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Development of a grades 6-12 learning progression for biodiversity: an overview of approach, framework and key
findings
Presentation
1
Written by: LAUREL HARTLEY , ANDY ANDERSON2, ALAN BERKOWITZ4, JENNIFER DOHERTY2, SHAWNA
MCMAHON3, JOHN MOORE3, CORNELIA HARRIS4, JONATHON SCHRAMM2, BROOK WILKE2
Culturally relevant ecology, learning progressions and environmental literacy
Long Term Ecological Research Math Science Partnership
April 2011
Disclaimer: This research is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation: Targeted Partnership:
Culturally relevant ecology, learning progressions and environmental literacy (NSF-0832173). Any opinions, findings,
and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily
reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Development of a grades 6-12
learning progression for biodiversity:
an overview of approach, framework
and key findings
LAUREL HARTLEY1, ANDY ANDERSON2, ALAN BERKOWITZ4, JENNIFER
DOHERTY2, SHAWNA MCMAHON3, JOHN MOORE3, CORNELIA HARRIS4, JONATHON
SCHRAMM2, BROOK WILKE2
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER1, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY2,
COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY3, CARY INSTITUTE of ECOSYSTEM STUDIES4
Learning Progressions for
Environmental Literacy
Who we are
• Ecologists + Science Education
Researchers + Teachers + Grades
6-12 Students
Beth Covitt,
Univ. of MT
Pathways to Environmental Science Literacy Project
Bob Mayes,
Sylvia Parker,
et al. Univ. of
Wyoming
Karen Draney,
UC Berkeley
Lia Harris,
Eric Keeling,
et al. Cary
Institute, NY
John Moore,
Kim MelvilleSmith, Ray
Tschillard, Bill
Hoyt, Laurel
Hartley NREL,
CSU, UC
Denver, UNC
Ali Whitmer,
Scott Simon, et
al. UCSB and
Georgetown
Univ.
Andy
Anderson,
Brook Wilke,
Jennifer
Doherty, Jon
Schramm et
al. MSU
Alan
Berkowitz,
Bess Caplan,
Sarah
Haines, et al.
Cary and
Towson
University
Kristen Gunckel,
Univ. of AZ
Bob Waide, LNO
Many others:
Why do we need biodiversity
literacy?
Learning Progressions for
Environmental Literacy
• Biodiversity is rapidly declining
Why do we need biodiversity
literacy?
Learning Progressions for
Environmental Literacy
• Species perform vital ecosystem
functions/services.
Why do we need biodiversity
literacy?
Learning Progressions for
Environmental Literacy
• The more diverse a population or
community is, the more resistant it might
be to perturbations like disease
Why do we need biodiversity
literacy?
Should we expect citizens to make or
accept
How much
can
changes
a reader
do citizens
in decide
policies
need
whether
that
to know
affect
to
trust
to them
make
claims,
on
sense
the
especially
basis
of the of
information
when
simplified
reports
in
popular
arepopular
contested
media,
media
in
leaving
popular
and policy?
“technical
press?
details” to the experts?
Learning Progressions for
Environmental Literacy
Goal of our Work
• Develop a grades 6-12 learning
progression for biodiversity
Learning Progressions for
Environmental Literacy
Our working definition of a
learning progression
 Learning progressions are descriptions of
increasingly sophisticated ways of thinking
about a subject.
 Conceptual coherence: “make sense”/ tell a
reasonable story
 Empirical validation: grounded in empirical data
about real students
 Compatibility with current research: built on
findings of the best research about both student
learning and scientific thought
Learning Progressions for
Environmental Literacy
Informed by, builds upon,
corroborates
• Anderson
• Catley, Lehrer, and
Resler
• Duncan
• Furtak
• Metz
• Nehm
• Schauble and
Lehrer
• Songer and
Gotwals
• and others
Learning Progressions for
Environmental Literacy
Scale
Upper Anchor Framework
Processes
Principles
Learning Progressions for
Environmental Literacy
Upper Anchor Framework
Scale
Processes
Principles
Individual
Life cycles
Seasonal
cycles
1. An organism’s physical traits and behaviors are the result of
genes being expressed within a determined range, moderated by
the environment
2. Matter and energy are necessary for life cycle processes
3. Matter and energy are transformed as they are used by biota for
life processes
Learning Progressions for
Environmental Literacy
Upper Anchor Framework
Scale
Processes
Principles
Individual
Life cycles
Seasonal
cycles
1. An organism’s physical traits and behaviors are the result of
genes being expressed within a determined range, moderated by
the environment
2. Matter and energy are necessary for life cycle processes
3. Matter and energy are transformed as they are used by biota for
life processes
Population
Evolution
1. There is phenotypic and genotypic variability among individuals in
and between populations
2. Matter and energy are finite and limit the growth of populations
3. There is differential survival and reproduction in populations
based on fitness of traits and chance
4. Dispersal of individuals into and out of a population can change
the populations size and/or gene frequencies
Learning Progressions for
Environmental Literacy
Upper Anchor Framework
Scale
Processes
Principles
Individual
Life cycles
Seasonal
cycles
1. An organism’s physical traits and behaviors are the result of
genes being expressed within a determined range, moderated by
the environment
2. Matter and energy are necessary for life cycle processes
3. Matter and energy are transformed as they are used by biota for
life processes
Population
Evolution
1. There is phenotypic and genotypic variability among individuals in
and between populations
2. Matter and energy are finite and limit the growth of populations
3. There is differential survival and reproduction in populations
based on fitness of traits and chance
4. Dispersal of individuals into and out of a population can change
the populations size and/or gene frequencies
Community Succession
/Ecosystem Community
Assembly
Food Webs
1. Dispersal
2. Abiotic conditions/resources
3. Interactions with other organisms
4. How organisms interact with one another affects how they
change themselves and the environment in ways that then change
the nature of the interactions between those organisms
Methods
Learning Progressions for
Environmental Literacy
Observe patterns
in student thinking
(literature search
and pilot studies)
Define Content
Area
Construct a model about we how think students progress
Revise the model
assessments
Test the model
teaching
experiments
Methods
Learning Progressions for
Environmental Literacy
Written
Assessments
(MD, NY, CO, MI, CA)
School Level
Tests
(2010)
Interviews
(2010)
Middle School
698
58
High School
672
47
Teachers
38
Learning Progressions for
Environmental Literacy
Methods
Written Assessments
(MD, NY, CO, MI, CA)
Clinical Interviews
(MD, NY, CO, MI, CA)
School Level
Tests
(2010)
Interviews
(2010)
Middle School
698
58
High School
672
47
Teachers
38
Learning Progressions for
Environmental Literacy
Methods
• Created rubrics for each item with 10 student answers
• Attempted rubrics with 30 student answers, refined rubrics
• Used rubrics to code interview data
– Refined rubrics
– Eliminated unreliable questions
• Coded all student answers with refined rubrics
– 10% of answers were coded by multiple coders
– Less than 80% reliability led to another round of
developmental coding
• IRT analysis is on-going
Learning Progressions for
Environmental Literacy
Upper
Anchor
Lower
Anchor
Basic Learning Progression
Level
General Description
4
Model-Based Reasoning
3
School-Science Narrative
2
Force-Dynamic with Hidden
Mechanisms
1
Force-Dynamic Reasoning
Outline
• Paper 1: Development of a Grade 6-12 Learning Progression for
Biodiversity: an Overview of the Approach, Framework, and Key Findings,
Laurel Hartley
• Paper 2: The Role of Heredity and Environment in Students’ Accounts of
Adaptation by Selection and Phenotypic Plasticity, Jennifer Doherty
• Paper 3: Endangered Species Conservation as a Context for
Understanding Student Thinking about Genetic Diversity, Shawna
McMahon
• Paper 4: Student understanding of species diversity in ecosystems,
Jonathon Schramm, Brook Wilke
• Paper 5: Using complexity in food webs to teach biodiversity, Cornelia
Harris
Learning Progressions for
Environmental Literacy
Characteristics of Levels:
Individual Scale
• See individuals as static life forms 
recognize change in individuals over life
cycles and seasons
• Type I survivorship curves  Type II and
III survivorship curves
• Recognize traits of individuals  connect
trait with function and environment
Learning Progressions for
Environmental Literacy
Characteristics of Levels:
Population Scale
• Recognize Individuals/families  recognize
populations within communities
• Traits of individuals shaped by free will  traits
shaped by genetics moderated by environment
• All survive  survival in face of strong selection
pressures  recognize reproduction as important,
recognize weak as well as strong selection
• Phenotypic plasticity as rationale for “free will”
explanation  as rationale for genetic explanation
• Change within generation  long-time 
generational time
Learning Progressions for
Environmental Literacy
Characteristics of Levels:
Community Scale
• See direct biotic interactions  also see indirect,
resource-mediated interactions, see time lags from
action to response
• Simplistic view of connections  recognition of
variable strengths of connections, recognition of
functional redundancy
• Change only from catastrophic events or human
intervention  change as constant and mediated
by interplay among biota and abiotic environment
• Isolated landscapeslandscape mosaics
• don’t invoke dispersal see dispersal as important
and moderated by traits
Future Directions
• Teaching Experiment (N=1200)
• Revisions of 2010 Assessments and Framework
– Plasticity
– Importance of weaker selection pressures
– Socio-ecological contexts
• Differences among students
– Demographics
– Schools and teaching practices
• Incorporating learning progression teaching strategies
into our teacher professional development
Questions?