Wednesday

Improving Multi-dimensional Assessment and Instruction: Building and Sustaining Elementary Science Teachers' Capacity Through Learning Communities (Collaborative Research: Lehman and Pellegrino)

Principal Investigator:
Elizabeth Lehman
James Pellegrino

The NGSA project seeks to better understand how to build and sustain the capacity of elementary science teachers to instruct and formatively assess students in ways that align with the NGSS. We utilize a professional learning model that places instructionally-supportive assessments at the forefront, and centers student discourse on disciplinary knowledge and practices to engage in sensemaking and reasoning. Teacher partners co-develop multi-dimensional assessment tasks and are starting to use them formatively with their students.

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Discipline/Topic:
Science
Assessment
Professional Development
Target Audience:
Elementary School

Mobilizing Teachers to Increase Capacity and Broaden Women's Participation in Physics (Collaborative Research: Hazari)

Principal Investigator:
Zahra Hazari

STEP UP is mobilizing and supporting physics teachers with resources that disrupt narrow perceptions of physics and promote supportive classroom cultures to facilitate physics identity development, particularly for women. Drawing on counternarratives, the lessons/materials highlight broad physics careers pursued by diverse individuals, explicitly discuss the role of bias, and recognize those who have been invisible. The lessons/materials were found to have a positive effect on the future physics intentions of women and minoritized racial/ethnic groups.

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Discipline/Topic:
Science
Broadening Participation
Curriculum
Professional Development
Target Audience:
High School

Geological Models for Explorations of Dynamic Earth (GEODE): Integrating the Power of Geodynamic Models in Middle School Earth Science Curriculum

Principal Investigator:
Amy Pallant

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

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Discipline/Topic:
Science
Curriculum
Educational Technology
Target Audience:
Middle School
High School

Investigating Impact of Different Types of Professional Development on What Aspects Mathematics Teachers Take Up And Use in Their Classroom

Principal Investigator:
Karen Koellner

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.

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Discipline/Topic:
Mathematics
Professional Development
Target Audience:
Middle School

Developing Teachers' Epistemic Cognition and Teaching Practices for Supporting Students' Epistemic Practices with Scientific Systems

Principal Investigator:
Susan Yoon

This project aims to investigate needs and challenges in developing an informed public able to evaluate empirical evidence generated from scientific activities. This includes understanding teachers' epistemic goals and practices and how to provide professional development (PD) to improve instruction. The resulting instruction will offer new affordances to advance students' and teachers' learning.

Co-PI(s): Clark Chinn, Rutgers University

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Discipline/Topic:
Mathematics
Science
Technology
Classroom Practice
Curriculum
Educational Technology
Pedagogical Content Knowledge
Professional Development
Target Audience:
High School

Developing Preservice Teachers' Capacity to Teach Students with Learning Disabilities in Algebra I

Principal Investigator:
Casey Hord

Project researchers are training pre-service teachers to tutor students with learning disabilities in Algebra 1, combining principles from special education, mathematics education, and cognitive psychology. The trainings emphasize the use of gestures and strategic questioning to support students with learning disabilities and to build students’ understanding in Algebra 1.

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Discipline/Topic:
Mathematics
Broadening Participation
Classroom Practice
Pedagogical Content Knowledge
Professional Development
Special Education
Target Audience:
High School

Developing and Validating Assessments to Measure and Build Elementary Teachers' Content Knowledge for Teaching about Matter and Its Interactions within Teacher Education Settings (Collaborative Research: Mikeska)

Principal Investigator:
Jamie Mikeska

This project aims to develop and validate an online assessment instrument to measure preservice elementary teachers’ content knowledge for teaching (CKT) about matter, a critical area for preservice teacher learning. We also developed different resources for science teacher educators to support elementary preservice teachers' growth in CKT.

Co-PI(s): Katherine Castellano, Educational Testing Service (ETS)

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Discipline/Topic:
Science
Assessment
Curriculum
Disciplinary Content Knowledge
Target Audience:
Post-secondary

Developing a Suite of Standards-based Instructionally Supportive Tools for Middle School Computer Science

Principal Investigator:
Satabdi Basu

The ASSIST project will develop a set of educative resources, assessment tools and teacher professional development activities to support diverse teachers teaching a variety of computer science curricula using different programming languages. Teachers will develop knowledge of CS standards and learn to use formative assessments related to these standards to determine student understanding. Improved CS instruction that is responsive to the needs and challenges of the student population is critical to ensure more equitable participation in CS.

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Discipline/Topic:
Computer Science
Assessment
Classroom Practice
Disciplinary Content Knowledge
Professional Development
Target Audience:
Middle School

Design and Development of a K-12 STEM Observation Protocol (Collaborative Research: Dare, Ring-Whalen, and Roehrig)

Principal Investigator:
Elizabeth Ring-Whalen

The purpose of this project is the design and development of a K-12 classroom observation protocol for integrated STEM instruction (STEM-OP). Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, the STEM-OP will be a valid and reliable instrument for use in a variety of educational contexts. The STEM-OP and associated training materials will be available for use by education stakeholders, (e.g., K-12 teachers and district administrators), through a publicly available online platform.

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Discipline/Topic:
Engineering
Mathematics
Science
Technology
Assessment
Curriculum
Educational Technology
Professional Development
Target Audience:
Elementary School
Middle School
High School

CAREER: Developing Elementary Preservice Teachers' Understandings and Abilities to Support Emerging Bilingual Students Scientific Sensemaking

Principal Investigator:
Maria Gonzalez-Howard
The overall goals for this CAREER project are to identify and develop ways for best preparing elementary preservice teachers to support multilingual students’ scientific sensemaking, specifically as seen through engagement in science practices. Here, we (1) provide a synthesis of the literature to date regarding multilingual students’ experiences with science practices, and (2) offer concrete directions for future research in order to expand views around what is recognized and valued as scientific sensemaking repertoires.
 
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Discipline/Topic:
Science
Classroom Practice
Target Audience:
Elementary School
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