Equitable learning opportunities are critical to the goals of science education. However, major c... more Equitable learning opportunities are critical to the goals of science education. However, major curriculum standards are vague on how to achieve equity goals, and educators must often develop their own resources and strategies to achieve equity goals. This study examines how educators used a comic book series designed to interest youth in virology as a way to make science more broadly appealing to their diverse students. We begin with the notion of Pedagogical Design Capacity, which describes a dynamic relationship between teachers and their tools, and the ability for teachers to perceive and leverage affordances of artifacts as tools in their curriculum design. In a qualitative analysis of 18 interviews with educators, survey responses, instructional artifacts, and classroom observations, we describe the potential that educators saw in the comics, and the strategies they used to take advantage of that potential to promote equitable science teaching. Notably, we observed how the comics enabled educators to incorporate multiple literacies and disciplinary lenses into their lessons, expanding traditional views of science literacy. We documented the range of techniques by which they used comics and fictional narratives to support specific scientific practices, such as modeling. We also observed challenges that participants encountered in using comics, which included combatting their own and their students’ attitudes and beliefs regarding the role of informal reading materials in science education. By investigating how resourceful science educators use comic books, this study helps to inform both researchers and educators on how innovative curriculum materials can broaden and diversify participation in science. Findings have implications for the design of similar curriculum materials, instructional approaches, as well as professional development to support equitable science teaching. https://rdcu.be/bgbDh
This literature review on young adults with mental retardation brings together two previously dis... more This literature review on young adults with mental retardation brings together two previously disparate areas of research, community integration and young adult development. After a discussion of various theories addressing the young adulthood stage of development, the paper summarizes research on young adults with mental retardation in the following domains: (1) social integration (findings emphasize the passive, solitary, family-dependent nature Jf their lives and the need to promote greater social integration); (.) recreational/leisure integration (stresses the need for greater opportunities to learn and enjoy recreational activities); (3) economic integration (points out that the right to manage one's own income should be respected as much as possible); and (4) support services (in the areas of residential, vocational, and other services) and barriers (especially attitudinal) to community integration. Includes 110 references. (DB) Abstract Several approaches to the study of community adjustment have been conducted over the years, but few, if any have examined the development of young adults with mental retardation relative to developmental tasks for young adults in general. This review of the literature is an effoit in that regard. The present review Wings together two previously disparate areas of research, community Integration and young adult development, with the hope of expanding the conceptual and theoretical framework of both.
Although microbes directly impact everyone's health, most people ... more Although microbes directly impact everyone's health, most people have limited knowledge about them. In this article, we describe a museum and media public education campaign aimed at helping diverse audiences better understand emerging knowledge about microbes and infectious disease. Funded primarily by the Science Education Partnership (SEPA) program of the National Institutes of Health, this campaign involved crosscutting programs designed to extend impacts throughout a broad public audience.
Introduction: From Darwin's iconic representation of a simplified tree of life to abstract mo... more Introduction: From Darwin's iconic representation of a simplified tree of life to abstract modern cladograms, pictorial representations of evolutionary relationships among diverse species have played a crucial role in conveying core ideas about common descent. One of the questions investigated in this study is whether such "tree-thinking" helps museum visitors grasp the counterintuitive idea that contemporary species have descended from a common ancestor, which is unlike its descendents. Common ancestry violates the everyday intuition that each kind of animal is characterized by an unchanging essence (Evans, 2001, 2008; Gelman, 2003; Mayr, 1982). Furthermore, this is the evolutionary principle most likely to be rejected by Biblical literalists. Method: We assessed natural history museum visitors' (Novices: 21 children, 11-13 yrs; 12 youth, 14-18 yrs; 30 adults) and evolutionary biologists (15 Experts) interpretation of pictorial representations of four evolutionary...
The present study tested Greenspan's model of personal competence with data obtained from the Ear... more The present study tested Greenspan's model of personal competence with data obtained from the Early Screening Profiles, a nationally standardized preschool screening battery designed to measure the general functioning level of children 2-7 years of age. Of the five models tested (three a priori and two a posteriori), three models produced results indicative of a good fit. These findings support the use of Greenspan's model of personal competence as a framework'for understanding the nature of developing abilities in young children as well as for the improvement of classification and diagnosis of children with special needs.
Methods: Semi-structured individual interviews and focus groups with 16 high school students expl... more Methods: Semi-structured individual interviews and focus groups with 16 high school students explored the students' reactions to elements of the graphic story in greater detail. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative analysis was conducted using a general thematic coding approach.
Museum visitors are an ideal population for assessing the persistence of the conceptual barriers ... more Museum visitors are an ideal population for assessing the persistence of the conceptual barriers that make it difficult to grasp Darwinian evolutionary theory. In comparison with other members of the public, they are more likely to be interested in natural history, have higher education levels, and be exposed to the relevant content. If museum visitors do not grasp evolutionary principles, it seems unlikely that other members of the general public would do so. In the current study, 32 systematically selected visitors to three Midwest museums of natural history provided detailed openended explanations of biological change in seven diverse organisms. They were not told that these were evolutionary problems. Responses were coded as: informed naturalistic reasoning, featuring some understanding of key evolutionary concepts, novice naturalistic reasoning, featuring intuitive explanations that are also present in childhood, and creationist reasoning, featuring supernatural explanations. All visitors were mixed reasoners, using one or more of these patterns in different permutations across the seven organisms: 72% used a combination of informed naturalistic reasoning and novice naturalistic reasoning, while a further 28% added creationist reasoning to this mix. Correlational analyses indicated that for many visitors these reasoning patterns were coherent rather than fragmented. The theoretical model presented in this article contributes to an analysis of the developmental and cultural factors associated with these patterns. This could help educators working in diverse educational settings understand how to move visitors and students toward more informed reasoning patterns. ß
We examined whether a single visit to an evolution exhibition contributed to conceptual change in... more We examined whether a single visit to an evolution exhibition contributed to conceptual change in adult (n030), youth, and child (n034) museum visitors' reasoning about evolution. The exhibition included seven current research projects in evolutionary science, each focused on a different organism. To frame this study, we integrated a developmental model of visitors' understanding of evolution, which incorporates visitors' intuitive beliefs, with a model of free-choice learning that includes personal, sociocultural, and contextual variables. Using pre-and postmeasures, we assessed how visitors' causal explanations about biological change, drawn from three reasoning patterns (evolutionary, intuitive, and creationist), were modified as a result of visiting the exhibition. Whatever their age, background beliefs, or prior intuitive reasoning patterns, visitors significantly increased their use of explanations from the evolutionary reasoning pattern across all measures and extended this reasoning across diverse organisms. Visitors also increased their use of one intuitive reasoning pattern, need-based (goal-directed) explanations, which, we argue, may be a step toward evolutionary reasoning. Nonetheless, visitors continued to use mixed reasoning (endorsing all three reasoning patterns) in explaining biological change. The personal, socio-cultural, and contextual variables were found to be related to these reasoning patterns in predictable ways. These findings are used to examine the structure of visitors' reasoning patterns and those aspects of the exhibition that may have contributed to the gains in museum visitors' understanding of evolution.
Museum visitors are an ideal population for assessing the persistence of the conceptual barriers ... more Museum visitors are an ideal population for assessing the persistence of the conceptual barriers that make it difficult to grasp Darwinian evolutionary theory. In comparison with other members of the public, they are more likely to be interested in natural history, have higher education levels, and be exposed to the relevant content. If museum visitors do not grasp evolutionary principles, it seems unlikely that other members of the general public would do so. In the current study, 32 systematically selected visitors to three Midwest museums of natural history provided detailed openended explanations of biological change in seven diverse organisms. They were not told that these were evolutionary problems. Responses were coded as: informed naturalistic reasoning, featuring some understanding of key evolutionary concepts, novice naturalistic reasoning, featuring intuitive explanations that are also present in childhood, and creationist reasoning, featuring supernatural explanations. All visitors were mixed reasoners, using one or more of these patterns in different permutations across the seven organisms: 72% used a combination of informed naturalistic reasoning and novice naturalistic reasoning, while a further 28% added creationist reasoning to this mix. Correlational analyses indicated that for many visitors these reasoning patterns were coherent rather than fragmented. The theoretical model presented in this article contributes to an analysis of the developmental and cultural factors associated with these patterns. This could help educators working in diverse educational settings understand how to move visitors and students toward more informed reasoning patterns. ß
The ability to analyze data and solve problems in the real world is increasingly important. The e... more The ability to analyze data and solve problems in the real world is increasingly important. The effective use of information and technology requires education in science and mathematics as well as development of the skills necessary to use available technical resources. We address the application of computers, computer software, and information technology to physics teaching and describe an experimental paperless
Equitable learning opportunities are critical to the goals of science education. However, major c... more Equitable learning opportunities are critical to the goals of science education. However, major curriculum standards are vague on how to achieve equity goals, and educators must often develop their own resources and strategies to achieve equity goals. This study examines how educators used a comic book series designed to interest youth in virology as a way to make science more broadly appealing to their diverse students. We begin with the notion of Pedagogical Design Capacity, which describes a dynamic relationship between teachers and their tools, and the ability for teachers to perceive and leverage affordances of artifacts as tools in their curriculum design. In a qualitative analysis of 18 interviews with educators, survey responses, instructional artifacts, and classroom observations, we describe the potential that educators saw in the comics, and the strategies they used to take advantage of that potential to promote equitable science teaching. Notably, we observed how the comics enabled educators to incorporate multiple literacies and disciplinary lenses into their lessons, expanding traditional views of science literacy. We documented the range of techniques by which they used comics and fictional narratives to support specific scientific practices, such as modeling. We also observed challenges that participants encountered in using comics, which included combatting their own and their students’ attitudes and beliefs regarding the role of informal reading materials in science education. By investigating how resourceful science educators use comic books, this study helps to inform both researchers and educators on how innovative curriculum materials can broaden and diversify participation in science. Findings have implications for the design of similar curriculum materials, instructional approaches, as well as professional development to support equitable science teaching. https://rdcu.be/bgbDh
This literature review on young adults with mental retardation brings together two previously dis... more This literature review on young adults with mental retardation brings together two previously disparate areas of research, community integration and young adult development. After a discussion of various theories addressing the young adulthood stage of development, the paper summarizes research on young adults with mental retardation in the following domains: (1) social integration (findings emphasize the passive, solitary, family-dependent nature Jf their lives and the need to promote greater social integration); (.) recreational/leisure integration (stresses the need for greater opportunities to learn and enjoy recreational activities); (3) economic integration (points out that the right to manage one's own income should be respected as much as possible); and (4) support services (in the areas of residential, vocational, and other services) and barriers (especially attitudinal) to community integration. Includes 110 references. (DB) Abstract Several approaches to the study of community adjustment have been conducted over the years, but few, if any have examined the development of young adults with mental retardation relative to developmental tasks for young adults in general. This review of the literature is an effoit in that regard. The present review Wings together two previously disparate areas of research, community Integration and young adult development, with the hope of expanding the conceptual and theoretical framework of both.
Although microbes directly impact everyone's health, most people ... more Although microbes directly impact everyone's health, most people have limited knowledge about them. In this article, we describe a museum and media public education campaign aimed at helping diverse audiences better understand emerging knowledge about microbes and infectious disease. Funded primarily by the Science Education Partnership (SEPA) program of the National Institutes of Health, this campaign involved crosscutting programs designed to extend impacts throughout a broad public audience.
Introduction: From Darwin's iconic representation of a simplified tree of life to abstract mo... more Introduction: From Darwin's iconic representation of a simplified tree of life to abstract modern cladograms, pictorial representations of evolutionary relationships among diverse species have played a crucial role in conveying core ideas about common descent. One of the questions investigated in this study is whether such "tree-thinking" helps museum visitors grasp the counterintuitive idea that contemporary species have descended from a common ancestor, which is unlike its descendents. Common ancestry violates the everyday intuition that each kind of animal is characterized by an unchanging essence (Evans, 2001, 2008; Gelman, 2003; Mayr, 1982). Furthermore, this is the evolutionary principle most likely to be rejected by Biblical literalists. Method: We assessed natural history museum visitors' (Novices: 21 children, 11-13 yrs; 12 youth, 14-18 yrs; 30 adults) and evolutionary biologists (15 Experts) interpretation of pictorial representations of four evolutionary...
The present study tested Greenspan's model of personal competence with data obtained from the Ear... more The present study tested Greenspan's model of personal competence with data obtained from the Early Screening Profiles, a nationally standardized preschool screening battery designed to measure the general functioning level of children 2-7 years of age. Of the five models tested (three a priori and two a posteriori), three models produced results indicative of a good fit. These findings support the use of Greenspan's model of personal competence as a framework'for understanding the nature of developing abilities in young children as well as for the improvement of classification and diagnosis of children with special needs.
Methods: Semi-structured individual interviews and focus groups with 16 high school students expl... more Methods: Semi-structured individual interviews and focus groups with 16 high school students explored the students' reactions to elements of the graphic story in greater detail. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative analysis was conducted using a general thematic coding approach.
Museum visitors are an ideal population for assessing the persistence of the conceptual barriers ... more Museum visitors are an ideal population for assessing the persistence of the conceptual barriers that make it difficult to grasp Darwinian evolutionary theory. In comparison with other members of the public, they are more likely to be interested in natural history, have higher education levels, and be exposed to the relevant content. If museum visitors do not grasp evolutionary principles, it seems unlikely that other members of the general public would do so. In the current study, 32 systematically selected visitors to three Midwest museums of natural history provided detailed openended explanations of biological change in seven diverse organisms. They were not told that these were evolutionary problems. Responses were coded as: informed naturalistic reasoning, featuring some understanding of key evolutionary concepts, novice naturalistic reasoning, featuring intuitive explanations that are also present in childhood, and creationist reasoning, featuring supernatural explanations. All visitors were mixed reasoners, using one or more of these patterns in different permutations across the seven organisms: 72% used a combination of informed naturalistic reasoning and novice naturalistic reasoning, while a further 28% added creationist reasoning to this mix. Correlational analyses indicated that for many visitors these reasoning patterns were coherent rather than fragmented. The theoretical model presented in this article contributes to an analysis of the developmental and cultural factors associated with these patterns. This could help educators working in diverse educational settings understand how to move visitors and students toward more informed reasoning patterns. ß
We examined whether a single visit to an evolution exhibition contributed to conceptual change in... more We examined whether a single visit to an evolution exhibition contributed to conceptual change in adult (n030), youth, and child (n034) museum visitors' reasoning about evolution. The exhibition included seven current research projects in evolutionary science, each focused on a different organism. To frame this study, we integrated a developmental model of visitors' understanding of evolution, which incorporates visitors' intuitive beliefs, with a model of free-choice learning that includes personal, sociocultural, and contextual variables. Using pre-and postmeasures, we assessed how visitors' causal explanations about biological change, drawn from three reasoning patterns (evolutionary, intuitive, and creationist), were modified as a result of visiting the exhibition. Whatever their age, background beliefs, or prior intuitive reasoning patterns, visitors significantly increased their use of explanations from the evolutionary reasoning pattern across all measures and extended this reasoning across diverse organisms. Visitors also increased their use of one intuitive reasoning pattern, need-based (goal-directed) explanations, which, we argue, may be a step toward evolutionary reasoning. Nonetheless, visitors continued to use mixed reasoning (endorsing all three reasoning patterns) in explaining biological change. The personal, socio-cultural, and contextual variables were found to be related to these reasoning patterns in predictable ways. These findings are used to examine the structure of visitors' reasoning patterns and those aspects of the exhibition that may have contributed to the gains in museum visitors' understanding of evolution.
Museum visitors are an ideal population for assessing the persistence of the conceptual barriers ... more Museum visitors are an ideal population for assessing the persistence of the conceptual barriers that make it difficult to grasp Darwinian evolutionary theory. In comparison with other members of the public, they are more likely to be interested in natural history, have higher education levels, and be exposed to the relevant content. If museum visitors do not grasp evolutionary principles, it seems unlikely that other members of the general public would do so. In the current study, 32 systematically selected visitors to three Midwest museums of natural history provided detailed openended explanations of biological change in seven diverse organisms. They were not told that these were evolutionary problems. Responses were coded as: informed naturalistic reasoning, featuring some understanding of key evolutionary concepts, novice naturalistic reasoning, featuring intuitive explanations that are also present in childhood, and creationist reasoning, featuring supernatural explanations. All visitors were mixed reasoners, using one or more of these patterns in different permutations across the seven organisms: 72% used a combination of informed naturalistic reasoning and novice naturalistic reasoning, while a further 28% added creationist reasoning to this mix. Correlational analyses indicated that for many visitors these reasoning patterns were coherent rather than fragmented. The theoretical model presented in this article contributes to an analysis of the developmental and cultural factors associated with these patterns. This could help educators working in diverse educational settings understand how to move visitors and students toward more informed reasoning patterns. ß
The ability to analyze data and solve problems in the real world is increasingly important. The e... more The ability to analyze data and solve problems in the real world is increasingly important. The effective use of information and technology requires education in science and mathematics as well as development of the skills necessary to use available technical resources. We address the application of computers, computer software, and information technology to physics teaching and describe an experimental paperless
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Papers by Amy Spiegel
We begin with the notion of Pedagogical Design Capacity, which describes a dynamic relationship between teachers and their tools, and the ability for teachers to perceive and leverage affordances of artifacts as tools in their curriculum design. In a qualitative analysis of 18 interviews with educators, survey responses, instructional artifacts, and classroom observations, we describe the potential that educators saw in the comics, and the strategies they used to take advantage of that potential to promote equitable science teaching. Notably, we observed how the comics enabled educators to incorporate multiple literacies and disciplinary lenses into their lessons, expanding traditional views of science literacy. We documented the range of techniques by which they used comics and fictional narratives to support specific scientific practices, such as modeling. We also observed challenges that participants encountered in using comics, which included combatting their own and their students’ attitudes and beliefs regarding the role of informal reading materials in science education.
By investigating how resourceful science educators use comic books, this study helps to inform both researchers and educators on how innovative curriculum materials can broaden and diversify participation in science. Findings have implications for the design of similar curriculum materials, instructional approaches, as well as professional development to support equitable science teaching. https://rdcu.be/bgbDh
We begin with the notion of Pedagogical Design Capacity, which describes a dynamic relationship between teachers and their tools, and the ability for teachers to perceive and leverage affordances of artifacts as tools in their curriculum design. In a qualitative analysis of 18 interviews with educators, survey responses, instructional artifacts, and classroom observations, we describe the potential that educators saw in the comics, and the strategies they used to take advantage of that potential to promote equitable science teaching. Notably, we observed how the comics enabled educators to incorporate multiple literacies and disciplinary lenses into their lessons, expanding traditional views of science literacy. We documented the range of techniques by which they used comics and fictional narratives to support specific scientific practices, such as modeling. We also observed challenges that participants encountered in using comics, which included combatting their own and their students’ attitudes and beliefs regarding the role of informal reading materials in science education.
By investigating how resourceful science educators use comic books, this study helps to inform both researchers and educators on how innovative curriculum materials can broaden and diversify participation in science. Findings have implications for the design of similar curriculum materials, instructional approaches, as well as professional development to support equitable science teaching. https://rdcu.be/bgbDh