This research study reports on the evaluation of the outcome and impact of learning as a result of the implementation of Education Programme Delivery Plans in 69 museums in the nine regional museum hubs in England during September, October and November 2005. This is the second study of the impact of learning achieved through museum school services which have been funded through the Renaissance in the Regions programme, which provides central government funding to museums in the English regions. The first study 'What did you learn at the museum today?' was carried out in 2003. The findings of
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Eilean Hooper-GreenhillJocelyn DoddLisanne GibsonMartin PhillipsCeri JonesEmma Sullivan
The purpose of this paper is to explore and discuss the role of practical work in the teaching and learning of science at school level. It emphasizes practical work as a means for students to learn about the nature of science.
Reports from the NSF, NRC, AAAS, and others urge over and over that we must teach "science as science is done," that "science is a way of knowing," that our goal should be to impart "scientific habits of mind," and that learning must be learner-centered and oriented toward process. Fine. But what does this really mean for science education, and especially laboratory education?
This paper explores the role of laboratory and field-based research experiences in secondary science education by summarizing research documenting how such activities promote science learning. Classroom and field-based "lab work" is conceptualized as central components of broader scientific investigations of the natural world conducted by students. Considerations are given to nature of professional scientific practice, the personal relevance of student's understanding of the nature of empirical scientific research, and the role of technology to support learning. Drawing upon classroom learning
The goal of this article is to provide an integrative review of research that has been conducted on the development of children's scientific reasoning. Scientific reasoning (SR), broadly defined, includes the thinking skills involved in inquiry, experimentation, evidence evaluation, inference and argumentation that are done in the service of conceptual change or scientific understanding. Therefore, the focus is on the thinking and reasoning skills that support the formation and modification of concepts and theories about the natural and social world. Major empirical findings are discussed
This paper will review literature on learning science in K-8 classrooms by asking and answering three major questions: Who learns science in classrooms? How is science learned in classrooms? What science is learned in classrooms? These questions will be addressed from a sociocultural perspective, which means that the unit of analysis (both theoretically and methodologically) should include both the individual and the social world. Thus, the proposed connections between causes and outcomes must include contextual as well as psychological factors.
The purpose of this paper is to review what is known about informal science learning and to recommend areas for further research. The review is intended to support an examination of how children's science learning experiences in designed informal environments like science museums and zoos relate to science learning activities in K-8 schools.
To begin, this paper describes the climate in science education in the United States, and describes and defines formative assessment. Next, Black & Wiliam’s review and two other important empirical studies will be summarized. Then, a framework characterizing different forms of formative assessment is presented. Non-empirical studies are organized according to this continuum. Finally, the paper describes limitations in the implementation of formative assessment in K-8 science, and summarizes assessment practices that show promise for improving student learning. The important contribution of the
Research in the out-of-school time (OST) field confirms that there is a strong connection between professional development (PD) for staff and positive outcomes for youth. According to Heather Weiss, Founder and Director of the Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP), professional development for those who work with children and youth is fraught with challenges and ripe with opportunity and specifically, the opportunity to increase staff quality, which experts agree is critical to positive experiences for children and youth (Weiss, 2005/2006). However, as Thomas Guskey (1998) states, "For many
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TEAM MEMBERS:
University of PennsylvaniaNancy Peter
This article describes how after-school programs can nurture young scientists and boost the country's scientific literacy. It makes a case for integrating science into high-quality afterschool programs.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
The After-School CorporationLucy FriedmanJane Quinn
Grounded in the informal science education experiences of our partners around the country, Every Hour Counts developed this resource guide to profile promising strategies to advance informal STEM learning. The guide features: (1) Core elements of the national Frontiers in Urban Science Exploration (FUSE) strategy. (2) Overview of the The After-School Corporation's FUSE strategy and lessons learned in working to bring ISE to scale. (3) Profiles of city and county-wide initiatives, through the lens of a few key strategies to build after-school systems: advocacy, brokering relationships, building
STEM Integration in K-12 Education examines current efforts to connect the STEM disciplines in K-12 education. This report identifies and characterizes existing approaches to integrated STEM education, both in formal and after- and out-of-school settings. The report reviews the evidence for the impact of integrated approaches on various student outcomes, and it proposes a set of priority research questions to advance the understanding of integrated STEM education. STEM Integration in K-12 Education proposes a framework to provide a common perspective and vocabulary for researchers
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TEAM MEMBERS:
National Research CouncilMargaret HoneyGreg PearsonHeidi Schweingruber