Middle School

The goal of the GeoHazard project is to integrate Earth systems models into online curriculum modules that allow students to evaluate natural hazards, the factors that influence their formation, progression and severity and how that contributes most to the potential risks for humans. The project focuses on three common natural hazards: hurricanes, wildfires, and floods.

Co-PI(s): Hee-Sun Lee, The Concord Consortium; Scott McDonald, Pennsylvania State University; Elaine Larson, National Geographic; Carla McAuliffe, TERC

The goal of the Responsive Math Teaching project is to increase the quality of math instruction by developing the knowledge, skills, and competencies of school-based teachers and leaders and fostering a networked community across schools. Five core components guide the work:

The goal of the GEODE project is to engage students in explorations around plate tectonics using both real-world data and simulations. The project produced the Seismic Explorer and Tectonic Explorer models and embedded them into a scaffolded online curriculum module that supports students' development of mechanistic and causal explanations around Earth's dynamic plate system and resulting geological formations. GEODE's tools help students connect the plate system to the thermodynamic and gravitational forces below Earth's surface

Taking a Deep Dive (TaDD): Investigating PD impact on what teachers take up and use in their classroom, is a 3-year DRK-12 Impact study within the teaching strand. This study will collect qualitative data from four large NSF funded mathematics PD projects to examine teachers' uptake of content, pedagogy and materials in order to understand and unpack what factors are associated with what teachers take up and use two to three years beyond their original PD experience.

InSTEP is developing an online personalized professional learning platform to support teachers' growth in providing students learning opportunities in statistics and data science using key practices and processes with data. We are creating a scalable, accessible, and flexible approach aligned with research-based principles of effective professional learning. We use design principles for online teacher learning, and our materials are based on research on students' and teachers' learning in statistics and data science education.

Although several middle school science units are emerging with high ratings on an NGSS EQuIP review, few have been subjected to experimental or quasi-experimental study to examine their efficacy with teachers or students. We share the design specifications, development process, and research findings from a quasi-experimental test of a designed-for-NGSS middle school science unit. Treatment students outperformed comparison students on a test of three-dimensional learning (p = .019; d = .300).

Co-PI(s): Betty Stennett and Lindsey Mohan, BSCS Science Learning