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http://www.ed.gov/technology/arpa-ed ARPA-ED will fund projects run by industry, universities, or other innovative organizations. Projects will be selected based on their potential to transform teaching and learning in ways similar to how the Internet, GPS, and robotics have transformed commerce, travel, warfare, and the way we live our daily lives. Funding of 90M is proposed for 2012 Currently the department of education sends on 0.2% of its budget on R&D

Arlene,
You said “Seems that NSTA Learning Center could considered for next steps of an R&D program for science teacher training” in reference to the following part of the statement regarding ARPA-ED.

Rethinking Curricula. Curricula and pedagogy tend to be developed and refined based on the beliefs of experts, and not always on an empirical basis of what works best for learners. Rigorous research that leverages data generated by learning technologies can be used effectively in tandem with powerful new methods for interpreting that data. These efforts can shed new light on which methods of instruction are most effective and what adjustments can most benefit different types of students

I think the NSTA Learning Center has already begun shifting how science teachers view curricula and pedagogy and will continue to play a major role in the future. Educational technology WILL make our current teaching methods obsolete; the real challenge will be in getting where we are now to where we want to be.

Arlene & Patricia, I 100% agree with both of you. I want to add even a little bit more: my district is undergoing "growing pains" and with that they are hiring outside "experts" who's task is to get our district scope and sequence aligned and "raise our test scores." Their intentions are great, however the directions that they are pursuing are counter-research based when they request exemplary teachers to follow "scripted" curriculum that has less rigor and is out of date in content and relevance. Test scores for our district have been the highest in the state for years and now the administrators are asking us to fix a non-existent problem. How do we get administrators to go to the classroom and provide the support that the teachers need to do the job they were chosen for? I'm concerned with the administrators not being current in what Science really needs. The National Standards and the new Framework look great from what I have studied and I would like to see their goals incorporated into our state and districts goals. Got any suggestions?

You can find excellent research being done at high schools at: www.jes2s.com

High School Journal Collection (1 item)

The Journal of Experimental Secondary Science

- User Uploaded Resource

This is a fascinating discussion. I am currently working on a project that will use artificial intelligence to deliver individualized instruction to students in a range of contexts. We are initially working on the algebra piece, but the plan is to ultimately provide science disciplines as well. Based on research performed over a several year period, the software will recognize the problem that the student is encountering, as well as the level that the student is working at, and build a scaffold for the student from the student's level. This is a project that could allow the computer to do a lot of the individualized work that we have greater problems with as our budgets shrink and class sizes increase. I will likewise pass this information along to the project management as well. Thanks for the info.