ILS Science
Mathematics Infusion into Science Project (MiSP ) – NSF # 0927973 David Burghardt and Michael Hacker
Deborah Hecht and Bert Flugman
Center for STEM Research Hofstra University Mathematics Infusion into Science Project (MiSP) • MSTP Project developed math infusion framework that is being researched through MiSP • Partnership with the New York State Education Department (NYSED) and eight highneed Phase I school districts in New York • MiSP will develop and research the academic potential of an instructional model and a set of prototypical materials that infuse standards-based mathematics into eighth-grade science programs • Since algebra is the ‘gatekeeper’ subject that often affects students’ educational progress and career aspirations, MiSP will emphasize infusion of algebra into eighth-grade science contexts Why Math Infusion? • Math infusion is defined as math content taught in science or technology classes, where science or technology is the major discipline of instruction, but math is relevant and contextualized within science or technology activities • National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) contends that students should connect math to daily lives, and situations from science, social science, and commerce • Math connections can help students relate math topics to their daily lives, understand math better and help them see math as a useful and interesting subject (Reed, 1995) • Czerniak, Weber, Sandmann and Ahem (1999) suggest that integrating math and science enables students to develop a common core of knowledge, form deeper understandings, and find relevance in the curriculum The Math Infusion Model of MiSP promotes connections between Mathematics and Science • Each subject maintains its own perspective; promotes connections between the mathematics and science but does not attempt to combine into a curricular whole • Mathematics is infused into various science topics • Science remains the primary subject • Requires exposure to math within different science lessons to allow for transference of understanding of concepts • Sequence of science topics determined by teacher/school • Assumes students have competency and fluency with basics of math skills before being introduced to math infused science lessons Math as part of MiSP must … • Be meaningful and difficult for students • Fit naturally into science (typically as part of a lab) • Facilitate the learning of the science • Be introduced multiple times to assure student learning and ability to apply in different situation • Build in complexity, allowing for practice and mastery of easier skills before complex applications are required during science labs • For MiSP the math focus is linear relationships and its applications in science. Students are exposed to three levels of math Level 1: Graphical representation of data Level 2: Examination of slope, visual understanding of linear verse non-linear lines Level 3: Contrasting linear and non-linear lines; developing linear equations for prediction
Challenges of Misp and Math Infusion • • • • • • •
Possible teacher resistance and perception time will be lost from primary subject Teachers must understand the math and math pedagogy Assuring students have competency and fluency with the basics of math concepts School state testing schedules and required test-prep time Fidelity of implementation Facilities, Class size, Resources Teacher effectiveness in the classroom
Center for Advanced Study in Education City University of New York Graduate Center
MiSP’s Definition of Student Success Student Success Includes Showing Proficiency Through activities That Have Contextualized Math Within Science Demonstrated Competency in Being Able to: • Graphically represent data and understand the difference between linear and non-linear graphs (Level One) • Examine slope (Level Two) • Solve linear equation (Level Three)
Student Success Defined by Improvement on: • Content and attitude assessments • • •
State Math and Science assessments Do now activities Unit assessments
Lessons Developed by Higher Education Faculty and Implemented by MiSP Infusion Teachers Each of the following lessons include: • Introductory activity, two days of “dry” or “wet” lab activity, • Teacher Guide • Provisions for teaching at levels one, two and three math • Unit assessment Lesson selection process: • Teachers were provided with 26 lessons from which to choose • Teacher selected two lessons per level of math difficulty • Teachers selected a total of 6 MiSP lessons to teach over the course of the year
MiSP Research Design Related to Student Success Research Design • Wait-list pre/post experimental (infusion) control (business as usual) design • Teachers randomly assigned to infusion or business as usual condition within school • Some longitudinal data will be collected for students once they enter 9th grade Initial Findings • Infusion students showed significant increases from pre-post test above and beyond the increases typically expected over the school year. • Infusion students did significantly better than comparison students at post-test after controlling for pre-test score differences. • Infusion students did significantly better on the 8th grade math state assessment than control students. • Of the students who showed an increase in proficiency level, significantly more infusion students showed an increase when compared to control students (i.e. more infusion students moved up in proficiency level). Assessment Tools • Pre/post - math content (consider items) • Pre/post – attitudes toward math (consider items) • Embedded unit assessments within each lesson • Structured observations of math infused science lesson implementation • Teacher content knowledge as mediating variable • Teacher feedback ¾Unit surveys ¾Mid-year survey ¾Post-implementation focus groups • Monthly do nows ¾Interconnected learning: Do students understand the relevance of math in other content areas • New York State test results for 7th and 8th grade Math and 8th Grade Science
MiSP Lesson Titles: x ILS Science – Physical Setting –Chemistry Density x Living Environment Ecology – Food Relationships (Predator prey) x Living Environment Photosynthesis x Physical Setting – Earth and Space Science Topographic Maps x ILS Science – Physical Setting –Physics Light (and other electromagnetic waves) And Sound x Living Environment Enzymes x Living Environment Evolution in Real time: Development of antibacterial Resistance
x Living Environment Human Physiology and Exercise Physical Setting – Earth and Space Science x Geology – Plate tectonics x Physical Setting – Earth and Space Science Insolation x ILS Science – Physical Setting - Chemistry Chemistry – Phase change x ILS Science – Physical Setting - Physics Heat Transfer x ILS Science – Physical Setting - Physics Motion – Speed and distance
x Living Environment Human Growth and Development (Physiology) x Physical Setting – Earth and Space Science Astronomy/Cyclic phenomena x Physical Setting – Earth and Space Science Geology – Weathering and Erosion x Physical Setting – Earth and Space Science Weather causes-wind speed and direction x Physical Setting – Earth and Space Science Weather data x ILS Science – Physical Setting - Chemistry Solubility x Living Environment Making Connections required lab – MiSP adaptation x Physical Setting – Earth and Space Science Permeability and Porosity x ILS Science – Physical Setting - Chemistry Chemical Reactions x ILS Science – Physical Setting - Physics Force, Motion and Gravity x ILS Science – Physical Setting - Physics Simple Machines – Levers x ILS Science – Physical Setting - Physics Simple Machines – Inclined Plane x Ecology – Pollution – Global Warming
Role of Project Partners • Project Management Team – o Dave Burghardt: Hofstra University – Center for STEM Research, Michael Hacker: Hofstra University – Center for STEM Research • STEM and Education Higher-Ed Faculty o Scott McMullen : Retired K-12 Science Coordinator/Teacher and professor of Science educations, and Beverly Clendening :Professor of Biology at Hofstra University ¾ Development of math infused science units at each level of math difficulty. ¾ Facilitators of math infusion teacher training workshops. ¾ Providers of ongoing technical assistance to teachers. ¾ Ongoing revisions of units. • K-12 Districts: Administrators and Middle School Teachers – o Farmingdale Public Schools: Howiitt Middle School, Levittown CSD: Wisdom Lane Middle School; Longwood CSD: Longwood Junior High School, Middle Country CSD: Selden Middle School and Dawnwood Middle School, Mineola CSD: Mineola Middle School, NYC Schools: I IS 238 and IS 158Q, Patchogue Medford School District: Saxton/Oregon Middle School, Smithtown School District: Accompsett Middle School ,Great Hollow Middle School, Nesaquake Middle School , William Floyd CSD: William Floyd Middle School. ¾ Implement Lessons ¾ Provide resources for the implementation of lessons (i.e. classrooms, lab resources, timing, district support) and conduct of research ¾ Provided student data ¾ Provided access to archived and current state test results • Evaluators o Deborah Hecht: CUNY Graduate Center; James Lauckhardt: CUNY Graduate Center; Bert Flugman: CUNY Graduate Center ¾ Provide ongoing input to project ¾ Participant observers at project meetings ¾ Develop assessments ¾ Conduct expert reviews and pilots of materials ¾ Collect and analyze research data ¾ Facilitate research advisory board convened to develop assessment items with experts from educational psychology, psychometrics, developmental psychology, and middle school science and math education
Deborah Hecht and Bert Flugman
Center for STEM Research Hofstra University Mathematics Infusion into Science Project (MiSP) • MSTP Project developed math infusion framework that is being researched through MiSP • Partnership with the New York State Education Department (NYSED) and eight highneed Phase I school districts in New York • MiSP will develop and research the academic potential of an instructional model and a set of prototypical materials that infuse standards-based mathematics into eighth-grade science programs • Since algebra is the ‘gatekeeper’ subject that often affects students’ educational progress and career aspirations, MiSP will emphasize infusion of algebra into eighth-grade science contexts Why Math Infusion? • Math infusion is defined as math content taught in science or technology classes, where science or technology is the major discipline of instruction, but math is relevant and contextualized within science or technology activities • National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) contends that students should connect math to daily lives, and situations from science, social science, and commerce • Math connections can help students relate math topics to their daily lives, understand math better and help them see math as a useful and interesting subject (Reed, 1995) • Czerniak, Weber, Sandmann and Ahem (1999) suggest that integrating math and science enables students to develop a common core of knowledge, form deeper understandings, and find relevance in the curriculum The Math Infusion Model of MiSP promotes connections between Mathematics and Science • Each subject maintains its own perspective; promotes connections between the mathematics and science but does not attempt to combine into a curricular whole • Mathematics is infused into various science topics • Science remains the primary subject • Requires exposure to math within different science lessons to allow for transference of understanding of concepts • Sequence of science topics determined by teacher/school • Assumes students have competency and fluency with basics of math skills before being introduced to math infused science lessons Math as part of MiSP must … • Be meaningful and difficult for students • Fit naturally into science (typically as part of a lab) • Facilitate the learning of the science • Be introduced multiple times to assure student learning and ability to apply in different situation • Build in complexity, allowing for practice and mastery of easier skills before complex applications are required during science labs • For MiSP the math focus is linear relationships and its applications in science. Students are exposed to three levels of math Level 1: Graphical representation of data Level 2: Examination of slope, visual understanding of linear verse non-linear lines Level 3: Contrasting linear and non-linear lines; developing linear equations for prediction
Challenges of Misp and Math Infusion • • • • • • •
Possible teacher resistance and perception time will be lost from primary subject Teachers must understand the math and math pedagogy Assuring students have competency and fluency with the basics of math concepts School state testing schedules and required test-prep time Fidelity of implementation Facilities, Class size, Resources Teacher effectiveness in the classroom
Center for Advanced Study in Education City University of New York Graduate Center
MiSP’s Definition of Student Success Student Success Includes Showing Proficiency Through activities That Have Contextualized Math Within Science Demonstrated Competency in Being Able to: • Graphically represent data and understand the difference between linear and non-linear graphs (Level One) • Examine slope (Level Two) • Solve linear equation (Level Three)
Student Success Defined by Improvement on: • Content and attitude assessments • • •
State Math and Science assessments Do now activities Unit assessments
Lessons Developed by Higher Education Faculty and Implemented by MiSP Infusion Teachers Each of the following lessons include: • Introductory activity, two days of “dry” or “wet” lab activity, • Teacher Guide • Provisions for teaching at levels one, two and three math • Unit assessment Lesson selection process: • Teachers were provided with 26 lessons from which to choose • Teacher selected two lessons per level of math difficulty • Teachers selected a total of 6 MiSP lessons to teach over the course of the year
MiSP Research Design Related to Student Success Research Design • Wait-list pre/post experimental (infusion) control (business as usual) design • Teachers randomly assigned to infusion or business as usual condition within school • Some longitudinal data will be collected for students once they enter 9th grade Initial Findings • Infusion students showed significant increases from pre-post test above and beyond the increases typically expected over the school year. • Infusion students did significantly better than comparison students at post-test after controlling for pre-test score differences. • Infusion students did significantly better on the 8th grade math state assessment than control students. • Of the students who showed an increase in proficiency level, significantly more infusion students showed an increase when compared to control students (i.e. more infusion students moved up in proficiency level). Assessment Tools • Pre/post - math content (consider items) • Pre/post – attitudes toward math (consider items) • Embedded unit assessments within each lesson • Structured observations of math infused science lesson implementation • Teacher content knowledge as mediating variable • Teacher feedback ¾Unit surveys ¾Mid-year survey ¾Post-implementation focus groups • Monthly do nows ¾Interconnected learning: Do students understand the relevance of math in other content areas • New York State test results for 7th and 8th grade Math and 8th Grade Science
MiSP Lesson Titles: x ILS Science – Physical Setting –Chemistry Density x Living Environment Ecology – Food Relationships (Predator prey) x Living Environment Photosynthesis x Physical Setting – Earth and Space Science Topographic Maps x ILS Science – Physical Setting –Physics Light (and other electromagnetic waves) And Sound x Living Environment Enzymes x Living Environment Evolution in Real time: Development of antibacterial Resistance
x Living Environment Human Physiology and Exercise Physical Setting – Earth and Space Science x Geology – Plate tectonics x Physical Setting – Earth and Space Science Insolation x ILS Science – Physical Setting - Chemistry Chemistry – Phase change x ILS Science – Physical Setting - Physics Heat Transfer x ILS Science – Physical Setting - Physics Motion – Speed and distance
x Living Environment Human Growth and Development (Physiology) x Physical Setting – Earth and Space Science Astronomy/Cyclic phenomena x Physical Setting – Earth and Space Science Geology – Weathering and Erosion x Physical Setting – Earth and Space Science Weather causes-wind speed and direction x Physical Setting – Earth and Space Science Weather data x ILS Science – Physical Setting - Chemistry Solubility x Living Environment Making Connections required lab – MiSP adaptation x Physical Setting – Earth and Space Science Permeability and Porosity x ILS Science – Physical Setting - Chemistry Chemical Reactions x ILS Science – Physical Setting - Physics Force, Motion and Gravity x ILS Science – Physical Setting - Physics Simple Machines – Levers x ILS Science – Physical Setting - Physics Simple Machines – Inclined Plane x Ecology – Pollution – Global Warming
Role of Project Partners • Project Management Team – o Dave Burghardt: Hofstra University – Center for STEM Research, Michael Hacker: Hofstra University – Center for STEM Research • STEM and Education Higher-Ed Faculty o Scott McMullen : Retired K-12 Science Coordinator/Teacher and professor of Science educations, and Beverly Clendening :Professor of Biology at Hofstra University ¾ Development of math infused science units at each level of math difficulty. ¾ Facilitators of math infusion teacher training workshops. ¾ Providers of ongoing technical assistance to teachers. ¾ Ongoing revisions of units. • K-12 Districts: Administrators and Middle School Teachers – o Farmingdale Public Schools: Howiitt Middle School, Levittown CSD: Wisdom Lane Middle School; Longwood CSD: Longwood Junior High School, Middle Country CSD: Selden Middle School and Dawnwood Middle School, Mineola CSD: Mineola Middle School, NYC Schools: I IS 238 and IS 158Q, Patchogue Medford School District: Saxton/Oregon Middle School, Smithtown School District: Accompsett Middle School ,Great Hollow Middle School, Nesaquake Middle School , William Floyd CSD: William Floyd Middle School. ¾ Implement Lessons ¾ Provide resources for the implementation of lessons (i.e. classrooms, lab resources, timing, district support) and conduct of research ¾ Provided student data ¾ Provided access to archived and current state test results • Evaluators o Deborah Hecht: CUNY Graduate Center; James Lauckhardt: CUNY Graduate Center; Bert Flugman: CUNY Graduate Center ¾ Provide ongoing input to project ¾ Participant observers at project meetings ¾ Develop assessments ¾ Conduct expert reviews and pilots of materials ¾ Collect and analyze research data ¾ Facilitate research advisory board convened to develop assessment items with experts from educational psychology, psychometrics, developmental psychology, and middle school science and math education
