Interdisciplinary Research in Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education (1987) / Chapter Skim
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2 RESEARCH NEEDS IN SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2 RESEARCH NEEDS IN SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
Pages 13-33
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From page 13... ...
Though some of the research goals pertinent to these areas are well served through work within specific disciplines, others require collaboration among several disciplines and between research and practice. Examples of needed interdisciplinary research are outlined, drawn in part from the committee's preceding report (Committee, 1985)
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From page 14... ...
Improving Instruction Teaching Reasoning and Understanding o A critical problem with the o~athematice curriculum in grades K-l2 asked the science curricula in grades 7-12 is too much emphasis on facts and too little emphasis on basic concepts and method of mathes~a~cical and scientific reasoning O As for the science eurricul~ in elementary school, it hardly exists, and where it does9 it is more often a reading-progr~ about science or an eclectic selection of ~scier~ce projects rather than an organized science program. The problem of too much rote learning and too little teaching for understanding also exists at the level of introductory college courses (Arons, 1981, 1983)
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From page 15... ...
This finding implies that research on reasoning needs to involve experts in a particular discipline as well as cognitive scientists and experienced teachers. As an example, sus~cained collaborsti~re work involving physicists and cognitive scientists has produced an effective means of teaching beginning students the difficult problem-solving techniques required for exploiting Newton's laws (Reif and Heller, 1982~.
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From page 16... ...
, but such research has had little influence on the rigidly hierar chical conception of science and o~athematics that undergirds most classroom instruction. However,, effective teachers use their experience on how students learn to shape the subject matter they present (Brophy and Evertson, 1976; Collins and Stevens9 1982~.
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From page 17... ...
The kinds of collaboration needed to carry out this sort of work, since it is more applied, are even broader than those required for developing a better under standing of reasoning processes and will require -- in addition to subject m~t~cer experts, cognitive scien~cists, computer experts, and experienced teachers -- the involvement of sociologists, psychologists, and anthropologists Integrating New Content Areas Educating for Scientific Literacy lathe goal of elementary science education should be to prepare children to understand science and mathematics, to teach them a few representative concepts, to acquaint ached with abstraction, and to introduce them to scientific reasoning and the nave of scientific evidence. The temptation to include tithe most important basic concepts" in each scientific discipline probably needs to be resisted, became the list will soon be very long O In the committee ' ~ view, it is more important for students to learn a few concepts well, with sufficient underatanding to teach the concept to another person, than to have superficial exposure to many concepts.
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From page 18... ...
At the same time, the potential of computers to strengthen science and mathematics education resins largely untapped. The educational computer soft ware that is commercially available shows little of the creativity of pilot programs developed by scientists working with cognitive researchers.
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From page 19... ...
Technology Education In addition to these research issues on curricula content for science and mathematics, there are specific questions surrounding two aspects of technology education: the subject matter appropriate to understanding technological system and the teaching of computer science. Unlike the more traditional donating of science and mathematics, technology and computer science do not have well-established curricular With respect deco under standing technological systems (as contrasted to the basic science that gives rise to them)
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From page 20... ...
I of the unresolved questions is how asked where these learning activities should be provided°-in schools, in industry, or some Combination of industry and schools. For examples is a 1984 survey the Industrial Research Institute identified some 161 cooperative ventures between its member induce trial research laboratories arid high schools and colleges chat emphasize mathema~cics, science, and technology training in practical set~cinge.
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From page 21... ...
Teachers and school administrators also use tests as a guide to curriculum emphasis, especially when student performance on given tests is wed as ~ measure of teacher and school performance. Research needs in testing include the development of practical tests that reliably assess reasoning ability, possibly using interactive teasing made possible by microcomputers; improving the testing of mathematics and science achievement to reflect important instructional goals and objectives; and techniques for educating teachers to become better writers of test questions, particularly of questions that test for higher-order intellectual skills and levels of learning.
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From page 22... ...
assessment of initiatives related to the teaching profession. Content of Teacher Education SubJect-matter courses taken by prospective teachers visually the standard courses offered by science depart meets -- often cover too much content at too rapid a pace ant seldom pay explicit heed to developing reasoning capacities (Axons, 19831.
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From page 23... ...
And both sides will have deco master knowledge of the ocher discipline if they are to collaborate fruitfully in research on scientific learning and in developing improved courses useful for teacher education. Elementary Teachers' Knowledge and Understanding Conventional views of public education presume that Ache teachers of elementary school science and mathematics understand the subjects sufficiently well to transfer comprehension to the great diversity of students they face in the classroom.
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From page 24... ...
To develop such education, further investigations by subJect°matter experts in mathematics and science and behavioral and cognitive scientists are needed con whether and how teachers effect student learning. One approach to i-mpro~ring mathematics and science learning in elementary school in the use of specialist teachers.
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From page 25... ...
The se proposals include salary increases and structural changes in compensation for teachers and the creation of more conducive working conditions in schools. Few of the policy changes that here been implemented are based on research evidence about the decisions of individuals deco enter teaching (Mu~-..ane, 198S ~ or the acquisition of knowledge and skills deemed necessary for science and mathematics teaching.
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From page 26... ...
understandir~g parental effects on st:udent learning; and (3) examine ing educational models that cross institutional boundaries O School and Clasarooo' Settings Schools should be responsible for n~o~civating students.
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From page 27... ...
In the 5th grade, American children spend 64.5 percent of their classroom time involved in academic activities; Chinese children spend 91.5 percent and Japanese children spend 87.4 percent. American teachers spent proportionally less time during the school day on ache subject matter (21 percent)
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From page 28... ...
Research on student learning in different countries provides insight into the importance of parental influencesO American elemes~cary students spend far less time of homework than Japanese and Chinese students (Stevenson 6t alO 9 1986; Fetters et al. ~ 1983; Walberg et al., n.
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From page 29... ...
Variables selected for analysis and the measures of these variables vary considerably among research studies ~ and many fail to look simultaneously at both home and nonhome influences. Also, most of ache studies relating parental and home influence to achievement use tests of basic skills; possibly, the result would be different if tests of reasoning were used instead.
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From page 30... ...
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (1984) summarized a large s~uoibar of exemplar educational program searing women and olinori~ciesO to report inclu-s much informal knowledge based ore practicai eXpeEionca with educa~cional program that are success ful with these populations O Many of the program exhibit a key structural property°°they create a ~ys~cem of educatios~ that is integrated bow vertically (from early edueation through later years)
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From page 31... ...
Was this important and valuable facet of science teaching dropped because of funding problems, space limitations, class size, teacher attitudes, or administrative attitudes? Mat is happening to laboratory instruction in high school science courses?
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From page 32... ...
Evaluation and dissemination of educational materials and practices should be supported in the areas of mathematics, science, and technology. Interdisciplinary collaboration drawing upon the knowledge and expertise of mathematicians, physicists, chemists' biologists, asked social scientists as well as mathematics and science educators will be needed to evalua~ce existing educational materials in science and mathematics from both a scientific and pedagogical perspec~cive.
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From page 33... ...
In addition to evaluation of materials, exemplary and innovative educational practices should be evaluated, including new ways of using computers, use of specialist and resource teachers, and preser~rice and insenrice education. Evaluation result- should be given careful scrutiny by scientific and pedagogic experts and then widely disseminated to schools districts, teachers ~ principals9 and other concerned with educational improvement.
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