An electronic newsletter for
the science education community
CCMS Knowledge Sharing Institute Focuses on Research
The second Knowledge Sharing Institute
(KSI) of the Center for Curriculum
Materials in Science (CCMS) took
place July 11–14
at Northwestern University, Evanston,
Illinois. The institute brought together
over sixty participants: researchers
from CCMS partners Project 2061,
Michigan State University , Northwestern
University , and the University of
Michigan and early career researchers
from outside the Center with expertise
in science curriculum materials.
The theme of the meeting was how
best to advance research on the development,
analysis, and use of science curriculum
materials.
Each morning, small working groups targeted specific research questions and discussed
research methods and designs likely to be most effective in advancing our understanding
of these questions. For example, groups compared what can be learned from large-
and small-scale research studies and from combining insights from complementary
case studies. Research design questions focused on research topics like the following:
- How can curriculum materials take account of students’ prior epistemologies and conceptions and build upon them successfully?
- How do teachers interpret and use curriculum materials and how do patterns of use relate to teacher and student learning outcomes?
- How can curriculum materials be adaptable to build on the diverse cultural experiences of students?
In the afternoons, small groups gathered for “greenhouse” sessions designed to foster new collaboration. These sessions were primarily proposed and organized by CCMS graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and focused on their areas of mutual interest. The participants in all sessions produced posters for a group poster session each evening.
More information on the KSI presentations will be posted on the CCMS Web site over the coming weeks.