Department of Education MSP Conference March 14, 2006

Department of Education MSP Conference

March 14, 2006

Sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. HER-0315060

A Peer-to-Peer Discussion

Overview of an NSF MSP Targeted PartnershipGoalsPrincipalsActivitiesEvaluation

Lessons LearnedAn Invitation to Share


The Partnership

•Western Washington University, CST and WCE•Everett Community College, Northwest Indian

College, Skagit Valley College, Whatcom Community College

•28 Regional School Districts (160 Schools)•Education Service Districts 114 and 189•Washington State LASER (Led by the Pacific

Science Center and Battelle)•MESA (UW Engineering)


The VisionImprove Science Teaching and Learning for all

•Continuous improvement of both K-12, Higher Ed Science, and Science Education

•Spiral of improvement at all interconnected levels

•K-12, HE Content, Preservice Teacher Training, Inservice Teachers and Administrators


Formal Partnership Goals1.All students succeed in challenging science curriculum aligned with standards.

2.Administrators understand and support science education reform goals and programs.

3.Knowledgeable and confident teachers use curriculum with integrity and fidelity.

4.The quantity, quality and diversity of teachers entering the workforce increases through effective recruitment, preparation, and retention.

5.Science education research provides evidence-based contributions to the learning and teaching knowledge base.

International Grade Placement of Curriculum Content Across Districts

© 2005 MSU PROM/SE Promoting Rigorous Outcomes in Mathematics and Science Education, Supported by NSF Cooperative Agreement EHR-0314866

Grade

International Grade Placement

(IGP)


Partnership Principles (Core Beliefs)

• Organization The project is organized and managed to achieve its goals on time and within the budget

• Learning Everyone in the project is a learner

• Equity There are clear, high, and realistic expectations for all learners, regardless of differences, in an inclusive, supportive environment

• Research Actions will be planned and modified based on the best research. Where no prior research is available, careful

research will be designed and carried out • Collaboration NCOSP is a true partnership. Each partner

contributes to and benefits from achieving the goals


Actions• Summer Academies for teacher leaders from each building

• Facilitated by higher education science faculty (21), science education faculty (2), master teachers (12)

• Learning Community Forums -- monthly• Planned by master teachers, focus on CSP & Lesson Study

• Year-long content course for future elementary teachers• Developed by science faculty, Taught on 5 campuses

• Active recruitment of diverse and talented future teachers• Scholarships, after school clubs, tutoring

• Elementary and Secondary methods revision• Field Experience with teacher leaders

• Evaluation• Research


Example I: The Year-Long Course

• One quarter each of Physics, Geology, Biology• Chemistry and Astronomy come later

• Small Classes (25)• Reduced content coverage, increased depth• Based on principles in How People Learn• Developed using Understanding by Design• Learning Cycle Model (Physics for Elementary Teachers, SDSU)

•Purpose•Initial Ideas•Collecting and Interpreting Evidence•Summarizing Questions (Reflection)


Developing the course

Issues that we faced:• Survey course vs. Depth• Integrated vs. Discipline-based• Innovated vs. Research-based• Academic freedom vs. Common Course

(including assessments)• Full-time faculty vs. Part-time faculty• Existing vs. Home-grown


InserviceTeachers

PreserviceTeachers

Physical Science

Summer 2004 Fall 2005

Life Science Summer 2005 Winter/Spring 2005-06

Earth Science Summer 2006 Winter/Spring 2005-06

Course Implementation

K-16 Reform-Based Science InstructionNew Physical Science GUR Course at a

Glance• Participating Institutions (Fall 2005): EVCC, SVCC, WCC & WWU• PET curriculum• Constructivist: based on experiences, investigations, and discussions in the

classroom • No textbook• Part of a science sequence for elementary education students• Approximately 80 students participated in Fall 2005• Data, data, data

• content assessments• student surveys of students’ beliefs• teacher interviews• student interviews• observations

PET Student AssessmentsN=53

Paired Samples t-test

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Pre Test Mean= 22.61 Post Test Mean= 73.40

Per

cen

t (%

)

Statistically significant difference p<.000

PET Student AssessmentsN=53

Preservice Elementary Teacher Performance (PET Course)

0102030405060708090

100

Pretest Posttest

Pe

rcen

t C

orr

ect

(%)

EvCC

WWU

SVC

Students’ Views of the Nature of Science

The main skill I expect to get out of this course is to learn how to reason logically about the physical world.

Logical Reasoning

0

10

20

30

40

50

Stronglydisagree

somewhatdisagree

neutral somewhatagree

stronglyagree

pre

post

“… a lot of the things that I just take for granted I had to question and then realize that I was wrong on a lot of the things I thought and the good thing is that because we did

experiments… we had to figure out how to learn it ourselves and the teacher didn’t just tell us how to think, it counteracted what I thought that was wrong so it forced me to

realize what was wrong and not go back to what I was thinking before”.

-WWU student

Learning science made me change some of my ideas about how scientific phenomena can be used to understand the world around me.

Science Phenomena are Related to the Real World

010203040506070

Str

ongl

ydi

sagr

ee

som

ewha

tdi

sagr

ee

neut

ral

som

ewha

tag

ree

stro

ngly

agre

e

pre test

post test

When learning science people can understand the material better if they relate it to their own ideas.

Understanding Science Relates to Personal Experience

010203040506070

Stronglydisagree

somew hatdisagree

neutral somew hatagree

stronglyagree

pre

post

“…I just learn information like for a test, then I forget it, then I’ll just return back to what I thought before but this way I remember it better”.

-WWU student

Observations:Using HRI Observation Protocol

Foci of Observation:

• Design

• Implementation

• Content Experienced by Students

• Classroom Culture

Capsule Ratings of Quality of the Lesson

Level 1: Ineffective InstructionHighly Unlikely to contribute to students’ understanding.

Level 2:Elements of Effective Instruction Some evidence of learning but serious problems in design,

implementation, or content.

Level 3:Beginning stages of Effective InstructionSomewhat limited in its ability to contribute to students’

understanding.

Level 4:Accomplished Effective InstructionQuite likely to contribute to the majority of students’

understanding.

Level 5:Exemplary InstructionHighly likely to contribute to all or most students’ understanding

and develop capacity to do science.

Rating Averages

Standard GUR Design: 4 Implementation: 3.7 Content: 3.7 Culture: 3.8

Capsule: 3.2

New GUR Design: 4.4 Implementation: 3.8 Content: 4.1 Culture: 3.9

Capsule: 3.9

Standard Physics GUR: 6 observations of three courses

New Physics GUR: 8 observations of four courses

Content As Experienced by Students

• I had to start thinking differently and at the beginning of each experiment, it asks us to talk about our initial ideas and what we previously had thought about the topic and I had never really done that in any of my other classes and I think that was really big because I never really thought about what I was thinking just based upon my previous experiences with the information, so that was a big difference but I think it really helped with the learning because I got everything out of my brain and I could see where I was thinking, what was wrong with my thinking, and how to change it.

• One experiment we did was pushing a cart and we were supposed to figure out at what point the force no longer acting upon the cart. And initially I thought that even after you let go, your hand let go, after the push, there was still a force acting on the cart but throughout all our experiments I learned that there is no longer force after you let go. And I don’t know why I thought it stayed with it but the experiments really helped me to show that I was incorrect in my thinking and I don’t think I’ll ever forget that, it really stuck.

Classroom Culture

“At the beginning I was very nervous about it because I don’t feel like I’m a strong science thinker. I was really afraid to

verbalize and vocalize my opinions and what I was thinking on a topic, but after a week or so I began to become really

comfortable because I realized that the reason everyone’s talking about it is to help everyone learn. And when someone

would say something that was incorrect, no one would care because we all just wanted to help them understand what was

actually going on so…I was very comfortable by then.”

- WWU Student

178 total participants• 142 took parts of 2004

pre/post test– 101 2-weekers

– 41 3-weekers

• 63 took the 2005 Follow-up test– 50 also took pre/post in

2004• 33 were 2-weekers

• 17 were 3-weekers

Example II: Summer Academy PET Content Assessments

Question #1 –A soccer goalie is practicing by punting a ball straight up into the air and then catching it again when it falls back down. Consider a moment just after the ball bas been kicked, but is still moving upward. Which of the following forces do you think are acting on the soccer ball at this moment?

• Significant increase in Pet score from Pretest to Posttest

• No significant change from Posttest to Follow-up (despite small drop)

• Significant increase from Pretest to Follow-up

• Percentage of Proficient scores (score of 2+ out of 3 points) displayed on bar

1.12

2.18

1.82

0

1

2

3

Pretest Posttest Followup

16%Prof.

80%Prof.

54%Prof.

N=50

Question #2 –A hockey player uses his stick to maintain a constant strength push on the puck as he moves it across the smooth ice. Assuming that the effects of friction are negligible, which of the following choices best describes the motion of the puck while this constant strength push is acting on it?


• Significant decrease from Posttest to Follow-up



0.46

2.78

1.92

0

1

2

3


14%Prof.

92%Prof.

64%Prof.

N=50

Question #3 –A large block is on rollers so that it can move across a surface as if there was no friction affecting it. After they have started the block moving to the right, two men want it to continue moving in the same direction, at a constant speed. Indicate all the situations shown (and described) above that you think would result in the block moving to the right at a constant speed after it has already started moving. Briefly explain the reasoning behind your choices.


• Significant decrease from Posttest to Follow-up



1.4

2.44

2.02

0

1

2

3


54%Prof.

88%Prof.

76%Prof.

N=50

Summer Academy 2005Investigating the Flow and Matter

and Energy in Living Systems

Four Cycles (Created by NCOSP)

• What is food for living organisms?

• How do plants get food?

• How do organisms use food?

• How does matter and energy cycle in living systems?

Overall

67

84*

0

20

40

60

80

100

Pre Post

Sco

re

* Post-test scores significantly greater than pre-test score (p < 0.05), 1-tailed paired samples t-test. Effect size = 1.39 standard deviations. Gain score= .51. N=165

HRI Life Science Assessment: Pre and Post Scores

Gender

72

64

8782

0

20

40

60

80

100

Male Female

Sco

re

Pre Post

No significant differences by gender. Gain scores: M=.54 F=.50

Comparisons by Gender

59

737979

8691

0

20

40

60

80

100

Elementary Middle High

Sco

re

Pre Post

Comparisons by Grade Level

Controlling for pre-test scores and other demographics, high school teachers scored significantly higher than elementary and middle school teachers (effect sizes of 0.45 and 0.31 standard deviations, respectively). However, no significant differences between gain scores (ES=.49, MS=.48, HS=.57). N = 87, 42, 36

Participant Yearly Satisfaction

SA Report 2005 : Figure 8.

SA 2005 Teacher CommentsPositive comments indicated teachers perceived improvement in their understanding of both life science content and pedagogy:

“The learning curve relative to my teaching practice is reaching a point where I am able to synthesize what I learned last year and this year and make more sense of it.”

“The immersion gave me a ‘clear picture’ of what inquiry looks like and feels like.”


Lessons Learned (Course Development)• Less is more• Initial perceptions of “academic freedom” must be addressed• Implementing reformed courses is material, staff, and faculty

intensive with implications for sustainability • Team teaching helps• Lesson Study helps• Facilitation teams at Summer Academy is great staff training• Staff development for higher ed faculty is critical• Interpersonal relationships are critical• Course revisions being made based on data and student and

faculty feedback--including methods courses.• Can’t do it all – where is the place for chemistry, astronomy,

environmental science….?


Lessons Learned (Partnerships)• Knowledge and wisdom flows from HE to K-12, from

K-12 to HE, and from the outside community• Higher Ed and K-12 are mutually dependent• Collaboration among teachers is critical • Learning communities lead to coherent

improvement in classrooms• Administrative leadership is key• Principals and district leaders must be involved• Reciprocity is necessary--clear expectations (Elmore)• Curriculum is important• Teachers/Faculty cannot create independently• Research and Evaluation are integral• Five Years gives us a chance for sustainability


An Invitation to Collaborate/Share

• Curriculum models• Summer academy designs• Assessments • Research

Can the U.S Department of Education and the states formalize a collaborative relationship?

We need to share our projects just as teachers need to share their practice

Documents

Department of Education MSP Conference March 14, 2006