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Elementary

A Review of Practice-Based Literature on Teaching about Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems to Elementary Students

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This report summarizes the findings of a systematic review of practice-based literature on teaching about interdependent relationships in ecosystems to upper elementary students.  The report is a product of the Knowledge Assets to Support the Science Instruction of Elementary Teachers (ASSET)  project.  ASSET is exploring a method for collecting and synthesizing pedagogical content knowledge (PCK).  Literature reviews and discussions with experts will help determine what is known in the field about teaching and learning of each of the key ideas, including common patterns of student thinking and successful instructional strategies.

A Review of Practice-Based Literature on Teaching about Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems to Elementary Students (PDF, 1M)

Copyright and Usage: Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI) holds the copyright on this report. HRI grants permission for unlimited use, whether the entire report or excerpts, for non-commercial purposes. HRI requires that proper attribution be given if any products or materials, in whole or part, are used. 

Hayes, M. L., Plumley, C. L., Smith, P. S., & Esch, R. K. (2018). A Review of Practice-Based Literature on Teaching about Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems to Elementary Students. Chapel Hill, NC: Horizon Research, Inc.

What does “Implementing the NGSS” Mean? Operationalizing the science practices for K–12 classrooms.

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Authors: Joan D. Pasley, Peggy J. Trygstad, Eric R. Banilower

Date: November 2016

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are composed of three intertwined dimensions—disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts—that provide a foundation for what students should know and be able to do at various grade levels. The eight science practices outlined in the NGSS are critical components of scientific sense making, but currently there is limited guidance on what these practices should “look like” in K–12 classrooms.

Based on an extensive literature review and a multi-round modified-Delphi panel of expert practitioners, HRI developed a primer to unpack the science practices. The primer outlines key elements of each practice—what students should be doing when engaging with each science practice—and provide illustrative examples of how these key elements might play out in classrooms across different grade bands and subject areas.

What does “Implementing the NGSS” Mean? Operationalizing the science practices for K–12 classrooms

Copyright and Usage: Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI) holds the copyright on this report. HRI grants permission for unlimited use, whether the entire report or excerpts, for non-commercial purposes. The report should be cited as follows:

Pasley, J. D., Trygstad, P. J., & Banilower, E. R. (2016). What does “Implementing the NGSS” Mean? Operationalizing the science practices for K–12 classrooms. Chapel Hill, NC: Horizon Research, Inc.

Operationalizing the Science and Engineering Practices

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Authors: Peggy J. Trygstad, Eric R. Banilower, Joan D. Pasley

Date: April 2016

This paper, presented at the 2016 AERA Annual Meeting, describes the development of two products to facilitate measurement of the extent to which classroom instruction aligns with the Framework for K–12 Science Education and the subsequently released Next Generation Science Standards, particularly the science practices. The first product is a primer that operationalizes the science practices for different grade levels and content areas. The second product is a selected-response survey for measuring how often teachers implement the practices in their science instruction.

Operationalizing the Science and Engineering Practices (PDF, 252kb)

Copyright and Usage: Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI) holds the copyright on this report. HRI grants permission for unlimited use, whether the entire report or excerpts, for non-commercial purposes. The report should be cited as follows:

Trygstad, P. J., Banilower, E. R., & Pasley, J. D. (2016). Operationalizing the Science and Engineering Practices. Presented at the 2016 AERA Annual Meeting, Washington, DC.

Collaborative Research: An impact study to examine the efficacy of a mathematics professional development program for elementary teachers

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National Science Foundation

Project AIM-ED is a collaborative project involving Horizon Research, Inc. and the Department of Elementary Education at North Carolina State University. The project builds on the NSF-funded project “All Included in Mathematics (AIM)” to develop and research the impact of an expanded model for mathematics professional development (PD) for first and second grade teachers using web-based courseware and facilitator support.  The PD is designed for elementary teachers to learn and use mathematics discussion strategies shown to support student learning.  AIM-ED research will investigate the impact of the new PD model on teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and mathematics teaching.  The study also examines the impact on students’ participation in mathematics discussions and content learning, with particular attention to English learning students.

Knowledge Assets to Support the Science Instruction of Elementary Teachers (ASSET)

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National Science Foundation

Knowledge Assets to Support the Science Instruction of Elementary Teachers (ASSET) is exploring a method for generating collective pedagogical content knowledge (C-PCK).  This method will be tested through the creation of a web-based repository for elementary grades science teachers in two content areas:  (1) properties and structure of matter and (2) ecosystems.  To begin, the two content areas will be unpacked into key ideas.  Literature reviews and discussions with experts will help determine what is known in the field about teaching and learning of each of the key ideas, including common patterns of student thinking and successful instructional strategies.  Once the repository is complete, local teachers will test its functionality and use its resources to plan for and teach lessons related to the two areas of content.  Data collected about the teachers’ understanding and use of the repository will inform revisions to the C-PCK collection and synthesis method.

Elementary Educative Curricula for Teachers of Science

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University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Horizon Research, Inc., was a research partner in this study of educative curriculum materials for elementary teachers of science. In the first year, HRI developed teacher and student assessments on topics for which the educative materials were developed. In subsequent years, HRI administered the assessments to teachers and students and used the results to study the impact of the educative materials.