Disciplinary Content Knowledge

Developing a Modeling Orientation to Science: Teaching and Learning Variability and Change in Ecosystems (Collaborative Research: Lehrer, Miller, and Peake)

Principal Investigator:

We are investigating the development of middle-schoolers' understandings and practices of modeling in the context of investigations of variability and change in ecosystems. We are studying how and to what extent students' participation in distinct forms of modeling informs their classroom-based citizen science investigations.

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Target Audience:

Developing a Modeling Orientation to Science: Teaching and Learning Variability and Change in Ecosystems (Collaborative Research: Lehrer, Miller, and Peake)

Principal Investigator:

We are investigating the development of middle-schoolers' understandings and practices of modeling in the context of investigations of variability and change in ecosystems. We are studying how and to what extent students' participation in distinct forms of modeling informs their classroom-based citizen science investigations.

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Target Audience:

Developing a Modeling Orientation to Science: Teaching and Learning Variability and Change in Ecosystems (Collaborative Research: Lehrer, Miller, and Peake)

Principal Investigator:

We are investigating the development of middle-schoolers' understandings and practices of modeling in the context of investigations of variability and change in ecosystems. We are studying how and to what extent students' participation in distinct forms of modeling informs their classroom-based citizen science investigations.

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Target Audience:

Strengthening Mathematics Intervention Classes: Identifying and Addressing Challenges to Improve Instruction for Struggling Learners

Principal Investigator:
The SMI project's goals are to: 1) study the current landscape of mathematics intervention classes at the middle grades, and 2) create PD to strengthen intervention teachers' practices for supporting students with mathematics difficulties/disabilities.
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Target Audience:

Reasoning Language for Teaching Secondary Algebra

Principal Investigator:

Reasoning Language for Teaching Secondary Algebra (ReLaTe-SA) is working in partnership with the San Antonio Independent School District to investigate the algebraic reasoning and discourse tools that secondary mathematics teachers use to make algebra concepts accessible for students and orchestrate and respond to student work on mathematics tasks. We are investigating teachers' algebraic discourse through written surveys, interviews, and a year-long professional development program focused on enhancing students' opportunities for algebraic reasoning in the classroom.

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Target Audience:

Professional Development Supports for Teaching Bioinformatics through Mobile Learning

Principal Investigator:
Bioinformatics is an emerging area of research that develops new knowledge through computational analysis of vast biological data. This project investigates the professional development (PD) supports needed for teaching bioinformatics at the high school. Building from a robust literature in PD design research, project team worked with science teachers to co-design instructional modules to engage students with core bioinformatics concepts and data literacies, by focusing on local community health issues supported through mobile learning activities.
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Target Audience:

Developing and Validating a Scalable, Classroom-focused Measure of Usable Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics: The Classroom Video Analysis Instrument

Principal Investigator:
This project focuses on developing a scalable, classroom-focused measure of usable mathematics teaching knowledge in three content areas: (a) fractions (grades 4 and 5), (b) ratio and proportions (grades 6 and 7); and (c) variables, expressions, and equations (grades 6 and 7). The project examines a variety of validity evidence for the new items and the reliability of scores to evaluate the overall construct validity.
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Design Research on the Teaching and Learning of Conceptual Understanding in High School Chemistry Though the Use of Dynamic Visualizations of Physical and Chemical Changes

Principal Investigator:
To move from an emphasis on description of phenomena to deep understanding consistent with the NGSS, this project develops new teaching and research scholars with expertise in building conceptual understanding through the effective use of visualization to help their students build accurate molecular-level mental models to explain phenomena. VisChem Institutes employ carefully produced animations with teaching strategies informed by a cognitive learning model. Research thus far has explored early teacher chemistry and pedagogical learning.
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Target Audience:

Teachers Collaborating in Communities of Mathematics Immersion

Beyond initial college preparation, secondary teachers in the United States have few professional opportunities to do and learn challenging mathematics, especially incollaboration with colleagues. The Mathematics Immersion for Secondary Teachers at Scale program engages sets of teachers in local school sites, connected synchronously and asynchronously to colleagues in other sites, in doing mathematics designed to promote experiences of mathematical immersion, community, and connection to the work of teaching.

Author/Presenter

Daniel J. Heck

Pippa Hoover

Evelyn M. Gordon

Matthew McLeod

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2020
Short Description

The Mathematics Immersion for Secondary Teachers at Scale program engages sets of teachers in local school sites, connected synchronously and asynchronously to colleagues in other sites, in doing mathematics designed to promote experiences of mathematical immersion, community, and connection to the work of teaching. This study of two groups of sites over one year examines fidelity to the program as a model for systematically providing these opportunities, and the extent to which teacher participants experienced immersion, community, and connection in their collaborative work with the course facilitator and their local and distant colleagues.

Student Ideas about the Small Particle Model of Matter

What ideas do students have about small particles of matter? The Two Cups of Liquid task is intended to elicit preservice teachers’ CKT related to students’ ideas about the small particle model (SPM) for matter. The first part of the task asks preservice teachers to articulate their own understanding about why two cups containing different volumes of liquid might have the same mass, while the second examines how elementary students might respond.

Author/Presenter

CKT Science Project Team

Year
2020
Short Description

What ideas do students have about small particles of matter? The Two Cups of Liquid task is intended to elicit preservice teachers’ CKT related to students’ ideas about the small particle model (SPM) for matter.