News at Concord Consortium

Post-Textbook UDL Materials

The National Science Foundation has funded our plans to develop technologyrich science curriculum modules for grades 3-6, which acknowledges that students learn in different ways. The work at CAST, the Center for Applied Special Technology, has defined a flexible approach to teaching called Universal Design for Learning (UDL) that has had considerable success in teaching the language arts. This new project extends these ideas to science. The goal of this project is to use UDL principles to create practical science materials for students and teachers in inclusive classrooms.

The project will create seven inquiry modules around the theme of energy. They will ask questions such as "Why are there clouds?" and "What do plants eat?" Probes will support lab investigations and computational models will allow students to explore virtual environments. We will also develop graphing and modeling software that express data and relationships in text and language. Twenty-five classrooms in Acton, MA, Anchorage, AK, Maryville, MO, and Fresno, CA, will test the effectiveness of this approach through formative and summative evaluation. We hope these modules will inspire additional content and further development.

The Science of Atoms and Molecules

Because the theme of atoms and molecules runs through physics, chemistry, and biology, it provides a single framework that unifies these subjects. Our new "Science of Atoms and Molecules: Enabling the New Secondary Science Curriculum" project, funded by NSF, will develop four strands of atomic-scale materials that unify the curriculum sequence of physics, chemistry, and biology. The project will provide materials and professional development resources that allow high schools to implement a successful sequence of physics, chemistry, and biology as a unified and consistent progression. Curriculum materials will provide a progressive understanding of the importance of atomic-scale phenomena from fundamental atoms to complex biology. This approach is designed to guarantee better pedagogy, deeper learning, and longer retention.

Probes and Models Across the Curriculum

With our new NSF-funded "Probes and Models Across the Curriculum: Information Technology in Science Instruction" project, the Concord Consortium will prepare middle and high school students for careers in information technologies by engaging them in designing inquiry-based science activities that use computational models and real-time data acquisition and analysis.

Teachers from Boston, MA, Desert Sands, CA, and Olathe, KS, will meet in the summers of 2007 and 2008, plus online throughout the academic year to learn basic electronics, programming, and design skills. They will learn how to teach students to install, configure, and use a wide range of sensors for measuring experiments with computers, and to use, modify, and create computational models. The skills learned will enhance each participant's teaching, while giving students a solid foundation for IT-based careers in programming, computer hardware, and software engineering.