Observing Evidence of Learning
Observing Evidence of Learning (OEL) is four-year research study funded by the National Science Foundation. The project stems from the outcomes of the Middle School Science Systemic Change Partnership, a regional Local Systemic Change Initiative completed in 2005 and funded by the National Science Foundation.
In partnership with RMC Research Corporation, the Center for Inquiry Science will work with twenty middle schools from four regional school districts, Bellevue, Highline, Seattle and Shoreline to study a new professional development model for science teachers. Teachers from each school will form teams and work together to follow a protocol for studying students' learning of new and challenging science concepts. To understand and utilize the protocols as well as refine their own pedagogical science content knowledge, teachers will engage in professional development experiences with trained facilitators and scientists. The research study will then address the primary research question: "To what extend does participation in the OEL professional development result in improved student science achievement at grades 6, 7 and 8?"
North Sound LASER Alliance
The North Sound LASER Alliance (NSLA) is one of 10 of Washington State's Regional LASER Alliances. Washington State LASER (Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform), is a partnership program that started in 1999 with the National Science Resources Center (NSRC), the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Battelle, Pacific Science Center, Educational Service Districts and school districts from across Washington State. The program is centered on the use of the NSRC's Strategic Planning Institutes that lead school districts to implement inquiry-based science curriculum. A key component to the program is supporting the first 18 hours of initial use professional development for teachers for each set of instructional materials adopted by their districts.
The NSLA, established in 2001 with leadership from Seattle Public Schools, encompasses a region that includes a significant number of school districts that have completed a LASER Strategic Planning Institute. These districts range in their placement along a science education reform continuum — while many districts are just beginning (or revising) reform efforts outlined in their strategic plans, teachers in several of the districts have already completed 18 hours of initial use professional development (some supported by LASER funding and some supported with resources other than LASER funding). Additionally, there are a select number of districts currently poised to have teachers participate in their first 18 hours of initial use professional development. While the NSLA is inclusive of all regional LASER districts (and welcoming to districts interested in learning more about LASER), the NSLA will utilize current funding from Washington State LASER to support the first 18 hours of initial use professional development activities for teachers in the Bellevue, Everett, Highline, Issaquah, Kent, Lake Washington, Renton, Seattle and Tukwila school districts. On a space available basis, extra seats in these professional development offerings will be open to NSLA districts at large.
The Center for Inquiry Science serves as the fiscal agent for the NSLA, as well, Center for Inquiry Science staff provides administrative leadership and professional development coordination.
Science Educators´ Network for Professional Growth
The Science Educators´ Network for Professional Growth (SEN) was initiated in response to the growing need for regional science education professional development opportunities. SEN, a program funded by The Boeing Company and the National Institutes for Health (P50 GM076547-01), offers experienced classroom science teachers opportunity to engage in an intensive training experience towards becoming professional development facilitators. Alumni of this experience are supported through a regional, collegial network and continued professional growth opportunities. This network of professional development facilitators will be able to provide Puget Sound region schools and districts with professional development related to inquiry-based science instructional materials.
Professional Development for Professional Development Providers
With funding from Washington LASER, the Center for Inquiry Science has developed and facilitates the Professional Development for Professional Development Providers (PD4PD) series. PD4PD offers experience professional development facilitators in Washington State opportunity to enhance their practice. Specifically, the PD4PD experience has been designed to assist professional development facilitators in infusing instructional strategies related to pedagogical content knowledge into initial use professional development.
Systems Education Approach to Science (SEA-Science)
As the culture of science evolves to embrace a systems approach to science, K-12 education systems must also shift from teaching the core subjects of science (biology, physics, earth science, and chemistry) as isolated subjects. The SEA-Science project, a Precollege Science Education Program funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, will pilot a professional development model for increasing the scientific understanding of K-5 teacher leaders in the Renton School District. The teacher leaders will work with post-doctoral fellows from the Institute for Systems Biology and other community scientists to familiarize themselves with systems analysis and then analyze a variety of scientific systems as related to the school districts adopted science curriculum.
Celebrating Science: A guide for expanding inquiry-based science education into the community
For seven years, the Center for Inquiry Science hosted the Family Science program, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF grant 0224574). The lessons learned from this project are now compiled in both hard copy and web format in a publication entitled Celebrating Science: A guide for expanding inquiry-based science education into the community. This guide overviews Learning in the 21st Century, including a comparison of contemporary science education and inquiry-centered science education; Establishing a Family Science Program, including the stages of a school district´s science education reform efforts as juxtaposed to the phases of a communities participation; Sustaining Family Science Programs, including suggested step-by-step guidelines for planning, facilitating and evaluating Family Science programs; and, Creating Inquiry-based Activities, including an overview of an inquiry-centered learning cycle and related primer for creating activities as related to the learning cycle.
For hard copy versions of the guide, please contact ; the web version includes access to PDF files of all the pages include in the hard copy version.
High School Systems Biology Course
The Center for Inquiry Science is please to be supporting the K-12 education efforts of ISB faculty member Nitin Baliga. The Halobacterium research grant, funded by the National Science Foundation, includes an educational component that supports the development of supplemental curriculum modules to teach systems biology within high school science courses. The Baliga Lab has partnered with Bellevue School District to help develop and field test their modules. Currently, two modules have been released – An Introduction to Ecological Networks and Genetic Control of Networks: Response to the Environment. To learn more about this work, please visit Understanding Biological Complexity Using a Systems Approach on the Baliga Lab´s website.
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