TY - JOUR
T1 - Constructing extended inquiry projects
T2 - Curriculum materials for science education reform
AU - Singer, Jon
AU - Marx, Ronald W.
AU - Krajcik, Joseph
AU - Chambers, Juanita Clay
N1 - Funding Information:
In this article, we report our work on one of these issues—curriculum materials to support reform. Researchers at the University of Michigan (UM) have been working together with the Detroit Public Schools (DPS) to reform science education for middle schools. The collaborative work between DPS and UM takes place within two projects funded by the National Science Foundation—the Detroit Urban Systemic Program and the Center for Learning Technologies in Urban Schools (LeTUS), which takes as its core challenge the infusion of technology to support learning in urban classrooms. We document situations that influence technology acquisition, exploring how technology can be embedded in science curricula, identifying problems that present barriers to success, and finding local solutions to these problems.
Funding Information:
We thank Tony Petrosino for his comments on drafts of this article. We also thank Karen Amati, Deborah Peek Brown, Barbara Hug, Ann Rivet, and Rebecca Schneider and the entire Center for Highly Interactive Computing in Education team and the Detroit Public Schools teachers and administrators with whom we work for their continuing commitment and dedication, which is reflected in the work reported in this article. The research reported was funded with support from the National Science Foundation under the following programs: Research on Educational Policy and Practice (REC–9720383, REC–9725927) and Urban System Initiative (ESR–9453665). All opinions are the responsibility of the authors and no endorsement by the National Science Foundation should be inferred.
PY - 2000
Y1 - 2000
N2 - We describe a set of design principles that, when used to create standards-based curriculum materials, could engage students in inquiry, make use of new learning technologies, and promote student learning. These design principles are derived from 4 salient features fundamental to social constructivism: active construction, situated cognition, community, and discourse. Expanding on this foundation, examples are provided for how the design principles are evinced in an actual project. We conclude with a description of challenges associated with the enactment of our curriculum materials.
AB - We describe a set of design principles that, when used to create standards-based curriculum materials, could engage students in inquiry, make use of new learning technologies, and promote student learning. These design principles are derived from 4 salient features fundamental to social constructivism: active construction, situated cognition, community, and discourse. Expanding on this foundation, examples are provided for how the design principles are evinced in an actual project. We conclude with a description of challenges associated with the enactment of our curriculum materials.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0034359409&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0034359409&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1207/S15326985EP3503_3
DO - 10.1207/S15326985EP3503_3
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0034359409
SN - 0046-1520
VL - 35
SP - 165
EP - 178
JO - Educational Psychologist
JF - Educational Psychologist
IS - 3
ER -