Disciplinary Content Knowledge

Designing Simulations to Learn About Pre-service Teachers’ Capabilities with Eliciting and Interpreting Student Thinking

This chapter focuses on the design of simulation assessments to learn about pre-service teachers’ capabilities with eliciting and interpreting student thinking. We present a simulation assessment and show what a performance on that assessment can reveal about a pre-service teacher’s eliciting and interpreting skills, as well as their mathematical knowledge for teaching. We consider the specific design features that make it possible to appraise pre-service teachers’ capabilities.

Author/Presenter

Meghan Shaughnessy

Timothy Boerst

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2018
Short Description

This chapter focuses on the design of simulation assessments to learn about pre-service teachers’ capabilities with eliciting and interpreting student thinking.

Teachers Extending Their Knowledge in Online Collaborative Learning Environments: Opportunities and Challenges

STEM Categorization
Day
Fri

Join two projects to discuss the challenges and opportunities afforded through online environments for providing professional development and supporting classroom implementation of mathematical practices.

Date/Time
-

Teams of researchers from Drexel University, Rutgers University, University of Missouri, and the Math Forum have been investigating online environments for math education and math teacher professional learning communities. The Virtual Math Teams project has developed a synchronous, multi-user GeoGebra implementation and studies the learning of small groups as well as the preparation of teachers to facilitate this learning.

Session Types

Longitudinal Studies of Teacher Development in Elementary Mathematics and Science

STEM Categorization
Day
Thu

Learn about the work and findings of two longitudinal studies examining the development of knowledge, beliefs, and instructional practices among pre-service and early-career elementary teachers in mathematics and science.

Date/Time
-

Over the past five years, research teams at Western Washington University and North Carolina State University have each conducted longitudinal studies to examine elementary teacher development in mathematics and science. Specifically, they have investigated the development of pre-service/novice teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and instructional practices during teacher preparation and into their initial years of teaching. 

Session Types

Issues in Integrating NGSS Standards and Literacy/Language Arts in Grades K–5 Science

STEM Categorization
Day
Thu

Join in a discussion and give feedback on the work of a project integrating science and literacy/language arts, and issues associated with designing and implementing integrated science in K–5 schools.

Date/Time
-
Session Materials

The vision of meaningful learning in science from NGSS and the National Research Council’s A Framework for K-12 Science Education requires reform efforts that address 1) curricular issues (what is being taught); and 2) pedagogical practices (what teaching will look like with emphasis on both the practices of science and engineering and the integration of the Common Core State Standards – English Language Arts).

Session Types

Culturally Responsive Education

STEM Categorization
Day
Thu

Review themes related to culturally responsive STEM instruction, and generate ideas for advancing research and practice in this area.

Date/Time
-
Facilitators

Problematizing and Assessing Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Ways of Thinking

STEM Categorization
Day
Thu

Engage with presenters as they discuss assessment and rubrics designed to measure secondary teachers’ mathematical habits of mind.

Date/Time
-

Work in secondary mathematics education takes many approaches to content, pedagogy, professional development and assessment. This session aims to illuminate the richness of hte content of secondary mathematics and the field of secondary mathematics education by sharing two such approaches and reflecting on the differences and commonalities between the two.   

Session Types

The Power and Promise of a Digital Tool for Teaching Inquiry Science





Author/Presenter

Katherine F. Paget

Jacqueline S. Miller

William J. Tally

Year
2015
Short Description

To examine the value of the electronic teacher guide (eTG) as a curriculum planning and teaching tool,
it was important to study it in the contexts of teachers’ actual planning, teaching, and reflecting.
This paper described two descriptive case studies.

Resource(s)

Webinar on the Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development

Author/Presenter

Edith Gummer

Year
2014
Short Description

This webinar, led by Edith Gummer (formerly of NSF), discusses the guidelines outlined in the report co-authored by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation.

Perspectives for Advancing the Effectiveness of Elementary Science Instruction for Student Learning: Importance and Challenges

Day
Wed

Presenters discuss how their projects contribute systemically to the design, implementation, and evaluation of quality elementary science programs.

Date/Time
-
2014 Session Types
Collaborative Panel Session

Quality elementary science programs are faced with the challenge of adapting and/or building upon the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in order to provide an essential foundation for student learning and interest in science. As such, these science programs must address how the practices of science can be linked with cross-cutting concepts through meaningful learning contexts that, of necessity, evolve progressively across grades.

Discussion of Promising Scale-up Strategies for Reaching Classrooms

Day
Tues

Participants and the presenters will discuss their experiences—including releasing free and paid apps—and provide suggestions to others for successfully reaching many users.

Date/Time
-
2014 Session Types
Feedback Session (Work in Post-development)

Over a period of five years the SmartGraphs project developed HTML5 software for teaching and learning STEM subjects that make use of line graphs and scatter plots. SmartGraphs activities help students understand the “story” represented by a graph. The project created dozens of activities for algebra, physical science, and other STEM subjects, as well as an authoring system allowing non-computer-programmers to create and disseminate free online activities.