Disciplinary Content Knowledge

Design and Development of Transmedia Narrative-based Curricula to Engage Children in Scientific Thinking and Engineering Design (Collaborative Research: Ellis and McGinnis-Cavanaugh)

Principal Investigator:
Glenn Ellis
Beth McGinnis-Cavanaugh
Transforming Engineering Education in Middle Schools (TEEMS) is an NGSS-aligned middle school curriculum that utilizes heroic stories to engage students in learning engineering and science concepts.
 
Our curriculum consists of multiweek units covering Principles of Engineering Design and Materials, Tools, and Manufacturing,  as well as six shorter integrated engineering/science lessons.
 
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Discipline/Topic:
Engineering
Science
Assessment
Broadening Participation
Cognitive Science
Curriculum
Disciplinary Content Knowledge
Professional Development
Target Audience:
Middle School

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

Principal Investigator:
Richard Lehrer
Alison Miller
Leigh Peake

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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Discipline/Topic:
Science
Cognitive Science
Curriculum
Disciplinary Content Knowledge
Professional Development
Target Audience:
Middle School

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

Principal Investigator:
Richard Lehrer
Alison Miller
Leigh Peake

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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Discipline/Topic:
Science
Cognitive Science
Curriculum
Disciplinary Content Knowledge
Professional Development
Target Audience:
Middle School

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

Principal Investigator:
Richard Lehrer
Alison Miller
Leigh Peake

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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Discipline/Topic:
Science
Cognitive Science
Curriculum
Disciplinary Content Knowledge
Professional Development
Target Audience:
Middle School

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

Principal Investigator:
Amy Brodesky
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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Discipline/Topic:
Mathematics
Broadening Participation
Disciplinary Content Knowledge
Professional Development
Special Education
Target Audience:
Middle School

Reasoning Language for Teaching Secondary Algebra

Principal Investigator:
Cody Patterson

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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Discipline/Topic:
Mathematics
Assessment
Classroom Practice
Curriculum
Disciplinary Content Knowledge
Professional Development
Target Audience:
Middle School
High School

Professional Development Supports for Teaching Bioinformatics through Mobile Learning

Principal Investigator:
Susan Yoon
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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Discipline/Topic:
Mathematics
Science
Technology
Classroom Practice
Curriculum
Disciplinary Content Knowledge
Educational Technology
Professional Development
Target Audience:
High School

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

Principal Investigator:
Nicole Kersting
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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Discipline/Topic:
Mathematics
Assessment
Disciplinary Content Knowledge
Target Audience:
Elementary School
Middle School

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:
Ellen Yezierski
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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Discipline/Topic:
Science
Classroom Practice
Curriculum
Disciplinary Content Knowledge
Professional Development
Target Audience:
High School

Teachers Collaborating in Communities of Mathematics Immersion

Mathematics
Disciplinary Content Knowledge
Professional Development
Research
Middle
High

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.

Access Link
http://icmistudy25.ie.ulisboa.pt/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/201114-ICMI25Procee…
Author/Presenter

Daniel J. Heck

Pippa Hoover

Evelyn M. Gordon

Matthew McLeod

Lead Organization(s)
Horizon Research, Inc.
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.

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