The Chicago Symposium Series presents the First Midwest Symposium on
Excellence in Teaching Mathematics and Science:
Research and Practice
October 12-14, 2007  Roosevelt University, Chicago
Breakout Session I
Saturday 10:15-11:15

Research as a guide for developing curriculum:
An example from Tutorials in Introductory Physics*

Lillian C. McDermott, University of Washington, and Mel S. Sabella, Chicago State University
 Research as a guide for developing curriculum: An example from Tutorials in Introductory Physics (1). A specific topic from introductory physics will serve as a context for illustrating the iterative cycle of research, curriculum development, and instruction that the Physics Education Group at the University of Washington uses to improve student understanding of challenging concepts.  Participants in the workshop will work through an excerpt from Tutorials in Introductory Physics that illustrates how the curriculum addresses specific conceptual and reasoning difficulties that have been identified through research.  In addition to providing hands-on experience, the workshop will include discussion of some of the instructional strategies that have proved effective.  Results from assessments of student learning will also be presented.  The topic will be accessible to all participants at the symposium.

* L.C. McDermott, P.S. Shaffer, and the Physics Education Group at the University of Washington, Tutorials in Introductory Physics, First Ed. (Prentice Hall, 2002). Developed with support from the National Science Foundation.

Seventh Grade Students' Science Fair Projects and Their Classroom Investigations into Plants: The Purpose of Scientific Inquiry

Byoung-Sug Kim, Roosevelt University
The perspective on inquiry described in The National Science Education Standards goes beyond inquiry as process skills. Students are required to combine their inquiry process skills and subject matter knowledge while engaging in inquiry activities. Therefore, students need to clearly understand that the purpose of scientific inquiry is to develop their explanations based on empirical support. This break-out session will provide an insight into how seventh grade students understand the purpose of scientific inquiry by exploring their science fair projects. The main finding is that the majority of the students viewed "testing a hypothesis" as "testing a prediction." No explanations for their predictions were considered. As a result, the purpose of a scientific investigation was to discover factual information, not to test their explanations. Examples of students' projects will be presented to help the audience understand the difference between teaching a prediction and a hypothesis. As another research study, this break-out session will also describe challenges in implementing inquiry-based instruction in seventh grade classes during the unit on photosynthesis. Examples of student work will be provided and discussed with the audience.

Weaving Case Studies Into Your Course PPT

Eric Ribbens, Western Illinois University
Case studies allow students to apply theoretical concepts to solve specific problems. But how do you integrate case studies into an introductory course instead of using a case or two as a special effect  add-on?
We will begin by experiencing a short case for an introductory biology course, and then we will split into small groups to examine a generic syllabus and develop strategies for incorporating cases into the class. I will then describe how I have successfully integrated 10 cases into a semester of introductory biology, and the remainder of the session will be devoted to problem solving.
This session will not be designed primarily to convince teachers that cases are an appropriate tool. Rather, the focus will be on successfully incorporating cases. How do you convince students that cases are not a waste of time? How do you use cases in a class with 135 students? How do you grade 10 writing assignments from a smaller class? How do you respond to administrators and other faculty members who accuse you of neglecting content?

Chemistry Connections: The benefits of collaborative learning

Dori Karlesky and Nadeen Rust, Trinity International University
Since 1996, Trinity has offered a hands-on chemistry program for middle school students. The program, Chemistry Connections, seeks to connect:
  • The School of Science and Technology (Department of Chemistry), the School of Education, and the community
  • College education majors with science majors following a collaborative-learning model. Science majors teach the education majors chemistry content and skills; education majors teach the science majors pedagogy, characteristics of young adolescents, and classroom management. The college students apply what they learn while leading middle school students through a series of hands-on lab experiences.
  • Chemistry concepts with the interests and life experiences of young adolescents
  • Individuals of diverse interests, ages, gender and cultures in a learning environment promoting sciences (chemistry)
The proposed session will provide a brief overview of the program. The majority of the session will consist of problem-solving, collaborative experiences, patterned after the Chemistry Connections program, around the topic of Density.

Shared Experiences in Online Learning Contexts

Diane Schiller, Loyola University Chicago; Shaalean Lopez, Loyola University Chicago; Keith Nabb, Moraine Valley Community College; Steven Rogg, DePaul University
Diane Schiller has developed COUNTDOWN.luc.edu with over 600 short videos to model best practices in teaching mathematics for K-9 students. Shaalein Lopez, a doctoral student, has taught high school math for ten years and is engaged in research in math education. The site serves as a video textbook for preservice teachers enrolled in math methods courses. It provides a review for undergraduates who may have forgotten important math concepts and a model for teaching standards based mathematics. An introduction to the site will be provided along with results of a study of the effectiveness of the tutoring component.
Keith Nabb will report on an analysis of college students  perceptions of mathematics delivered online. Student perceptions and expectations were linked to the outcome variables achievement and satisfaction. Relevant questions include: Do students have different perceptions and/or expectations for the online learning of mathematics when compared to face-to-face instruction? Are withdrawal rates and/or failure rates higher in distance education when compared to traditional instruction? To what extent does personal epistemology in mathematics and online learning play a role in student success in distance learning? Do distance education classes attract a different  student? Is there a latent achievement gap present in online learning?
Steven Rogg uses a blended  approach for science teacher preparation in the Blackboard!" course management system. He will report on strategies for fostering collaboration in an inquiry orientation. In addition, he will review some key questions and resources found to have been especially valuable as the DePaul University School of Education has been working to develop a comprehensive plan for online learning.

An Introduction to Lesson Study

Akihiko Takahashi, DePaul University
This session is designed to help educators and researchers to develop a good understanding of lesson study and see how lesson study can be conducted effectively and meaningfully. The participant will learn about lesson study by participating an actual research lesson developed by the Oscar Mayer School Lesson Study Team. Through the two and a half hour session, the participants will experience observing and discussing research lesson.
This special workshop will span the time period of the first two breakout sessions, 10:15 - 12:45
  • What is lesson study and how to participate in a research lesson: 50 minutes
  • Experience observing lesson study: 50 minutes
  • Experience discussing research lesson: 50 minutes
Breakout Session II
Saturday 11:45-12:45

How to turn an idea into a competitive proposal

Pratibha Varma-Nelson, Division of Undergraduate Education, Education and Human Resource Directorate, National Science Foundation
This session will focus on the following DUE programs: Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI), Scholarship in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM, formerly CSEMS) and STEM Talent Expansion Program (STEP). Those who have served as reviewers for any of these programs or received a grant from any of these programs are encouraged to attend and participate in the discussion. Program evaluators are also welcome.

Personal Response Systems (PRS):
Using clickers to enhance instruction in Physics & Biology

Paul Dolan, Richard Delznero, Ilya Gulkarov, Mahmoud Kalili, Northeastern Illinois University
and Steve Cohen , Cornelius Watson, Vicky McKinley, Roosevelt University.
Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam in "Assessment and Education" provide evidence that formative assessment is an essential component of effective instruction. PRS systems provide a ready-to-use mechanism for getting instant information from a class and offer additional benefits. Clickers are normally used for multiple choice questions that are posed to the entire class and each student communicates his or her response with a remote control device. The responses can be collected anonymously or identified with individual students. In either case, the instructor is able to get instant information about what students know.
Examples will be presented from physics classes at Northeastern Illinois University and from biology classes at Roosevelt University. Logistics and implementation issues are discussed and participants at the session will have the opportunity to try out the PRS systems from the student point of view. After the demonstrations, there will be a moderated discussion of the relative merits and possible complications. Session participants will have a chance discuss and pose questions to the presenters.

Bridging The Gap Between Mathematics And The Physical Sciences PPT

Tevian Dray, Oregon State University
Mathematics may be the universal language of science, but other scientists speak a different dialect. This gap between mathematics and the physical sciences is especially apparent at the level of second-year calculus, especially vector calculus, which is essential for physicists and some engineers due to its central role in the description of electricity and magnetism. The key to bridging this gap is geometric reasoning. This session will introduce participants to the art of teaching geometric reasoning, emphasizing the teaching of vector calculus, and discuss efforts at OSU to bridge this gap through the use of small group activities which emphasize geometric visualization. Our approach also suggests changes which could be made in the teaching of related material, such as the basic properties of vectors. The session would combine an interactive lecture with hands-on experience with some of our group activities.

Process Standards-Based Portfolio as a Tool for Developing a Framework for Teaching Mathematics in Preservice Teachers

Patricia Jaberg, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Edwards (1996) wrote that preservice teachers begin teacher education with a clear picture of "what kind of teacher they want to be and are reluctant to shift those images as they progress through their training." In this session we will explore how creating a portfolio of mathematical work around the NCTM process standards might impact preservice teachers' images of learning and teaching mathematics.

Content, Pedagogy and Connection to Teachers' Classrooms

Rachel Shefner, Center for Science and Math Education/Loyola University Chicago
The Science Teaching Scholars Program (STSP), is a three-year program designed to improve the quality of middle school science teaching in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). CPS teachers have been targeted by a number of initiatives to address deficiencies in student achievement, which have made them somewhat resistant to trying new strategies, especially strategies implemented by those outside the district. Therefore we designed our approach to be focused on content, yet mindfully connecting to teachers and work in their classrooms. Teachers demonstrate increases in content knowledge and improvement in instructional practices in this ongoing program. Preliminary student data is intriguing.

In this session we will share our experiences with the tools we have used to measure teacher and student success in this program. These tools include qualitative as well as quantitative measures. Documentation of teacher and student gains is important in order to maintain funding for grant-funded programs, and will add to the research base on effective professional development practices. We expect the participants may have their own experiences with designing and implementing professional development programs to share, and discussion of these experiences will inform all of our work.

The format will be a lecture/discussion. We will present our program, and lead a discussion based on 2 or 3 guiding questions for the group, as well as answering specific questions from the group about our program.

Poster Session: Reform Efforts in Geology and Astronomy

Math, Science, and Field Geology
Solomon Isiorho, Indiana Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW)
Students often think of their courses as isolated and do not see the connection between them. On several occasions, I have heard students say I am done with that course and I will never use it again.  To change such thinking, I have made some changes to courses to reinforce students  application of materials learned in math and other science courses. Here, I will present one such example. A hydrogeology course was modified to emphasize a strong field component. The course shows the application of mathematics, statistics, biology, physics, and chemistry in several field works. Pictures and data from the field will be presented.
Do Group Projects Increase Astronomy 101 students' interest in Astronomy?
Noella D'Cruz, Joliet Junior College
In Fall 06, 180 non-science major students in ASTR 101 at Joliet Junior College worked in groups to make 50 posters on various solar system topics. One reason for creating posters was to raise awareness amongst the students and the college community about the Nov 8th, 2006 transit of Mercury. This was achieved by displaying the posters in a high traffic area of the college during the week of Nov 6th. A second reason was to give non-science majors the opportunity to explore a solar system topic along with their peers. Such an assignment allows for closer interaction between students and their instructor by having students submit a draft of their poster. Students were surveyed to find out whether this activity helped to increase their appreciation in astronomy and results of this survey will be presented at the conference.
Breakout Session III
Saturday 3:45-4:45

Mathematics Courses for Middle-Level Teachers

W. James Lewis, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Math in the Middle is an NSF-funded Math Science Partnership Institute for middle-level mathematics teachers. Teachers in the institute take seven mathematics courses, one statistics course, three education courses and one integrated math and education capstone course. We will discuss the details of two of the mathematics courses that have been developed for use in the institute.

Enhancing Quantitative Reasoning in Biology:
The BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium's Biological ESTEEM (Excel Simulations and Tools for Exploratory, Experiential Mathematics) Project

John R. Jungck, Beloit College; Tim Comar, Benedictine University; Ethel Stanley, BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium
A primary intention of the Biological ESTEEM project has been to provide sample elementary applications of mathematics across the spectrum of activity-based general biology curricula. Particular attention has been paid to equations that have significantly transformed contemporary biological practice and that are widely used in classroom, laboratory, and field activities in the context of measurement, analysis, modeling, and hypothesis testing. Through extensive use of simulations, tools, and databases, we believe that students will have an opportunity to develop an intuitive sense of the power, utility, and beauty of applying mathematics to biology. The Biological ESTEEM Collection is an open collection; biologists, mathematicians, computer scientists, and other interested parties contribute new modules or to suggest major revisions to currently existing modules.
In this session, we will introduce a variety of visual modules (fractals, cellular automata, computational geometry) and then interactively explore two numerical problems involving phylogenetic tree construction and population genetics.

The Undergraduate Research Collaborative: A Successful Research Collaborative between the City Colleges of Chicago, Suburban Community Colleges, and Universities

Dana Perry, Harold Washington College; Yvonne Harris, Truman College, and Tom Dowd, Harper College
This session will focus on the accomplishments of the Undergraduate Research Collaborative (URC), which is a NSF-funded project designed to enhance undergraduate research opportunities in biological and physical sceinces for community college students. The URC includes The City Colleges of Chicago; suburban community colleges, such as Harper College and College of DuPage; and four-year universities, such as Southern Illinois University and Hope College. Through the URC, community college students participate in research projects with a faculty mentor on their home campus, in addition to performing research at their home institution or at one of the participating universities during the summer. During the first year of the URC (2006 - 2007), the participating students presented posters of their research at a professional conference (2YC3), in addition to presenting separate posters at the year-end URC meeting. During the summer of 2007, these students are doing research at Southern Illinois University, Hope College, and Youngstown State University. The format for this session would include an interactive panel of faculty mentors and students from the URC, who will discuss their research and experiences within the URC.  Issues of how and when to incorporate research into undergraduate curriculums will be discussed.

A Model for Assessing Pre-service Science Education Programs

Theresa Robinson, National Louis University
This presentation will focus on how one department organized learning experiences for preservice science teachers around the National Science Teaching Standards. We will address the following questions:
  • What should pre-service science teachers know and be able to do after a program in science education?
  • How can we use assessment to improve their learning and,
  • How can the data be used to improve the learning of their students?
 The assessment model described in this session was developed for a Masters of Teaching Program for Secondary Science Teaching but could be applied generically to undergraduate or graduate level science method courses or throughout the science education program. In this session we will include examples of assignments that have been designed to meet the National Science Teaching Standards. Data will be presented from state certification test scores, student teaching evaluations, and results from the safety and welfare module.

Involving undergraduate researchers in instructional reform and research on the student learning of physics.*

Mel Sabella, Chicago State University
  with Stephanie Barr, Jameson Eisinas, Sean Gallardo, Crystalann Jones, Lorne Nash, students from Chicago State University
The physics program at Chicago State University (CSU) is currently involved in making major revisions to the introductory algebra- and calculus-based physics courses as a result of funding from the National Science Foundation - Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) Program. Underlying these revisions is a strong research component that seeks to assesses the effectiveness of these instructional innovations in the CSU classroom. This project has involved over half the faculty in the Physics Program and over ten student researchers who received degrees or are currently pursuing degrees in science. These students have been involved in curriculum development, research on student learning, and work as laboratory and classroom facilitators. Because of the large scope of departmental involvement in the implementation of the revisions and the research supporting these revisions the instructional environment built around the physics courses has evolved into a community endeavor in which both faculty and students play an active role in program innovations. In this session we will briefly discuss how the undergraduate researchers have been involved in the project, describe the benefits of involving science majors in education research, and describe the successes and challenges we face in this project. The majority of the session will be an interactive poster session with undergraduate researchers presenting their recent projects.

*supported by the National Science Foundation's Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement Program DUE-0410068 (CSU), DUE 0632563 (CSU), 0618128 (Ohio State University)
Breakout Session IV
Sunday 9:30-10:30

Using research to improve student learning in upper division physics:
An example in intermediate mechanics

Bradley S Ambrose, Grand Valley State University
Ongoing research in physics education has demonstrated that physics majors often do not develop a working knowledge of basic concepts, even after standard instruction in upper-level courses. This break-out session will provide insights from this research and highlight how these insights have guided the development of Intermediate Mechanics Tutorials (IMT), a suite of guided inquiry materials that provides an innovative approach to supplement lecture instruction in junior-level mechanics. These materials--modeled after Tutorials in Introductory Physics by McDermott, Shaffer, and the Physics Education Group at the University of Washington--are designed to address persistent student difficulties and to guide students to make appropriate connections between the physics and mathematics. Break-out participants will play the role of "students," working with one another in small groups and with the session facilitator (who will play the role of "instructor"), in order to obtain firsthand experience with selected tutorial materials. We will also briefly discuss lessons learned during the IMT project that may be generalizable and thus may inform similar efforts to improve student learning in other upper-level science and math courses.

Inquiry Based Learning and Problem Solving Skills in Mathematics

Diane Herrmann and John Boller, University of Chicago
This will be a descriptive session to talk about how we have begun to include Inquiry Based Learning (IBL) in the undergraduate mathematics curriculum at the University of Chicago and ways in which students and their experience of mathematics has changed because of our use of this approach. We intend to bring some students along with us so that they can share their experiences of IBL and describe the experience for themselves.

Exemplary Programs for Elementary and Middle School Teachers

Robert Keller, Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa, and Donald Marxen, Dominican University
We plan to discuss two teacher training initiatives at Loras College. Each is focused primarily on K-6 mathematics: one, a two-course mathematics course sequence for pre-service students and the other, a professional development program for practicing teachers. We will discuss each initiative in some detail, sharing with participants how our faculty became involved and the positives that have come from doing so. As many states ramp up mathematics requirements for teachers, program administrators often struggle with how to adapt their programs to best meet these requirements given funding, staffing, and other constraints. After sharing our "story" we will invite other participants to share information on their own model programs for future elementary and middle school teachers.
The two-course sequence in mathematics at Loras exposes students to a variety of elementary and middle school curricula and provides them with a solid understanding of the NCTM standards while modeling appropriate pedagogies. We will explain the way in which the two courses fit within the context of the College s general education mathematics requirement and share strategies used to garner support from the administration and a sometimes reluctant faculty. Most importantly, we will communicate in some detail the coverage of each course, including materials and curricula utilized. Equally significant, we will share assessment data on student learning in the areas of numbers & operations, algebra, and geometry from pilot courses, obtained using pre- and post-tests developed for the Learning Mathematics for Teaching project at University of Michigan by D. Ball et al.
The professional development program based at Loras College is modeled on Japanese-style lesson study. Each year nearly 50 K-6 teachers from Eastern Iowa receive training in mathematics content and learn how to conduct "research lessons" in mathematics. In lesson study, a team of teachers plans a research lesson complete with goals, detailed directions, possible student solution methods and misconceptions, one member gives the lesson to a class while the others record student responses, and then the team "debriefs" the lesson. In debriefing the team looks for improvements to make to the lesson and the cycle repeats. The overarching goal of the process is to develop well-honed, tested lessons over time. We will explain the components of the program which include summer workshops and regular team meetings throughout the academic year, and describe advantages for teachers and faculty involved in the program.

Investigative Case-Based Learning (ICBL)

Ethel Stanley, BioQUEST Curriculum Consortium; Tim Comar, Benedictine University; John R. Jungck, Beloit College
Investigative Case-Based Learning (ICBL) is a variant of Problem Based Learning that encourages students to develop questions that can be explored further by reasonable investigative approaches. Students then gather data and information for testing their hypotheses. They produce materials that can be used to persuade others of their findings.
Investigative cases necessarily shift the focus of student learning beyond the facts to include using scientific knowledge to frame questions and to answer them. Investigative case-based learning methods incorporate problem posing, problem solving, and peer persuasion. Instructors as well as students are collaborators in this three phase process, often providing additional insights and defining potential strengths and weaknesses in the design of the problem statement and the investigation.
In this session, we will track the spread of West Nile Virus using sequence data from the World Health Organization and investigate algal blooms in the Chesapeake Bay using real time data acquisition.

Getting to Win-Win: University and District Partnerships that Work.

Stacy A. Wenzel, University of Illinois at Chicago; Bret Feranchak, Chicago Public Schools; Lynn Narasimhan, DePaul University; David Slavsky, Center for Science and Math Education/Loyola University Chicago
This break out session will describe the partnership between the Chicago Public Schools and numerous university partners who work together around the Chicago Math and Science Initiative. These partners have worked together for over 5 years on efforts to, for example, help district teachers gain credentials to meet NCLB standards as highly qualified  to teach math and science and to learn how to use specific math and science curricular packages supported by the district. Discussion will include data from the evaluation of several different aspects of these partnerships-how these partnerships are working and what has been learned along the way to make these partnerships stronger in fulfilling joint and organizational goals. Both university and district partners will present and discuss findings and invite audience dialogue.

Middle School Teacher Quality Enhancement (MSTQE)

Paul Dolan, Panagos Papageorgiu, Heather Patay, George Pryjma, Shobha Sharma, Wayne Landerholm, Michael Ladek, Emma Turia, Northeastern Illinois University Vinay Duggal, Wilbur Wright College of the City Colleges of Chicago Richard Kampwirth, Sheila McNicholas, Harry S. Truman College of the City Colleges of Chicago
The course sequence in the Math and Science Concepts Minor program, a consortium program based at Northeastern Illinois University, Harry S. Truman College and Wilbur Wright College, differs from previous math and or science concentrations in that it is an interdisciplinary minor that provides appropriate content material, an intentional focus on metacognitive processes (how diverse students come to know and be able to do  mathematics and science) and content specific pedagogy. It is, in essence, an applied mathematics concentration focused in scope for diverse city college and university students preparing to be educators, and primarily to become educators who teach elementary school in the 6th through 9th grade (see Usiskin abstract below)*.
The rationale for linking the courses in the new Math and Science Concepts Minor is that mathematics, mathematical reasoning, science and scientific reasoning can all be better understood by students when they are embedded as essential tools in authentic explorations and investigations, and situated in a meaningful context: in this case in the context of how might I use these understandings  or use this content  in my future role as an educator of students at the elementary and middle school level.
The faculty who developed and are teaching these interdisciplinary course pairs (a course pair is made up of a mathematics content course and a laboratory based life or physical science content course) will share the design features and challenges and demonstrate some of the interdisciplinary lessons and learning activities from their course pairs.
After a brief introduction to the program, we will break into smaller groups, so that faculty who teach several of the course pairs, along with students who have completed that course pair, can facilitate sample activities from their courses. Participants will be able to rotate among several of the activities during the session. These demonstrations will be selected so as to engage participants in the sample learning activities.
We plan to have activities from: Physics Concepts/Geometry Concepts; Chemistry Concepts/Number Concepts; Biology Concepts/Algebra Concepts; Calculus Concepts/Ecology Concepts; Discrete Math Concepts; using Fathom in the classroom.
Participants will be encouraged to share their programs and experiences in developing and delivering courses to increase developmentally appropriate content knowledge and content competency that future teachers are able to access, apply and transfer into their future classroom practices.
Materials provided: Handouts with sample lesson, sample course modules, overview of the program and use (during the session) of SketchPad, Fathom, Tinkerplots, and or Concept Mapping software.