An electronic newsletter for the science education community
Expanding the Reach of the Center for Curriculum Materials in Science
Developing new knowledge about the design, selection, and effective use of science curriculum materials and preparing leaders who can use this new knowledge to improve science teaching and learning are key goals of AAAS’s Center for Curriculum Materials in Science (CCMS). Success in meeting these goals requires cultivating collaboration among the Center partners at Michigan State University, Northwestern University, and the University of Michigan while also reaching outside the Center for needed expertise in related areas. “Communicating and building relationships among Center partners and with the larger communities of researchers and materials developers in science and mathematics are essential to the Center’s mission,” says CCMS director Jo Ellen Roseman. “These efforts not only help to move the Center’s work forward, they also help to draw national attention to the important role of curriculum materials in science education reform, “she notes.
Recent months have seen CCMS-associated faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows make presentations at various conferences, including the annual meetings of both the National Association for Research in Science Teaching and the American Educational Research Association. Based on CCMS R&D activities, these presentations are described in more detail on the newly redesigned CCMS Web site, which now provides more complete access to the latest information about CCMS and its work to improve science curriculum materials and develop new leaders in science education. For example, a new “Students/Fellows” section includes biographical sketches and a “Works in Progress” page presents abstracts of recent conference presentations. Other sections of the CCMS Web site contain information on Center projects and fellowship opportunities; qualifications and application procedures for both doctoral and postdoctoral programs; contacts for each CCMS partner institution; updates on relevant research; and a calendar of events.
The Center’s annual Knowledge Sharing Institute (KSI) is another important venue for collaboration, drawing together expertise on issues related to curriculum materials design, selection, and use from within the Center and from the larger educational community. This year’s KSI is scheduled for July 11-14 at Northwestern University and will bring together about 60 invited participants—faculty, affiliated faculty, and other individuals associated with the Center or involved in related research—to focus on the CCMS research agenda. In small group discussions and plenary sessions, participants will consider specific topics for investigation; identify key questions about the design, selection, and use of science curriculum materials; and examine various approaches to research aimed at answering these questions. The KSI will also provide opportunities for participants to nurture collaborations on research projects of mutual interest to the Center partners and others. To keep up to date on the Center’s work, visit the Center's website.
Funded under the National Science Foundation’s Centers for Learning and Teaching program, the Center focuses on the analysis, design, and use of science curriculum materials through research, doctoral and postdoctoral programs, and teacher development.
For more information, please contact:
CCMS Director: Dr. Jo Ellen Roseman, (202) 326-6752