NSELA PDI: INTRODUCTION TO CURRICULUM TOPIC STUDY CTS

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NSELA PDI INTRODUCTION TO CURRICULUM TOPIC
STUDY (CTS)
Page Keeley and Joyce Tugel Maine Mathematics
and Science www.mmsa.org Ted Willard AAAS
Project 2061 www.project2061.org
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PowerPoint Slides Available

• www.mmsa.org/science/NSTA2007.php

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3 Goals for the CTS Introductory Session

• (Learn about) To develop awareness of Curriculum
  Topic Study (CTS) and the collective resources it
  uses for connecting standards and research to
  classroom practice.
• (Practice) To provide guided practice in
  conducting partial and full topic studies.
• (Apply) To consider ways you might use CTS and
  its various applications in your leadership
  work.

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Agenda Flow

• Introduction to CTS Project (Page)
• Book Tour and Intro to a CTS Study Guide (Joyce)
• Getting Familiar with the Resources (Joyce)
• Introduction to the Atlas and the new Atlas Vol.
  2 (Ted)
• Mini CTS Practice- Snapshots (Joyce and Ted)
• Full Topic Study Practice- Experimental Design
  (Joyce)
• Professional Development Designs for CTS and
  Field Test Opportunities (Page)
• Whats Next? (All)

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Practicing Accountable Talk

• Listen to each other attentively
• Refrain from telling your own personal stories
  or other side talk
• Build on each other's ideas and challenge each
  other respectfully
• Refer regularly to the CTS resources and your
  notes
• Provide evidence from the CTS resource readings
  to back up your statements
• Ask questions to clarify each other's ideas
• Monitor time during discussion

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The CTS Project

• NSF-funded TPC Professional Development Materials
  Project awarded to the Maine Mathematics and
  Science Alliance in partnership with West Ed
• 2 resources guides Science and Mathematics
  Curriculum Topic Study books
• Facilitators Guide to Using Curriculum Topic
  Study
• Web Site www.curriculumtopicstudy.org
• National Field Testing and Professional
  Development

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What is CTS?

• A process that incorporates a systematic study
  of a topic using pre-selected readings from
  standards and research
• A set of tools and collective resources for
  improving curriculum, instruction, and assessment
• An intellectually engaging professional
  development experience that encourages rich,
  evidence-based conversation about teaching and
  learning

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What CTS Is Not

• CTS IS NOT
• A remedy for weak content knowledge (CTS is used
  to enhance and support content learning)
• A collection of teaching activities (CTS
  describes considerations one must take into
  account when planning or selecting teaching
  activities)
• A description of how tos (CTS helps you think
  through effective teaching based on knowledge of
  learning goals and how students learn)
• A quick fix (CTS takes time and practice to use
  it effectively)
• The end-all for professional development (CTS
  helps you identify additional needs that will
  help you grow as a teacher)

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Why Use CTS?

• Clarify and deepen knowledge of relevant
  curricular topics
• Develop a common knowledge base and language
  about standards and research
• Move beyond personal opinions and assumptions to
  consider key ideas and practices researched and
  accepted through consensus by the science
  education community
• Stand on the Shoulders of Giants- Experts at
  your fingertips 24/7!

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Who Uses CTS?

• Pre-service Teachers
• Beginning Teachers and Experienced Teachers
• Teacher Leaders, Mentors, and Coaches
• Professional Developers
• Pre-Service and Graduate Science and Mathematics
  Education Faculty
• Scientists and Mathematicians Working with K-12
  Teacher Education
• Curriculum Developers
• Informal Science Educators
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
  Committees

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Having State and National Standards Is Not Enough

• What has been missing is a systematic,
  scholarly, deliberate process to help educators
  intellectually engage with standards and research
  on student learning so they can make effective
  use of them.
• CTS provides that Missing Link.

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Whirlwind Tour of the Book? mark page with a
sticky note!

• Ch 1 Introduction to Curriculum Topic Study
• Ch 2 CTS Study Guide
• ? pp 20-21- Purposes of 6 CTS sections
• ?pp 24-27- Descriptions of CTS resources
• Ch 3 Engaging in CTS
• ? pp 37-39- Guiding Questions for CTS readings
• ? pp 40-44 Stages of the CTS Learning Cycle of
  Inquiry and Reflections
• Ch 4 CTS Contexts
• ? pp 80-83- Developing CTS Assessment Probes
• Ch 5 p 91 - Vignettes
• Ch 6 p 113 CTS Study Guides

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Introduction to the CTS Study Guide

• CTS Sections and Outcomes
• Selected Readings from CTS Resources
• See Chapter 2- pp 19-22 and Anatomy of a Study
  Guide handout

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Dissecting a CTS Study Guide See Chapter 2- pp
19-22 and Anatomy of a Study Guide handout

• Each guide has 6 CTS sections (Left Column)
• Purposes of the sections
• I Identify Adult Content Knowledge
• II Consider Instructional Implications
• III Identify Concepts and Specific Ideas
• IV Examine Research on Student Learning
• V Examine Coherency and Articulation
• VI Clarify State Standards and District
  Curriculum
• Each section links to CTS sources and
  pre-selected readings (Right Column)
• Supplementary resources at www.curriculumtopicstud
  y.org

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CTS The Swiss Army Knife of Curriculum,
Instruction, and Assessment
Improve adult science literacy (I) Improve
knowledge of content teachers teach (I) Examine
instructional considerations (II) Identify
alternative conceptions (IV)
Consider developmental implications (II,
IV) Examine scope and sequence (III) See
connections within and across topics (V) Clarify
state standards and district curriculum
(VI)
Identify Big Ideas, Concepts, Specific Ideas,
and Skills (III)
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CTS Collective Resources- Experts at Your
Fingertips 24/7
?
?
?
?
?Indicates the resource (or parts of it) is online
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Getting to Know the CTS Resources for Sections
I-IV

• Count off by 8, grab a packet, and meet your
  group
• 1s CTS Section IA Science for All Americans
  Packet Green
• 2s CTS Section IB Science Matters Packet-
  lavender
• 3s CTS Section IIA Benchmarks Essays- pink
• 4s CTS Section IIB NSES Essays- salmon
• 5s CTS Section IIIA Benchmarks Learning Goals-
  blue
• 6s CTS Section IIIB NSES Learning Goals-
  yellow
• 7s CTS Section IVA Benchmarks Research- gold
• 8s CTS Section IVB Drivers Research
  Summaries- tan

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Purpose of This Task

• To become familiar with the resource you are
  assigned
• To be able to identify sections of a CTS Study
  Guide
• To become familiar with the types of readings
  from different sections and resources
• To become familiar with the types of questions
  and information you can gain from the readings
  from different sections of a CTS guide.

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Reminder

• This is not a topic study! The purpose is to be
  able to describe the resource- some background on
  the resource and how it is used in CTS. You might
  include an example from the section of the
  resource in your packet to explain what the
  reading contributes to a study of the topic.

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Task

• Find your assigned resource on pp 24-26 and read
  the description.
• Find the CTS topic guide and practice locating
  your section and readings for your assigned
  resource on the guide.
• Skim through the pages of your resource in your
  packet to get a sense of what it provides.
• Examine the guiding questions on pp 37-39 for
  your assigned section and resource to see what
  type of information it provides.
• Debrief with your expert group and come up with a
  few key points to help others know more about
  your resource and section it is used in. You will
  share this with the whole group.
• Watch the clock! Read/jot notes 15 min discuss
  10 min break 10 min.

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Groups Will Share

• A few key points about
• Your resource
• Your section
• The types of questions you can ask, the
  information you can gain from reading different
  sections, resources.

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Expert Groups Share

• A few key points about
• Your resource
• Your section
• The types of questions you can ask, the
  information you can gain from reading different
  sections, resources.
• Up to 3 minutes of air time

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Atlas of Science Literacy

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Mini-CTS

• Purpose- To see how teachers can quickly and
  efficiently use the CTS process and resources to
  answer specific questions about teaching and
  learning.
• This is not a full topic study!

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The CTS Scaffold
Scaffold The structure and supports that a
teacher or more knowledgeable helper provides to
allow a learner to perform a task he or she
cannot yet perform independently. (Vygotsky,
1978 Dixon-Krauss, 1996 Wertsch,1991.)
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Learning Problem
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Quick Scaffold PracticeSteps 1-3

• Many of my students think the mass changes
  during a change in state. I wonder how the
  research can help me understand this
  misconception?
• Category?
• Matter
• CTS Topic Guide?
• Conservation of Matter
• Page Number of CTS Guide?
• Page 163

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Step 4 and 5

• Many of my students think the mass changes
  during a change in state. I wonder how the
  research can help me understand this
  misconception?
• Section?
• Section IV
• Outcome?
• Examine Research on Student Learning
• Which resource will I use?
• Benchmarks and/or Driver

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Step 6- Read and Examine Related Parts

• Students cannot understand conservation of
  matter and weight if they do not understand what
  matter is, or accept weight as an extrinsic
  property of matter, or distinguish between weight
  and density. By 5th grade many students can
  understand qualitatively that matter is conserved
  in transforming from solid to liquid. They also
  start to understand that matter is quantitatively
  conserved in transforming from solid to liquid
  and qualitatively in transforming from solid or
  liquid to gas- if the gas is visible. For
  chemical reactions, especially those that evolve
  or absorb gas, weight conservation is more
  difficult for students to grasp. (Section IVA-
  Benchmarks 4D)

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Related Parts

• Students cannot understand conservation of
  matter and weight if they do not understand what
  matter is, or accept weight as an extrinsic
  property of matter, or distinguish between weight
  and density. By 5th grade many students can
  understand qualitatively that matter is conserved
  in transforming from solid to liquid. They also
  start to understand that matter is quantitatively
  conserved in transforming from solid to liquid
  and qualitatively in transforming from solid or
  liquid to gas- if the gas is visible. For
  chemical reactions, especially those that evolve
  or absorb gas, weight conservation is more
  difficult for students to grasp. (Section IVA-
  Benchmarks 4D)

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Guiding Questions to Focus Reading

• Pp 24-27 (see handout)
• Example Are there suggestions as to what might
  contribute to students difficulties or
  misconceptions?

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Lets Get Started!
CTS is like learning any new skill. It takes
practice, focus, and effort!
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CTS Snapshots

• Choose a snapshot that interests you.
• Select a packet of readings for that snapshot
  from the labeled folders.
• Practice using the scaffold to answer the
  question in your snapshot. Do not take shortcuts!
• Record notes from your reading that address the
  question (not the entire topic).

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The Science Version of Speed Dating
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Experimental Design
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JIGSAW
Record and discuss major points related to
experimental design.

• Group A Section IA SFAA
• Group B Section IIA BSL essays, supplementary
  reading
• Group C Section IIB NSES essays
• Group D Section IIIA BSL bullets
• Group E Section IIIB NSES bullets
• Group F Section IVA BSL Chapter 15
• Group G Section V Atlas

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Experimental Design Scaffold
Flying Bunnies!
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How did CTS inform?
How does the scaffold reflect the findings from
your reading?
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CTS and Professional Development

• Lesson Study
• Collaborative Inquiry into Examining Student
  Thinking
• Looking at Student Work
• Immersion and Course Content
• Study Groups
• Action Research
• Mentoring and Coaching
• Case Discussions
• Curriculum Implementation
• Demonstration Lessons
• Various Workshop Models

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Field Test OpportunitiesCold, Warm, and Hot

• Introduction to CTS (CTS 101)
• CTS Full Topic Workshops and Combined Workshops
• CTS Applications (Hierarchy of Content Knowledge,
  Instructional design, Designing Assessment
  Probes, designing performance Tasks)
• CTS PD Strategies- CIEST, Analyzing
  Students Ideas (science), Case Discussions
  (mathematics), Looking at Student Work,
  Curriculum Implementation, Action Research,
  Lesson Study, CTS Seminars, Demonstration
  Lessons, Mentoring, Instructional Coaching

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Wrapping it Up