Transcript Pathfinder Science - KU Center for STEM Learning

United States and China:
common issues in science
education
Creating student scientists, not just science
students.
Steven B. Case Ph.D.
Center for Science Education
University of Kansas
United States and China: seeking common
environmental research strategies
International Research and
Education: Planning
Visits and Workshops
(Program Solicitation
NSF 04-035) from the
Directorate for Social,
Behavioral, and
Economic Science,
Office of International
Science and
Engineering.
United States and China: seeking common
environmental research strategies
Two Goals;
1) Establish a collaborative research network between
three universities in China: Tianjin University,
Zhengzhou University and Sichuan University, and the
University of Kansas.
2) Establish a DHN among the universities and local
schools that will extend the research and education
outreach to form a collaborative research community.
United States and China: seeking common
environmental research strategies
Where did we go?
Tianjin China
Tianjin University
Nankai University
University High School
Zhengzhou, China
Zhengzhou University
Kaifeng, China
Three High Schools
Chengdu, China
Sichuan University
Sichuan Student Technology Association
Shi Shi Middle and High School
United States National Science Education
Standards
Developed in 1996, there are seven national standards that
describe what students should know, understand, and be
able to do in the natural sciences. These standards are
clustered for grade levels K-2, 3-4, 5-8, and 9-12.
1. Science as Inquiry
2. Physical Science
3. Life Science
4. Earth and Space Science
5. Science and Technology
6. Science in Personal and Environmental Perspectives
7. History and Nature of Science
Scientific Research = Scientific Inquiry
1) Inquiry Instruction
5 - E Model for Instruction
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Learning Cycles
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Engage, Explore, Explain, Extend, Evaluate
Exploration, Concept Invention and Application
Discrepant Events
Playful Discovery
2) Scientific Inquiry
The Standards and Scientific Inquiry
Students at all grade levels and in every domain of
science should have the opportunity to use scientific
inquiry and develop the ability to think and act in
way associated with inquiry, including asking
question, planning and conducting investigations,
using appropriate tools and techniques to gather
data, thinking critically and logically about
relationships between evidence and explanations,
constructing and analyzing alternative explanations,
and communicating scientific arguments.
(NSES, 1996)
Science Education: Process or Content
The new vision includes the "processes of
science" and requires that students combine
processes and scientific knowledge as they
use scientific reasoning and critical thinking
to develop their understanding of science.
Contextualized Knowledge
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To enhance student learning, these investigations will provide
fertile ground where their students can transfer their learning to
multiple contexts. Learning that only occurs in a single context
will become inert except within that context.
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To enhance student learning, problem-centered learning allows
many experiences and prior knowledge to come into play as
students develop new constructs.
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For Teachers, the development of a problem-centered approach
to learning allows teachers to operate as a mediator, guide,
provocateur, friend and co-learner with their students.
Technology in the NCSE
The Central characteristic between science
and technology is a difference in goal: The
goal of science is to understand the natural
world and the goal of technology is to make
modifications in the world to meet human
needs.
Pattern seeking
Global Warming Research
Stomatal densities as bioindicators of atmospheric carbon dioxide
Pattern seeking in data
Student Research based on
Global Warming Creating the Context
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What is the normal variation in the Stomatal Index found on a species?
How much does the Stomatal Index vary between species?
Is the age of the tree related to the number of stomata found on the leaf?
Does the cardinal direction the leaf comes from on the tree influence the
Stomatal Index? (In North America, the south side of a tree will receive
more light and be exposed to more wind.)
Does the direction the terrain slopes (where the tree is) make a difference
tree on the number of stomata found on the leaves?
Is there a difference in stomatal index on leaves grown in a carbon dioxide
enriched environment to those grown under normal atmospheric
conditions?
Is there a variation in the stomatal index along a rainfall gradient?
What is the variation in numbers of stomata that occur between plants
growing in similar habitats but using different photosynthetic pathways,
C3, C4, and CAM?
Chinese science education
Contact Information
Steven B. Case Ph.D.
[email protected]
Center for Science Education http://www.kuscied.org
Center for Research on Learning
1122 West Campus Road #702A
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas 66045-3101
http://home.everestkc.net/scase001