Curriculum

Incorporating Participatory Science in Elementary Schools: Teacher and Student Experiences with Outdoor Learning

Cadre-Admin — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 22:23:13 +0000

Incorporating Participatory Science in Elementary Schools: Teacher and Student Experiences with Outdoor Learning

Science instruction in elementary school provides a base for student understanding of the natural world, yet policies prioritizing mathematics and reading have marginalized science. In response, some teachers have enhanced their science instruction by introducing students to participatory science (PS) projects. Using data from a larger study that examines the development of educative support materials for two existing PS projects, this embedded mixed methods study focuses on teachers’ and students’ experiences learning outdoors. We compare teachers’ weekly log data, surveys, interviews, observations, and student focus groups to document teachers’ applications of PS in their science classrooms and outdoors. Teachers report benefits (e.g., purposeful science learning) and challenges (e.g., time constraints, testing pressure) of implementing outdoor PS projects. Teacher and student data document cognitive and affective benefits of students’ participation. Implications support the potential for PS projects that include schoolyard activities to supplement elementary science teaching and learning.

Carrier, S. J., Scharen, D. R., Hayes, M. L., Smith, P. S., Goforth, C., Craven, L., & Sachs, L. (2026). Incorporating participatory science in elementary schools: Teacher and student experiences with outdoor learning. Electronic Journal for Research in Science and Mathematics, 29(4).

Cadre-Admin Tue, 01/27/2026 - 17:23

https://ejrsme.icrsme.com/article/view/23817

The Epistemic Generativity of Using a Model of a Big Idea

Cadre-Admin — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 23:22:33 +0000

The Epistemic Generativity of Using a Model of a Big Idea

Science instruction should involve learners in generating and warranting ideas, what we call epistemic generation. In modeling instruction, epistemic generation should be achieved by coordinating a model structure with the experienced world in reciprocal directions denoted as developing models and using models. In the former, a model structure is shaped from experience. In the latter, experience is shaped by a model structure. Focusing on this latter direction, the present study combats the perception that using models is not a generative practice but merely the dutiful application of others' ideas. Featuring an energy model as an example, the article explains, and illustrates with qualitative evidence, how the model supported epistemic generation by ninth-grade students using it to analyze and explain the biological process of aerobic cellular respiration. Because the model represented energy, a big idea governing the domain of cellular respiration, it also incorporated three characteristics attributable to big ideas that contributed to its generativity: abstraction; mechanistic meaning, and representational efficiency. Presenting cases of small-group work, the article traces how epistemic generativity was supported by the energy model's structure, general affordances of models, and these three characteristics.

Shemwell, J. T. & Capps, D. K. (2025). The epistemic generativity of using a model of a big idea. Science Education. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.70037

Cadre-Admin Mon, 12/15/2025 - 18:22

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/sce.70037

The Epistemic Generativity of Using a Model of a Big Idea

Cadre-Admin — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 23:22:33 +0000

The Epistemic Generativity of Using a Model of a Big Idea

Shemwell, J. T. & Capps, D. K. (2025). The epistemic generativity of using a model of a big idea. Science Education. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.70037

Cadre-Admin Mon, 12/15/2025 - 18:22

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/sce.70037

Middle School Students’ Meanings of Points from Quantitative and Covariational Reasoning Perspectives

Cadre-Admin — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 23:08:30 +0000

Middle School Students’ Meanings of Points from Quantitative and Covariational Reasoning Perspectives

We examine the meanings students give to points when they are graphing relationships between quantities in dynamic, experiential contexts. Using data from teaching experiments with middle-grades students, we illustrate two main categories of meanings: iconic and quantitative. We then introduce four distinct subcategories of meanings: (a) iconic and transformed iconic translations (a point represents an object or location), (b) nonunited points (a point represents a single quantity’s magnitude), (c) spatial-quantitative multiplicative objects (a point is an object or location with quantitative properties), and (d) quantitative multiplicative objects in conventional and nonconventional planes (a point represents two quantities’ magnitudes). We discuss the implications of these meanings for research, teaching, and curriculum development.

Tasova, H. I. & Moore, K. C. (2025). Middle school students’ meanings of points from quantitative and covariational reasoning perspectives. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 56(5), 233–258. https://doi.org/10.5951/jresematheduc-2023-0178

Cadre-Admin Mon, 12/15/2025 - 18:08

https://pubs.nctm.org/view/journals/jrme/56/5/article-p233.xml

Dispositional Reactions and Knowledge Invoked in Mathematical Problem Posing: Case Study of Three Undergraduate Students

Cadre-Admin — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 22:12:05 +0000

Dispositional Reactions and Knowledge Invoked in Mathematical Problem Posing: Case Study of Three Undergraduate Students

This study was designed to examine how three undergraduate students enrolled in a developmental mathematics course interpreted and engaged with problem-posing tasks, the problems they posed and the knowledge the posed problems could invoke. All three students commented on the value of problem posing, as problem posing invited them to see the entirety of the problem situation and understand it. In addition, the students had a positive disposition towards posing mathematical problems, particularly with respect to the novelty of problem-posing activities and the creativity that such activities afford. It was also found that the students could pose problems with the potential to evoke a variety of linear, quadratic and exponential relationships. The findings of this study suggest the feasibility of using problem posing to engage undergraduate students in developmental mathematics courses in order to create opportunities for them to develop their mathematical understanding. This study is exploratory in nature and the paper ends with a discussion of a few directions for future studies.

Silber, S., Cai, J., & Hwang, S. (2025). Dispositional reactions and knowledge invoked in mathematical problem posing: Case study of three undergraduate students. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 1–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020739X.2025.2574943

Cadre-Admin Mon, 12/15/2025 - 17:12

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0020739X.2025.2574943

Transdisciplinary STEM: Converging Around Inquiry

Cadre-Admin — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 15:55:43 +0000

Transdisciplinary STEM: Converging Around Inquiry

The disciplines provide a wealth of resources to make sense of complex problems; when taking a transdisciplinary approach, students have the opportunity to engage in inquiry with local issues of meaning that can allow for deeper learning and engagement. Curriculum design experts from the Center for Technology and School Change propose a process for teachers to design STEM curriculum that prioritizes inquiry rooted in the community that empowers students to be active participants in a democratic society.

McCall, S., Page, K. K., Meier, E., Pike, J. Y., & Mineo, C. (2025). Transdisciplinary STEM: Converging around inquiry. Science and Children, 62(6), 13–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/00368148.2025.2559446

Cadre-Admin Fri, 12/05/2025 - 10:55

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00368148.2025.2559446

Teachers' Customizations of Storyline Science Curriculum: Adapting for Their Students and Instructional Contexts

Cadre-Admin — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 15:47:04 +0000

Teachers' Customizations of Storyline Science Curriculum: Adapting for Their Students and Instructional Contexts

Curriculum materials can play an essential role to help teachers shift their instruction. However, curricular enactment does not look identical in every classroom, because teachers need to be responsive to their students. In this study, we investigated the customizations teachers made while enacting storyline science curriculum. Specifically, we collected two data sources: a teacher survey and interviews. The survey was completed by 169 participants and included 20 follow-up interviews with middle school science teachers enacting the OpenSciEd curriculum across the United States. Teachers reported frequently making changes to the curriculum, particularly small changes, which were made daily or almost daily. The frequency of these changes illustrates that enactment is jointly constructed by the curriculum, teacher and students in a specific context. The teachers’ goals motivating these changes stemmed from wanting to be more responsive to their students and constraints within their school systems. In terms of being responsive, the customizations focused on the goals of student engagement and participation as well as more support for students. While many of these changes aligned with the overarching vision of the curriculum, others appeared to potentially be in tension, particularly in relation to student epistemic agency and coherence. The other two most frequent goals for customizations were a lack of time and logistics (e.g., space, resources) highlighting the importance of the organizational context. Future research needs to develop tools, examples and professional learning experiences to support teachers in customizing for their students and context while aligning with the overarching instructional vision in curriculum.

McNeill, K. L., Fine, C. G., Lowell, B. R., and Affolter, R. (2025). Teachers' customizations of storyline science curriculum: Adapting for their students and instructional contexts. Science Education. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.70035

Cadre-Admin Fri, 12/05/2025 - 10:47

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/sce.70035

Beyond Implementation: How Teachers Reflect, Adapt, and Grow with an Innovative Science Curriculum

Cadre-Admin — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 20:35:32 +0000

Beyond Implementation: How Teachers Reflect, Adapt, and Grow with an Innovative Science Curriculum

Innovative science curricula aim to transform classroom instruction by emphasizing socio-scientific issues (SSI), student-centered inquiry, and culturally relevant pedagogy. Engaging with new and innovative curricula has the potential to stretch teachers’ instructional practices when they fully commit to implementation, challenging them to navigate tensions between their existing approaches and reform-oriented teaching methods. The Expectancy-Value Theory (EVT) and the Interconnected Model of Professional Growth (IMPG) provide a lens for understanding the motivations behind teacher decisions when implementing such curricula and whether these decisions lead to professional learning. This study applies these frameworks to examine how two middle school science teachers, Andrew and Abby, navigated the implementation of the Grand Challenges (GC) curriculum, balancing the perceived costs, values, and challenges of integrating SSI into their instruction. Findings illustrate that teachers’ engagement with innovative curricula is an iterative process influenced by institutional expectations, student outcomes, and evolving pedagogical commitments. This study highlights how sustained curriculum implementation, combined with teacher reflection on student responses, catalyzes professional growth. Their implementation, however, is mediated through their personal domain, as existing beliefs, experiences, and instructional priorities shape how they interpret and enact reform-based teaching. By examining how teachers weigh the utility, cost, and attainment value of new instructional approaches, this research offers insights into supporting educators in adopting innovative science teaching practices while navigating systemic constraints.

Lesnefsky, R. R., Sadler, T. D., & Fortus, D. (2025). Beyond implementation: How teachers reflect, adapt, and grow with an innovative science curriculum. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/1046560X.2025.2551405

Cadre-Admin Fri, 10/24/2025 - 16:35

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1046560X.2025.2551405

Teacher Feedback Guiding Professional Development Programs: A 2-Year Field Trial Integrating Science and Language with Multilingual Learners

Cadre-Admin — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 17:19:51 +0000

Teacher Feedback Guiding Professional Development Programs: A 2-Year Field Trial Integrating Science and Language with Multilingual Learners

Since the release of A Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), there has been an urgent need for teacher professional development (PD) programs that support the implementation of NGSS-aligned curriculum materials and address the unique strengths and needs of diverse student groups, including multilingual learners (MLs). The purpose of this study is to describe how teacher feedback guided the design and refinement of our curriculum-based PD program integrating science and language with MLs through a 2-year field trial. We obtained feedback as fifth-grade teachers learned to enact science and language instructional shifts in PD workshops, tried out those shifts in their classrooms, observed how students responded to the shifts, and made shifts in their beliefs and practices as they noticed changes in student learning. We organize the results around our conceptual framework for our PD program. Grounded in our perspective on symmetry, our PD program guided teachers to develop an asset-oriented view of MLs and instructional practices for recognizing and cultivating MLs’ assets (Design Principle 1) and integrate science and language in mutually supportive ways with MLs (Design Principle 2). The results indicate how teacher feedback enabled us to design the PD program in ways that supported shifts in teachers’ beliefs and instructional practices for science and language integration with MLs. We close by discussing limitations of the study and implications of the results.

Lee, O., Haas, A., Schwenger, A., & Grapin, S. (2025). Teacher feedback guiding professional development programs: A 2-year field trial integrating science and language with multilingual learners. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/1046560X.2025.2547419

Cadre-Admin Mon, 09/22/2025 - 13:19

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1046560X.2025.2547419

Solarizing Your School: Engineering Design in Students’ Authentic Epistemic Practices of Adopting Renewable Energy

Cadre-Admin — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 17:12:00 +0000

Solarizing Your School: Engineering Design in Students’ Authentic Epistemic Practices of Adopting Renewable Energy

Engineering design has been widely implemented in K-12 curricula to cultivate future workforce. In this study, seventh-grade students (N = 38) participated in the Solarizing Your School curriculum, an action-oriented program where they engaged in engineering design processes to tackle a real-world problem related to renewable energy adoption. The study sought to explore how students balanced constraints and criteria in engineering design. Over a five-day period, seventh-grade students developed plans for adopting solar energy on their school campus and simulated the plan on a technology-enhanced epistemic tool, Aladdin (https://intofuture.org/aladdin.html). Data was collected through design artifacts, log data from design processes, and surveys about their learning experience. Three distinct patterns of balancing design criteria and constraints emerged, including designing for practice, for performance, and for irrelevant goals. The group who designed for practice gave priority to criteria and constraints recorded a higher level of design performance. The study underscores the benefits of integrating action-oriented learning opportunities via engineering design processes in science education.

Tang, H., Jiang, S. & Xie, C. (2025). Solarizing Your School: Engineering design in students’ authentic epistemic practices of adopting renewable energy. Journal of Science Education and Technology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-025-10258-5

Cadre-Admin Mon, 09/22/2025 - 13:12

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10956-025-10258-5