1 What Are We Doing Here Anyway? Vision for our Work: Effective Science Learning Experiences Dave...

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What Are We Doing Here Anyway?Vision for our Work: Effective Science Learning Experiences

Dave WeaverRMC Research Corp.

Statewide Science Achievement

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By the 2010 Numbers

• 26,211 Grade 5 students met science standard

• 41,184 Grade 8 students met science standard

• 50,816 Grade 5 students did not meet science standard

• 34,328 Grade 8 students did not meet science standard

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Conclusion From 2009 Evaluation

• The infrastructure to support the use of a core curriculum of inquiry-based science instructional modules is in place and is functioning adequately in the schools visited.

• Although these conditions are necessary for the implementation of inquiry-based science instruction, they are not sufficient to raise student achievement as measured by the science WASL/MSP.

Lack of Vision & Purpose

• “In most instances, principals, lead teachers, and system-level administrators are trying to improve the performance of their schools without knowing what the actual practice would have to look like to get the results they want at the classroom level.”

(City, 2009, p 32)

• There is often a “lack of an agreed-upon definition of what high-quality instruction looks like.”

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Washington State LASER Responded

• In early 2009 LASER set out to develop a logic model and theory of action

• Draft shared with science leadership in Spring 2009• Incorporated into the 2009-10 Science Partnership

Academy Meetings• Subcommittee formed to revise contents of Box 3

(Theory of Action)• Current version completed in July 2010

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Logic Model Review Committee• Joanne Johnson

• Anne Kennedy

• Kim Klinke

• Mark Lewis

• Kirk Robbins

• Adrienne Somera

• Dave Weaver7

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Logic Model

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LASER PD Theory of Action• If all science professional development is focused on helping teachers use research-

based instructional practices, materials, and assessments so that each student:– Reveals preconceptions, initial reasoning, and beliefs;– Is intellectually engaged;– Uses evidence to generate explanations;– Communicates and critiques their scientific ideas and the ideas of others;– Makes sense of the learning experience and draws appropriate understandings;– Makes connections between new and existing scientific concepts by understanding and

organizing facts and information in new ways; and– Reflect on how personal understanding has changed over time and recognize cognitive

processes that lead to changes;• Then (we believe):

– Student science achievement would increase;– More students would enroll and successfully complete challenging and advanced science

courses at the high school level;– More students would seek further studies beyond high school in STEM content and would

seek STEM careers; – More students will seek to be engaged in STEM-related activities in out-of-school time, and;– More students would have the capacity to make informed decisions based on scientific

information and scientific ways of knowing.

Comparing Old and New Box 3Teachers use research-based instructional practices, materials, and assessments so that students:1. Draw upon a deep foundation of

usable knowledge within the context of a conceptual framework

2. Are intellectually engaged and motivated

3. Reveal preconceptions and reasoning

4. Use evidence to generate explanations

5. Communicate and critique their scientific ideas and the ideas of others

6. Reflect on how personal understanding has changed over time

Teachers use research-based instructional practices, materials, and assessments so that each student:

1. Reveals preconceptions, initial reasoning, and beliefs

2. Is intellectually engaged

3. Uses evidence to generate explanations

4. Communicates and critiques their scientific ideas and the ideas of others

5. Makes sense of the learning experience and draws appropriate understandings

6. Makes connections between new and existing scientific concepts by understanding and organizing facts and information in new ways

7. Reflect on how personal understanding has changed over time and recognize cognitive processes that lead to changes

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Comparing Old and New Box 3Teachers use research-based instructional practices, materials, and assessments so that students:1. Draw upon a deep foundation of

usable knowledge within the context of a conceptual framework

2. Are intellectually engaged and motivated

3. Reveal preconceptions and reasoning

4. Use evidence to generate explanations

5. Communicate and critique their scientific ideas and the ideas of others

6. Reflect on how personal understanding has changed over time

Teachers use research-based instructional practices, materials, and assessments so that each student:

1. Reveals preconceptions, initial reasoning, and beliefs

2. Is intellectually engaged

3. Uses evidence to generate explanations

4. Communicates and critiques their scientific ideas and the ideas of others

5. Makes sense of the learning experience and draws appropriate understandings

6. Makes connections between new and existing scientific concepts by understanding and organizing facts and information in new ways

7. Reflect on how personal understanding has changed over time and recognize cognitive processes that lead to changes

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Comparing Old and New Box 3Teachers use research-based instructional practices, materials, and assessments so that students:1. Draw upon a deep foundation of

usable knowledge within the context of a conceptual framework

2. Are intellectually engaged and motivated

3. Reveal preconceptions and reasoning

4. Use evidence to generate explanations

5. Communicate and critique their scientific ideas and the ideas of others

6. Reflect on how personal understanding has changed over time

Teachers use research-based instructional practices, materials, and assessments so that each student:

1. Reveals preconceptions, initial reasoning, and beliefs

2. Is intellectually engaged

3. Uses evidence to generate explanations

4. Communicates and critiques their scientific ideas and the ideas of others

5. Makes sense of the learning experience and draws appropriate understandings

6. Makes connections between new and existing scientific concepts by understanding and organizing facts and information in new ways

7. Reflect on how personal understanding has changed over time and recognize cognitive processes that lead to changes

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Comparing Old and New Box 3Teachers use research-based instructional practices, materials, and assessments so that students:1. Draw upon a deep foundation of

usable knowledge within the context of a conceptual framework

2. Are intellectually engaged and motivated

3. Reveal preconceptions and reasoning

4. Use evidence to generate explanations

5. Communicate and critique their scientific ideas and the ideas of others

6. Reflect on how personal understanding has changed over time

Teachers use research-based instructional practices, materials, and assessments so that each student:

1. Reveals preconceptions, initial reasoning, and beliefs

2. Is intellectually engaged

3. Uses evidence to generate explanations

4. Communicates and critiques their scientific ideas and the ideas of others

5. Makes sense of the learning experience and draws appropriate understandings

6. Makes connections between new and existing scientific concepts by understanding and organizing facts and information in new ways

7. Reflect on how personal understanding has changed over time and recognize cognitive processes that lead to changes

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Comparing Old and New Box 3Teachers use research-based instructional practices, materials, and assessments so that students:1. Draw upon a deep foundation of

usable knowledge within the context of a conceptual framework

2. Are intellectually engaged and motivated

3. Reveal preconceptions and reasoning

4. Use evidence to generate explanations

5. Communicate and critique their scientific ideas and the ideas of others

6. Reflect on how personal understanding has changed over time

Teachers use research-based instructional practices, materials, and assessments so that each student:

1. Reveals preconceptions, initial reasoning, and beliefs

2. Is intellectually engaged

3. Uses evidence to generate explanations

4. Communicates and critiques their scientific ideas and the ideas of others

5. Makes sense of the learning experience and draws appropriate understandings

6. Makes connections between new and existing scientific concepts by understanding and organizing facts and information in new ways

7. Reflect on how personal understanding has changed over time and recognize cognitive processes that lead to changes

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Comparing Old and New Box 3Teachers use research-based instructional practices, materials, and assessments so that students:1. Draw upon a deep foundation of

usable knowledge within the context of a conceptual framework

2. Are intellectually engaged and motivated

3. Reveal preconceptions and reasoning

4. Use evidence to generate explanations

5. Communicate and critique their scientific ideas and the ideas of others

6. Reflect on how personal understanding has changed over time

Teachers use research-based instructional practices, materials, and assessments so that each student:

1. Reveals preconceptions, initial reasoning, and beliefs

2. Is intellectually engaged

3. Uses evidence to generate explanations

4. Communicates and critiques their scientific ideas and the ideas of others

5. Makes sense of the learning experience and draws appropriate understandings

6. Makes connections between new and existing scientific concepts by understanding and organizing facts and information in new ways

7. Reflect on how personal understanding has changed over time and recognize cognitive processes that lead to changes

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Comparing Old and New Box 3Teachers use research-based instructional practices, materials, and assessments so that students:1. Draw upon a deep foundation of

usable knowledge within the context of a conceptual framework

2. Are intellectually engaged and motivated

3. Reveal preconceptions and reasoning

4. Use evidence to generate explanations

5. Communicate and critique their scientific ideas and the ideas of others

6. Reflect on how personal understanding has changed over time

Teachers use research-based instructional practices, materials, and assessments so that each student:

1. Reveals preconceptions, initial reasoning, and beliefs

2. Is intellectually engaged

3. Uses evidence to generate explanations

4. Communicates and critiques their scientific ideas and the ideas of others

5. Makes sense of the learning experience and draws appropriate understandings

6. Makes connections between new and existing scientific concepts by understanding and organizing facts and information in new ways

7. Reflect on how personal understanding has changed over time and recognize cognitive processes that lead to changes

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WHAT EVIDENCE DO WE HAVE THIS MIGHT WORK?

Results from a quasi-experimental research study of the schools participating in the Observing for

Evidence of Learning project

The following material is based upon work sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. ESI-0455735 to the Institute for Systems Biology.

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Observing for Evidence of Learning

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Project Director: Caroline Kiehle, M.Ed. ckiehle@systemsbiology.org

Senior Researcher: David Weaver, M.S. DWeaver@rmccorp.com

Funding support by: National Science Foundation Department of Education through Washington State

Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction The Seattle Foundation

OEL Theory of Action (Purpose)• Student science achievement will increase if science

teachers use instructional strategies and instructional materials to:– Elicit students’ initial ideas,– Engage students intellectually with important science content,– Provide opportunities for students to confront their ideas with

evidence,– Help students formulate new ideas based on that evidence, and– Encourage students to reflect upon how their ideas have

evolved,

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OEL Essential Elements (Process)

• OEL Cycle

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Quasi-Experimental Research• School was the unit of change• Matched each of the 21 participating schools with

demographically similar non-participating schools– Matched on grade range, enrollment, FRL, ELL, ethnicity,

community type

• All parameters agreed within 3% except Asian (difference 7%)

• Trends between 2004 & 2010 with baseline in 2006• No need for statistical adjustments

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OEL Schools Compared to a Matched Set of Nonparticipating Schools

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OEL Schools Compared to a Matched Set of Nonparticipating Schools

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OEL Schools Compared to a Matched Set of Nonparticipating Schools

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Significant Gap

OEL Schools Compared to a Matched Set of Nonparticipating Schools

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Significant Gap

Comparison of Low Socioeconomic Schools

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Comparison of Low Socioeconomic Schools

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Comparison of Low Socioeconomic Schools

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Comparison of Low Socioeconomic Schools

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Observing for Evidence of Learning

• A clear process applicable to unique needs of teachers and students– OEL Essential Elements– School-based collaboration

• A clear purpose– OEL Theory of Action– Provided the context for the collaboration

• Deprivatizes practice through collaboration30

In Your Teams!

• Where does your current professional development offerings support the new Box 3 of the Logic Model?

• What does your team need to do to develop an "agreed-upon definition of the high-quality instruction" that is described in box 3?

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?? Questions ??

Dave WeaverRMC Research Corp., Portland, Oregon

dweaver@rmccorp.com