Research Roundtable

Hui JinShawn Stevens

Amelia Wenk GotwalsJeff Barrett

Audrey MohanDick Boehm

Research Roundtable

Hui JinThe Ohio State University

Assistant ProfessorCollege of Education and Human

Ecology

Using Conceptual Change-oriented Learning Progressions for CIA alignment

A learning progression contains a LPF (learning progression framework), associated assessments, and associated curriculum and instructional approaches.

Conceptual change-oriented learning progressions Using students’ ideas as resources for learning Promoting conceptual change

Using learning progressions to systematically align curriculum, instruction, and assessment Using an iterative process to continuously revise, refine, and

validate the LPF, curriculum, instructional approaches, and assessment.

Using the LPF as a common framework for curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

Examining teachers’ understanding of the LPF (i.e., CK and PCK), and how teachers use the LPF to plan and teach lessons.

Force-dynamic

Reasoning

Matter/Energy transformation

Tracing Matter & Energy

Reasoning at the

macro-scale

Reasoning across scales

Connecting ScalesL

PF

Curriculum & Instruction

Teach

er

s

Student Assessme

nts

Teacher Knowledge: CK & PCK

Classroom Teaching Practice

PD & TE Programs

Example: A Learning Progression for matter and energy in socio-ecological systems

Research Roundtable

Shawn Stevens

University of MichiganAssistant Research Scientist

School of Education

• What might the future of learning progressions look like? • What adaptations or changes could be made to

current research models?

Core ideas of science defined by the new Framework for K–12 Science Education and Common Core standards (math)

•Definitions of learning progressions and learning progression research will begin to converge

• Allow research to focus on answering more complex questions• supporting and assessing blended learning• innovative assessment strategies (formative &

summative)

Research Roundtable

Amelia Wenk Gotwals

Michigan State UniversityAssistant Professor

Department of Teacher Education

What is the potential value of learning progressions for geography education?

Consider “Uses” for Learning Progressions

LPs for various uses may contain very different information

Breadth and Grain Size of LPs

What adaptations or changes could be made to current research models?

“Zooming-in and -out” of LPs

Multiple coordinated LPs for various purposes Large breadth and grain size as frameworks

for multiple grade level curriculum and large-scale assessment

Smaller grain size and breadth as templates for classroom curriculum, instruction, and formative assessment

Multiple coordinated studies under a larger framework umbrella

Research Roundtable

Jeff Barrett

Illinois State UniversityProfessor of Mathematics

Education and Associate Director of the Center for Mathematics, Science

and Technology

Learning Progressions and Trajectories: next? (Jeff Barrett)

LP are constructs that need clarification and specification in future research:

They include sequences of increasing sophistication, but how are they derived? For logical content as expected by domain

experts (these are standards as parsed into a hierarchical order), or

For cognitive/psychological levels of understanding garnered from empirical work?

LT include instructional support: do you want to research this?

Learning trajectories are linked lists that include a progression and a sequentially linked instructional program (using proto-type tasks) An alternative is to embed formative assessment tasks to

indicate LT level achievements

It is critical to distinguish among instructional support, and instructional assessment as one specifies the sequential set of tasks and correlates them with the progression levels

To support further design of curriculum, standards, or assessment, it is vital to center the entire progression around a hypothetical account of the thinking about mental actions and the internalized “actions on mental objects” one expects for children at each level of the LP/LT.

How might the research models be adapted for geography education?

The use of design research (see models and modeling, “concept-eliciting tasks” by Richard Lesh) would provide important ways to engage children in practical, situated tasks that involve navigation and the use of tools based in central geography concepts.

Design research provides a basis for longitudinal study as well (see ZDM article for one example in children’s understanding of measurement) http://math.illinoisstate.edu/jbarrett/publications/

documents/authornotesversionofZDMOct2011onunits.pdf

Major challenges to building and establishing LTs or LPs

Setting up confirmable or falsifiable events that indicate theoretical coherence and consistency

Problems: grain-size (across levels and within levels)

Variability of individuals and groups from the population (for whom is the Progression predictive and descriptive? For half the children in most classrooms, in many cultures?)

Time: what period of time constitutes a developmental change? One year? One week? Two months? (see forthcoming book: editors: Maloney, Confrey & Nugyen, 2014)

Grain-Size of the Progression

Level c

Level d Problems: (1) Large -grained changes in knowledge; Should level d be deleted from the sequence? Are these levels in the right order (reversed?).

Level eProblems: (1) Small-grained changesIn knowledge; Should level e be characterized differently? How?

What does one row look like?

Goal (progress toward the goal)

Observable actions, representations

Hypothetical: mental actions on mental models and objects

Instructional tasks to promote growth to next level

Assessment tasks to indicate level

Research Roundtable

Audrey Mohan

Biological SciencesCurriculum Study

Research Associate

What is the potential value of learning progressions for geography education? 

To inform the design of curriculum materials.

To inform the design of educative curriculum materials.

To inform the design of assessments in geography.

To design professional development that focuses on student thinking.

To help teachers make better/informed choices in their classroom practice.

Research Roundtable

Dick Boehm

Texas State UniversityProfessor and Jesse H. Jones

Distinguished Chair in Geographic Education

Geography EducationInventory & Prospect

A project conducted by the National Center for Research in Geography Education

Preliminary Data. DO NOT copy or quote

Inventory Geography Education Icons – 15 over last 5- 10 years

From 2001 – 2011, 31 PhDs in geography were granted from 10 universities. 21 or 68% were granted from two geography departments

On average, 10 emerging scholars participated in the past three Grosvenor Center Early Career Research conferences .

Of the 10-11,000 members of the AAG, only 318 are members of the geography education specialty group.

Of these only 38 self reported “geography education” as a research or teaching specialty.

Of the 10-11,000 AAG members, only 84 self-reported “geography education” as a research or teaching specialty.

67 of the 218 geography departments list geography education as a “program specialty”

From 2006-11, 26% of all job listings in JIG were for GIS.

Geography Education has averaged only 9 papers per year at NCSS over the last five years.

An “Issues” panel that included Gil Grosvenor and leading geography educators was convened at the San Diego NCSS, only 65 in audience.

Prospect• Expansion of the geography education network is needed. • Recognize that at a preliminary glance, all of the intellectual labor

infrastructure of geography education is underutilized or non-existent. • Recognize the curve is going down, not up.

What can we do? Replace icons with capable geography educators and faculty who are able to

carry out and direct high level research and attract well-qualified graduate students.

Encourage geography education faculty and interested departments to be active participants in the recruiting process for top quality grad students.

Develop initiatives spearheaded by The National Center for Research in Geography Education that advocate for geography education.

Work with the AAG Council to encourage geography departments to understand that they need to value geography’s role in the K-12 U.S. education system and how that transfers to higher education.

Encourage individuals and departments to practice accurate and responsible reporting of geography education efforts for the AAG directory.

Cultivate relationships with Colleges of Education, particularly those with a history of graduating PhDs with an emphasis in geography, geosciences, or social studies.

Seek out cooperative relationships with experienced educational researchers in Colleges of Education.

Strengthen our relationship with NCSS and with social studies researchers. Opportunities may exist for joint research projects.

We now have a good idea of the geography education research capacity to support learning progressions and other major projects that are likely to appear.