Understanding Science

Director: Kirsten Daehler    (Senior Research Associate) Director: Mayumi Shinohara    (Senior Research Associate)

Developed at WestEd, Understanding Science is a nationally field-tested professional development program designed to help teachers: Learn major concepts of K-8 science Examine how children make sense of those concepts Analyze and improve their teaching practice Since 1998, Understanding Science has worked with more than 500 teachers and provided in excess of 10,000 hours of high-quality professional development (impacting an estimated 12,000 students). Research shows that the Understanding Science project impacts both teacher knowledge and student achievement. An especially encouraging result is that low-performing students make the biggest gains. The focus of the Understanding Science approach is on the intersection of knowledge about content and teaching — that is, on developing teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge. The courses are based on the premise that, to develop pedagogical content knowledge, teachers must have opportunities to learn science content in combination with student thinking and instructional strategies for helping students learn that content. Understanding Science courses address foundational topics such as electricity and magnetism and cover the science concepts most K-8 students are expected to master. Each course is intended for a different topic and grade span (for example, Understanding Electric Circuits is about the teaching electric circuits in grades 3-6). Now in final negotiations with a major educational publisher, the full set of published courses will make up a comprehensive professional development curriculum for K-8 teachers, including 15 Understanding Science courses on the major ideas of K-8 earth, life, and physical science. (Two courses to be published in 2008; the remaining 13 over the next five years.) Courses target in-service science teachers, from beginning to veteran teachers, and can be used in a variety of settings. They are intentionally designed for use in existing professional development programs, such as ongoing study groups or summer institutes that support standards-based instruction and implementation of science curricula. The materials can also be the central focus of a university Masters program for science teachers or the “sense-making” part of a preservice science methods course. Related Resources Sample Materials Evaluation Results Research Papers Project Web Site: http://www.wested.org/understandingscience

Who's involved with this Project? Kirsten Daehler (Senior Research Associate) Jennifer Folsom (Earth Science Curriculum Writer & Staff Developer) Jennifer Novakoski (Graphic Designer) Mayumi Shinohara (Senior Research Associate) Michelle Simone (Administrative Assistant)

What kind of Resources are available? R&D Alert® Vol. 7, No. 2 Contents Knowledge, Know-How Needed for Teacher Quality From the CEO: Bolstering Teacher Quality Rethinking Teacher Preparation Working Conditions Key for Teacher Retention WestEd Resources on Teacher Quality What's New, Hot, & Useful Single copies are available free of charge. All current and past issues of R&D Alert are available online. Science and Mathematics Education Solutions: 2008 Products and Services Catalog Our Science and Mathematics Education Solutions catalog presents evidence-based products and professional development services, from language development to differentiated instruction, from data-driven decision-making to assessment and more. Order books and other products reflecting WestEd work and expertise. To receive a free copy of this publication, please click Add to Cart above and proceed through check out. Teachers in Professional Communities This new volume, edited by leading experts, uncovers new insights and understanding in the world of teacher work communities. Based on many years of research and experience, the editors believe teachers learn best within work communities. Here they explore what research and practice have revealed about how such communities develop and flourish, and how to negotiate the inherent tension that comes with improving competence and building community simultaneously. Using the five themes that emerged from their studies of practice (context, capacity, content, commitment, and challenge), the editors examine selected research studies, personal reflections, and give cases that were specially commissioned for this volume. The text begins with essays on research and long-term development projects and concludes with vignettes that address the following questions: What is the context of your program? How does your program deal with facilitating both competence and the building of community? What are the challenges and how has your program dealt with them? WestEd's Mayumi Shinohara and Kirsten R. Daehler contribute a key chapter, "Understanding Science: The Role of Community in Content Learning."