An electronic newsletter for the science education
community
September/October
2005
CCMS Community Shares Research
Continued coverage of the 2005 Knowledge Sharing Institute
The July/August issue of 2061 Connections reported on the Center for
Curriculum Materials in Science’s 2005 Knowledge Sharing
Institute (KSI) and highlighted several of the many sessions
held on science curriculum materials research and development.
This article continues our coverage with brief reports on
sessions that focused on helping students understand models
in science, clarifying learning goals about data collection
and analysis for the middle school level, and examining
the curriculum design process.
The annual KSI brings together CCMS researchers and other
educators, researchers, and curriculum developers to share
their work and to foster collaboration. Presenters at this
year’s conference included CCMS faculty, postdoctoral
fellows, and graduate students; CCMS Early
Career Research Affiliates;
and other invitees with expertise in science curriculum
materials. The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds the
work of the CCMS partners—AAAS Project 2061, Michigan
State University, Northwestern University, and the University
of Michigan—to develop new leadership and knowledge
that will contribute to more effective science curriculum
materials.
KSI sessions were organized around six topical strands:
Strand 1: Diversity. Understanding how
science curriculum materials can support diversity issues
Strand 2: Teacher & Curriculum. Understanding how
teachers use and learn from science curriculum materials
Strand 3: Student Learning. Understanding how students
learn from science curriculum materials
Strand 4: Nature of Science. Understanding how to articulate
and assess alignment to learning goals and objectives related to the
nature of science
Strand 5: Curriculum Design Process. Understanding critical
elements of the curriculum design process and comparing different curriculum
design processes
Strand 6: Language Literacy. Understanding how science
curriculum materials can promote language literacy practices and support
the needs of students
Participants also led “Greenhouse” sessions
focused either on specific science topics or on topics relevant
to multiple science domains.
What Students Should Learn about Models in Science
Among
the “Greenhouse” sessions that focused
on topics cutting across science domains was “Helping
Students Use and Understand Models in Science.” Organized
by Aaron
Rogat,
a CCMS postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan,
and Joseph
Krajcik,
a CCMS core faculty member and professor of science education
at the University of Michigan, the session looked at ways
to help students use models in inquiry-based science curricula.
Participants explored two examples of models: an analogical
physical model of a lung and a computer simulation of interactions
between different organisms in an ecosystem. They sought
to identify what the models were modeling, what features
of models these examples illustrated, and what challenges
students might have in learning about models and modeling.
Participants then discussed the key characteristics of models,
what knowledge or skills about models students should be
expected to know, and how student understanding of models
could be supported by instructional scaffolds.
The session further considered how scaffolds, once designed,
could be incorporated into curriculum materials. The discussion
had particular relevance to researchers involved in the Investigating
and Questioning our World through Science and Technology (IQWST)
project, which is focusing on ways to support the use and
understanding of models as one of several cross-strand inquiry
skills.
Data Collection and Analysis: Clarifying Learning Goals
Another cross-strand theme of the IQWST curriculum
project is data collection and analysis, which was the focus
of a Greenhouse session organized by David
Fortus,
assistant professor of secondary science education at Michigan
State University, and Dr. Krajcik of the University of Michigan.
The session aimed to clarify learning goals about data collection,
organization, and analysis that are appropriate for middle
schools. It also looked at ways to help students develop
an understanding of these learning goals and develop skill
in applying this understanding in investigations.
This four-part session featured a review of data collection
and analysis learning goals articulated by members of IQWST;
a discussion of which scientific disciplines offer opportunities
to construct an understanding of the various learning goals;
a discussion of a possible middle school trajectory for
the learning goals; and brainstorming curriculum-embedded
scaffolds for the various learning goals.
Understanding and Comparing Curriculum Design
Processes
Curriculum development projects vary considerably in their
R&D process, including how they articulate intended
learning outcomes, the instructional models they use to
organize learning, and the kinds of feedback they collect
to inform revisions. A key area of CCMS research is the
effort to understand the curriculum design process and to
identify design elements that may contribute to curriculum
materials that support teachers and help students learn
important science ideas. To address the design process question,
two KSI sessions were organized by Jo Ellen Roseman, director
of CCMS and Project 2061, and Luli
Stern, a research associate at
the Department of Education in Technology and Science, Technion-Israel
Institute of Technology.
In an effort to develop a common language about design
processes, the sessions focused on four curriculum projects,
all of which are funded by the NSF: Full
Option Science System (FOSS) Middle School, Insights
in Biology for high school, Constructing
Ideas in Physical Science (CIPS), and IQWST.
Prior to the conference, developers from each of these projects
shared written accounts of their project’s curriculum
development process. These accounts, in concert with presentations
given by the materials developers at the first session,
provided a comprehensive picture for each of the materials
by emphasizing aspects such as the history of the project,
the developers’ philosophy, the steps of the design
process, and the lessons learned in each case. The second
session looked at design elements that cut across projects
and compared the different processes. Key design elements
discussed include the resources (expertise, funds, and time)
needed for effective design; the role of specific learning
goals in the development process; incorporating pedagogical
supports into curriculum materials; and testing the materials.
Developers who served on the panel in both sessions were
Linda DeLucci and Larry Malone, co-directors of FOSS;
Jacqueline S. Miller, senior scientist and principal investigator
of two NSF-funded projects in the Center for Science Education
(Insights in Biology); Sharon Bendall, project
co-director for CIPS; and Brian
Reiser,
CCMS core faculty member and Northwestern University professor
of education and social policy, and Dr. Krajcik of the University
of Michigan (IQWST).
The developers’ presentations were especially helpful
in grounding subsequent discussions on the curriculum design
process. With similarities and differences between the various
projects openly presented, participants and developers were
able to compare approaches and comment.
# # #
See more
resources from the 2005 Knowledge Sharing Institute, including the
conference agenda and abstracts of poster sessions.
For more information about the Center for Curriculum Materials
in Science, please contact:
CCMS Director: Dr.
Jo Ellen Roseman,
(202) 326-6752
CCMS Deputy Director: Dr.
George DeBoer, (202) 326-6624
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