Volume 105 (8), December 2005

Abstract

Biomedical Engineering and Cognitive Science as the Basis for Secondary Science Curriculum Development: A Three Year Study

Stacy S. Klein,  Vanderbilt University

Robert D. Sherwood,  Vanderbilt University

This study reports on a multiyear effort to create and evaluate cognitive-based curricular materials for secondary school science classrooms. A team of secondary teachers, educational researchers, and academic biomedical engineers developed a series of curriculum units that are based in biomedical engineering for secondary level students in physics and advanced biology classes. These units made use of an instructional design based upon recent cognitive science research called the Legacy Cycle. Over a 3-year period, comparison of student knowledge on written questions related to central concepts in physics and/or biology generally favored students who had worked with the experimental materials over students in control classrooms. In addition, experimental students were better able to solve applications type problems, as well as unit-specific near transfer problems.

Analyzing Student Work as a Professional Development Activity 

Angela S. Krebs,  University of Michigan - Dearborn

When worthwhile mathematical tasks are used in classrooms, they should also become a crucial element of assessment. For teachers, using these tasks in classrooms requires a different way to analyze student thinking than the traditional assessment model. Looking carefully at students’ written work on worthwhile mathematical tasks and listening carefully while students explore these worthwhile tasks can contribute to a teacher’s professional development. This paper reports on a professional development activity in which teachers analyzed mathematical tasks, predicted students’ achievement on tasks, evaluated students’ written work, listened to students’ reasoning, and assessed students’ understanding. Teachers’ engagement in this way can help them develop flexibility and proficiency in the evaluation of their own students’ work. These experiences allow teachers the opportunity to recognize students’ potential, strengthen their own mathematical understanding, and engage in conversations with peers about assessment and instruction.

The role of Teachers' Beliefs and Knowledge in the Adoption of a Reform-Based Curriculum

Gillian H. Roehrig,  University of Minnesota

Rebecca A. Kruse,  Southeastern Louisiana University

Science as inquiry is a key content standard in the National Science Education Standards; however, few secondary science teachers successfully and consistently implement inquiry-based instruction in their classrooms. This research examines the role of reform-based curricular materials in influencing the classroom practices of 12 high school chemistry teachers and investigates the role of the teachers’ knowledge and beliefs in their implementation of the reform-based chemistry curriculum. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected in the form of beliefs interviews and classroom observations. The teachers’ classroom practices were measured prior to and during the field test of the reform-based chemistry curriculum.  Analysis of the data revealed that teachers’ classroom practice became more reform-based in the presence of the new curriculum; however, the degree of change is related to the teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning, depth of chemistry knowledge, and years of teaching experience. Experienced, out-of-discipline teachers with transitional or student-centered teaching beliefs demonstrated the most growth in reform-based teaching practices. This study reinforces the need for reform-based curriculum to assist teachers in implementing the intent of the National Science Education Standards.

The Impact of Participation in an Ancillary Science and Mathematics Program (SEMAA) on Engagement Rates of Middle School Students in Regular Mathematics Classrooms

Daniel M. Seaton,  University of Maryland, East Shore

Donna Carr,  University of Maryland, East Shore

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of participation in a federally sponsored, short-term, cocurricular, mathematics and science program (Science Engineering Mathematics Aerospace Academy, SEMAA) on the engagement rates of sixth- and seventh-grade students in public school mathematics classes. Engagement was measured with the Student Record of Behavior at three time intervals. Results of a 22.3 ANOVA investigating three main effects (participation, level of access to technology, and time) and their primary and secondary interactions reflected no discernable impact of the SEMAA program on student engagement rates. Ancillary programs designed to compensate for deficiencies in daily instructional programs may represent engagement opportunities vastly different from the daily instructional programs they support. Consequently, ancillary programs may not impact engagement in regular classrooms and subsequently improve achievement outcomes, especially when implemented in low-performing schools and high-stakes accountability settings. Recommendations include alignment of ancillary programs with the daily instructional programs they support and with ongoing professional development activities and that further study include broadened samples, settings, and variables.

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