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SmartGraphs is free, open source software that helps students understand graphs and concepts represented in graphs (e.g., slope, velocity, half-life, global warming).
A demonstration of the SmartGraphs…
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In this study, we examine how a professional science news editor and high school teachers respond to student writing in order to understand the values and priorities each bring to bear on student work. These questions…
Envisioning Scientifically Literate Students Fifteen Years after Graduation: The Promise of Educative Science Journalism
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The “Science Literacy Through Science Journalism” (SciJourn) project explores how the practices of good science journalism can inform high school science education. As high school students report science news, they learn…
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The Oceans of Data project has made an attempt to define and confront what is “hard” for students and teachers who attempt to use large, online professional data sets. We feel passionately that it’s important for us to do…
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This short text explains the reasoning for the sequencing of the content in Foundation Science: Biology. Specifically, it describes the content sequence for the full year curriculum, for the Genetics Unit, for a Learning…
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This short text provides a description of different ways in which the curriculum can be modified to meet the needs of teachers and students while still retaining the intentions of the developers. Examples of possible…
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In this short text, the power of formative assessment as a teaching tool is detailed, and examples of opportunities for formative assessment within Foundation Science Biology proposed, for Learning Experiences (LE) 2, 3…
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Every Learning Experience in Foundation Science Begins with a brainstorming activity. This six minute video explains how brainstorming can be used to determine prior knowledge of your students, introduce new content, and…
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A table of different verbal and non-verbal tools that help students participate in science discourse. Contains examples of productive talk moves.
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A brief overview of teacher tools that promote student discourse in the classroom. A summary of why spend your time on talk in the science classroom and its functions.
Science…
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An essay detailing the purposes, functions and benefits of academically productive talk including the Talk Goals and Moves chart.
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Common classroom experiences anchor discussions and level the playing field for all students. Setting the stage for discussion includes a review of relevant investigations or activities.
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Once the students understand the biology of genetically modified organisms, the teacher helps students deepen their learning by assigning further reading and asking students to imagine possible applications of GMO…
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Students put their knowledge to work: every student must take a stand on whether to serve genetically modified potatoes in their school cafeteria – and to give evidence for their reasoning.…
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As the students grapple with the question of whether to serve genetically modified potatoes in the school cafeteria, the teacher uses strategies that encourage all students to voice their ideas and questions, to…
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In this discussion, students try to clarify areas of confusion among themselves. They puzzle through complicated scientific ideas and ask their peers for help. They wrestle with questions ranging from the definitional --…
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Learn more about the Plan, Teach and Reflect features of the electronic teacher guide.
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Science
Technology
Presentation…
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How did it go? Use the tables below to take stock of your implementation of the
curriculum components in the Learning Experiences 2, 3 and 4.
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What else is happening in STEM education? Explore funding, dissemination, and networking opportunities outside of DR K-12 through other organizations devoted to advancing research, development, evaluation, or practice in K…
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This report, the fifth and final portfolio overview to be prepared by CADRE, describes important characteristics of the first six cohorts of DR K-12 projects that received their initial funding from 2007 to 2012. It…
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“The majority of U.S. students, particularly low-income and minority youth, lacks foundational skills and knowledge in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.” Read this STEM Smart brief to find out more about…
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“Recent research emphasizes that teacher quality alone cannot improve student achievement at scale. School leadership, staff collaboration, and a positive climate are among essential organizational elements that contribute…
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“Specialized schools still represent a tiny fraction of U.S. public education. However, they may not only produce better results than traditional programs; they also can serve as models for schools seeking to improve.”…
STEM Smart Brief: Improving STEM Curriculum and Instruction: Engaging Students and Raising Standards
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“For effective K–12 STEM instruction to become the norm, schools and districts must be transformed.” Read this brief to learn more about curriculum and instructional methods that engage students in the learning process…
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“When students from non-mainstream backgrounds receive equitable learning opportunities, they are capable of attaining science outcomes comparable to their mainstream peers. The same is true for mathematics and, presumably…
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“Providing a richness of resources unavailable in any classroom, informal science institutions across the country have developed exemplary partnerships with public schools—and have room for more.” Read this brief to…
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“Engineering is taught only sporadically in K-12 schools, despite growing evidence that engaging in engineering education leads to improved student learning and achievement in mathematics and science, in part by connecting…
Compendium of Research Instruments for STEM Education, PART II: Measuring Students' Content Knowledge, Reasoning Skills, and Psychological Attributes
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The purpose of this compendium is to provide an overview on the current status of STEM instrumentation commonly used in the U.S and to provide resources for research and evaluation professionals. Part 2 of a two-part…
Descriptive Portfolio Overview of Discovery Research K-12 (DR K-12) Projects Funded from 2007 to 2012
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This overview is intended to describe the scope and depth of research and development DR K-12 has funded and to identify areas that could be advanced by further investigations by CADRE. The overview summarizes the 351…
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DR K-12 projects' 2011-12 publications, 2012-13 presentations and project-related Websites.
This information is also available on the CADREK12.org website--
publications can be found in…
Moving STEM Education Forward: National Priorities and the National Science Foundation’s DR K-12 Program
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What does the United States need to do to build future generations’ knowledge and skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and what kinds of research and innovation can enable the needed changes…
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These Design-Based Implementation Research (DBIR)resources provide theoretical background and examples of strategies to address the research and practice gap.
Researchers who want to know more about…
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Slides and recordings from the NSF DR K-12 Program and Solicitation webinars are now available. See below.
2013 DR K-12 Program Webinars, led by NSF program officers and hosted by CADRE
September 24 (…
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Printable NSF Grant Proposal Guide(Part I: Proposal Preparation & Submission Guidelines)and Award & Administration Guide(Part II: Award & Administration Guidelines)
National Science…
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CADRE
Abt Associates, Inc.
Community for Advancing Discovery Research in…
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Planning to submit an NSF proposal this year? This toolkit is a compilation of helpful resources.
Learn more about NSF’s funding opportunities in education and explore resources to help you in the…
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The following citations were compiled by the Northeast & Islands Regional Educational Laboratory Program for a workshop on An Overview of Implementation Research and Planning.
The following…
A Framework for Measuring Fidelity of Implementation: A Foundation for Shared Language and Accumulation of Knowledge
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This article describes a project that holds the development of Fidelity of Implementation (FOI) measures as its primary goal and has developed a suite of data collection tools designed to be used across multiple programs.…
Toward a framework on how affordances and motives can drive different uses of scaffolds: theory, evidence, and design implications
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One way to help students engage in higher-order thinking is through scaffolding, which can be defined as support that allows students to participate meaningfully in and gain skill at a task that is beyond their unassisted…
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A problematic, yet common, assumption among educational researchers is that when teachers provide authentic, problem-based experiences, students will automatically be engaged. Evidence indicates that this is often not the…
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Instructional scaffolding can be de fi ned as support provided by a teacher/parent, peer, or a computer- or a paper-based tool that allows students to meaningfully participate in and gain skill at a task that they would be…
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In this conceptual paper, we propose an heuristic to balance context-specific and generic scaffolding, as well as computer-based and teacher scaffolding, during instruction centered on authentic, scientific problems. This…
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The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) give equal importance to Earth and space science, physical science, life science and engineering. It’s likely that the 26 Lead State Partners that helped develop the standards…
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This article describes how the NSF funded High-Adventure Science: Earth’s Systems and Sustainability (HAS:ESS) project is developing online curriculum modules for middle school and high school classroom use. The curricula…
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This case study illustrates how a 2nd-grade child, Violet, used an ordinal view of number to reason about positicve and negative integers and arithmetic involving integers. Violet's ordinal view of number facilitated her…
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Create an immersive virtual environment to engage students in problem solving.
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Current science assessments typically present a series of isolated fact-based questions, poorly representing the complexity of how real-world science is constructed. The National Research Council asserts that this needs to…
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Though many national and international science organizations stress the importance of integrating scientific inquiry into classroom instruction, this is often difficult for teachers. Moreover, assessing and scaffolding…