An electronic newsletter for
the science education community
September
2004
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.
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