Using Secondary Data Sets to Develop Teachers' Understandings about

Scientific Inquiry and Investigations

Jim Short, Ed.D.American Museum of Natural History

Jamie Mikeska, Ph.D.Michigan State University

Gottesman Centerfor Science Teaching & Learning

To extend the use of Museum resources into formal K-12

educationamnh.org/education

The goal of the Urban Advantage program is:To improve students’ understanding of scientific knowledge and inquiry through collaborations between the public school system and science-rich cultural institutions of New York City.

UA ProgramSchool Year 2004-

20052005-2006

2006-2007

2007-2008

2008-2009

2009-2010

2010-2011

2011-2012

Schools 31 111 129 156 147 174 156 138

New Teachers 62 133 116 127 61 182 86 64

Continuing Teachers 62 94 129 196 204 285 282

Total Teachers 62 195 210 256 257 386 371 346

UA Students 5,500 18,722 21,016 27,541 24,793 37,582 37,822 34,829

2011-2012:50 schools have > 3 UA teachers

69 schools include all grades (6, 7, 8)

UA Framework: Six ComponentsProfessional Development

Workshops for science teachers and school administratorsClassroom Materials and Equipment

Science materials/equipment for schools, teachers, & studentsAccess to Institutions

Vouchers for class field trips, family field trips and visitsOutreach to Families

Public exhibitions of student work, family science events at institutions, support for school-based family science nights

Capacity-Building and Sustainability Lead Teachers, Leadership Institute for science teams

Assessment Program goals, student learning, and systems of delivery

Raw performance data suggests UA is effectiveStudent Weighted Mean Achievement, 8th Grade Intermediate Level Science (ILS) Test – Percent Proficient

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20100

20

40

60

80

38.244.0

39.3 40.548.5 46.2

53.244.3 40.0

44.2

57.7 55.5 56.3

UA Non-UA

Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Y5 Y6

1st year UA

Urban Advantage is about students doing “real” science

Science Exit ProjectsNYC has defined four types of science

investigations:

Controlled Experiments

Field Studies

Design Projects

Secondary Research

New Teacher PD goalsCycle 1 (2 days) Provide an introductory learning experience using specific UA tools and strategies for

teaching science exit projects. Provide an overview of the four types of science exit projects and how UA partner

institutions support the teaching of long-term science investigations. Cycle 2 (5 days) As learners, teachers complete their own science exit project using specific UA tools and

strategies designed to support students and the resources of a particular UA partner institution.

Teachers reflect on their learning experience and develop plans for how to incorporate effective school group visits to a particular UA partner institution.

Teachers develop lesson plans for their classrooms that apply the specific UA tools and strategies designed to support science exit projects with students and the resources of a particular UA partner institution.

 Cycle 3 (1 day) Teachers learn how to design an effective school group visit to a second UA partner

institution that is connected to the process of teaching students how to do successful science exit projects.

Essential Features of Scientific Inquiry in the ClassroomEngaging in scientifically oriented questions

Giving priority to evidence

Formulating explanations from evidence

Evaluating explanations in light of alternative explanations

Communicating and justifying proposed explanations

National Research Council

Understandings about Scientific Inquiry from the National Science Education Standards

Different kinds of questions suggest different kinds of scientific investigations.

Current scientific knowledge and understanding guide scientific investigations.

Mathematics is important in all aspects of scientific inquiry. Technology used to gather data enhances accuracy and allows scientists to

analyze and quantify results of investigations. Scientific explanations emphasize evidence, have logically consistent

arguments, and use scientific principles, models, and theories. Science advances through legitimate skepticism. Scientific investigations sometimes result in new ideas and phenomena for

study.

Science Practices from the new Framework for K-12 Science Education

Asking questionsDeveloping and using modelsPlanning and carrying out investigationsAnalyzing and interpreting dataUsing mathematics, information and computer technology,

and computational thinkingConstructing explanations Engaging in argument from evidenceObtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

Exit Projects at the MuseumSecondary research investigations

Earth ScienceCentral Park weather data from NOAA using

ExcelEarthquake data from IRIS

Life ScienceHudson River ecosystem and zebra mussel

invasion

Learning Science as Inquiry with the Urban Advantage:

Formal-Informal Collaborations to Increase Science Literacy and Student Learning

NSF-funded DR-K12 ProjectJim Short, Principal Investigator, AMNH

Suzanne Wilson, Co-Principal Investigator, Michigan State University

HypothesisLearners must have access to the real work of scientists if they are to learn both about the nature of science and to do inquiry themselves.

Guiding QuestionsHow can informal science education institutions

best design resources to support teachers, school administrators, and families in the teaching and learning of students to conduct scientific investigations and better understand the nature of science? 

How are these resources then used, and to what extent and in what ways do they contribute to participants’ learning?

How are those resources then used for student learning?

Project Goals1. Refine the Urban Advantage professional

development model by including opportunities to engage in field studies and the use of authentic scientific data sets to investigate the zebra mussel invasion of the Hudson River ecosystem

2. Extend the resources available to help teachers understand the nature of scientific work and apply this understanding to their teaching

3. Integrate a research agenda into the Urban Advantage program

Teaching Case

Understandings about scientific inquiryMeet the Scientists Four passages describing the work of Cary Institute scientists

Teacher versions for use in professional development Student versions for use in the classroom

Four video segments of scientists at work in the field and in the lab

Short documentary video feature of Cary Institute scientists

Abilities to do scientific inquiryGraph the Data, Analyze the Data Web-based data interactive of data sets from Cary Institute

Data Collection Guiding Question: How are these resources used?Observed four PD sessions

Took field notes on teachers’ learning opportunities and interactions

Collected supporting documents (e.g., handouts, charts) used or created during each session

Completed structured observation protocol describing each PD activity

Data AnalysisCoded each PD activity for:

Opportunities to do scientific inquiry (SI)Opportunities to understand the nature of

science (NOS) Opportunities to understand the nature of

scientific inquiry (NOSI)

Coding PD ActivitiesScientific Inquiry PracticesAsk questionsDesign investigationsConduct investigationsCollect dataDraw conclusions

Coding PD ActivitiesNOS Aspects

TentativenessEmpirical basisSubjectivityCreativitySociocultural embeddednessDistinction between

observation and inferenceDistinction between laws

and theories

NOSI AspectsQuestions guide investigationsMultiple methods of scientific

investigationsMultiple purposes of scientific

investigations Justification of scientific

knowledgeRecognition and handling of

anomalous dataSources, forms of, and

distinctions between data and evidence

Community of practice

FindingsMultiple opportunities to observe and engage in all

scientific inquiry practicesTeachers engaged in two “mini-cycles” of scientific

investigations over the course of the four sessionsPD activities emphasized building teachers’

understanding about:Empirical and creative nature of scientific knowledgeImportance of observations and inferences in

generating scientific knowledgeUse of questions to guide scientific investigationsUse of data and evidence to justify scientific

knowledge

FindingsPD enacted theory of teacher learning

involving two specific features:Teachers witness scientists’ workRecreate similar experiences for teachers to

engage in

Observed this pattern with activities related to helping teachers generate and understand scientific explanations and data

FindingsScientists’ work…Teaching case video showed

Cary Institute scientists making data collection decisions and collecting data

Teaching case videos showed scientists using their data and previous research to construct explanations for the relationships between the zebra mussel population and various biotic and abiotic factors

Teachers’ work…Teachers made plans for

their own data collection in Central Park and wrestled with similar problems when doing field work

Teachers used Developing a Scientific Explanation tool to construct explanations to answer their original investigation questions

Continued WorkHypothesize that the interplay between these

two features – witnessing scientists’ work and engaging in similar experiences – provided a rich learning environment for teachers

Using other data sources – survey responses, teachers’ completed exit projects, classroom observations, teacher interviews – to explore in what ways these resources contribute to participants’ learning

Contact InformationJim Short, Ed.D.Director, Education DepartmentAmerican Museum of Natural Historyjshort@amnh.org(212) 769-5139amnh.org/education/hudsonriver

Jamie Mikeska, Ph.D.Project DirectorMichigan State Universitymikeskaj@msu.edu(517) 432-9991http://education.msu.edu/research/projects/urban-advantage