Joseph Krajcik

Profile

Professional Title: 
Director, CREATE for STEM Institute
Organization/Institution: 
Michigan State University (MSU)
About Me (Bio): 
Joe Krajcik serves as director of the Institute for Research on Mathematics and Science Education and as a faculty member in science education. A former high school chemistry and physical science teacher, Krajcik spent 21 years at the University of Michigan before coming to MSU in 2011. During his career, he has focused on working with science teachers to reform science teaching practices to promote students’ engagement in and learning of science. He was principal investigator on a National Science Foundation project that aims to design, develop and test the next generation of middle school curriculum materials to engage students in obtaining deep understandings of science content and practices. He is currently serving as head of the Physical Science Design Team to develop the Next Generation Science Standards. Krajcik, along with Professor Angela Calabrese Barton from MSU, serves as co-editor of the Journal of Research in Science Teaching. Krajcik has authored and co-authored curriculum materials, books, software and over 100 manuscripts, and makes frequent presentations at international, national and regional conferences. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and has served as president of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST), from which he received the Distinguished Contributions to Science Education Through Research Award in 2010.
Keywords: 
Curriculum

Designing Assessments in Physical Science Across Three Dimensions (Collaborative Research: Krajcik)

Michigan State University (MSU)
09/01/2013

This is a collaborative project to develop, test, and analyze sets of technology-supported diagnostic classroom assessments for middle school (grades 6-8) physical science. Assessments are aligned with the performance assessment and evidence-centered design methodologies suggested in the Framework for K-12 Science Education (NRC, 2012).

Developing and Testing a Model to Support Student Understanding of the Sub-microscopic Interactions That Govern Biological and Chemical Processes

Michigan State University (MSU), University of Michigan (UM)
09/01/2011

This project designs, develops, and tests coherent interdisciplinary instructional materials to support high school students' integrated understanding of the forces and energetics involved in interactions that occur between atoms and molecules, and explores how students' learning progresses across time. The project will be implemented in three Michigan school districts with students who traditionally do not succeed in science. 

Developing the Next Generation of Middle School Science Materials -- Investigating and Questioning Our World through Science and Technology (Collaborative Research: Krajcik)

University of Michigan (UM)
09/01/2004

This project is developing a comprehensive science curriculum for grades 6-8. The materials are organized around driving questions that provide a context to motivate students as they use their knowledge and skills in scientific practices, and contain hands-on experiences, technology tools and reading materials that extend students' first-hand experiences of phenomena and support science literacy.

Efficacy Study of Project-Based Inquiry Science

SRI International, Michigan State University (MSU), University of Colorado Boulder, University of Michigan (UM)
08/15/2010

This research and development project examines the impact of the Project-Based Inquiry Science (PBIS) middle school science curriculum. The research questions explored will look into efficacy, implementation, and teacher practice. A unique feature of the study’s design is an analytic focus on the conditions needed to implement the curriculum in ways that improve student learning in light of the Framework for K-12 Science Education.

Enhancing Middle Grades Students' Capacity to Develop and Communicate Their Mathematical Understanding of Big Ideas Using Digital Inscriptional Resources (Collaborative Research: Dorsey)

Concord Consortium
09/01/2016

This project will develop and test a digital platform for middle school mathematics classrooms to help students deepen and communicate their understanding of mathematics. The digital platform will allow students to collaboratively create representations of their mathematics thinking, incorporate ideas from other students, and share their work with the class.

Supporting Secondary Students in Building External Models (Collaborative Research: Krajcik)

Michigan State University (MSU)
08/01/2014

This project will (1) develop and test a modeling tool and accompanying instructional materials, (2) explore how to support students in building and using models to explain and predict phenomena across a range of disciplines, and (3) document the sophistication of understanding of disciplinary core ideas that students develop when building and using models in grades 6-12.