Improving Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Resources for Middle Schools for State Policymakers: Improving Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Resources for Middle Schools for State Policymakers Janice Earle Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings National Science Foundation February 25, 2008 jearle@nsf.gov


Organization of the Presentation: Organization of the Presentation About NSF Introduction to the problem What we’re learning about STEM learning and teaching What we’re learning about the uses of technology in instruction What we’re learning about scaling up effective practices


About the National Science Foundationhttp://www/nsf.gov/: About the National Science Foundation http://www/nsf.gov/ An Independent Agency Supports basic research and education in STEM Prizes words like “discovery”, “innovation” “frontiers” Discipline based structure with cross-disciplinary mechanisms Field driven Uses grant mechanisms; most grant recipients are university faculty Policy set by the National Science Board-appointed by the President


Introduction: What’s the problem?: Introduction: What’s the problem? “A lack of national focus on renewing our science and technology infrastructure [has] created a new economic and technological vulnerability as serious as any military or terrorist threat (Business-Higher Education Forum, 2005) Rising Above the Gathering Storm (2005) from the National Academies set forth recommendations for strengthening U.S. scientific and technological capacity, including steps to improve K-12 science education


Introduction: Introduction Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) assesses students in mathematics, science and reading literacy and application of knowledge. In 2006, the focus was on science. Results from the 2006 PISA assessment indicated that U.S. 15 year olds scored lower on science literacy than their peers in 16 of the 29 OECD jurisdictions.


Introduction, cont.: Introduction, cont. U.S. students scored lower than the OECD average on explaining phenomena scientifically (prediction and explanation) and using scientific evidence (interpreting and analyzing results). On identifying scientific issues, U.S. students were at the OECD average In mathematics, U.S. students performed below the OECD average. 23 OECD jurisdictions performed higher than the U.S.


Some Promising Approaches from the NSF Portfolio: Some Promising Approaches from the NSF Portfolio I. Taking Science to School (NRC 2007) Synthesis of Research on What Children Know and How they Learn in grades K-8 Children have substantial knowledge of the natural world, much of it implicit Developmentally appropriate is not a function of age but of a complex interaction of maturity, experience, and instruction Other factors (race, language, culture, SES) influence the knowledge and experience children bring to the classroom


Taking Science to School: Taking Science to School A range of instructional approaches is necessary to move children to scientific proficiency Scientific Proficiency—The Goal of Science Education Know, use and interpret scientific explanations of the natural world Generate and evaluate scientific evidence and explanations Understand the nature and development of scientific knowledge Participate productively in scientific practices and discourse


Taking Science to School: Taking Science to School Organizing Science Education around Core Concepts Learning Progressions—research shows that one of the best ways for students to move forward is to base instruction on learning progressions. Learning progressions are descriptions of successively more sophisticated ways of thinking about key disciplinary concepts and practices across multiple grades. What are core concepts? Force and motion, biodiversity, properties of matter, evolution and natural selection, e.g.


Taking Science to School: Taking Science to School Science Investigations Should focus on meaningful problems that are framed by the core concepts Students learn science by actively (and meaningfully) participating in the practices of science


How does this play out in curriculum, assessment and professional development?: How does this play out in curriculum, assessment and professional development? Investigating and Questioning Our World through Science and Technology (IQWST): A Middle School Curriculum in progress Goal is to design middle school science curricula that support the scientific practices of explanation and argument as learners engage in project-based investigations


How does this play out..: How does this play out.. Design includes attention to: learning tasks, instructional sequences over three grades, assessments, and feedback (results from pre and post tests, field notes, students’ work, videos of instruction, professional development) The units include physics, chemistry, earth science, and biology content and scientific practices that include modeling, conducting investigations and data gathering and analysis Units are organized around a rich, driving question such as “How can I make new stuff from old stuff?” or “Why do some things stop while others keep going?”


Technology: Technology Using Technology to improve teaching and learning The use of Probeware Science probes (along with teacher professional development) help middle school students learn science (,http://teemss.concord.org/curriculum). Probeware (virtual tools for examining motion, temperature, Ph) runs on handheld computers or desktops. Moves science from a textbook to the real world Because students are able to gather large amounts of data, mathematics is integral to the science


SimCalc: SimCalc SimCalc, developed by mathematicians at the University of Massachusetts, teaches middle school students key ideas in calculus (proportionality, linearity, and rates of change) The associated software runs on computer, handheld, and graphing calculator technology The program integrates technology, curriculum and professional development


SimCalc: SimCalc In a scale-up study, 74 schools were randomly assigned to use either SimCalc or their usual texts Teachers completed a summer training workshop and were then randomly assigned to teach with usual texts or SimCalc Initial results: SimCalc students’ test scores on those concepts were significantly higher than those using typical curricula


SimCalc: SimCalc Robust effects found despite variability in demographic and school conditions; teacher background, attitude and philosophies; students’ ethnicity, poverty level and gender. http:www.math.sri.com


Scaling-up: Scaling-up III. Scale-up is the enactment of innovations whose efficacy has already been established in new contexts with the goal of producing similarly positive impacts in larger, frequently more diverse populations What’s new is the effort to bring conceptual and analytical rigor to studies of and prescriptions for successful scale-up.


Scale-up: Scale-up Interventions aimed at the instructional core are more difficult to scale than structure interventions (all day kindergarten, e.g.) Scale-up is a qualitative as well as a quantitative problem Designing interventions that are usable by teachers


Scale-up: Scale-up Issues of capacity in implementing interventions Managing the environment and supporting implementation Fidelity of Implementation http://drdc.uchicago.edu/


New Approaches to Science Instruction: New Approaches to Science Instruction Things to think about for State Policymakers Do state frameworks reflect new models of children’s thinking? Do standards and curricula identify a few core ideas in a discipline and elaborate how those ideas can be cumulatively developed? Do students have opportunities to engage in all four strands of science proficiency? Are there opportunities for teachers to enrich their science knowledge?


New Approaches to Science Instruction: New Approaches to Science Instruction Do teachers have models of instruction that give students opportunities for investigation and to talk and write about their observations, emerging understanding of scientific ideas, and ways to test them? Is there a coherent system that aligns standards, curriculum, instruction, assessment, teacher preparation, and professional development for teachers? Do we need to think about a next generation of science standards? NCTM revision and Focal Points