-identified archival records of grade 8 Hawaii standardized science test scores were analyzed using a one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) in SPSS. The finding for hypothesis 1 indicated a significant difference in student achievement between SWDs and SWODs as measured by Hawaii State Assessment (HSA) in science scores (p < 0.05), and for hypothesis 2, a significant difference in instructional modality for SWDs who used concept maps and does who did not as measured by the Hawaii State Assessment in science (p < 0.05). The implications of the findings (a) SWDs performed less well in science achievement than their peers and consequently, and (b) SWODs appeared to remember greater degrees of science knowledge, and answered more questions correctly than SWDs as a result of reading comprehension. Recommendations for practice were for educational leadership and noted: (a) teachers should practice using concept maps with SWDs as a specific reading strategy to support reading comprehension in science classes, (b) involve a strong focus on vocabulary building and concept building during concept map construction because the construction of concept maps sometimes requires frontloading of vocabulary, and (c) model for teachers how concept maps are created and to explain their educational purpose as a tool for learning. Recommendations for future research were to conduct (a) a quantitative comparative study between groups for academic achievement of subtests mean scores of SWDs and SWODs in physical science, earth science, and space science, and (b) a quantitative correlation study to examine relationships and predictive values for academic achievement of SWDs and concept map integration on standardized science assessments.

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.

Learning from the Professions: Examining How, Why, and When Engineers Read and Write

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giroux, Carolyn S.; Moje, Elizabeth Birr

2017-01-01

With the advent of the Next Generation Science Standards in engineering (NGSS, 2013), teachers of multiple subject areas are being asked to do more than ever before--not only to teach engineering content in the K-12 classroom but also to engage students in authentic disciplinary reading and writing as part of content learning. These standards…

Approaches to Biology Teaching and Learning: Lesson Study--Building Communities of Learning among Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Deborah; Donham, Richard; Tanner, Kimberly

2004-01-01

For more than 20 years, the American public has grown accustomed to the drumbeat of bad news about their schools. Poor performance on standardized tests, gaps in achievement between minority and white students, and high student drop-out rates have become part of the modern lexicon. Although college- and university-level science educators are not…

How One Teacher, Two Students with Visual Impairments, and a Three-Year R & D Project Could Change How All Students Learn Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Urquhart, Vicki

2012-01-01

You probably recognize this standard definition of a comet: "a relatively small extraterrestrial body consisting of a frozen mass that travels around the sun in a highly elliptical orbit." Add an accompanying photograph or diagram, and students "get" what a comet is, right? Science textbook publishers expect students to…

How and when Does Complex Reasoning Occur? Empirically Driven Development of a Learning Progression Focused on Complex Reasoning about Biodiversity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Songer, Nancy Butler; Kelcey, Ben; Gotwals, Amelia Wenk

2009-01-01

In order to compete in a global economy, students are going to need resources and curricula focusing on critical thinking and reasoning in science. Despite awareness for the need for complex reasoning, American students perform poorly relative to peers on international standardized tests measuring complex thinking in science. Research focusing on…

Failure, the Next Generation: Why Rigorous Standards Are Not Sufficient to Improve Science Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bair, Mary Antony; Bair, David Edward

2014-01-01

Although many states in the United States are adopting policies that require all students to complete college-preparatory science classes to graduate from high school, such policies have not always led to improved student outcomes. There is much speculation about the cause of the dismal results, but there is scant research on the processes by…

Maximizing the Usage of Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning of Science and Mathematics in English Program in the Malaysian Secondary Schools System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luck, Lee Tan; Peng, Chew Fong

2010-01-01

This research is attempting to examine the effectiveness in the application of ICT (information and communication technology) and standardize courseware in ETeMS (English for Teaching Mathematics and Science) or PPSMI (Pengajaran and Pembelajaran Sains and Matematic dalam Bahasa Inggeris) in English program in the Malaysian secondary school…

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.

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.

Ocean Sciences as a Foundation for Curriculum Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rakhmenkulova, I.; Gorshkalev, S.; Odriozola, A.; Dominguez, A.; Greely, T.; Pyrtle, A.; Keiper, T.; Watkins, J.

2005-05-01

The GK-12 OCEANS program is an initiative of the National Science Foundation (NSF). This program provides marine science graduate students within the College of Marine Science, USF, weekly interactions with K-12 teachers and students in Pinellas County schools with the overall purpose of enhancing the quality and effectiveness of science teaching. The GK-12 OCEANS program provides hands-on and minds-on ocean science learning inquiries. Campbell Park Elementary is a Marine Science attractor school designed to provide a child-centered approach to learning that integrates marine science activities into the daily curriculum while meeting the required state education standards. In 2003-04 a GK-12 Fellow helped third and fourth grade teachers design new teaching curricula that integrated ocean sciences. The current 2004-04 Fellow and teachers are implementing the new curriculum, assessing feasibility and impact on students' learning. One characteristic of the new curriculum includes several field trips to local natural settings during which students have the opportunity to collect data the way scientists do, and use real scientific instruments and approaches. The information collected is then used in different activities within the classroom. These activities encourage the students to use inquiry as the basis of their learning experience, in which the application of scientific thinking and methods are keys. This process also requires the students to apply skills from other disciplines such as writing, reading, and math. Towards the end of the school year the students have the opportunity to highlight their accomplishments through two projects, 1) a hall display of different ocean zones, which includes habitat characteristics and species adaptations, and 2) a marine science experiment presented at the school science fair. The results and accomplishments from the implementation of these new curricula will be presented at the conference.

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.

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.

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.

An Examination of Effective Practice: Moving Toward Elimination of Achievement Gaps in Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Carla C.

2009-06-01

This longitudinal study of middle school science teachers explored the relationship between effective science instruction, as defined by the National Science Education Standards (NRC in National science education standards. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1996), and student achievement in science. Eleven teachers participated in a three year study of teacher effectiveness, determined by the LSC Classroom Observation Protocol (Horizon Research, Inc. in Local Systemic Change Classroom Observation Protocol. May 1, 2002) and student achievement, which was assessed using the Discovery Inquiry Test in Science. Findings in this study revealed the positive impact that effective science teachers have on student learning, eliminating achievement gaps between White and Non-White students. Case studies of three teachers, both effective and ineffective explore the beliefs and experiences that influence teachers to change, or not to change practice. This study provides justification for teaching science effectively to narrow achievement gaps in science and provides insight to stakeholders in science education as to how to support teachers in becoming more effective, through addressing existing teacher beliefs and providing experiences that challenge those beliefs.

Science As A Second Language: Acquiring Fluency through Science Enterprises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shope, R.; EcoVoices Expedition Team

2013-05-01

Science Enterprises are problems that students genuinely want to solve, questions that students genuinely want to answer, that naturally entail reading, writing, investigation, and discussion. Engaging students in personally-relevant science enterprises provides both a diagnostic opportunity and a context for providing students the comprehensible input they need. We can differentiate instruction by creating science enterprise zones that are set up for the incremental increase in challenge for the students. Comprehensible input makes reachable, those just-out-of-reach concepts in the mix of the familiar and the new. EcoVoices takes students on field research expeditions within an urban natural area, the San Gabriel River Discovery Center. This project engages students in science enterprises focused on understanding ecosystems, ecosystem services, and the dynamics of climate change. A sister program, EcoVoces, has been launched in Mexico, in collaboration with the Universidad Loyola del Pacífico. 1) The ED3U Science Inquiry Model, a learning cycle model that accounts for conceptual change: Explore { Diagnose, Design, Discuss } Use. 2) The ¿NQUIRY Wheel, a compass of scientific inquiry strategies; 3) Inquiry Science Expeditions, a way of laying out a science learning environment, emulating a field and lab research collaboratory; 4) The Science Educative Experience Scale, a diagnostic measure of the quality of the science learning experience; and 5) Mimedia de la Ciencia, participatory enactment of science concepts using techniques of mime and improvisational theater. BACKGROUND: Science has become a vehicle for teaching reading, writing, and other communication skills, across the curriculum. This new emphasis creates renewed motivation for Scientists and Science Educators to work collaboratively to explore the common ground between acquiring science understanding and language acquisition theory. Language Acquisition is an informal process that occurs in the midst of exploring, solving problems, seeking answers to questions, playing, reading for pleasure, conversing, discussing, where the focus is not specifically on language development, but on the activity, which is of interest to the participant. Language Learning is a formal education process, the language arts aspect of the school day: the direct teaching of reading, writing, grammar, spelling, and speaking. Fluency results primarily from language acquisition and secondarily from language learning. We can view the problem of science education and communication as similar to language acquisition. Science Learning is a formal education process, the school science aspect of the school day: the direct teaching of standards-aligned science content. Science Acquisition is an informal process that occurs in the midst of exploring, solving problems, seeking answers to questions, playing, experimenting for pleasure, conversing, discussing, where the focus is not specifically on science content development, but on the inquiry activity, driven by the curiosity of the participant. Treating Science as a Second Language shifts the evaluation of science learning to include gauging the extent to which students choose to deepen their pursuit of science learning.

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.

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.

Confirmatory factors analysis of science teacher leadership in the Thailand world-class standard schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thawinkarn, Dawruwan

2018-01-01

This research aims to analyze factors of science teacher leadership in the Thailand World-Class Standard Schools. The research instrument was a five scale rating questionnaire with reliability 0.986. The sample group included 500 science teachers from World-Class Standard Schools who had been selected by using the stratified random sampling technique. Factor analysis of science teacher leadership in the Thailand World-Class Standard Schools was conducted by using M plus for Windows. The results are as follows: The results of confirmatory factor analysis on science teacher leadership in the Thailand World-Class Standard Schools revealed that the model significantly correlated with the empirical data. The consistency index value was x2 = 105.655, df = 88, P-Value = 0.086, TLI = 0.997, CFI = 0.999, RMSEA = 0.022, and SRMR = 0.019. The value of factor loading of science teacher leadership was positive, with statistical significance at the level of 0.01. The value of six factors was between 0.880-0.996. The highest factor loading was the professional learning community, followed by child-centered instruction, participation in development, the role model in teaching, transformational leaders, and self-development with factor loading at 0.996, 0.928, 0.911, 0.907, 0.901, and 0.871, respectively. The reliability of each factor was 99.1%, 86.0%, 83.0%, 82.2%, 81.0%, and 75.8%, respectively.

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.

Atmosphere Kits: Hands-On Learning Activities with a Foundation in NASA Earth Science Missions.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teige, V.; McCrea, S.; Damadeo, K.; Taylor, J.; Lewis, P. M., Jr.; Chambers, L. H.

2016-12-01

The Science Directorate (SD) at NASA Langley Research Center provides many opportunities to involve students, faculty, researchers, and the citizen science community in real world science. The SD Education Team collaborates with the education community to bring authentic Earth science practices and real-world data into the classroom, provide the public with unique NASA experiences, engaging activities, and advanced technology, and provide products developed and reviewed by science and education experts. Our goals include inspiring the next generation of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) professionals and improving STEM literacy by providing innovative participation pathways for educators, students, and the public. The SD Education Team has developed Atmosphere activity kits featuring cloud and aerosol learning activities with a foundation in NASA Earth Science Missions, the Next Generation Science Standards, and The GLOBE Program's Elementary Storybooks. Through cloud kit activities, students will learn how to make estimates from observations and how to categorize and classify specific cloud properties, including cloud height, cloud cover, and basic cloud types. The purpose of the aerosol kit is to introduce students to aerosols and how they can affect the colors we see in the sky. Students will engage in active observation and reporting, explore properties of light, and model the effects of changing amounts/sizes or aerosols on sky color and visibility. Learning activity extensions include participation in ground data collection of environmental conditions and comparison and analysis to related NASA data sets, including but not limited to CERES, CALIPSO, CloudSat, and SAGE III on ISS. This presentation will provide an overview of multiple K-6 NASA Earth Science hands-on activities and free resources will be available.

Quality management of eLearning for medical education: current situation and outlook

PubMed Central

Abrusch, Jasmin; Marienhagen, Jörg; Böckers, Anja; Gerhardt-Szép, Susanne

2015-01-01

Introduction: In 2008, the German Council of Science had advised universities to establish a quality management system (QMS) that conforms to international standards. The system was to be implemented within 5 years, i.e., until 2014 at the latest. The aim of the present study was to determine whether a QMS suitable for electronic learning (eLearning) domain of medical education to be used across Germany has meanwhile been identified. Methods: We approached all medical universities in Germany (n=35), using an anonymous questionnaire (8 domains, 50 items). Results: Our results (response rate 46.3%) indicated very reluctant application of QMS in eLearning and a major information deficit at the various institutions. Conclusions: Authors conclude that under the limitations of this study there seems to be a considerable need to improve the current knowledge on QMS for eLearning, and that clear guidelines and standards for their implementation should be further defined. PMID:26038685

Quality management of eLearning for medical education: current situation and outlook.

PubMed

Abrusch, Jasmin; Marienhagen, Jörg; Böckers, Anja; Gerhardt-Szép, Susanne

2015-01-01

In 2008, the German Council of Science had advised universities to establish a quality management system (QMS) that conforms to international standards. The system was to be implemented within 5 years, i.e., until 2014 at the latest. The aim of the present study was to determine whether a QMS suitable for electronic learning (eLearning) domain of medical education to be used across Germany has meanwhile been identified. We approached all medical universities in Germany (n=35), using an anonymous questionnaire (8 domains, 50 items). Our results (response rate 46.3%) indicated very reluctant application of QMS in eLearning and a major information deficit at the various institutions. Authors conclude that under the limitations of this study there seems to be a considerable need to improve the current knowledge on QMS for eLearning, and that clear guidelines and standards for their implementation should be further defined.

The relationship between participation in student-centered discussions and the academic achievement of fifth-grade science students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mathues, Patricia Kelly

Although the social constructivist theory proposed by Vygotsky states the value of discourse as a contribution to the ability of the learner to create meaning, student-led discussions have often been relegated to the language arts classroom. The standards created by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association have long recognized that learners create meaning in a social context. The National Science Education Standards have also challenged science teachers to facilitate discourse. However, the science standards document provides no specific structure through which such discourse should be taught. This study investigated the effectiveness of a discussion strategy provided by Shoop and Wright for teaching and conducting student-centered discussions (SCD). Fifth graders in one school were randomly selected and randomly assigned to one of two science classes; 22 students in one class learned and applied the SCD strategies while a second class with 19 students learned the same science concepts from a teacher using traditional methods as described by Cazden. This study used a pretest-posttest design to test the hypothesis that participation in SCD's would effect a difference in fifth-graders' abilities to comprehend science concepts. Results of independent-samples t-tests showed that while there was no significant difference between the mean ability scores of the two groups of subjects as measured by a standardized mental abilities test, the mean pretest score of the traditional group was significantly higher than the SCD group's mean pretest score. ANCOVA procedures demonstrated that the SCD group's mean posttest score was significantly higher than the mean posttest score of the traditional group. Data analysis supported the rejection of the null hypothesis. The investigator concluded that the SCD methodology contributed to students' understanding of the science concepts. Results of this study challenge content area teachers to provide direct instruction of the SCD strategies and to encourage students to engage in the construction of knowledge through such discourse. Future research should focus on the application of the SCD strategies in other settings and for various durations of time.

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.

Elementary Teachers' Perceptions of Teaching Science to Improve Student Content Knowledge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stephenson, Robert L.

The majority of Grade 5 students demonstrate limited science knowledge on state assessments. This trend has been documented since 2010 with no evidence of improvement. Because state accountability formulas include proficiency scores and carry sanctions against districts that fail to meet proficiency thresholds, improved student performance in science is an important issue to school districts. The purpose of this study was to explore elementary teachers' perceptions about their students' science knowledge, the strategies used to teach science, the barriers affecting science teaching, and the self-efficacy beliefs teachers maintain for teaching science. This study, guided by Vygotsky's social constructivist theory and Bandura's concept of self-efficacy, was a bounded instrumental case study in which 15 participants, required to be teaching K-5 elementary science in the county, were interviewed. An analytic technique was used to review the qualitative interview data through open coding, clustering, and analytical coding resulting in identified categorical themes that addressed the research questions. Key findings reflect students' limited content knowledge in earth and physical science. Teachers identified barriers including limited science instructional time, poor curricular resources, few professional learning opportunities, concern about new state standards, and a lack of teaching confidence. To improve student content knowledge, teachers identified the need for professional development. The project is a professional development series provided by a regional education service agency for K-5 teachers to experience science and engineering 3-dimensional learning. Area students will demonstrate deeper science content knowledge and benefit from improved science instructional practice and learning opportunities to become science problem solvers and innovative contributors to society.

Evaluation of Student Outcomes in Materials Science and Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Piippo, Steven

1996-01-01

This paper specifies 14 benchmarks and exit standards for the introduction of Materials Science and Technology in a secondary school education. Included is the standard that students should be able to name an example of each category of technological materials including metals, glass/ceramics, polymers (plastics) and composites. Students should know that each type of solid material has specific properties that can be measured. Students will learn that all solid materials have either a long range crystalline structure or a short range amorphous structure (i.e., glassy). They should learn the choice of materials for a particular application depends on the properties of the material, and the properties of the material depends on its crystal structure and microstructure. The microstructure may be modified by the methods by which the material is processed; students should explain this by the example of sintering a ceramic body to reduce its porosity and increase its densification and strength. Students will receive exposure to the world of work, post secondary educational opportunities, and in general a learning that will lead to a technologically literate intelligent citizen.

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.…

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.…

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…

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…

Teaching and Learning the Language of Science: A Case Study of Academic Language Acquisition in a Dual Language Middle School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gose, Robin Margaretha

2013-01-01

English language learners (EL) are the fastest growing sub-group of the student population in California, yet ELs also score the lowest on the science section of the California Standardized Tests. In the area of bilingual education, California has dramatically changed its approach to English learners since the passage of Proposition 227 in 1998,…

Documentation of Assessment Instrumentation--The NORC/CRESST 12th Grade Science Assessment, Item Databases, and Test Booklets. Project 2.6: Analytic Models To Monitor Status & Progress of Learning & Performance & Their Antecedents: The School Science Assessment Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bock, H. Darrell

The hardware and software system used to create the National Opinion Research Center/Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (NORC/CRESST) item databases and test booklets for the 12th-grade science assessment are described. A general description of the capabilities of the system is given, with some specific information…

Science learning and teaching in a Creole-speaking environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lodge, Wilton

2017-09-01

The focus of this response to Charity Hudley and Christine Mallinson's article, `"Its worth our time": A model of culturally and linguistically responsive professional development for K-12 STEM educators', is to underpin a pedagogy that encourages and provides opportunities for the use of non-standard language in the description and practice of science. I discuss this within the context of Jamaica and provide an alternative way of science teaching, one which promotes Jamaican Creole as a mode of instruction for classroom talk and printed material.

Who Moved Those Rain Clouds to Town? Making Windbirds to Learn about the Power of Wind

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samarakoon, Deepanee; Smith, Latisha L.

2016-01-01

In this practical article, a kindergarten teacher shares a lesson designed to teach students about the power of wind. To address the Next Generation Science Standards engineering standards, students discussed the negative and positive aspects of wind and made daily weather observations (K-ESS2-1). Students constructed bird-shaped windsocks, called…

The ITEEA 6E Learning ByDesign™ Model: Maximizing Informed Design and Inquiry in the Integrative STEM Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burke, Barry N.

2014-01-01

When the "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS") document, (NRC, 2013) was released in April 2013, teachers in the profession had mixed emotions. Many viewed the standards as invasive to their classrooms, while others found them a refreshing take on what technology and engineering educators have been doing for years.…

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…

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…

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…

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.

Scientists in the Classroom Mentor Model Program - Bringing real time science into the K - 12 classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Worssam, J. B.

2017-12-01

Field research finally within classroom walls, data driven, hands on with students using a series of electronic projects to show evidence of scientific mentor collaboration. You do not want to miss this session in which I will be sharing the steps to develop an interactive mentor program between scientists in the field and students in the classroom. Using next generation science standards and common core language skills you will be able to blend scientific exploration with scientific writing and communication skills. Learn how to make connections in your own community with STEM businesses, agencies and organizations. Learn how to connect with scientists across the globe to make your classroom instruction interactive and live for all students. Scientists, you too will want to participate, see how you can reach out and be a part of the K-12 educational system with students learning about YOUR science, a great component for NSF grants! "Scientists in the Classroom," a model program for all, bringing real time science, data and knowledge into the classroom.

Youth's Engagement as Scientists and Engineers in an Afterschool Making and Tinkering Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simpson, Amber; Burris, Alexandra; Maltese, Adam

2017-11-01

Making and tinkering is currently gaining traction as an interdisciplinary approach to education. However, little is known about how these activities and explorations in formal and informal learning spaces address the content and skills common to professionals across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. As such, the purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how youth were engaged in the eight science and engineering practices outlined within the US Next Generation Science Standards within an informal learning environment utilizing principles of tinkering within the daily activities. Findings highlight how youth and facilitators engaged and enacted in practices common to scientists and engineers. Yet, in this study, enactment of these practices "looked" differently than might be expected in a formal learning environment such as a laboratory setting. For example, in this setting, students were observed carrying out trials on their design as opposed to carrying out a formal scientific investigation. Results also highlight instances of doing science and engineering not explicitly stated within parameters of formal education documents in the USA, such as experiences with failure.

Designing high-quality interactive multimedia learning modules.

PubMed

Huang, Camillan

2005-01-01

Modern research has broadened scientific knowledge and revealed the interdisciplinary nature of the sciences. For today's students, this advance translates to learning a more diverse range of concepts, usually in less time, and without supporting resources. Students can benefit from technology-enhanced learning supplements that unify concepts and are delivered on-demand over the Internet. Such supplements, like imaging informatics databases, serve as innovative references for biomedical information, but could improve their interaction interfaces to support learning. With information from these digital datasets, multimedia learning tools can be designed to transform learning into an active process where students can visualize relationships over time, interact with dynamic content, and immediately test their knowledge. This approach bridges knowledge gaps, fosters conceptual understanding, and builds problem-solving and critical thinking skills-all essential components to informatics training for science and medicine. Additional benefits include cost-free access and ease of dissemination over the Internet or CD-ROM. However, current methods for the design of multimedia learning modules are not standardized and lack strong instructional design. Pressure from administrators at the top and students from the bottom are pushing faculty to use modern technology to address the learning needs and expectations of contemporary students. Yet, faculty lack adequate support and training to adopt this new approach. So how can faculty learn to create educational multimedia materials for their students? This paper provides guidelines on best practices in educational multimedia design, derived from the Virtual Labs Project at Stanford University. The development of a multimedia module consists of five phases: (1) understand the learning problem and the users needs; (2) design the content to harness the enabling technologies; (3) build multimedia materials with web style standards and human factors principles; (4) user testing; (5) evaluate and improve design.

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.

Teaching and Learning the Language of Science: A Case Study of Academic Language Acquisition in a Dual Language Middle School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gose, Robin Margaretha

English language learners (EL) are the fastest growing sub-group of the student population in California, yet ELs also score the lowest on the science section of the California Standardized Tests. In the area of bilingual education, California has dramatically changed its approach to English learners since the passage of Proposition 227 in 1998, which called for most EL instruction to be conducted in English (Cummins, 2000; Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2008). In reality, this means that EL students are often placed in programs that focus on basic language skills rather than rigorous content, meaning that they are not getting access to grade level science content (Lee & Fradd, 1998). As a result, many EL students exit eighth grade without a strong foundation in science, and they continue to score below their English-speaking peers on standardized achievements. While the usefulness of the academic language construct remains controversial (Bailey, 2012), the language used in science instruction is nevertheless often unfamiliar to both EL and English proficient students. The discourse is frequently specialized for discipline-specific interactions and activities (Bailey, 2007; Lemke, 1990). This qualitative case study examined academic language instruction in three middle school science classrooms at a dual language charter school. The goal was to understand how teachers integrate academic language and content for linguistically diverse students. The findings fom this study indicate that targeting language instruction in isolation from science content instruction prohibits students from engaging in the "doing of science" and scientific discourse, or the ability to think, reason, and communicate about science. The recommendations of this study support authentically embedding language development into rigorous science instruction in order to maximize opportunities for learning in both domains.

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.

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.

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)

EPA Science Matters Newsletter: Chemical Warfare Agent Analytical Standards Facilitate Lab Testing (Published November 2013)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Learn about the EPA chemists' efforts to develop methods for detecting extremely low concentrations of nerve agents, such as sarin, VX, soman and cyclohexyl sarin, and the blister agent sulfur mustard.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Building a Trustworthy Environmental Science Data Repository: Lessons Learned from the ORNL DAAC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Y.; Santhana Vannan, S. K.; Boyer, A.; Beaty, T.; Deb, D.; Hook, L.

2017-12-01

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center (ORNL DAAC, https://daac.ornl.gov) for biogeochemical dynamics is one of NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) data centers. The mission of the ORNL DAAC is to assemble, distribute, and provide data services for a comprehensive archive of terrestrial biogeochemistry and ecological dynamics observations and models to facilitate research, education, and decision-making in support of NASA's Earth Science. Since its establishment in 1994, ORNL DAAC has been continuously building itself into a trustworthy environmental science data repository by not only ensuring the quality and usability of its data holdings, but also optimizing its data publication and management process. This paper describes the lessons learned from ORNL DAAC's effort toward this goal. ORNL DAAC has been proactively implementing international community standards throughout its data management life cycle, including data publication, preservation, discovery, visualization, and distribution. Data files in standard formats, detailed documentation, and metadata following standard models are prepared to improve the usability and longevity of data products. Assignment of a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) ensures the identifiability and accessibility of every data product, including the different versions and revisions of its life cycle. ORNL DAAC's data citation policy assures data producers receive appropriate recognition of use of their products. Web service standards, such as OpenSearch and Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), promotes the discovery, visualization, distribution, and integration of ORNL DAAC's data holdings. Recently, ORNL DAAC began efforts to optimize and standardize its data archival and data publication workflows, to improve the efficiency and transparency of its data archival and management processes.

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

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.

"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.

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.

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.

Life science students' attitudes, interest, and performance in introductory physics for life sciences: An exploratory study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crouch, Catherine H.; Wisittanawat, Panchompoo; Cai, Ming; Renninger, K. Ann

2018-06-01

In response to national calls for improved physical sciences education for students pursuing careers in the life sciences and medicine, reformed introductory physics for life sciences (IPLS) courses are being developed. This exploratory study is among the first to assess the effect of an IPLS course on students' attitudes, interest, and performance. The IPLS course studied was the second semester of introductory physics, following a standard first semester course, allowing the outcomes of the same students in a standard course and in an IPLS course to be compared. In the IPLS course, each physics topic was introduced and elaborated in the context of a life science example, and developing students' skills in applying physics to life science situations was an explicitly stated course goal. Items from the Colorado Learning about Science Survey were used to assess change in students' attitudes toward and their interest in physics. Whereas the same students' attitudes declined during the standard first semester course, we found that students' attitudes toward physics hold steady or improve in the IPLS course. In particular, students with low initial interest in physics displayed greater increases in both attitudes and interest during the IPLS course than in the preceding standard course. We also find that in the IPLS course, students' interest in the life science examples is a better predictor of their performance than their pre-IPLS interest in physics. Our work suggests that the life science examples in the IPLS course can support the development of student interest in physics and positively influence their performance.

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

Opportunity to learn: Investigating possible predictors for pre-course Test Of Astronomy STandards TOAST scores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berryhill, Katie J.

As astronomy education researchers become more interested in experimentally testing innovative teaching strategies to enhance learning in introductory astronomy survey courses ("ASTRO 101"), scholars are placing increased attention toward better understanding factors impacting student gain scores on the widely used Test Of Astronomy STandards (TOAST). Usually used in a pre-test and post-test research design, one might naturally assume that the pre-course differences observed between high- and low-scoring college students might be due in large part to their pre-existing motivation, interest, experience in science, and attitudes about astronomy. To explore this notion, 11 non-science majoring undergraduates taking ASTRO 101 at west coast community colleges were interviewed in the first few weeks of the course to better understand students' pre-existing affect toward learning astronomy with an eye toward predicting student success. In answering this question, we hope to contribute to our understanding of the incoming knowledge of students taking undergraduate introductory astronomy classes, but also gain insight into how faculty can best meet those students' needs and assist them in achieving success. Perhaps surprisingly, there was only weak correlation between students' motivation toward learning astronomy and their pre-test scores. Instead, the most fruitful predictor of TOAST pre-test scores was the quantity of pre-existing, informal, self-directed astronomy learning experiences.

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.

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.

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.

Development of an Innovative Observational Astronomy Class for High School Students in Collaboration with the University of Texas/Rio Grande Valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hendrick, Alan W.

The vision presented by the National Academy of Science Standards is for all students to spend more time 'doing' science in order to develop science literacy and be better prepared not only for college but also in understanding and participation in global current events. A course in observational Astronomy is just that, an opportunity for student to "do 'science by collaborating with actual scientists in real research. The course follows a path in which students learn foundational knowledge and apply this knowledge to complete a successful celestial observation, interpreting the results by making inferences and predictions. This paper begins with a statement of need followed by specific learning objectives in a Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills format. Resources and activities follow along with specific directions on how to plan and operate the Observatory at Las Palms State Park in Olmito Texas. Participation in this course will give students confidence to pursue science related subjects in higher education.

Perceptions of importance, preparedness and classroom implementation of the National Science Education Standards as perceived by Texas science education leaders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dutcher, Joyce Marie

At a time when the nation is challenged by a competitive world economy, learning organizations are experiencing the dynamics of change. Recent mandates, like the No Child Left Behind Act (2001) and the Texas' 1999 education reform law initiating the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills put an impetus on educators to implement standards reform practices that would lead to improved teaching and learning. Texas science education leaders have the challenging task of leading National Science Education Standards (NSES) reform in Texas schools/districts. Therefore, it is important that they are informed about the NSES and are prepared to provide leadership support for their implementation. How they perceive themselves in this role could possibly affect the support they give to teachers and others, ultimately affecting how the NSES are implemented in classrooms. This correlational and descriptive research study used archival data collected at a time the NSES were first being implemented to (a) determine the degree of relations that exist between the leaders' perceived importance of effective practices and their perceived preparedness to provide leadership support for their implementation, and (b) examine influences that may exist between the leaders' perceived importance/preparedness and their perceived frequency of occurrence of related teacher and student activities. The data set used was gathered from a preliminary study of the researcher (Dutcher, 2000). It involved responses from 90 Texas science education leaders who voluntarily responded to the, "Leader Survey Questionnaire: Principles of the National Science Education Standards". Results showed support for the idea that leaders' perceptions of importance for effective practices were significant predictors of their own perceived preparedness to provide leadership support for the same. However in contrast, the results did not show consistent support for the idea that the leaders' perceived importance or preparedness to provide leadership support for the effective practices influenced their perceived frequency of occurrence of related teacher or student activities. These findings will contribute to existing literature and may help educators identify gaps that exist in the science education reform process. These results may be used to design and plan professional development programs for leaders and their teachers.

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.

Getting The Picture: Our Changing Climate- A new learning tool for climate science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yager, K.; Balog, J. D.

2014-12-01

Earth Vision Trust (EVT), founded by James Balog- photographer and scientist, has developed a free, online, multimedia climate science education tool for students and educators. Getting The Picture (GTP) creates a new learning experience, drawing upon powerful archives of Extreme Ice Survey's unique photographs and time-lapse videos of changing glaciers around the world. GTP combines the latest in climate science through interactive tools that make the basic scientific tenets of climate science accessible and easy to understand. The aim is to use a multidisciplinary approach to encourage critical thinking about the way our planet is changing due to anthropogenic activities, and to inspire students to find their own voice regarding our changing climate The essence of this resource is storytelling through the use of inspiring images, field expedition notes and dynamic multimedia tools. EVT presents climate education in a new light, illustrating the complex interaction between humans and nature through their Art + Science approach. The overarching goal is to educate and empower young people to take personal action. GTP is aligned with national educational and science standards (NGSS, CCSS, Climate Literacy) so it may be used in conventional classrooms as well as education centers, museum kiosks or anywhere with Internet access. Getting The Picture extends far beyond traditional learning to provide an engaging experience for students, educators and all those who wish to explore the latest in climate science.

Learning to teach science in urban schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tobin, Kenneth; Roth, Wolff-Michael; Zimmermann, Andrea

2001-10-01

Teaching in urban schools, with their problems of violence, lack of resources, and inadequate funding, is difficult. It is even more difficult to learn to teach in urban schools. Yet learning in those locations where one will subsequently be working has been shown to be the best preparation for teaching. In this article we propose coteaching as a viable model for teacher preparation and the professional development of urban science teachers. Coteaching - working at the elbow of someone else - allows new teachers to experience appropriate and timely action by providing them with shared experiences that become the topic of their professional conversations with other coteachers (including peers, the cooperating teacher, university supervisors, and high school students). This article also includes an ethnography describing the experiences of a new teacher who had been assigned to an urban high school as field experience, during which she enacted a curriculum that was culturally relevant to her African American students, acknowledged their minority status with respect to science, and enabled them to pursue the school district standards. Even though coteaching enables learning to teach and curricula reform, we raise doubts about whether our approaches to teacher education and enacting science curricula are hegemonic and oppressive to the students we seek to emancipate through education.

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.

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ochsner, Karl

2010-01-01

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…

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…

Use of the Outdoor Classroom and Nature-Study to Support Science and Literacy Learning: A Narrative Case Study of a Third-Grade Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eick, Charles J.

2012-01-01

A case study of an exemplary third grade teacher's use of the outdoor classroom for meeting both state science and language arts standards is described. Data from the researcher's field journal, teacher lesson plans, and teacher interviews document how this teacher used nature-study to bridge outdoor classroom experiences with the state science…

Science, bad science, and pseudoscience.

PubMed

Giuffre, M

1997-12-01

The American public is being overwhelmed with scientific sounding claims for products to be ingested and/or applied to the body that have no research support. To protect ourselves and our patients from potential harm or unnecessarily wasting their resources, we need to be aware of the problem. In addition we need to apply the standards we have learned for critiquing research to the claims made by the purveyors of these products.

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.

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.

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…

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.

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.

Using the Learning Together Strategy to Affect Student Achievement in Physical Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, Manda D.

Despite efforts mandated by national legislation, the state of Georgia has made little progress in improving Grade 5 students' standardized test scores in science, spurring the need for social change. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to determine whether there was a significant difference in the student achievement in the conceptual understanding of science concepts in a classroom where the teacher applied the cooperative learning strategy, Learning Together, as compared to the classroom in which teacher-directed instruction was applied. The theories of positive social interdependence and social development, which posit that social interaction promotes cognitive gains, provided a framework for the study. A convenience sample of 38 students in Grade 5 participated in the 6-week study. Nineteen students received the cooperative learning strategy treatment, while 19 students did not. Pre- and post-tests were administered to students in both groups, and an analysis of variance was performed to examine differences between the 2 sample means. Results indicated that the group receiving the cooperative learning strategy scored significantly higher than did the control group receiving direct instruction. The experimental group also scored higher in vocabulary acquisition. Using the cooperative learning strategy of Learning Together could guide teachers' efforts to help students achieve excellent state-mandated test scores. Learning Together may be employed as a powerful teaching tool across grade levels and content areas, thus promoting positive gains in other state-mandated testing areas such as math, language arts, and social studies.

Planning Instruction to Meet the Intent of the Next Generation Science Standards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krajcik, Joseph; Codere, Susan; Dahsah, Chanyah; Bayer, Renee; Mun, Kongju

2014-03-01

The National Research Council's Framework for K- 12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States in Next Generation Science Standards: For states, by states. The National Academies Press, Washington, 2013) move teaching away from covering many isolated facts to a focus on a smaller number of disciplinary core ideas (DCIs) and crosscutting concepts that can be used to explain phenomena and solve problems by engaging in science and engineering practices. The NGSS present standards as knowledge-in-use by expressing them as performance expectations (PEs) that integrate all three dimensions from the Framework for K- 12 Science Education. This integration of core ideas, practices, and crosscutting concepts is referred to as three-dimensional learning (NRC in Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. The National Academies Press, Washington, 2014). PEs state what students can be assessed on at the end of grade level for K-5 and at the end of grade band for 6-8 and 9-12. PEs do not specify how instruction should be developed nor do they serve as objectives for individual lessons. To support students in developing proficiency in the PEs, the elements of the DCIs will need to be blended with various practices and crosscutting concepts. In this paper, we examine how to design instruction to support students in meeting a cluster or "bundle" of PEs and how to blend the three dimensions to develop lesson level PEs that can be used for guiding instruction. We provide a ten-step process and an example of that process that teachers and curriculum designers can use to design lessons that meet the intent of the Next Generation of Science Standards.

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.

Development and Evaluation of the Habitat Demonstration Unit Medical Operations Workstation and Opportunities for Future Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howard, Robert L., Jr.

2012-01-01

As NASA develops missions to leave Earth orbit and explore distant destinations (Mars, Moon, Asteroids) it is necessary to rethink human spaceflight paradigms in the life sciences. Standards developed for low earth orbit human spaceflight may not be fully applicable and in-space research may be required to develop new standards. Preventative and emergency medical care may require new capabilities never before used in space. Due to spacecraft volume limitations, this work area may also be shared with various animal and plant life science research. This paper explores the prototype Medical Operations Workstation within the NASA Habitat Demonstration Unit and discusses some of the lessons learned from field analogue missions involving the workstation. Keywords: Exploration, medical, health, crew, injury emergency, biology, animal, plant, science, preventative, emergency.

Preservice Teachers' Perspectives on 'Appropriate' K-8 Climate Change and Environmental Science Topics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ford, D. J.

2013-12-01

With the release of the Next Generation Science Standards (NRC, 2013), climate change and related environmental sciences will now receive greater emphasis within science curricula at all grade levels. In grades K-8, preparation in foundational content (e.g., weather and climate, natural resources, and human impacts on the environment) and the nature of scientific inquiry will set the groundwork for later learning of climate change in upper middle and high school. These rigorous standards increase pressure on elementary and middle school teachers to possess strong science content knowledge, as well as experience supporting children to develop scientific ideas through the practices of science. It also requires a set of beliefs - about children and the science that is appropriate for them - that is compatible with the goals set out in the standards. Elementary teachers in particular, who often have minimal preparation in the earth sciences (NSF, 2007), and entrenched beliefs about how particular topics ought to be taught (Holt- Reynolds, 1992; Pajares, 1992), including climate change (Bryce & Day, 2013; Lambert & Bleicher, 2013), may face unique challenges in adjusting to the new standards. If teachers hold beliefs about climate change as controversial, for example, they may not consider it an appropriate topic for children, despite its inclusion in the standards. On the other hand, those who see a role for children in efforts to mitigate human impacts on the environment may be more enthusiastic about the new standards. We report on a survey of preservice K-8 teachers' beliefs about the earth and environmental science topics that they consider to be appropriate and inappropriate for children in grades K-3, 4-5, and 6-8. Participants were surveyed on a variety of standards-based topics using terminology that signals publicly and scientifically neutral (e.g. weather, ecosystems) to overtly controversial (evolution, global warming) science. Results from pilot data indicate that preservice teachers show interest in teaching children basic environmental science and conservation, but less interest in climate change science. Implications for instructors of both education and science courses will be discussed. We argue that it is important to consider not just the content taught to preservice teachers to prepare them for science teaching, but the ways in which we engage their beliefs about that content in relation to their beliefs about the capabilities of elementary and middle school learners.

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.

Designing an educative curriculum unit for teaching molecular geometry in high school chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makarious, Nader N.

Chemistry is a highly abstract discipline that is taught and learned with the aid of various models. Among the most challenging, yet a fundamental topic in general chemistry at the high school level, is molecular geometry. This study focused on developing exemplary educative curriculum materials pertaining to the topic of molecular geometry. The methodology used in this study consisted of several steps. First, a diverse set of models were analyzed to determine to what extent each model serves its purpose in teaching molecular geometry. Second, a number of high school teachers and college chemistry professors were asked to share their experiences on using models in teaching molecular geometry through an online questionnaire. Third, findings from the comparative analysis of models, teachers’ experiences, literature review on models and students’ misconceptions, the curriculum expectations of the Next Generation Science Standards and their emphasis on three-dimensional learning and nature of science (NOS) contributed to the development of the molecular geometry unit. Fourth, the developed unit was reviewed by fellow teachers and doctoral-level science education experts and was revised to further improve its coherence and clarity in support of teaching and learning of the molecular geometry concepts. The produced educative curriculum materials focus on the scientific practice of developing and using models as promoted in the Next Generations Science Standards (NGSS) while also addressing nature of science (NOS) goals. The educative features of the newly developed unit support teachers’ pedagogical knowledge (PK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). The unit includes an overview, teacher’s guide, and eight detailed lesson plans with inquiry oriented modeling activities replete with models and suggestions for teachers, as well as formative and summative assessment tasks. The unit design process serves as a model for redesigning other instructional units in science disciplines in general and chemistry courses in particular.

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.

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…

The impact of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) professional development on the self-efficacy of science teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akella, Somi Devi M.

In 2012, the National Research Council introduced the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which were created to improve the K-12 education in the U.S. and stress the importance of providing professional development (PD) to acquire the knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy to design lessons to meet high standards of teaching and learning. Bandura's (1977) theory of self-efficacy posits that people are motivated to perform an action if they are confident that they can perform the action successfully. The purpose of this survey research was to investigate the impact of professional development on the self-efficacy of science teachers with regard to the NGSS practice of Analyzing and Interpreting Data as well as to probe teachers' perceptions of barriers to their self-efficacy in applying this practice. The study found that focused and targeted PD helped improve participants' self-efficacy in incorporating the NGSS practices and addressed several barriers to teacher self-efficacy. In response to findings, Akella's Science Teaching Efficacy Professional Development (ASTEPD) model is proposed as a tool to guide PD practice and, thus, helps improve teacher self-efficacy.

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.

Progress and Setbacks in K-12 Earth and Space Science Education During the Past Decade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geary, E.; Hoffman, M.; Stevermer, A.; Barstow, D.

2005-12-01

Since publication of the National Science Education Standards in 1996, key Earth and space science concepts have been incorporated into the science education standards in virtually every state. However, the degree to which Earth and space science standards have been implemented in actual classroom curriculum and state science assessments varies greatly from state to state. In a similar vein, the No Child Left Behind legislation calls for a highly qualified teacher in every classroom: in Idaho over 96 percent of high school teachers are certified to teach Earth science, while in Illinois, less than 42 percent of teachers are certified. Furthermore, in some states, like New York, approximately 20 percent of high school students will take introductory Earth science each year, while in other states, like Texas, less than 1 percent of high school students will take introductory Earth science each year. Why do we have this high degree of variability with respect to the teaching and learning of Earth science across the United States? The answer is complex, as there are many institutional, attitudinal, budgetary, and policy factors affecting the teaching of Earth and space sciences. This presentation will summarize data on the current status of Earth and space science education in the United States, discuss where progress has been made and where setbacks have occurred during the past decade, and provide some suggestions and ideas for improving access to high quality Earth and space science education courses, curricula, assessments, and teachers at the state and local level.

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.

CosmoQuest Collaborative: Galvanizing a Dynamic Professional Learning Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cobb, Whitney; Bracey, Georgia; Buxner, Sanlyn; Gay, Pamela L.; Noel-Storr, Jacob; CosmoQuest Team

2016-10-01

The CosmoQuest Collaboration offers in-depth experiences to diverse audiences around the nation and the world through pioneering citizen science in a virtual research facility. An endeavor between universities, research institutes, and NASA centers, CosmoQuest brings together scientists, educators, researchers, programmers—and citizens of all ages—to explore and make sense of our solar system and beyond. Leveraging human networks to expand NASA science, scaffolded by an educational framework that inspires lifelong learners, CosmoQuest engages citizens in analyzing and interpreting real NASA data, inspiring questions and defining problems.The QuestionLinda Darling-Hammond calls for professional development to be: "focused on the learning and teaching of specific curriculum content [i.e. NGSS disciplinary core ideas]; organized around real problems of practice [i.e. NGSS science and engineering practices] … [and] connected to teachers' collaborative work in professional learning community...." (2012) In light of that, what is the unique role CosmoQuest's virtual research facility can offer NASA STEM education?A Few AnswersThe CosmoQuest Collaboration actively engages scientists in education, and educators (and learners) in science. CosmoQuest uses social channels to empower and expand NASA's learning community through a variety of media, including science and education-focused hangouts, virtual star parties, and social media. In addition to creating its own supportive, standards-aligned materials, CosmoQuest offers a hub for excellent resources and materials throughout NASA and the larger astronomy community.In support of CosmoQuest citizen science opportunities, CQ initiatives (Learning Space, S-ROSES, IDEASS, Educator Zone) will be leveraged and shared through the CQPLN. CosmoQuest can be present and alive in the awareness its growing learning community.Finally, to make the CosmoQuest PLN truly relevant, it aims to encourage partnerships between scientists and educators, and offer "just-in-time" opportunities to support constituents exploring emerging NASA STEM education, from diverse educators to the curious learner of any age.

Factors impacting teachers' argumentation instruction in their science classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNeill, Katherine L.; Katsh-Singer, Rebecca; González-Howard, María; Loper, Suzanna

2016-08-01

Science education research, reform documents and standards include scientific argumentation as a key learning goal for students. The role of the teacher is essential for implementing argumentation in part because their beliefs about argumentation can impact whether and how this science practice is integrated into their classroom. In this study, we surveyed 42 middle school science teachers and conducted follow-up interviews with 25 to investigate the factors that teachers believe impact their argumentation instruction. Teachers responded that their own learning goals had the greatest impact on their argumentation instruction while influences related to context, policy and assessment had the least impact. The minor influence of policy and assessment was in part because teachers saw a lack of alignment between these areas and the goals of argumentation. In addition, although teachers indicated that argumentation was an important learning goal, regardless of students' backgrounds and abilities, the teachers discussed argumentation in different ways. Consequently, it may be more important to help teachers understand what counts as argumentation, rather than provide a rationale for including argumentation in instruction. Finally, the act of trying out argumentation in their own classrooms, supported through resources such as curriculum, can increase teachers' confidence in teaching argumentation.

A study of the effects of English language proficiency and scientific reasoning skills on the acquisition of science content knowledge of Hispanic English language learners and native English language-speaking students participating in grade 10 science classes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torres, Hector Neftali, Sr.

2000-11-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of English language proficiency and levels of scientific reasoning skills of Hispanic English language learners and native English language speaking students on their acquisition of science content knowledge as measured by a state-wide standardized science test. The researcher studied a group of high school Hispanic English language learners and native English language speaking students participating in Grade 10 science classes. The language proficiency of the students was to be measured through the use of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) instrument. A Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning developed by Lawson (1978) was administered in either English or Spanish to the group of Hispanic English language learners and in English to the group of native English language-speaking students in order to determine their levels of scientific reasoning skills. The students' acquisition of science content knowledge was measured through the use of statewide-standardized science test developed by the State's Department of Education. This study suggests that the levels of English language proficiency appear to influence the acquisition of science content knowledge of Hispanic English language learners in the study. The results of the study also suggest that with regards to scientific reasoning skills, students that showed high levels or reflective reasoning skills for the most part performed better on the statewide-standardized science test than students with intuitive or transitional reasoning skills. This assertion was supported by the studies conducted by Lawson and his colleagues, which showed that high levels of reasoning or reflective reasoning skills are prerequisite for most high school science courses. The findings in this study imply that high order English language proficiency combined with high levels of reasoning skills enhances students' abilities to learn science content subject matter. This lends support to Cummins' theoretical framework, which indicates that learning science content subject matter requires cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP). The study also indicates that CALP maybe the combination of high order English language proficiency and high levels of reasoning skills. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Epistemologies and scientific reasoning skills among undergraduate science students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mollohan, Katherine N.

Non-cognitive factors such as students' attitudes and beliefs toward a subject and their proficiency in scientific reasoning are important aspects of learning within science disciplines. Both factors have been studied in relation to science education in various discplines. This dissertation presents three studies that investigate student epistemologies and scientific reasoning in the domain of biology education. The first study investigated students' epistemic viewpoints in two introductory biology courses, one for science majors and one for non-science majors. This quantitative investigation revealed that the majors exhibited a negative shift in their attitudes and beliefs about biology and learning biology during a semester of introductory instruction. However, the non-science majors did not exhibit a similar shift. If fact, the non-science majors improved in their attitudes and beliefs during a semester of instruction, though not significantly so. The second study expands epistemological research to a population that has often been left out of this work, that is, intermediate-level biology majors. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected to reveal that junior and senior ranked students for the most part were able to characterize their views about biology and learning biology, and were able to associate factors with their epistemic improvement. Finally, the third study expands epistemology research further to determine if scientific reasoning and student attitudes and beliefs about learning science (specifically biology) are related. After a description of how various science and engineering majors compare in their scientific reasoning skills, this study indicated that among intermediate level biology majors there is no relationship between scientific reasoning skills and epistemologies, nor is there a relationship with other educational factors, including the number of courses taken during an undergraduate career, cumulative GPA, and standardized test scores (ACT). Taken together, the results of these studies can inform science education, particularly discipline-based education research in biology.

K-4 Keepers Collection: A Service Learning Teacher Professional Development Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwerin, T. G.; Blaney, L.; Myers, R. J.

2011-12-01

This poster focuses on the K-4 Keepers Collection, a service-learning program developed for the Earth System Science Education Alliance (ESSEA). ESSEA is a NOAA-, NASA- and NSF-supported program of teacher professional development that increases teachers' pedagogical content knowledge of climate-related Earth system science. The ESSEA program -- whether used in formal higher education courses or frequented by individual teachers who look for classroom activities in the environmental sciences -- provides a full suite of activities, lessons and units for teachers' use. The ESSEA network consists of 45 universities and education centers addressing climate and environment issues. K-4 Keepers Collection - ESSEA K-4 module collections focus on five specific themes of content development: spheres, Polar Regions, oceans, climate and service learning. The K-4 Keepers collection provides the opportunity for teachers to explore topics and learning projects promoting stewardship of the Earth's land, water, air and living things. Examination of the impacts of usage and pollution on water, air, land and living things through service-learning projects allows students to become informed stewards. All of the modules include short-term sample projects that either educate or initiate action involving caring for the environment. The K-4 Keepers course requires teachers to develop similar short or long-term projects for implementation in their classrooms. Objectives include: 1. Increase elementary teachers' environmental literacy addressing ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, stewardship, weather and climate science standards and using NOAA and NASA resources. 2. Develop elementary teachers' efficacy in employing service learning projects focused on conserving and preserving Earth's land, air, water and living things. 3. Prepare college faculty to incorporate service learning and environmental literacy into their courses through professional development and modules on the ESSEA website.

Capitalizing on Curiosity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Devitt, Adam

2011-01-01

State and national standards have shifted what science learning should be from "plug and chug" formulas, to deep understanding of natural phenomena, competence developing ideas through the inquiry process, and even communicating scientific ideas among their communities (NRC 2007). By inquiring into his own teaching endeavors, the author continues…

Connected Worlds: Connecting the public with complex environmental systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uzzo, S. M.; Chen, R. S.; Downs, R. R.

2016-12-01

Among the most important concepts in environmental science learning is the structure and dynamics of coupled human and natural systems (CHANS). But the fundamental epistemology for understanding CHANS requires systems thinking, interdisciplinarity, and complexity. Although the Next Generation Science Standards mandate connecting ideas across disciplines and systems, traditional approaches to education do not provide more than superficial understanding of this concept. Informal science learning institutions have a key role in bridging gaps between the reductive nature of classroom learning and contemporary data-driven science. The New York Hall of Science, in partnership with Design I/O and Columbia University's Center for International Earth Science Information Network, has developed an approach to immerse visitors in complex human nature interactions and provide opportunities for those of all ages to elicit and notice environmental consequences of their actions. Connected Worlds is a nearly 1,000 m2 immersive, playful environment in which students learn about complexity and interconnectedness in ecosystems and how ecosystems might respond to human intervention. It engages students through direct interactions with fanciful flora and fauna within and among six biomes: desert, rainforest, grassland, mountain valley, reservoir, and wetlands, which are interconnected through stocks and flows of water. Through gestures and the manipulation of a dynamic water system, Connected Worlds enables students, teachers, and parents to experience how the ecosystems of planet Earth are connected and to observe relationships between the behavior of Earth's inhabitants and our shared world. It is also a cyberlearning platform to study how visitors notice and scaffold their understanding of complex environmental processes and the responses of these processes to human intervention, to help inform the improvement of education practices in complex environmental science.

An exploratory study of the impact of hypermedia-based approach and science-in-fiction approach for instruction on the polymerase chain reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Britton, Lynda A.

1998-12-01

Exploration of meaningful learning of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed instruction by a researcher-developed hypermedia computer program that incorporated human constructivist principles and a "science-in-fiction" chapter of a novel that described PCR. Human constructivism is the Ausubel-Novak-Gowin (1997) meaningful learning theory that supports science learning through graphic representations and multiple examples. Science-in-fiction is a new genre of fiction introduced by the prominent scientist, Carl Djerassi, to engender an appreciation for science, and its ethical dilemmas. Chapter 19 of Djerassi's 1994 novel, The Bourbaki Gambit, was placed into hypermedia format to standardize the presentation. As part of a clinical microbiology course in the medical technology curriculum at a major medical center in the Deep South, 10 undergraduates participated in this study. Each first read The Bourbaki Gambit, and then half of the participants experienced the human constructivist approach first (the PCR group) while the others first encountered the science-in-fiction approach (the Chapter 19 group). For the rest, the order of presentation was reversed, so that all experienced both programs. Students' explanations while using the computer were videotaped. Students were tested and interviewed before experiencing either program, after their first instructional session, and again after the second instructional session. These students were also assessed on their knowledge of the nature of science by taking the Nature of Science Questionnaire, before and after instruction (Roach, 1993) and interviewed as a cross-check on its reliability. Students' preferred learning approaches were determined using Schmeck's Inventory of Learning Processes (Schmeck, Ribich, & Ramanaiah, 1977). Data were collected and analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively using appropriate verbal analysis techniques (Chi, 1997). All but three students reached a structural level of PCR biological literacy. A mean of 79% of the concepts identified as necessary was attained by participants after experiencing both approaches. The Chapter 19 science-in-fiction group scored slightly better than those who experienced the PCR program first, indicating that the chapter served as an advance organizer when used first, but inhibited mastery when used second. Significant conceptual change about the nature of science was not detected, even though most students demonstrated deep and/or elaborative learning styles.

Design for learning - a case study of blended learning in a science unit.

PubMed

Gleadow, Roslyn; Macfarlan, Barbara; Honeydew, Melissa

2015-01-01

Making material available through learning management systems is standard practice in most universities, but this is generally seen as an adjunct to the 'real' teaching, that takes place in face-to-face classes. Lecture attendance is poor, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to engage students, both in the material being taught and campus life. This paper describes the redevelopment of a large course in scientific practice and communication that is compulsory for all science students studying at our Melbourne and Malaysian campuses, or by distance education. Working with an educational designer, a blended learning methodology was developed, converting the environment provided by the learning management system into a teaching space, rather than a filing system. To ensure focus, topics are clustered into themes with a 'question of the week', a pre-class stimulus and follow up activities. The content of the course did not change, but by restructuring the delivery using educationally relevant design techniques, the content was contextualised resulting in an integrated learning experience. Students are more engaged intellectually, and lecture attendance has improved. The approach we describe here is a simple and effective approach to bringing this university's teaching and learning into the 21 (st) century.

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.

The Departmental Script as an Ongoing Conversation into the Phronesis of Teaching Science as Inquiry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melville, Wayne; Campbell, Todd; Fazio, Xavier; Bartley, Anthony

2012-12-01

This article investigates the extent to which a science department script supports the teaching and learning of science as inquiry and how this script is translated into individual teachers' classrooms. This study was completed at one school in Canada which, since 2000, has developed a departmental script supportive of teaching and learning of science as inquiry. Through a mixed-method strategy, multiple data sources were drawn together to inform a cohesive narrative about scripts, science departments, and individual classrooms. Results of the study reveal three important findings: (1) the departmental script is not an artefact, but instead is an ongoing conversation into the episteme, techne and phronesis of science teaching; (2) the consistently reformed teaching practices that were observed lead us to believe that a departmental script has the capacity to enhance the teaching of science as inquiry; and, (3) the existence of a departmental script does not mean that teaching will be `standardized' in the bureaucratic sense of the word. Our findings indicate that a departmental script can be considered to concurrently operate as an epistemic script that is translated consistently across the classes, and a social script that was more open to interpretation within individual teachers' classrooms.

Influence of science and technology magnet middle schools on students' motivation and achievement in science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, David

Some informal discussions among educators regarding motivation of students and academic performance have included the topic of magnet schools. The premise is that a focused theme, such as an aspect of science, positively affects student motivation and academic achievement. However, there is limited research involving magnet schools and their influence on student motivation and academic performance. This study provides empirical data for the discussion about magnet schools influence on motivation and academic ability. This study utilized path analysis in a structural equation modeling framework to simultaneously investigate the relationships between demographic exogenous independent variables, the independent variable of attending a science or technology magnet middle school, and the dependent variables of motivation to learn science and academic achievement in science. Due to the categorical nature of the variables, Bayesian statistical analysis was used to calculate the path coefficients and the standardized effects for each relationship in the model. The coefficients of determination were calculated to determine the amount of variance each path explained. Only five of 21 paths had statistical significance. Only one of the five statistically significant paths (Attended Magnet School to Motivation to Learn Science) explained a noteworthy amount (45.8%) of the variance.

Active Learning and Cooperative Learning in the Organic Chemistry Lecture Class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paulson, Donald R.

1999-08-01

Faculty in the physical sciences are one of the academic groups least receptive to the use of active learning strategies and cooperative learning in their classrooms. This is particularly so in traditional lecture classes. It is the objective of this paper to show how effective these techniques can be in improving student performance in classes. The use of active learning strategies and cooperative learning groups in my organic chemistry lecture classes has increased the overall pass rate in my classes by an astounding 20-30% over the traditional lecture mode. This has been accomplished without any reduction in "standards". The actual methods employed are presented as well as a discussion of how I came to radically change the way I teach my classes.

Learning in Stochastic Bit Stream Neural Networks.

PubMed

van Daalen, Max; Shawe-Taylor, John; Zhao, Jieyu

1996-08-01

This paper presents learning techniques for a novel feedforward stochastic neural network. The model uses stochastic weights and the "bit stream" data representation. It has a clean analysable functionality and is very attractive with its great potential to be implemented in hardware using standard digital VLSI technology. The design allows simulation at three different levels and learning techniques are described for each level. The lowest level corresponds to on-chip learning. Simulation results on three benchmark MONK's problems and handwritten digit recognition with a clean set of 500 16 x 16 pixel digits demonstrate that the new model is powerful enough for the real world applications. Copyright 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd

Incorporating Science News Into Middle School Curricula: Current Events in the 21st Century Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dimaggio, E.

2010-12-01

Middle school students are instructed with the aid of textbooks, lectures, and activities to teach topics that satisfy state standards. However, teaching materials created to convey standard-aligned science concepts often leave students asking how the content relates to their lives and why they should be learning it. Conveying relevance, especially in science when abstract concepts can often be incorrectly perceived as irrelevant, is important for student learning and retention. One way to create an educational link between classroom content and everyday life is through the use of scientific current events. Students read, hear, and watch media coverage of natural events (such as the Haiti or Chile earthquakes in 2010), but do not necessarily relate the scientific information from media sources to classroom studies. Taking advantage of these brief ‘teachable moments’-when student interest is high- provides a valuable opportunity to make classroom-to-everyday life associations and to incorporate inquiry based learning. To address this need, we are creating pre-packaged current event materials for middle school teachers in Arizona that align to state standards and which are short, effective, and easy to implement in the classroom. Each lesson takes approximately 15 minutes to implement, allowing teachers time to facilitate brief but meaningful discussions. Materials are assembled within approximately one week of the regional or global science event (e.g., volcanic eruptions, earthquakes) and may include a short slide show, maps, videos, pictures, and real-time data. A listserv is used to send biweekly emails to subscribed instructors. The email contains the current event topic, specific Arizona science standards addressed, and a link to download the materials. All materials are hosted on the Arizona State University Education Outreach website and are archived. Early implementation efforts have been received positively by participating teachers. In one case, students were shown data on the recent 8.8 magnitude Chile earthquake (including epicenter, magnitude, and focus) as well as photos and a short video. Students then viewed real-time earthquakes and plate boundaries in Google Earth using KML files downloaded from the USGS website. During the ensuing discussion, and with minimal teacher direction, students made the connection between the recent earthquake and the convergent plate boundary along Chile that they had previously studied in their earth science unit. Additionally, students asked numerous questions allowing the classroom discussion to expand to topics of interest to each student population. Current events help demonstrate to students that, unlike fact-filled textbooks suggest, science is not static and scientists are actively investigating many ‘textbook’ concepts. Showing students the process and progressive nature of scientific information reinforces critical thinking rather than pure memorization.

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.

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.

The Potential Impacts of Upcoming High-Stakes Testing on the Teaching of Science in Elementary Classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pringle, Rose M.; Martin, Sarah Carrier

2005-09-01

In 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education in the United States issued a report called A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform. This report and other policy initiatives such as the No Child Left Behind Legislation recommended that the individual states institute assessments to hold schools accountable. This research explored the potential impact of impending standardised testing on teaching science in elementary schools in one school district in Florida. We explored the teachers' concerns about the upcoming high-stakes tests in science, possible impact on their curriculum and what changes, if any, will be made in the approach to science teaching and learning in their classrooms. As the teachers look toward the implementation of high-stakes testing in science, they have recognised the need to teach science. This recognition is not borne out of the importance of science learning for elementary school children, but rather out of fear of failure and the effects of tangible rewards or punishments that accompany high-stakes testing. In anticipation, the teachers are preparing to align their teaching to the science standards while aggressively searching for test preparatory materials. Schools are also involved in professional development and structural changes to facilitate teaching of science.

NASA Technical Standards Program and Implications for Lessons Learned and Technical Standard Integration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gill, Paul S.; Garcia, Danny; Vaughan, William W.; Parker, Nelson C. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Agency consists of fourteen Facilities throughout the United States. They are organized to support the Agency's principal Enterprises: (1) Space Science, (2) Earth Science, (3) Aerospace Technology, (4) Human Exploration and Development of Space, and (5) Biological and Physical Research. Technical Standards are important to the activities of each Enterprise and have been an integral part in the development and operation of NASA Programs and Projects since the Agency was established in 1959. However, for years each Center was responsible for its own standards development and selection of non-NASA technical standards that met the needs of Programs and Projects for which they were responsible. There were few Agencywide applicable Technical Standards, mainly those in area of safety. Department of Defense Standards and Specifications were the foundation and main source for Technical Standards used by the Agency. This process existed until about 1997 when NASA embarked on a Program to convert NASA's Center-developed Technical Standards into Agencywide endorsed NASA Preferred Technical Standards. In addition, action was taken regarding the formal adoption of non-NASA Technical Standards (DOD, SAE, ASTM, ASME, IEEE, etc.) as NASA Preferred Technical Standards.