Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Boosting Science Learning Through The Design Of Curriculum Materials, Rodger Bybee

2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?

How can curricula enhance science teaching and student learning? A slightly deeper and more specific question than that is: what is the form and function of effective curriculum materials? These questions will be addressed in the following discussion. After a brief introduction to BSCS (Biological Sciences Curriculum Study), I will first discuss what we know about how students learn science and introduce an instructional model based on this research from the cognitive sciences. I will then review the curriculum development process at BSCS and describe a contemporary high school program and evidence of student learning attributed to that program.

Creating Powerful Teacher Education Opportunities: The Need For Risk, Relevance, Resource, Recognition, Readiness And Reflection, Susan Rodrigues

2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?

Two projects described in this paper illustrate what a successful teacher education model can look like, what its aims were, what happened in terms of teacher professional development, and what pupils accomplished as a result. The paper also describes policies, organisational features, resources, and relationships that informed the projects. In effect, both projects involved a community of teachers, educators and scientists working to develop resource materials involving various technologies for classroom use. Data was collected through teacher surveys, online dialogue, interviews, pupil work, teacher ‘show and tell’ and limited classroom observation. The data suggests that pedagogic change warrants the presence …

Science Achievement In Australia : Evidence From National And International Surveys., Sue Thomson

2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?

What can be said about science achievement in Australian schools? Does it really need a boost? Is science education in Australia engaging and motivating, or is the curriculum irrelevant and students disinterested? Are there particular issues for Indigenous students? Within the National Testing Program, Australia participates in two major international studies with a partial focus on science: the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), conducted with Year 4 and Year 8 students conducted with 15-year-old students. In addition, the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) program provides evidence about the outcomes of education, and the TIMSS Science Video …

Boosting Science Learning - What Will It Take?, Russell Tytler, David Symington

2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?

In this session Russell Tytler and David Symington will present some data they have gathered from three sources: scientists working in some of Australia’s Research Priority Areas, science graduates working in positions outside their discipline specialisation, and students studying sciences at Year 11. The presenters will explain why they chose to interview these quite different groups of people and give some indication of why they believe the data is relevant to the question driving the conference: Boosting science learning – what will it take? There will then be group discussion drawing on the views and experiences of the group members …

What Science Do Students Want To Learn? What Do Students Know About Science?, Barry Mcrae

2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?

In 2006, for the first time, science is the major focus of the PISA assessment of 15-year-olds. A major innovation in PISA 2006 is that many of the science units contain one or two items designed to assess students' attitudes towards science – in particular, their interest in learning about science and their support for scientific enquiry. A second major innovation is that some of the items assess students' knowledge about science – that is, their knowledge of scientific methodology. This paper presents some field trial results that shed light on what science students want to learn, and how their …

Research And Boosting Science Learning: Diagnosis And Potential Solutions, Peter Fensham

2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?

In this paper I want to draw on relevant research to address the theme of this year’s conference in three ways: 1. The nature of the problem 2. Possible solutions 3. Constraints on these possible solutions

Boosting Science Learning - What Will It Take? (Conference Proceedings), Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?

Research Conference 2006 examined recent research and practice directions in the area of science education both locally and internationally. The conference addressed what it will take to boost science teaching and learning.

The proceedings from the conference can be downloaded from thsis page. The slides accompanying the papers presented by various guest speakers are presented as Related Documents (below)

Finding A Way Forward - Panel Discussion

2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?

PowerPoint slides used by Russell Tytler and David Symington of Deakin University to guide the closing plenary discussion.

A Phenomenological Interpretation Of John Dewey's View On Education, Wasim Qazi Dr., Khalid Rawat

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Education in our times is promoting nihilism. The reason for this conclusion is that modern education is largely knowledge based and asks the learner to learn ideas that have nothing in common with the reality of the learner. Knowledge, on the other hand, does not enjoy absolute value, and, to say that a person who has more knowledge is more valuable is wrong. John Dewey’s criticism on traditional education is equally valid for modern education, for modern education is not performing its functions properly. The function of education is to establish a strong relationship between learner and Being. However, modern …

Koinonia, Bill Millard, Todd Ream, Cara Copeland, Melanie Hulbert, Tony Marchese, Canaan Crane, David Johnstone

Koinonia

Conference Spotlight
A Life Calling Conceptual and Developmental Model, Bill Millard

Community Considerations
Thinking Theologically: Considering Community, Todd Ream

Women's Issues
Women, Work, and Family, Cara Copeland & Melanie Hulbert

Calling and Career
Vocational Realization Through the Discovery of Human Assets, Tony Marchese

Human Sexuality
Creating an Effective Human Sexuality Statement, Canaan Crane

Book Review
Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas, reviewed by David Johnstone

Features
The President's Corner; Editor's Disk

Teaching Portfolios For Graduate Students: Process, Content, Product, And Benefits, Laura L. B. Border

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

The graduate student teaching portfolio is an excellent tool to guide graduate students in their development and success as they begin to clarify who they are, what they want to teach, and where they want to teach.

Addressing The Looming Crisis In The Supply Of Suitably Qualified Teachers, Kerri-Lee Harris

2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?

No abstract provided.

Socialization Of Undergraduate Engineering Students Into Work-Experienced Organizations And Occupational Roles Through A Cooperative Education Program, Chris Plouff

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated cooperative education as an organizational phenomenon using a qualitative approach. The objectives of this study were to 1) describe the experiences of students entering an organization through a cooperative education program; 2) describe the organizational processes used to introduce students into an organization and occupational roles through a work experience; 3) understand any common patterns or themes associated with these experiences; 4) develop a model or framework that describes the processes used in these settings; and 5) determine activities and processes that will better facilitate the student’s movement from the education to the work environment through a …

Laughter-Piece Theatre: Humor As A Systematic Teaching Tool, Ronald A. Berk

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Humor can be used to bring students and deadly boring content to life. It can hook your students, engage their emotions, and focus their minds and eyeballs on learning.

Leveling The Field: Using Rubrics To Achieve Greater Equity In Teaching And Grading, Dannelle D. Stevens, Antonia Levi

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Rubrics can be used to assure greater consistency in grading and as a teaching tool to promote greater equity, especially with students who are first generation and /or non-native speakers of English.

Student Teams, Teaching, And Technology, Ruth Federman Stein, Sandra N. Hurd

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Using student teams in the classroom actively involves students in the learning process. This essay describes the planning necessary for effective use of teams and the impact of technology on the team learning environment.

Using Student-Centered Assessment To Enhance Learning, Joseph "Mick" Lalopa

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Student-centered assessment allows students to participate in their growth as learners and helps build valuable self-assessment skills.

From Passive To Active Learning: Helping Students Make The Shift, Marilla Svinicki

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Being active and self-directed as a learner makes for better learning and retention, but what does that mean for students and for instruction?

Catalogue 2006-2007, Bank Street College Of Education

Graduate School of Education

This course catalog from a past academic year is a resource for referring to previous course offerings, degree requirements, institutional policies, and more.

The Vocation Of A Christian Scholar: How Christian Faith Can Sustain The Life Of The Mind, Todd C. Ream, Lauren E. Sheehan

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

No abstract provided.

Education Week’S 2006 Report On Arkansas, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

In an attempt to gauge the educational progress of the nation and each state, Education Week has published state report cards since 1997 in its annual Quality Counts series. Released in early 2006, the 10th annual report, Quality Counts at 10: A Decade of Standards-Based Education, examines the progress that states have made on a core set of policy indicators related to standards-based education over the past decade: student achievement, standards and accountability, efforts to improve teacher quality, school climate, and resource equity. This policy brief summarizes Arkansas’ ratings on the 2006 report, compares Arkansas to its border states on …

How Can Professional Standards Improve The Quality Of Teaching And Learning Science?, Lawrence Ingvarson, Anne Semple

2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?

After extensive national consultation the recent Review of Teaching and Teacher Education announced an agenda for action in its report 'Australia's Teachers: Australia's Future. One of its central themes was a call to revitalise the teaching profession. In this vein, the purpose of this paper is to provide a brief review of preliminary work at ACER, conducted in collaboration with the Australian Science Teachers' Association, to develop a standards-guided professional learning system that would lead to professional certification for highly accomplished teachers of science. This paper describes ASTA 's progress towards developing a system of certification, beginning with the development …

No Wonder The Kids Are Confused: The Relevance Of Science Education To Science, Deborah Corrigan

2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?

My experiences in science have left me wondering if we know what we want to achieve when educating students in science. An important question for science educators is: how authentic is the science presented in science classrooms? To answer this, science educators need a clear idea of what is they believe to be the purpose of science and then how they can portray that in their classrooms. This paper represents my journey in thinking about and researching of these ideas. It is my belief that, if we are to engage students in science, then science education has to be far …

Towards A Science Education For All: The Role Of Ideas, Evidence And Argument, Jonathan Osborne

2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?

This presentation offers a critical analysis of contemporary science education and the values on which it rests. Science education wrestles with two competing priorities: the need to educate the future citizen about science; and the need to provide the basic knowledge necessary for future scientists. It is argued that the evidence would suggest that it is the latter goal that predominates – a goal which exists at least, in part, in conflict with the needs of the majority who will not continue with science post compulsory education. The argument is advanced that there are four essential elements to any science …

Inquiry In Science Classrooms - Rhetoric Or Reality?, Dennis Goodrum

2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?

If one scans the science curriculum statements of the Australian States and Territories, one will find a consistent theme of inquiry and inquiry pedagogy pervading these documents. With the rhetoric of these policy documents and our sense of science education history, one would expect to see inquiry as an integral part of our secondary science classrooms. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Many secondary students are taught science that is perceived by them to be neither relevant nor engaging. Furthermore, traditional didactic teaching methods that offer little challenge, excitement or opportunities for engagement are common. There is a considerable gap …

Rethinking Science Education Through Rethinking Schooling, Jim Davies

2006 - Boosting Science Learning - What will it take?

The Australian Science and Mathematics School was designed explicitly to support a renaissance in the teaching of science and to improve the engagement of students in the disciplines of science through highly engaging authentic learning opportunities. The school has adopted an action research approach as a means of re-thinking the elements of schooling and of its science programs. Its working premise is that quality science education is embedded in quality schooling. Science is learned through an innovative interdisciplinary curriculum with a pedagogy aligned to the inquiry methodologies associated with deep engagement in scientific endeavour. The architecturally designed school has transformed …

Achievement Of Australia's Early Secondary Indigenous Students: Findings From Timss 2003, Sue Thomson, Pippa Mckelvie, Hanna Murnane

TIMSS Australia Monograph Series

The primary aim of this report is to examine the performance of Australia’s Indigenous students who participated as part of the early secondary school (Year 8) cohort of the IEA Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS 2003). The performance of Indigenous students in this report has been compared to that of Australia’s non-Indigenous students across a number of variables that are known to affect student achievement in TIMSS generally (Martin, Mullis, Gonzalez & Chrostowski, 2004; Mullis, Martin, Gonzalez & Chrostowski, 2004). In total, 562 Year 8 Indigenous students from 207 schools across Australia participated in the study. Indigenous …

Common Data Set, 2006-2007, Office Of Institutional Research And Assessment, Bridgewater State College

Common Data Sets

No abstract provided.

The Utilization Of Gender, Retention, Ses And Steep Scores To Predict Reading Mastery, Lisa Lee Adams

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between gender, retention, SES and STEEP scores to predict reading mastery. Second grade students’ records were reviewed to obtain demographic information. SAT 9 scores were used to measure students' reading mastery. SES was measured and defined by approved applications for free or reduced lunch for the 2004-2005 school year. Retention was defined as the number of students previously retained. Logistic regression was used to determine the predictive validity of gender, retention, SES and STEEP scores dependent on SAT 9 reading mastery. Gender, retention, SES and STEEP scores were entered as …

A Role Of The University Leader In The 21st Century: A Case Study At Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University,Thailand, Wanwadee Chaichankul

EDU-COM International Conference

Learning is a life-long process, it requires dedication and motivation on the students and lecturers part; and resources and moral support on the administrators part. A leader‘s duty in an educational institution is to provide a system where the lecturers achieve the desired learning outcome not only because they are empowered, competent and accountable, but also because they care. The co-administrators must exercise visionary leadership responsive to emerging learning needs of the nation; ensure adequate resources; promote appropriate technology; create and sustain a climate conducive to enhancing learning. The 21st century educational world is becoming highly competitive in many aspects. …