Happy New Year!
We are starting the year with a commitment to disseminating your findings and resources in many different ways.
We have begun soliciting participants for the second annual NSF Video Showcase, May 17-23, 2016. Last year's experience was very successful with 112 videos, 41 of which were from DR K-12 projects. The event welcomed more than 22,000 unique visitors from 146 countries. Visit last year's showcase to see the kinds of videos that projects shared. We invite you to submit a 3-minute video about your project work. Registration dates and other important information are available on the event website. If you do not wish to contribute a video, but would like to serve as a facilitator, please email me at bberns@edc.org. Facilitators will receive a small honorarium.
On February 1, grantees representing more than 20 DR K-12 projects will participate in our 9th STEM Smart workshop in San Francisco, with the goal of increasing practitioners' awareness of NSF-supported projects that have applicability to their work in implementing standards-based science in local districts. Materials from these presentations will be available on successfulstemeducation.org. Thank you to those who agreed to participate.
Another dissemination opportunity will occur at the upcoming 2016 DR K-12 PI Meeting, which will take place June 1-3 in Washington, DC. We will be in touch soon to invite session proposals. We would like to encourage cross-project, interactive submissions as well as proposals from projects seeking feedback from colleagues. The agenda will also feature several poster sessions and other opportunities for informal networking.
Please remember that the CADRE newsletter now features a regular Newsbites section that highlights news from DR K-12 projects each quarter. The newsletter is distributed to more than 3,500 individuals, and other NSF networks frequently reprint information of interest across programs. We also collect information on your presentations at the myriad of professional conferences occurring in the spring, and will share this information with NSF Program Directors as well as the STEM education community.
Lastly, we want to call attention to our updated Social Media & Technologies Toolkit which might provide ideas for your dissemination activities. The toolkit includes a variety of resources for projects that are new to social media as well as those who are continuing to develop their social media presence.
Best wishes for a productive year!
Sincerely,
Barbara Brauner Berns
CADRE Principal Investigator
Barbara Brauner Berns
CADRE Principal Investigator
EVENTS
Upcoming Events
STEM Smart: Lessons Learned from Successful Schools
February 1, 2016 | San Francisco, CA
Next month, educators, administrators, researchers, industry representatives, policy makers, and other stakeholders will gather at the 9th STEM Smart Workshop. The event will feature National Science Foundation-supported research and instructional resources, primarily in science, that can enhance K-12 STEM education. Plenary panels and smaller interactive sessions will focus on a variety of topics related to teaching and learning in today's classrooms, including:
- selecting and evaluating instructional materials;
- evidence-based curricula and resources that align with or can be adapted to standards;
- scientific practices;
- cyberlearning resources;
- professional development and implementation;
- and new assessment approaches.
Registration is full, but we invite you to review the agenda and stay tuned for more information on the programs and resources featured at the event as well as slides from plenary and concurrent sessions.
March 2016
Keep an eye on your inbox! In March (date and time TBD), NSF will share information on the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program and solicitation, with time reserved for participant questions. In the meantime, we welcome you to review the recording of last year's session or share it with your early career team members.
May 17-23, 2016
Following the success of last year's Teaching & Learning Video Showcase, MSPnet, in collaboration with CADRE and other NSF EHR resource centers, is organizing a 2016 Showcase: Advancing STEM Learning for All. During this virtual event, participating NSF-EHR projects create and share videos about their innovative work and participate in lively discussion with visitors. This year's theme is broadening participation and increasing access to quality STEM and Computer Science experiences (though submissions outside of this theme are also welcome). The DR K-12 community submitted 41 of the 112 videos in last year's Showcase, and nine received special recognition. We hope to have a similar showing in this year!
Presenter registration opens on January 25 and is mandatory for those projects wishing to contribute a video. Participating projects will each create and submit a 3-minute video that illustrates the project's intervention, innovation, and impact (or potential for impact for new projects). The deadline for video submissions is April 28, 2016. Please see the Videohall: Moviemaking Guide for tips on making your video, and note that ast year's participants are welcome to submit a new video this year.
June 1-3, 2016
We are continuing to plan for this year's PI meeting, where grantees on actively-funded projects will gather in Washington, DC to engage in building and sharing new knowledge, best practices, and tools critical to increasing the impact and sustainability of our work over time.
Updated Timeline:
- February 2015: Call for proposals
- March 2016: PI registration opens
- April 2016: Poster registration
Thank you to our advisors who have provided invaluable input on the meeting's content and format: Brian Belland, Amy Brodesky, Tutita Casa, Cathy Kinzer, Magaly Lavadenz, and Amy Parks. If you didn't have a chance to complete this survey, we still welcome your input on compelling plenary topics and speakers.
Past Events
November 9, 2015
In November, STELAR, CIRCL and CADRE teamed up to host the NSF-supported Forum on Next Generation STEM Learning for All in Washington D.C. The Forum was the kick-off event for the White House Next Generation STEM High School Summit that occurred the next day on November 10th, organized by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Several PIs and co-PIs on active DR K-12 projects presented or chaired sessions at the Forum: Jodi Asbell-Clarke, Leah Clapman, Ethan Danahy, Eric Hamilton, Christopher Harris, Vikram Kapila, Joseph Krajcik, Okhee Lee, Sharon Lynch, June Mark, Barbara Means, Catherine McCulloch, Karen Oberhauser, Kathy Perkins, Barbara Schneider, and Kathy Wright. Resources from the Forum, including videos, PowerPoint presentations, and graphic recordings, are now online. A final report on the Forum, with a summary of the event and recommendations, will be available in March 2016.
RESOURCES
New Brief on Broadening Participation
CADRE is pleased to share a new brief as part of our continuing spotlight on Broadening Participation in STEM. Broadening Participation-Making STEM Learning Relevant and Rigorous for All Students explores factors that contribute to opportunity gaps in STEM education based on race, ethnicity, gender, ability, and socioeconomic status. The brief showcases the work of several DR K-12 projects and describes promising approaches for removing barriers for underrepresented groups and enhancing the STEM learning of all students.
Many thanks to DR K-12 grantees who contributed to the development of this resource: Samantha Daley, Jessica Hunt, Maritza MacDonald, Vera Michalchik, Babette Moeller, M. Alejandra Sorto, and Jakita Thomas.
Mentoring in DR K-12
In response to high levels of interest in this topic, we would like to remind you of the resources available in our Mentoring Spotlight. These may be useful as you write or implement a project mentoring plan, develop mentoring strategies for your work with mentees, or identify your own professional interests and needs as a post-doc or graduate student.
The spotlight includes the following:
- Brief: Mentoring for the Postdoctoral/Early Career Researcher: Key Elements and Broader Impacts
- Webinar Recording: Mentoring Plans Webinar
- Sample Mentoring Plans: Sample 1 | Sample 2 | Sample 3
- Mentoring Tips: CADRE Tips for Mentoring Early Career STEM Education Researchers and Developers
- Podcast: What Makes a Successful Mentorship Work?
- Video Series: Mentoring
Updated Social Media & Technologies Toolkit
Whether you're just starting to consider the role of social media in your project or you're interested in enhancing an established social media presence, CADRE's Social Media & Technologies Toolkit (updated December 2015) has a wide range of resources that may be helpful. We've collected a suite of information on different tools and platforms, tips for reaching and engaging different audiences, and more. CADRE continues to update this toolkit, so let us know if you have additional resources to share.
PROJECTS & PEOPLE
CADRE Fellowship Update
The CADRE Fellows have been busy since the in-person orientation meeting at EDC in October. In November and December, Fellows explored different career pathways in STEM education R&D. In a webinar on university career opportunities, PIs Jeffrey Barrett, Joseph Polman, and Fellowship alumnus Jana Craig Hare discussed topics such as choosing a career path, benefits of post-doctoral positions, preparing a strong CV, and how to interview and negotiate a position. In a second webinar, Ximena Dominguez, Sue Doubler, and Alina Martinez met with Fellows to discuss the potential benefits of non-academic career pathways, types of positions that exist in non-academic organizations for early career professionals and the differences in the application, interview, and negotiation process in non-academic vs. university settings. Fellows are currently working on an independent research project related to career pathways that involves researching non-academic organizations and post-doctoral positions in their preferred geographic location, as well as preparing their CV. The next topic to be covered in the Fellowship is writing for publication.We have recently updated the Fellows' "Where are they now" page with several new profiles and additions to existing profiles for Fellowship alumni.
Project Websites, Publications, and Presentations
We regularly collect and compile information from DR K-12 projects on their project websites, publications, and presentations. Thank you to all who responded to our recent request! We invite you to explore your colleagues' products and plans for this spring's conferences.
It's not too late to share your project-related website, publications, or presentations. Fill out our survey and we'll include it in future broadcasts as well as on our website.
We're pleased to share this quarter's news from DR K-12 projects as well as our sister resource networks who serve other NSF funding programs (ARC, CAISE, CIRCL, MSPnet, and STELAR). In addition to our newsletter digest, we disseminate your news items on our website and social media. Let us hear from you!
News from DR K-12 Projects
- Field Experience Resources for Classroom Teachers
Awards & Recognition | Seeds of Science / Roots of Reading was featured on the BEETLES (Better Environmental Education, Teaching, Learning & Expertise Sharing) website as part of a collection of classroom resources for field instruction. - NewSchools Science Learning Challenge Winner
Awards & Recognition | PhET Simulations was one of 15 companies/nonprofits selected for their development of technologies that support students' development of science and engineering skills while sparking their imaginations as explorers and creators. - A Novel Way to Teach Kids About Engineering
In the Press | Slate.com recently featured DR K-12's Novel Engineering project and their use of popular novels to teach STEM concepts. - Science Is Cool in 'The Martian.' Can It Be Compelling In The Classroom, Too?
In the Press | In this opinion piece, DR K-12 PI Jacqueline Miller muses whether science in the classroom be as compelling and cool as in 'The Martian.' - CRA Report on Data-Intensive Research in Education
Publication | Chris Dede was the intellectual lead on a recent report from the Computing Research Association (CRA), that summarizes case studies and criteria for success for data-driven education initiatives. - How Does Bayesian Knowledge Tracing Model Student Development Of Knowledge About A Simple Physical System?
Publication | Members of DR K-12's Common Online Data Analysis Platform (CODAP) project presented this paper at the Fifth International Learning Analytics & Knowledge Conference. In it, they discuss their use of the Monte Carlo Bayesian Knowledge Tracing algorithm to trace students' knowledge about a mechanical system in an instructional game in the CODAP environment. Learn more about opportunities in the CODAP community. - Impact of Project-based Curriculum Materials on Student Learning in Science: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial
Publication | In the December 2015 issue of JRST, members of DR K-12's Efficacy Study of Project-Based Inquiry Science project shared and discussed the results of a randomized controlled study looking at the impact of the middle school curriculumProject-based Inquiry Science. - In the Guise of STEM Education Reform: Opportunity Structures and Outcomes in Inclusive STEM-Focused High Schools
Publication | Carrie Allen, a former CADRE Fellow is co-author of this Ed Researcher article about opportunity structures and outcomes in inclusive STEM-focused high schools. - New Science Snacks Website
Tools | The STEM Practice-Rich Investigations for NGSS Teaching team recently announced a new website from the Exploratorium Teacher Institute, which features a planning tool for helping teachers adapt activities into NGSS investigations (developed as part of their DR K-12 project) and 150+ activities for hands-on science.
Email cadre@edc.org to share news from your project.
News from NSF Networks
- The Year in Informal Science Education: Milestones in STEM Learning from 2015
Blog | In a recent post on informalscience.org, Jared Nielsen reflects on some of the most significant developments in 2015 for informal STEM education. - Smart and Connected Communities for Learning: A Cyberlearning Innovation Lab
Event | NSF-funded projects with a Cyberlearning theme are invited to apply to attend a weeklong workshop in Menlo Park, CA. Selected applicants will gather from May 2-6 to identify new challenges, discover and develop breakthrough ideas, and build multidisciplinary teams that will advance learning technologies. Applications are due on February 15. - Webinar on Measuring Student Learning with the Engineering Design Process Portfolio Scoring Rubric
Event | On February 4 (2-3pm ET), MSP's Technical Evaluation Assistance in Mathematics and Science (TEAMS) project is hosting a webinar where Leigh Abts will share a rubric that can help address the lack of commonly accepted frameworks to benchmark learning in design-based experiences. - Webinar Recording: Smart and Connected Communities
Resource | On January 21, STELAR hosted webinar where NSF Senior Advisors shared opportunities through Supporting Research Advances in Smart and Connected Communities, and ITEST grantees described how their work connects STEM learning communities in need. Presentation materials, related resources, and a recording are available on the STELAR website. - What's Missing in Reports and Articles? Results From Meta-analyses To Find Effect Sizes
Resource | In the recording from this October 2015 webinar, Erin Furtak, Susan Kowalski, Alina Martinez, and Joseph Taylor discuss their synthesis studies documenting the types of information that are frequently left out of reports and journal articles.
Share with DR K-12 Colleagues
If you are PI or Co-PI on a DR K-12 grant, we encourage you to share this newsletter with your colleagues. Many of our news items, resources, and events may be of special interest to others on your project team, e.g., early career researchers and developers, evaluators, communication specialists, etc. We welcome all as part of our DR K-12 community and invite them to subscribe to this newsletter, join us on social media, and create an account on the CADRE website.
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