RealScience:

HowanAuthenticContextforLearningConnectsStudents,

Teachers,andResearchersinInquiry­basedScience

LorraineMcGarry

2009‐2010InternParkForestElementarySchool

StateCollegeAreaSchoolDistrict/PennStateUniversity

ProfessionalDevelopmentSchools

lxm937@psu.edu

April30,2010

Abstract

Withtheemphasisoninquiry‐basedscienceintheNationalScienceEducation

Standards,classroomteachersincreasinglyseektoengagestudentsintheexploration,

questioning,andevidence‐basedargumentationthatcharacterizeresearchscience.Oneway

tostrengthenconnectionsbetweenclassroomlearningand“real‐world”scienceisthrougha

formalpartnershipamongeducatorsandscientists.Thisinquiryusesthecaseof“Fossil

Finders,”apilotcurriculumbasedonanauthenticgeologicalinvestigation,toexplorehowa

scienceeducationpartnershipcanimpactstudentengagement,learning,andunderstandingof

thenatureofscience,aswellasteachercomfortwithinquiryintheclassroom.

TableofContents

Context .......................................................................................................................................................... 1

Wondering ................................................................................................................................................... 3

DataCollection ........................................................................................................................................... 4

DataAnalysisProcess .............................................................................................................................. 6

ExplanationofFindings........................................................................................................................... 7

ReflectionandImplicationsforFuturePractice...........................................................................14

REFERENCESAPPENDIXA:StudentWorkProductsA­1“TrickyTracks”WorksheetSampleA­2“InvestigatingFossils”WorksheetSampleA­3FinalAssignmentSampleA­4FinalAssignmentRubric

APPENDIXB:Surveys&ReflectionsB­1StudentScienceAttitudeSurveySampleB­2UnitReflectionSampleB­3SurveyScoreCompilationB­4Survey/ReflectionComparison

APPENDIXC:InterviewsC­1StudentInterviewQuestionsC­2StudentInterviewTranscriptC­3FossilFindersTeacherInterviewNotesC­4StandardUnitTeacherInterviewNotesC­5ScientistInterviewNotes

APPENDIXD:VideoRecordings(Notes)D­1NotesfromVideoRecordings

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Context

Thisinquirytakesplaceinthecontextofafifth‐gradeclassroomwheretwenty‐one

(21)studentsrecentlylearnedaboutgeologyandthefossilrecordthroughauniquescience

educationpartnership.TheclassroomislocatedatParkForestElementarySchool(PFE)in

theStateCollegeAreaSchoolDistrict(SCASD)ofcentralPennsylvania,whereIcurrentlyserve

asaninterninthePennState/SCASDProfessionalDevelopmentSchoolsprogram.TheState

CollegeAreaSchoolDistrictstronglysupportsinquiry‐basedscienceandhasrecentlyrevised

severalscienceunitstoincorporatemoreinquiryintoelementaryclassrooms.Locatednear

PennStateUniversity,thedistrictalsodemonstratesacommitmenttomergingtheoryand

practicetoimprovestudentlearning,asevidencedbyitsnationallyrecognizedprofessional

developmentschoolsprogramandothereducationalcollaboratives.

Inearly2009,thementorteacherinmyfifth‐gradepartnerclassroomatPFEwas

acceptedforparticipationinascienceeducationpartnershipamongtheCornellUniversity

DepartmentofEducation,thePaleontologicalResearchInstitute(PRI)ofIthaca,NewYork,

andfifth‐gradethroughninth‐gradeclassroomteachersaroundthecountry.Aimingto

engageelementaryandmiddleschoolstudentsinauthenticgeologicalresearch,this

partnershipcombinesprofessionaldevelopmentforclassroomteachers,acurriculumunit

tiedtoa“real‐world”paleontologicalinvestigation,andaninteractivewebsiteforstudentsto

sharedataandcommunicatewithscientists.Thepilotcurriculum,entitled“FossilFinders,”

usesthestudyofDevonianfossilsfromtheFingerLakesregionofNewYorkasthefoundation

forinquiry‐basedclassroomlearningaboutgeology(CornellUniversity,2009).Students

focustheirinquiryaroundthequestion:“Howdoessealiferespondtochangesinthe

environment?”

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Duringthesummerof2009,mymentorteacherparticipatedinaweeklong

professionaldevelopmentcourseatanoutcropsiteinIthaca.WorkingwithCornellandPRI

facultyandstaff,aswellasfellowclassroomteachers,shedevelopedextensivecontent

knowledgerelatedtothecurriculumbyfinding,identifying,andmeasuringfossils.Shethen

introducedtheFossilFinderscurriculumtoherstudentsinNovember2009and,withmy

assistanceinplanningandteaching,continuedtheinvestigationthroughFebruary2010.As

theSCASDfifth‐gradecurriculumincludesaunitentitled“GeologicalProcesses,”mymentor

taughtthedistrictgeologyunitconcurrentlywiththeFossilFinderscurriculum.Duringthis

period,theotherfifth‐gradeclassesatPFEcompletedtheGeologicalProcessesunitwithout

theadditionoftheFossilFinderscurriculumorinvestigation.

Thestudentsinthisclassroomexhibitawiderangeofscienceinterestandability,with

severalwhoactivelypursuesciencelearningoutsideofschoolandotherswhodemonstrate

onlyminorinterestinfifth‐gradesciencetopics.Examplesoftheformergroupincludea

studentwhocollectsfossilsandreadsextensivelyaboutgeologyandpaleontology,astudent

whohasattendedgeologycampsandmaintainsarockcollection,andafewstudentswho

haveexpressedinterestincareersinscience.Thelattergroup,despiteself‐describedlackof

interestinscience,doescontainseveralstudentswhoexcelinthesubject.BybringingFossil

Finderstotheclassroom,mymentorteacherhopedtoachieveincreasedmotivationand

learningingeologyamongherstudents,crossingtheirvariedlevelsofinterestandability.By

examiningtheuseofascienceeducationpartnershipinthiscontext,Ihopedtolearnwhether

relatingclassroomscienceto“real‐world”researchwouldhelpstudentsconnecttheirinnate

curiosityaboutthenaturalworldwiththemethodsscientistsusetoanswerauthentic

questions.

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Wondering

MyinquiryquestiongrewfromcomparingtheFossilFinderscurriculumtomyown

elementarysciencelearning,inwhichIhadexperiencedadisconnectbetweenmy

wondermentinexploringthenaturalworldandtheemphasisontherigid“scientificmethod”

thatIhadencounteredasasciencestudent.ByexploringFossilFindersinaction,Isoughtto

learnwhetherdevelopingascienceeducationpartnershipinanelementaryclassroomwould

engagelearnersbyallowingthemtosolveauthenticproblemswith“real”scientistsandmake

connectionsbetweentheirowncuriosityandwhatitmeansto“doscience.”Conversely,I

wonderedwhetherthedurationanddatarequirementsofreal‐worldresearchwouldserveto

demotivateelementarylearnersandreinforcestudentnotionsofscienceasexternal,artificial,

andirrelevanttotheirlearning.Sincemypreliminaryresearchonscienceeducation

partnershipshadrevealedawidevarietyofformsforsuchcollaboratives–fromconsulting

relationshipsbetweenteachersandscientists,toresidentscientistsintheclassroom,to

partnershipswithlocalmuseumsandprivatecompanies(Black,S.,2006;King,M.D.&Bruce,

M.C.,2003;Weaver,A.J.&Mueller,A.,2009)–Ialsowonderedwhichcharacteristicsofa

scienceeducationpartnershipweremostinfluentialinenhancingclassroominquiryand

studentlearning.Ultimately,Iwasinterestedinwhetherdevelopingsuchpartnershipswould

beaworthwhileenterprisethatcouldhelpmebecomeamoreeffectivescienceteacherinmy

ownclassroom.Asaresult,Isettledonthefollowingopen‐endedwonderingthatwouldallow

thedatatospeakforthemselves:

Whathappenswhenthelocalsciencecurriculumisconnectedto“real­world”scientificresearchinafifth­gradescienceeducationpartnership?

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However,tofocusmydatacollectionandanalysis,Ialsodevelopedthefollowingkeysub‐

questions:

• Howdoesa“real­world”contextforscienceteachingimpactstudentengagementinclassroomscience?

• Howdoesascienceeducationpartnershipenhanceteachercomfortwithinquiryintheclassroom?

• Howdostudentswhoexperiencecontactwith“real”scientistsintheclassroomunderstandthenatureofscience?

• Howdoesparticipationinascienceeducationpartnershipimpactstudentabilitytomake

meaningfulconnectionsbetweenresearchquestionsanddata?

DataCollection

AsFossilFindershadcommencedintheclassroompriortomybeginningaformal

inquiry,Iutilizedexistingvideodataandstudentworkproductsfromthefirstsixweeksof

theunitasmybaselineevidence.Ibegancollectingadditionaldatatoaddressmysub‐

questionsapproximatelyhalfwaythroughtheunit.Iworkedtoemployavarietyofcollection

methods–includingvideorecordings,studentworkproducts,studentsurveys,teacher

interviews,andstudentinterviews–thatwouldprovidemultiplesourcesofobjectiveand

subjectivedataoverthecourseoftheunit.

Videoevidenceprovidedthemostcompletepictureofstudent,teacher,andscientist

interactionsduringtheunit.Iobtainedcompletevideorecordingsofmultipleclassperiods,

includingintroductorylessonsontheresearchquestionandthenatureofscience,early

activitiesonmakingobservationsandinterpretingevidence,andculminatingworkperiods

forcollecting,inputting,andanalyzingdatafromfossils.Mypurposesinusingvideoevidence

weretomakeanecdotalobservationsofstudentengagementduringtheunitandtoidentify

criticalincidentsinwhichinteractionsamongstudent(s),teacher,andscientistimpactedboth

studentlearningandteachercomfortwithinquiry.

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FromseveralofthelessonsforwhichIobtainedvideorecordings,Ialsocollected

studentworkproducts,whichprovidedadditionalperspectivesonthesameactivities.First,I

choseworksheetsfromanearlylessoncalled“TrickyTracks”thatrequiredstudentstowrite

observationsandinterpretationsofthreeimagesofanimaltracks,revealedoneatatimeto

completeapicture(seeAppendixA‐1).Second,Iselectedworksheetsfromalessoncalled

“InvestigatingFossils”thatrequiredstudentstowritequantitativeandqualitative

observationsofsamplefossilsandsketchinterpretationsofhowthefossilizedorganisms

mighthavelookedwhenalive(seeAppendixA‐2).Third,Iobtainedthefinalstudentwork

productoftheunit,inwhichstudentscompletedanopen‐endedassignmentofanalyzingand

interpretingclassfossildatatoanswertheunitresearchquestion(seeAppendixA‐3).By

collectingtheseartifacts,Iintendedtoexplorechangeovertimeinstudentunderstandingof

thenatureofscienceandtheconnectionsbetweenresearchquestionsanddata.

Inadditiontovideorecordingsandworkproducts,Idesignedmultipletoolsthat

allowedstudentstoprovidesubjectiveinputontheunitfromtheirownperspectives,

includingamultiple‐choicesurvey,ashort‐answerunitreflection,andopen‐endedinterview

questions.Thestudentsurvey(seeAppendixB‐1),conductedapproximatelyhalfwaythrough

theunit,wasadministeredtoallstudentsinboththeFossilFindersclassroomandanother

fifth‐gradeclassroomatPFE.Thisprovidedacomparisonofself‐reportedstudent

engagementinclassroomswithandwithouttheFossilFinderscurriculum(Barnegat

TownshipSchools,2009).BasedonsurveyresponsesintheFossilFindersclassroom,five

studentswhorepresentedvariouslevelsofengagementwereselectedforfollow‐up

interviews.Theinterviewquestions(seeAppendixC‐1)addressednotonlyfactorsaffecting

engagement,butalsostudentunderstandingofthenatureofscienceandtheconnections

betweenresearchquestionsanddata.Theshort‐answerunitreflection(seeAppendixB‐2),

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administeredattheendoftheunitintheFossilFindersclassroomonly,invitedstudentsto

sharespecificfeaturesofthecurriculumthathadimpactedtheirengagement.

MyfinalmethodofdatacollectioninvolvedinterviewswithteachersinboththeFossil

Findersclassroomandanotherfifth‐gradeclassroomatPFE(seeAppendicesC‐3,C‐4).Ialso

conductedathirdin‐depthinterviewwiththeFossilFindersstaffscientistwhohadconducted

teacherprofessionaldevelopmentinIthacaandhadvisitedPFEtoworkwithstudentsduring

theunit(seeAppendixC‐5).Theseinterviewswereintendedtoprovideadditional

perspectivesonstudentengagementandunderstanding,aswellastorevealkeyfeaturesofa

scienceeducationpartnershipthataffectteachercomfortwithclassroominquiry.

DataAnalysisProcess

Myfirststepinanalyzingthedatawastoexplorestudentengagementbyscoringand

comparingsurveyresponsesbetweentheFossilFindersclassroomandtheotherfifth‐grade

respondents(seeAppendixB‐3).Ialsocreatedaspreadsheettolookforcorrelationamong

responsesonthesurveyandanswerstoquestionsontheunitreflection(seeAppendixB‐4).I

thenexaminedvideorecordingsandtranscriptsofstudentinterviewstosubstantiatethe

surveyfindingsandidentifyanythemesinfactorsaffectingengagement.Inparticular,I

lookedforcriticalincidentsinwhichthe“real‐world”contextorresearchquestionfortheunit

appearedtoimpactstudentengagement(seeAppendixD‐1).

Next,toanalyzetheeffectofthepartnershiponteachercomfortwithinquiry,Ifirst

reviewednotesfromtheinterviewwithmymentorteacherforherreportedlevelofcomfort

andthekeyfeaturesofFossilFindersthatshefelthadimpactedit(seeAppendixC‐3).Then,

tosubstantiateherself‐reporteddata,Ilookedforevidenceofhercomfortwithinquiry

amongthevideorecordingsoflessonsandtheassignmentsthatshehaddesignedforstudents

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(seeAppendicesD‐1,A‐3).Asafinalanalysismethod,Ireviewednotesfromtheinterviews

withthesecondfifth‐gradeteacheratPFEandtheFossilFindersscientisttodetermine

whetherotherclassroomteachershadreportedsimilarfeaturesofscienceeducation

partnershipsthatimpactteachercomfortwithstudentinquiry(seeAppendicesC‐4,C‐5).

Finally,Isoughttodeterminewhetherstudentshad,infact,grownintheir

understandingofthenatureofscienceandtheirabilitytomakeconnectionsbetweenthe

researchquestionandtheirdata.Todoso,Iidentifiedbaselinelevelsforthesesub‐questions

byexaminingstudentworkproductsfrom“TrickyTracks”and“InvestigatingFossils”(see

AppendicesA‐1,A‐2)andbyreviewingvideorecordingsoftheintroductorylessons.Then,to

determinechangeovertime,Icomparedthebaselinelevelswithvideoevidencefromlater

lessonsandthefinalstudentworkproductoftheunit,whichIassessedusingarubric(see

AppendicesD‐1,A‐4).Afterestablishingevidenceofgrowth,Ireexaminedvideorecordings,

studentinterviews,andunitreflectionstoidentifycriticalfactorsthatmayhavebeen

influential.

ExplanationofFindings

Afteranalyzingmydatainthecontextofmysub‐questions,Idiscoveredstrong

evidencetosupportthreeclaimsabouttheeffectsofconnectingelementaryscience

curriculumto“real‐world”sciencethroughthisparticularscienceeducationpartnership.

Claim#1:Whengivena“real­world”contextforstudyingscience,studentsdemonstrateahighlevelofengagementandenthusiasmforlearning,butmayalsoencounteramismatchbetweenexpectationsandexperience. WithintheFossilFindersclassroom,themajorityofstudentsself‐reportedpositive

attitudestowardscienceandtheunitlessons,onboththemid‐unitscienceattitudesurvey

andtheend‐of‐unitreflection.Onthescienceattitudesurvey,53%(10students)reported

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thatthey“reallyenjoyedthework”(scoreof5)and37%(7students)reportedthatthey“paid

attention”(scoreof4),withonlytheremaining10%(2students)“doingwhat[they]hadto

[to]getby”(scoreof3).Nonereportedbeing“bored”withtheunit(scoreof2)orgetting“in

trouble”fornotcompletingwork(scoreof1).Ontheunitreflection,over71%ofstudents

reportedthatthey“loved”or“liked”theunitandfoundFossilFinders“alotbetter”or

“better”thanotherscienceunits(scoresof5and4,respectively).Lessthan29%reported

findingFossilFinders“OK”and“aboutthesame”asotherunits(scoresof3),andonlyone

studentreportedlikingtheunit“less”thanotherunits(scoreof2)(seeAppendicesB‐3,B‐4).

ComparingresponsesfromtheFossilFindersclassroomtoanotherclassroomwhere

geologywasstudiedwithouta“real‐world”context,scoresonthemid‐unitsurveywere

consistentlyhigherintheFossilFindersclassroom.Theaveragedifferenceinscoresbetween

classroomswas0.5pointsonascaleof1to5,andtwicethenumberofstudentsworkingwith

FossilFinders(10students)aswiththestandardunit(5students)reportedthatthey

“enjoyedthework”(scoreof5).Ontheopen‐endedquestionwherestudentscouldselectup

tofivefavoritepartsofstudyingscience(seeAppendixB‐1Question#12),studentsinFossil

Findersselectedanaverageofonemorefavoritepartthanstudentsintheotherclassroom.

Itisimportanttonote,however,thatevenwithintheFossilFindersclassroom,

studentsexhibitedarangeofinterestlevelsandattitudesintheirself‐reporteddata.Asa

result,Iexaminedtheevidencefromstudentfollow‐upinterviewsandvideorecordingsnot

onlytosubstantiatetheoverallpatterninthesurveydata,butalsotodeterminekeyfactors

thatledtodiverselevelsofengagementamongstudentsinFossilFinders.Fromthe

interviews,Ideterminedthatallstudentsinmysub‐samplefoundthedatacollectionlessons

(inwhichtheyhadexaminedrockstoidentifyfossilsandloggedfossildataintotheonline

database)tobethemostengagingportionoftheunit.Nevertheless,thesestudentschose

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differentresponsesontheirsurveysandreflectionsbasedonhowwelltheexperiencehad

alignedwiththeirexpectations.Forexample,thestudentwhoreportedlikingtheunit“less”

thanotherscienceunitsexplainedthatshehadwishedthereweremorehands‐onactivities

withfossils.Anotherstudentrespondedthatthedatacollectionwas“frustrating”becauseher

rocksdidnothavealotoffossils,butthatshehadenjoyedanearlieropportunitytoexaminea

collectionofpreviouslydiscoveredfossils(seeAppendixC‐2).Thevideorecordingsofthe

lessonsvalidatedthesefindingsbyofferinganecdotalevidenceofstudentengagementthat

spannedtheunitfromintroductionofthequestionthroughdatacollectionandinterpretation.

Ononeside,videoevidenceconfirmedstudententhusiasmassociatedwiththe“real‐world”

context,includingbothhelpingscientistsanswertheirresearchquestion(“They’redepending

onus?”)anddiscoveringnewfossils(“I’mfindinginterestinglayers!”).Ontheotherside,

recordingsalsoprovidedevidenceofstudentengagementfallingwhenexpectationsfordata

collectionwerenotmet(“Idon’thavefossilsinanyofthese!”)(seeAppendixD‐1).

Seeingrecurringpatternsinmultiplesourcesofdataallowsmetomakethestrong

claimthatprovidingthis“real‐world”contextforstudyingscienceisassociatedwithpositive

attitudestowardscienceandhighlevelsofenthusiasmamongmoststudents.However,

becausethistypeofengagingcontextisalsoassociatedwithhighexpectationsamong

students,studentsmayfindamismatchbetweentheirpersonalexpectationsandtherealities

ofdatacollection,leadingtopotentialdisappointmentordisengagement.

Claim#2:Ascienceeducationpartnershipiseffectiveinincreasingteachercomfortwithinquirywhenitbridgesthegapbetweenscienceandeducationbyaddressingbothcontentandpedagogy.

Whenreviewinginterviewtranscriptsofteachersandscientistsdescribingscience

educationpartnerships,Iidentifiedaprominentthemeacrossresponses:notallpartnerships

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arecreatedequal.Whilemanyformalandinformalpartnershipsbetweenteachersand

scientistsresultinincreasedcontentknowledgefortheclassroomteacher,mymentorfound

FossilFinderstobemoreeffectiveincultivatinginquirybecauseitteamededucatorsand

scientiststoaddressbothcontentandpedagogyincurriculumdesign(seeAppendixC‐3).My

mentorexplainedthattheprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesandcurriculumdesignof

FossilFindersreinforcedherunderstandingoftheimportanceofcouplingexplicitinstruction

withstudentexplorationinclassroominquiry.ShealsostatedthatFossilFindersenabledher

toscaffoldtheinquiryinawaythat“ledtoproductivesciencetalksinwhichstudentsdrew

theirownreasonableconclusions”(Cody,J.,personalcommunication,2010).

Ifoundevidenceofthisscaffoldedapproachtoinquiryinmultiplevideorecordings

andunitworkproducts,asboththeclassroomteacherandscientistmodeledandguided

studentsinfirstthinkingaboutwhattheyknew,thenusingwhattheyknewtoengagein

scientificobservationandanalysis,andfinallysharingwhattheylearnedthrough

collaborationandargumentation(seeAppendixD‐1).Thisevidenceofteachercomfortwith

scaffoldinginquiryculminatedinthefinalassignment,whentheclassroomteachermodeled

andguidedstudentsininterpretingdatafromthedatabase,theninvitedthemtoworkinpairs

onopen‐endedexploration,explanation,andargumentationoftheirdata(seeAppendixA‐3).

Myfindingsfromrecordings,workproducts,andinterviewswithintheFossilFinders

classroomwerebolsteredbyinterviewswithanotherfifth‐gradeteacheratPFEanda

scientistfromtheFossilFindersprogram.Theotherclassroomteacherstatedthat,when

seekingpartnershipstoimprovescienceteaching,sheis“morelikelytoreachouttoscience

teachersthanscientists”inordertofindabalancebetweencontentknowledgeand

elementaryteachingmethods(Cullin,E.,personalcommunication,2010;seeAppendixC‐4).

Shealsoexplainedthat,eventhoughshehasin‐depthcontentknowledgeofgeology,shefeels

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thatshestillneedsguidanceon“howtomakeitreal,hands‐on,andinquiry‐based”for

students(Cullin,E.,personalcommunication,2010;seeAppendixC‐4).Thevisitingscientist

suggestedthatFossilFindersiseffectivebecauseitcombinesmultipletypesofprofessional

developmentforteachers,includingopportunitiestogaincontentknowledge,engagein

research,andexplorecurriculum.Inhisownresearch,hehasfoundthatakeypredictorof

teachercomfortwithinquiryistheteacher’slevelofpedagogicalcontentknowledge,or

abilitytotranslatecontentknowledgetostudentsineffectiveways(Shulman,L.,1986;Capps,

D.,personalcommunication,2010).ByteamingeducatorsintheCornellUniversity

DepartmentofEducationwithscientistsatthePaleontologicalResearchInstitute,theFossil

Findersprogrambringstogethercontentknowledge,classroomexperience,andreflective

practiceinadevelopmentallyappropriatecurriculum(seeAppendixC‐5).Therecurrenceof

thisthemethroughoutteacherandscientistinterviewsandcorroboratedbydatafromthe

classroomprovidesstrongevidencethateffectivescienceeducationpartnershipsaddress

bothcontentandpedagogy.

Claim#3:Whenstudentsengageintheprocessesofscientificexplorationandargumentation,particularlywhendoingsoalongsidescientistsmodelingtheseprocesses,studentsdeepentheirunderstandingofthenatureofscienceanddeveloptheirabilitytomakemeaningfuluseofdata.

NeartheendoftheFossilFindersunit,Iconductedin‐depthinterviewswithfive

individualstudentsandcollectedstudentworkproductsfromthefinaldataanalysis

assignment.Inreviewingthesesummativedatasources,Iwasstruckimmediatelybyboth

thesophisticatedexplanationsthatstudentsprovidedfor“whatitmeansto…doscience”(see

AppendixC‐1Question#6)andtheindependencestudentsdemonstratedinanalyzingand

interpretingtheirfossildata(seeAppendixA‐3).Duringtheinterviews,severalstudents

astutelydescribedscienceasaprocessofaskingquestions,collectingandinterpretingdatato

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answerquestions,andengaginginargumentwithotherscientiststofindbetterorbest

explanationsofdata.Severalstudentsalsoarticulatedthatscientificknowledgeisconstantly

changingbasedonnewevidence("discoveries")andargumentationamongscientistswith

differentinterpretationsofevidence(“Ihadmyownreason,shehadherownreason,andthen

Iwasthinkingofthat’slikehowscientistsdo:allthesepeoplemighthavedifferentreasons

buttheyhaveto,like,bringitalltogether”)(seeAppendixC‐2).Iwassimilarlyimpressed

whenIanalyzedthefinal,open‐endedassignmentondatainterpretationandfoundthat,

accordingtomyrubric,75%ofstudentshadmademeaningfuluseofthefossildatainthe

onlinedatabasetosupporttheirhypothesesofhow“sealiferespondstochangesinthe

environment”(rubricscoresof2or3onascaleof1to3)(seeAppendixA‐4).Throughtheir

choicesofusingnumericalandgraphicalrepresentationsofdata,diagramsofrocklayers

representingdifferenttimehorizons,andwrittenexplanationsofhypothesesandevidence,

themajorityofstudentsdemonstratedtheabilitytonavigatethedatabase,extractsignificant

informationandpatterns,andconnectfindingstothemainresearchquestion(seeAppendix

A‐3).

Giventhisdemonstratedunderstandingofthenatureofscienceattheendoftheunit,I

chosetoexaminebaselinedatatolookforevidenceofstudentgrowthovertime.Earlyinthe

unit,studentshadcompletedalessonspecificallyfocusedondescribingthe“natureof

science”andobserving/interpretingdata.Videoevidenceofthislessonrevealedthat

studentshadstruggledtoarticulatethenatureofscienceandrequiredmultipleleading

questionsfromtheirteachertoexpresshowscientists“figureoutthewaytheworldworks.”

Althoughstudentseventuallycontributedtermsandphraseslike“estimating,”“making

hypotheses,”“researching,”and“usingwhattheyknow,”theyrequiredsignificantteacher

facilitationanddidnotmentioncollaborationandargumentationasimportantaspectsof

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science(seeAppendixD‐1).Videoalsoindicatedthatstudentsinitiallyperceiveddataas

cluestofindingthe“right”answerstoquestions,withanemphasisoncompetitionamong

scientists.Whentheirteacheraskedwhatmighthappenwhenscientistshavediffering

interpretationsofevidence,multiplestudentsresponded,“Theyfight!”(seeAppendixD‐1).

Whencomparedwiththeresponsesandworkproducedattheendoftheunit,thisbaseline

informationprovidesstrongevidenceofstudentgrowthovertimeinunderstandingboththe

natureofscienceandhowscientistsusedata.

Whilemultiplefactorsinfluencedstudentgrowthoverthecourseoftheunit,video

recordingsindicatethattheremayhavebeen“criticalincidents”inwhichlessonsor

interactionshelpedstudentsmakeconnectionsbetweentheirownunitactivitiesandwhatit

meansto“doscience.”Ifirstidentifiedtheseincidentsbyexploringrecordingsfromvarious

lessonsondatacollectionandinterpretationthatstudentshadmentionedintheirinterviews

ashavingmadeanimpression.Althoughthelessonsdifferedincontentanddesign,allof

theminvolvedstudentsengagingintheprocessesofscientificexplorationandargumentation,

followingteachermodeling.Inparticular,whentheFossilFindersscientistvisitedthe

classroom,videorecordingsshowedhowhecontinuallymodeledscientificthinkingwith

students,fromconnectingpriorknowledgetotheresearchcontext(“Howdoesanoceango

away?Whatcouldhavehappened?”),topushingquestioningandcollaborationduringdata

collection(“Whatwouldyousayitlooksmostlike?”),tomakingreasonableinterpretationsof

data(“Ifyouwerestandinginashallowsea…wherewouldyouexpecttheorganismstobe

larger?”)(seeAppendixD‐1).Healsomodeledtheuncertainty,continualquestioning,and

argumentationthatcharacterizetheadvancementofsciencebytellingstudents“peoplehave

ideasofwhathappened”and“sometimesscientistsdon’tfindwhatthey’relookingfor”(see

AppendixD‐1).Theevidencefromtheselessonssuggeststhatthegrowthidentifiedin

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studentunderstandingofthenatureofscienceandabilitytomakemeaningfuluseofdatamay

beattributabletoteacher/scientistmodelingandstudentpracticeofscientificexploration

andargumentation.However,thispossibilitywarrantsfurtherstudytodeterminewhether

otherfactorsintheunitweremoreinfluentialandwhethersimilarresultscouldhavebeen

achievedwithoutavisitingscientistintheclassroom.

ReflectionandImplicationsforFuturePractice

WhenIbeganthisinquiry,Iwonderedwhetherbringingresearchsciencetoan

elementaryclassroomwouldengagestudentsthroughinteractionswithscientistsand“real‐

world”questionsordisengagestudentsduetothestringencyofdatacollectionand,inthis

case,theremotenessofthegeologicperiod.Iwassurprisedtodiscover,however,thatthe

majorityofstudentsfoundboththeinteractionwithscientistsandthedatacollection

experiencetobehighlyengagingcontextsforlearning.Ihadalsoexpectedteachercomfort

withinquirytobeincreasedmerelybyhavinganexpertsourcefordevelopingcontent

knowledge.Ilearned,however,thataneffectivescienceeducationpartnershipgoesbeyond

consultingwithscientiststointegratingscientificknowledge,theprocessofscientificinquiry,

anddevelopmentallyappropriateinstructionintothesciencecurriculum.AlthoughI

discoveredthatsuchintegrationenabledFossilFindersstudentstogrowintheir

understandingofthenatureofscienceandtheirabilitytomakeuseofdata,Iameagerto

learnhowsuchapartnershipwouldimpactstudentsindifferentgradelevelsandother

scienceunits.WhileIaminclinedtoagreewiththeprogramscientistthat“apartnership

approach…connectslearningtoreal‐worldquestionsandcanhelp[students]better

understandthenatureofscienceinanydiscipline”(Capps,D.,personalcommunication,2010;

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seeAppendixC‐5),Ihopetoexplorepartnershipsingreaterdepthtoidentifythekeyfeatures

thatmoststronglyimpactstudentlearning.

Ipursuedthisinquiryprimarilytodeterminewhetherbuildingscienceeducation

partnershipscouldhelpmebecomeamoreeffectivescienceteacher,andIbelievethatmy

findingsofferseveralimplicationsformyfuturepractice.First,Ihavelearnedthatproviding

anauthenticcontextforsciencelearning,connectedtotheworkof“real”scientists,cancreate

high‐interestlearningopportunitiesformanystudents.Atthesametime,however,Ihave

discoveredthathighexpectationsforpartnership‐basedunitscanalsoleadtodisappointment

ifstudentsdonotfindtheworkasengagingashoped.Asaresult,itwillbeimportantforme

tomaintainengagementbyensuringthatallstudentshavesomeroleinclass“discoveries,”by

gauginglevelsofinterestthroughouttheunitandadjustinglessonsorworkgroupstoprevent

disengagement,andbymodelinganddebriefingdatacollectionexperienceswhereclassroom

“scientists”donotfindwhattheyhadexpected.

Second,Ihavelearnedthatbuildinganeffectivescienceeducationpartnership

requiresmorethanconsultinganexpertontheunittopic.Teachercomfortwithinquiryin

theclassroomincreasesfrombuildingnotonlyknowledgeofscienceconcepts,butalso

pedagogicalcontentknowledgethatallowssuchinformationtobetranslatedeffectivelyto

students.Asaresult,ifIchoosetoseekoutscienceeducationpartnershipsformyclassroom,

Imustworktopartnerwithbothscientistsandscienceteachersinordertoincreasemy

contentknowledgeandguidestudentinquiryindevelopmentallyappropriateways.

Finally,giventhetremendousgrowthshownbystudentsinunderstandingthenature

ofscienceandmakingmeaningfuluseofdata,Ihavelearnedthatcreatingeffectivescience

educationpartnershipscanpositivelyimpactstudentlearninginmyclassroom.Asmy

evidenceindicatesthatpracticingscientificexplorationandargumentationmayincrease

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studentunderstandingofscience,Iplantousefuturepartnershipstoinquireintocurricular

featuresandteachingstrategiesthatfacilitatetheseprocesses.WhileparticipatinginFossil

Findersrequiredsignificanttime,effort,andcommitmentonthepartofallscientistsand

educatorsinvolved,myfindingsinthisstudysuggestthataneffectivescienceeducation

partnershipcanresultinheightenedstudentengagement,enhancedclassroominquiry,and

increasedsciencelearningthatarewellworththeinvestment.

REFERENCES

BarnegatTownshipSchools.(2009).BarnegatTownshipSchoolsEngagementSurvey2009.

RetrievedJanuary23,2010fromhttp://barnegatschools.com/barnegatschools/Forms/TakeSurvey.asp?

PageNumber=1&SurveyID=4LMlm3LM884KG.

Black,S.(2006).Atransformingpartnership.ScienceandChildren,43(4),pp.42‐44.

CornellUniversityDepartmentofEducation.(2009).Fossilfinderspilotcurriculum.Ithaca,NY:

CornellUniversity.

King,M.D.&Bruce,M.C.(2003).Inspiredbyrealscience:Aresidentscientistmotivatesall

elementarystudents–especiallygirls–toconsidercareersinresearch.Scienceand

Children,40(5),pp.30‐34.

Shulman,L.S.(1986).Thosewhounderstand:Knowledgegrowthinteaching.Educational

Researcher,15(2),pp.4‐14.

Weaver,A.J.&Mueller,A.(2009).Partnersinlearning:Afieldtriptoalocaluniversity’s

climatelabspicesupafourth‐gradeunitonweather.ScienceandChildren,46(8),pp.36‐

39.

APPENDIXA

StudentWorkProducts

A­1

A­1

A­2

A­2

A­3

A­3

A­4

APPENDIXB

Surveys&Reflections

B­1

B­1

B­2

B­3

B­3

B­4

APPENDIXC

Interviews

STUDENTINTERVIEWQUESTIONS

1. On your reflection, when asked how Fossil Finders compared to other science units, you

responded that it was “_______”. Please tell me what made Fossil Finders “______” in your opinion.

2. In this unit, you learned about fossils and the geologic timeline. How interested were you in

learning about these topics, as compared to learning about ecology and the animal kingdom? Did your interest level change at all throughout the unit? Was there anything in particular about this unit that did / did not peak your interest?

3. On your reflection, you mentioned that you really liked _______. Please tell me about this

experience. 4. On your reflection, you mentioned that you really did NOT like _______. Please tell me about

this experience. 5. On your reflection, you suggested that we change ______ for the future. Please tell me more

about this suggestion. 6. In this unit, you had opportunities to think and act like a scientist, as well as to meet scientists

from Cornell. After these experiences, please tell me how you would explain to someone what it means to “be a scientist” or to “do science.”

7. When you completed the Science Attitude Survey, you responded that you would _______ want

to keep studying science as you get older and that you would _______ make a good scientist. Tell me about your thinking.

8. During this unit you had opportunities to collect data. Tell me how the data you and your

classmates collected from the fossils will help answer the question “how does sea life respond to changes in the environment?”

9. During Dan’s visit and your final activity (show work product), you also had opportunities to

interpret data. Tell me about these experiences. Please feel free to refer to your work.

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STUDENTINTERVIEWTRANSCRIPT(2/22/10)

STUDENT#1(0:00­10:55)…alotbetterWell,otheronesweusuallylearnaboutvolcanoesandeverything,butwedon’tdoasmuchas,like,peopledon’tcomeandhelpus,wedon’tbreakrocks.Welearnedalotwhenwegotthecomputers,wedon’treallygettodothatwithanyotherscienceunit.…interestForfossils,there’slikesomuchmoretolearn.Theremightbesomuchotheranimalsandenvironmentsthatwedon’tevenknowtoday.So,like,ifonepersonfindsitandthentheyactuallygetto,like,youdon’tknowwhatitis,it’slikewhenyougettolookinthebooklet,it’slike,whatisthis,Idon’tknow,andifyou’rethefirstonetofindit,youmightevengettonameitbyyourself.I’mmoreinterested[inthis].…favorite(computer)/leastfavorite(none)That’sbecausewedidalotofresearch...Wegottomeasurethem,wegottoseewhatcolortheyare,anditactuallyfeltlikewewererealgeologists./No,Iactuallylikedallofthem.…scientist(definitely,probably)Well,Iwantedto–oneofthethingsI’vealwayswantedtodo,likewhenIwaslittle,isdiscoveringsomethingnew.Andthen,like,whenwedidfossils,Iwaslikethinking,ifsomeonegetsit,theygettodoallthesestuffwithit.Theycantellittoeveryoneelse,andthey’regonnabe,like,ohmygod,greatjobfindingthis.Wedon’tknowwhatitis,wecandosomeresearchandfigureitout.…doscienceTobeascientistisdiscoveringourlives,discoveringnature,anddiscovering–it’slikeresearchingaboutwhathappenedbeforeusorwhatwillhappenafterus.…collectingdatavs.bigquestionWell,itmatterswhereyoufinditif,like,someofthefossilstheyfoundwasinNewYorkanditwasactuallyunderwaterfossils,sothat’showtheyrealizedNewYorkwasonceallcoveredinwater.[Howwillwhatyoufoundhelpthescientists?]Byseeingwhatorganismslivedunderthere,inthewaterandtheycanhave–howmuchfoodwasunderthere.Howmuchithaschanged,likewasitcleanwater,wasitdirtywater,howmuchlayersdidtheyhaveunder.…interpret(finalsheet)

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WepickedHorizon2andHorizon4tocompare,andsotherewasalotofdifferencebetweenthem.Someoftheclamsizewerebigger,someofthemweresmaller.Andsomeand[STUDENT#2]weretryingtoputthistogether.Ihadmyownreason,shehadherownreason,andthenIwasthinkingofthat’slikehowscientistsdo:allthesepeoplemighthavedifferentreasonbuttheyhaveto,like,bringitalltogether.So,fortheclamsize,Iwassayingtherewasmorewater,andthenshewassayingtherewasmoreoxygen,andI’mliketherecouldhavebeenboth,wedon’tknow.Soweputthattogether.Andthenforlikethefragmentationalongthetop,itwassmaller,andweweresayingthatatthetop,like,thewaterwouldpushandeventherewere,like,atthebottomtherewasallmuckasMs.Codywassayingit.Butatthetoptheyhavemoreoxygenandthewaterismovingso,like,whilethey’removingthey’llgoandtheycan,like,losetheirpartswhilethey’removingupinthewater.Soweweretalkingaboutthat.Andthentherockcolor,wesaidthatHorizon4waslighterbecauseweweresayingdownthere,therewasnosunlightandwhilethewatermovedit,thesunwouldbeshiningdownonthat.So,theycangetalightercolor.Andatthebottomit’salldark,nooxygen,andsothatwillcausethemtogetdarker.[leftoutdiscussionaboutTrickyTracks–misunderstoodquestion]…favoriteparts(all–anyoneinparticular?)IwouldsayapplyingwhatIamlearningtoreallifebecause,like,aftertheendoftheunitIstartedthinkingandI’mlikeohmygod,wow,thisreally,I’mreallyamazedathowtheycanactuallyputthisintoreallife.AndthenItooksomeofmydataandItriedtomakeastoryand,butlike,thenhehelpedusoutandwestartedseeinglikewiththeotherone,withourdataandwedidahypothesisandIreallylikedthatbecausealotofpeoplehaddifferentreasons.Like,[twootherstudents]werealsodoingHorizon2andHorizon4andtheyhadWAYdifferentreasons.Andwe’relike“coulditbethis?”andthey’relike“Idon’tknow,coulditbethis?”STUDENT#2(10:57­19:29)…betterWell,becausewegottolikelearnmoreaboutfossilsandhowtolikefindthemandlikethelayersandlikethattherecouldbealotandstufflikethat.AndIlikedgraphingthethings.…interestI’dgoforthe,like,notthetimeline,buttheotherone[fossils]…Maybethesame,‘causeliketheonethatwe’restartingrightnow–thisoneseemsfun.…favorites(answers,graphing)Well,Ilikeputtingtheinfoinandfindingallthelittlefossilsandthebigfossils–thatwasfun.And,like,studyingthefossilsandfindingtheanswerstoquestions–thatwasfunbecausewegottolikeseethedifferencebetweenhorizonsandthatstuff.…leastfavorite(TrickyTracks)

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‘Causeitwaskindaslow,youknow,‘causeyouwantedtoknowtheend.Andbecause,like,wehadtothink‘causewehadn’tseenthewholethingandwedidn’tlikeknowifthereweredinosaursoranimalsand,like,wehadtokeeppredicting…[Differentwithfossils]‘causeweactuallygottoseethethings,like,developingandwegotto,like,doitourselves.Andinsteadofjust,like,seeingtwotracksandjust,like,waitingforthenextpart.[WhydidwedoTrickyTracks?]Well,tolearnhowtopredict.…doscienceTo,like,learnaboutthingsthathaven’tbeendiscoveredyet.Or,like,learningaboutonetopicalotandobservingandpredictingandstufflikethat.…scientist(maybe)Well,maybebecause,like,um,oh,Idowanttokeepstudyingscience,butIdon’tknowifIwould,like,makeagoodscientistbecause,youknow,Ihaven’t,like,therearetonsofscience,andIlikealotofkindsofscience.Like,in3rd‐grade,Ilikedsciencealot,andthatwasliketheonlysubjectIgotanAonprobablybecauseIlikeditthemost.Well,justthereare,like,somanysubjects…IthinkIwouldbethemostinterestedinfossils.…collectdataBecause,like,ifyoumeasure,like,thedifferentsizesand,like,thefragmentation–that’llshowwhatcould’vehappened.Like,Dan–Ithinktheywerelikemakingthis‘causethewaterwasmovingthesanduptowardsmoreland,andthat’swhytheyweregettingbiggerandmorefragmentationbecausetheywerehittingmorethings.…interpretdataYeah,thatwasfun–Ilikeditthemost.Well,Ilikeditbecausewegottomakeallthesehypothesisandwegotto,like,makepicturesandwegottomakeourownhypothesis,like,withourpartner.Yeah,weusedthedata‘cause,like,the4withtheHorizon4,thatwaslikethehigh‐newestone,Ithink.So,like,itgotbiggerthan36‘causeitwaslike36.0millimetersorsomethinganditgotbigger…Well,like,allthisdata–itsupportedourhypothesisaboutthewatermovingtheclamsandthebrachiopodsup.[Howdidyoucomeupwiththesehypotheses?]Wejustlooked–‘cause,like,wehadtalkedalittlebitaboutthisbeforewithDr.DanandMrs.Cody,like,remindedusforthat.And,like,wethoughtaboutitand,like,withthefragmentation,theyhadtobemovingsomehowtohitotherthingsandmaybeget,like,hitwiththingsand,like,allthissupportedourhypothesis.…otherIthinkweshoulddothisagain.Ireallylikedthis–theendproject–thatwasalotoffun.STUDENT#3(19:31­33:54)

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…aboutthesameIt’sjustwiththefossils,withallmyfossils,Iwasgettingnoneatall,soIdidn’thavethatmuchtorecordoranything.Soitstartedtogetmoreandmorefrustrating.Andthenwith,like,otherscience,it’sjustliketastingstuff.Soitjustdidn’tmovemethatmuchmore.Ourearthlayerunitandourcupcake–thatwasfun.IlikedhowthecupcakewascolorfulandIlikedhowwegottostickitinandseeallthedifferentcolorsinthetubeandtakeitout.Then,everybodywasjustlookingatitlike,“whatisthissupposedtobe?”Andthenwegottotheendandweopeneditupand–whenyoustuckitinyouonlysawafewcolorsandso,we’relike,OK,thesearesprinkles.Butwhenwegotinsideitwasjustdifferentcoloredcupcake.…interestThehumanbody.…favorites(findingfossils,lookingatdesigns)Whenweweredoingdifferentbatches.ThefindingfossilsIlikedwhenitwasjustus,like,ourselves‘causethenIcouldjustlookatitandsaythisisthisandthisisthis.…leastfavorite(measuring)[doingtheactualdatacollection,ratherthanfossilidentificationearlierintheunit]…suggestions(makesureallstudentsfindfossils)Maybe,um,iftheyfindmoreandthen,um,likelookat‘emtomakesuretheyhaveafossil,like,atleastonthetop,like,itdoesn’tevenmatterifyouhavetocrackitopen.…doscienceIthinkitmeanstofindinformationabout,like,theearth–howtheearth–what’stheword–interactswith,like,thevolcanoesandthingslikethat.It’sfun,too.Ijustthinkit’saboutlearningabout,like,thehumanbodyandtheearthand,like,ourcommunity.Like,learninghowlongit’sbeenaliveandthingslikethat.…scientist(probably,probablynot)IdowanttostudysciencemoresothatIcanlearnaboutmore,butIdon’tthinkI’dmakeagreatscientistatallbecause–Idon’tknow–I’djustbe,like,notgoodwiththemeasuringorfindingfossilsandstufflikethat.[Otherskindsofscience?]Thehumanbodysciencepart:I’dprobablybegoodprobablywiththat.I’dprobablypaymoreattentionwiththat.…collectdata

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Um,well,Ijustthinkmaybe,like,ifyoutakelittlestepstowhatyou’refinding,itmakesiteasierthantakingbigsteps,so–canyourepeatthequestion?Well,ithelpsthembyknowing,like,howoldthefossilsareandiftheywereinwaterornot.And‘causemostofthetimeifyou’reinwateryougetdarkerthanoutofwater–likeinthesummerwhenyouswimyougetdarker.Andithelpsthemwithcolorandfragmentation[trailsoff].…interpretdataIlikeditbecauseIgottocompareotherpeople’sdatafromwhattheyfound.Anditwasfunbecauseitjust–Ijustlikedseeinghowmanyclamstheygotandhowmanypeoplefoundwholebody.Icompared4&1–Idon’tknowwhy,just4&1.I’mstillworkingonthatsheet.I’mstilltryingtothinkthroughthebigquestion.Andso,Idon’tknow,it’sjust–thetwo,theywereverydifferent.[Getspaperfromdesk]So,Icompared4&1.SoHorizon4found663fossilsandHorizon[1]found465.So,whenIgotbothofthose,Isubtractedtoseehowmanymore4had.4had198morethan1.AndthenIwrotedowntheiraveragefragmentation,color[etc.].Andthen,forthesetwo–‘causeyoucan’treallycomparethesetwo…Fragmentation:Ithoughtthat1wasbiggerthan4becausewhentheygetstacked1getsstackedwithmoresegmentsthan4becauseitwouldbeatthetop.So,thesegmentswouldbuildupandbuildupandmakethefossilsbigger,therockbigger.Andthenforthecolor,Isaid1isdarkerbecauseyougetclosertothetopwherethesunshines,andwhenthesunshinesonthethingsthethingsgetlighter–withthesekindsofthings.[Stillworkingonsize]So,1had1%trilobitewhole,soIwasverysurprisedbythat–Ididn’tthinkanyoftheclasseswouldfindawhole.Andforthisone,theydidn’tfindawhole–theyfoundtrilobitetailandrib.So,wedidn’tfindanyribortail–wefound,like,thehead.And,mybigquestion’sontheback.Iwasworkingwiththreeotherpeople,andthisiswhatwehavesofar:Ithinkthatastheoceanwasslowingevaporatingtheorganismsweredyingout,andthentheoceansstarttorise…theorganismsstartto,like,flowandstarttogetsmaller‘causeofalltheotherrocks.Andifyoupound,yougetsmaller.Andthen,theystarttobuilduptogetherandmadelayers.[Indiscussionattheendofthisquestion,sheconfirmedthatsheenjoyedinterpretingdatamorethancollectingdata;whenaskedaboutheroriginalsurveyresponsethatherfavoritepartofsciencewas“runningexperimentsandcollectingdata,”sheagreedthatshemightchangeheranswernowto“drawingconclusions.”][Omittedtheendoftheinterview,wheresherepeatedthatshelikedtheunit,justnotalot,andwouldpreferiftherehadbeenmorefossilstodiscoverinherrocks].STUDENT#4(33:55­44:32)…lessUm,Ithinkwecouldhavedonesomemorefunactivities,andIfeltlikesomeotherunitsmighthavehadalotoffunactivitiesthatIcanreallyremember.WhenweweredoingourNaturalResourceunit,weplayedthisgamewithsomegiantwoodendie.…interest

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It’sdifficulttodescribebecausescienceisnotexactlyasubjectIusuallylike–Ilikehistoryandstuff,andIreallylikeanimals.Actually,mostofthetime,Ihaveareallybigrockcollection,soIthoughtthatthisunitwouldbeprettyfun,buttomeitwasn’t.…favorites(observe/measurefossils,graphs,timelineposters)Ithinkwhenweobservedfossilsandmeasuredthem,IreallylikedthatbecauseIthink,whenyouwouldgrabarockandthenyouwouldreallylookforthatfossil,andonceyoufoundone,IknowIwasreallyexcitedtofindoutwhatthatfossilwasanditmadeitreallyfun.Andwhenwewerelookingatthegraphs,Imeansomepeoplewouldhavesomefossils,likeunknownfossilsandsoon,andsomepeoplehadmoreclamsthanbrachiopods,andIthinkthatwasreallycoolandstuffbecauseitwasdifferent.AndthenmakingtheposterswasreallyfunbecauseIreallylike“craftsy”things–Ithink[thetimeline]wasaprettycoolpart.…leastfavorite(drawapictureabouttheorganism)Itwasalotofwritingdown,andIthinkthatmostofthetimescienceandsocialstudiesisattheendoftheday,andIgetkindatiredwritingallthesestuffthingsdown,andit’snotexactlythemostrelaxingthing.Thefactthatwewritealotaboutwhatwethinkiskindofboringtome.Iactuallythought[TrickyTracks]wasprettycool‘causethenwegottofigureoutwhattheywereandstuff.So,observingthingsisquitefuntome,butwritingallthisstuffdown……doscienceIthinkitmeansmostlytostudysomethingandprobablydiscoversomethingsomedaythatyoudidn’tknow,andthat’swhyyoustudyit.So,Ithinkascientistissomeonewhostudiessomething,mostly.…scientist(probably,definitely)Yeah,because,actuallywhenIwaslittle,IusedtothinkofscientistsaspeoplewithchemicalsandI’mstillkindofinteresting.AndIremembermakingbakingsodavolcanoesandthatreallyinterestedme,soIwantedtoseehowchemicalsreactandsoon.AndIoncewenttothismuseumandtheytoldmeI’dbeagreatgeologistbecauseIwasreallygoodandbrushingandfindingfossils.[Whatkindofsciencewouldyouliketodo?]Um,I’dprobablywanttobeascientistthatstudiesanimals‘causeIloveanimalsalot.[Whatdoesascientistwhostudiesanimalsdo?]Well,theyprobablystudythewayoflifethattheyhaveandwhattheydoandhowdifferenttheyarefromotheranimals,sotheyprobablyhavetocomparesomethings.…collectdataWell,Ithinkthattheycanlookatitandtheycansay,ohwell,thispersonfoundthattheythinkthecolorchangedbecauseofthisandsoon.Sotheycankindoflikeuseittocomparewithotheronesandtheycanprobablyfindonecenterpointwhereitallmeets.Theyhavetotalkaboutitandfindsomethingthatwouldwork.…interpretdata

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Actually,Ihadtodominebymyself.Icomparedtwohorizons,andInoticedthatthefragmentationhadgonefromprettyfullpiecestoalotofsmallpiecesandtherockcolorhadchangedwhichIthinkmeansthattherewasalotoflifeinthatsection.Well,itkindofallwenttogether.BecauseIsaidbrachiopodsandclamswereswimmingtowardthetopandiftheygotbiggerthanthefragmentationwouldgodown,buttheywouldgetbiggerbecauseofoxygen.Andiftheywouldgetbigger,morewouldprobablycomebecausetherewasprobablyalotoffoodinthatarea.Sotheywouldcomeupandtheywouldeatit,andthat’swhythefragmentationwouldgodown.Andsincethere’salotinthatsection,theycouldweatheragainstthesand.Andifthere’slayersofsand,thefirstlayercouldwashoffandthenotherones–therewasmoreoxygenavailabletotherockssotherocksgetlighter.Itkindofallwrappedup,andIwaslike“oh,cool.”IcomparedminewithSanaandGloriaandtheydidn’tusethesamehorizonsasme,butactuallyourhypotheseswerereallyclosetoeachother.…favoritepartsofscience(runningexperimentsandcollectingdata)Runningexperimentsareactuallyquitefuntome,butcollectingthedataofitgetsprettyannoyingtome.Um,aboutFossilFinders,Ithinkplanningexperimentstotestideaswereprettycool.STUDENT#5(44:34­END)…aboutthesame[Science]isinteresting.…interestWatercycle.[Geology/Fossils]isprobablysomewhereinthemiddle.…favorite(seeingfossils,breakingfossils)‘CauseIliketoseewhatcoolrockslooklike,andIliketoseewhat’sinsideofthem.…leastfavorite(havingtodoallthecharts)Ithinkit’skindahardtorecordallthestuff‘causeIcan’tkeepupwithit.Puttingitinthecomputerwasprettyeasy.…doscienceBeabletolearnsomethinginterestingandbeabletoseecoolstuff.…scientist(definitelynot,definitelynot)Well,Ijustdon’tlikesciencebecauseit’stoohardformetounderstand.[Whatpartsarehard?]Havingtofigureoutwherepartsofsomethinggoes,likesortingitandstuff–it’sconfusing.

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…partsofscience(runningexperimentsandcollectingdata)[stilltrue–justdidn’tlikehavingtofilloutthecharts]…collectdataWell,theycouldprobablylookatwhatwedidandthentheycouldtrytolookatsimilarpieces,probably,tofigureitout.Probablyrocks–well,ofcourserocks…Idon’treallyknowthatquestion.Idon’tknow.…interpretdata[Didyougettodooneofthese?]Idon’tthinkso.[Whatdidyoulearnfromlookingatthegraphs?]Idon’tremember.…otherIthinkotherkidsmightenjoyit.Probablygettingtoactuallydoexperimentswithit,insteadofjustreadingaboutitandwritingstuff[isbetter].

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FOSSILFINDERSTEACHERINTERVIEWNOTES(2/18/10)

1. Please describe your professional development in science [prior to Fossil Finders]. While I was an intern, I learned from Carla about inquiry-based science, engaging students in authentic problems. I also have the inherent ability of asking questions. I’ve taken the initiative to get professional development on my own, such as Governor’s Institute for Environment & Ecology (covered inquiry & state standards, authentic assessment, assessment anchors, hands-on field experiences) and Wetlands (grant-funded). These courses were taught by environmental scientists. District unit planning is typically implementation-driven, not content-driven. Change in units is often teacher-driven to make them more inquiry-based.

2. Aside from formal professional development, how do you obtain content knowledge about

the science topics you are required to teach? If you want to teach the content on the surface, you can get all the information you need from the curriculum materials. If I want to teach more depth than breadth, I go to journals and web sites or get guidance from a fellow teacher or CST. Liz’ husband lends kits and knowledge. Field trips for waste management and UAJA were really helpful, but lack of funding is requiring us to cut back on these.

3. Do you have contact with community and/or university scientists who help you develop content knowledge? If not, would you use this resource if it were available? Carla is a huge resource for me.

4. How would you describe your level of knowledge and comfort with the science topics in

your curriculum? Environmental, Human Body and Animal Kingdom are relevant to my life; after teaching Fossil Finders for one year, I have been able to internalize it more than four years of the Geology unit because I am making connections to the material. Ranked in order of knowledge / comfort: #1 Environmental: know it really well, differentiation, extension, etc. #2 Human Body #3 Animal Kingdom #4 Geology: I have to do a lot of preparation

5. About which topic are you most knowledgeable? How do you feel that this knowledge

impacts your teaching? I am completely engaged in the first three (Question 4 above), so my passion naturally comes out in my teaching.

6. About which topic are you least knowledgeable? How do you feel that this lack of knowledge impacts your teaching? It can be hard to summon up excitement for Geology; I would never let on that it is not my favorite area, but I feel that sometimes they can read it in me.

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7. Explain how professional development in science is different in Fossil Finders than in other programs. Compared to other training, Fossil Finders had a very focused inquiry basis. Other professional development has been extremely engaging and investigative, but Fossil Finders had lots of components that all came together to achieve the goal. Professional development in Fossil Finders was intense and intensive, including inquiry and geology content. In addition, it was “two-way” professional development that allowed us to provide feedback on the lessons as learners, compared to the typical one-way model of other professional development. The online forum has added another layer of seeing the lessons through student and teacher eyes. It has been stressful to write reflections, but so helpful to have them. Feedback has allowed me to tweak lessons in the moment. I haven’t had to use the PRI web site too much, but I use Dan and Barbara as sources of knowledge (they also post their feedback to teacher reflections).

8. How has Fossil Finders impacted how you teach geology in the classroom? As a teacher, Fossil Finders has helped reinforce the importance of explicit instruction coupled with exploration: they should fit together in a way that leads to productive science talks in which students can draw their own reasonable conclusions. We talk a lot about history in Social Studies, but I’ve never applied that to Science, i.e., how the things that have happened in the past impact what is happening now AND that there are multiple perspectives that weigh in on evidence. For the students, they loved the investigation part of Fossil Finders, but when it came to filling in the sheets, they did not like that (showed up as a suggestion on surveys). Look at the difference between handing them a blank piece of paper versus a worksheet with blanks. There is often a difference between informal assessment (science talks, conversations, etc.) and summative, formal assessments where students have to fill in blanks.

9. What aspect of the program was most helpful to you as a professional: offsite professional development, online collaboration with other teachers, email / phone / visit with scientists, other? Why? See #8

10. After your experience with Fossil Finders, would you actively seek out science education partnerships for other science topics in your curriculum? Why or why not?

First point: Not all partnerships will be like Fossil Finders. Second point: You must have your team, principal, and CSTs on board to make it work. Third point: I would love to have a partnership for every unit (even if it’s just field trips). We are lucky that Cornell Ed partnered with PRI first! Scientists don’t have to think outside of the lab [because they have partners in education].

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STANDARDUNITTEACHERINTERVIEWNOTES(2/24/10)

1. Please describe your professional development in science. Formal professional development in science has been through PDS methods courses and relationships formed out of them. Husband is a science educator. Reaches out to former professors, specifically Carla, for support. Theoretically, Schoolyard is science-based professional development. Unit planning does not typically provide content knowledge.

2. Aside from formal professional development, how do you obtain content knowledge about

the science topics you are required to teach? Husband’s science texts, other people’s lesson plans online, other teachers in the district, internet, Carla

3. Do you have contact with community and/or university scientists who help you develop content knowledge? If not, would you use this resource if it were available? Lock Haven (husband) & Penn State (Carla). More likely to reach out to science teachers than scientists. Need a balance of content knowledge AND teaching methods geared toward elementary students.

4. How would you describe your level of knowledge and comfort with the science topics in

your curriculum? Prior to teaching, had deep pockets of knowledge, but the curriculum is extremely broad. Rather than studying breadth of topics to build content knowledge, tends to use a more focused approach (e.g., pick a central question or idea and teach unit concepts around it based on the standards; introduce broader content points as they intersect with the primary inquiry).

5. About which topic are you most knowledgeable? How do you feel that this knowledge

impacts your teaching? Geology, believe it or not. Self-taught a college-level online course from a major textbook. However, feels that while she knows more than what 5th-graders need to know, she needs more knowledge about how to make it real, hands-on, and inquiry-based for them.

6. Would you actively seek out science education partnerships (with university or community

scientists) for science topics in your curriculum? Why or why not? Working with Carla to retool Animal Kingdom around a driving question. Provides expertise, sounding board, but must be someone with science knowledge AND understanding of how children learn and make connections. It takes time.

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SCIENTISTINTERVIEWNOTES(3/8/10)

1. Did you ever experience a program like Fossil Finders while you were a classroom teacher? What sparked your interest in this research question? I never experienced a scientist-classroom partnership while I was teaching. My interest was sparked by wishing to take this term “inquiry” (that is often thrown around in various methods classes, leaving a lot of people confused about what it means and how it looks in the classroom) and help teachers bring it to their elementary science teaching.

2. Explain how professional development in science is different in Fossil Finders than in

other programs. There are a lot of different types of professional development out there: curriculum workshops, Research Experience for Teachers (send teachers out to investigate a question, bring the experience back to the classroom), etc. => Fossil Finders combines a number of types of professional development by having teachers explore new curriculum, but also actually engage in research.

3. From your experience observing and interacting with Fossil Finders teachers, how does

the program impact their content knowledge and classroom practice? Have you found evidence that this approach leads to greater teacher comfort with inquiry-based geology? Please describe. I find that, for most teachers, the Fossil Finders experience eventually gives them the practice and confidence with inquiry to explore other questions and design inquiry experiences for their students. While most teachers must have guidance in this type of teaching for several years before they “run with it,” some teachers seem able to do so after only one year. The key seems to be what Shulman calls “pedagogical content knowledge,” or the ability of a teacher to translate content knowledge to students in effective ways. The term implies an intersection of teacher philosophy, content knowledge, and teaching context. Although a teacher does not have to have all three in equal measure to bring effective inquiry to the classroom, the more he/she has of each component, the more quickly he/she appears to be successful.

4. Do you think this type of partnership would be as critical / as effective with other science

units that lend themselves more easily to student inquiry (e.g., simple machines)? Why or why not? I believe that a partnership approach lends authenticity to a unit, regardless of topic. Even with a unit like simple machines, students may feel the tasks they are completing are inauthentic; a partnership connects their learning to a real-world question and can help them better understand the nature of science in any discipline.

5. How important is it for teachers interested in science education partnerships to seek out partners in science education rather than research science? Why?

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Interestingly, the Museum of the Earth had previously created a curriculum program called the Devonian Seas; however, by partnering with the school of education at Cornell, the team now hopes to bring a conduit of reflective practice and classroom experience to improve the curriculum (many team members have elementary and secondary teaching experience). While many of the scientists also have teaching experience, theirs is typically at the college level. Although certain scientists have the ability to translate the material to an elementary level, the partnership with the school of education helps to ensure that the curriculum is developmentally appropriate.

6. Do you have evidence that Fossil Finders improves student learning and/or motivation? If so, please describe. Last year, Fossil Finders was only taught in New York. Based on pre- versus post-assessment data, we found that elementary students in Fossil Finders outperformed the control in student learning. However, 9th-graders showed no difference, possibly because all classes were being prepared for the same material on the Regents exam. As for motivation and “feelings about science,” there is substantial anecdotal evidence that the program is having a positive effect. Teachers feel that students are more motivated and engaged by collecting data for a “real” purpose and engaging in hands-on learning.

7. From your experience with Fossil Finders, do you find evidence that students are able to connect the big question (“How does sea life respond to changes in the environment?”) with the fossil data they are collecting? Please describe. The answer is that the learning must be scaffolded for students of all ages. When writing the curriculum, I did not expect 5th-grade students to go beyond using the data to describe a snapshot of the environment. I would expect them to make connections between what they see in the rocks (types of fossils, size) with what the environment was like in the location at a specific point in time. (For example, students should be able to make data-based claims about the environment at their sample location and time being aquatic, rather than populated by T-rexes). They could take their analysis further by examining data from another class and describing the differences between their observations and what “Mrs. Smith’s” class found. A next step might be to take what they know about predatory species and examine relative populations of clams versus brachiopods based on the abundance of their predators, and so on. Older students would still need scaffolding, but might be able to extract and manipulate their own data rather than making observations directly from database graphs.

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APPENDIXD

VideoRecordings(Notes)

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