READING, WRITING AND SCIENCE: SYNERGISTIC LEARNING

OPPORTUNITIES

Inverness Research March 30, 2011

A Briefing for the STEM Caucus

www.inverness-research.org

MAIN MESSAGES

• EARLY LEARNING IN SCIENCE, WRITING AND READING ARE ALL IMPORTANT

• EARLY SCIENCE LEARNING IS BEING PUSHED OUT OF THE SCHOOLS

• GREAT POTENTIAL FOR SYNERGISTIC STEM LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES – IN SCHOOL – OUT OF SCHOOL

• OPPORTUNITIES DO NOT REALIZE THEMSELVES; THEY NEED INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT

EARLY SCIENCE LEARNING IS IMPORTANT

Finis Origine Pendet

Meaningful engagement with science in early years is a critical influence on the academic pathways studentschoose in middle and high school.

(Tai, Liu, Maltese, & Fan, 2006)

Finis Origine Pendet

“Encouragement of interest and exposure to the sciences should not be ignored in favor of an emphasis on standardized test preparation…*

Tai, R.H.; Liu, Chrinstine Qu Liu, Maltese, Adam V.; Fan, Sitano. (2006). Planning Early for Careers in Science. Science (312)1143-1144

Contributions of Early STEM Learning

Potential Benefits of Early Science Learning Experiences• Foundation to further science learning• Foundation to further intellectual development• Fostering “activation” -- further engagement and

excitement in school/out of school STEM activities • Providing a broader contribution to literacy

ELEMENTARY SCIENCE IS DISAPPEARING FROM THE SCHOOLS

THE IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING TO WRITE AT AN EARLY AGE

“Writing, properly understood, is thought on paper…The reward of disciplined writing is a mind equipped to think.

“Writing education will never realize its potential as an engine of opportunity and economic growth until a writing revolution puts the power of language and communication in their proper place in the classroom.”

- The National Commission on WritingIn America’s Schools and Colleges

“. . . in today’s workplace writing is a ‘threshold skill’ for hiring and promotion . . . .

Writing is a ticket to professional opportunity . . . .

Employers spend billions annuallycorrecting writing deficiencies ….”

Writing: A Ticket to Work…or a Ticket Out – A Survey of Business LeadersConducted by College Board

“Effective writing skills are important in all stages of life from early education to future employment.”

- National Center for Education Statistics (U.S. Department of Education), The Condition of Education, p. 70

THE IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING TO READ AT AN

EARLY AGE

• (Can you read this powerpoint?)• (Did it matter that you learned how to read

at an early age?)

RES IPSA LOQUITUR

The Potential for Synergy

SCIENCEMATH

ENGINEERINGTECHNOLOGY

WRITING READING

Science Literacy

Inquiry science, which promotes students’ construction of meaning through exploration of scientific phenomenon, observations, experiments, and hands-on activities, provides an authentic context for language use.

(National Research Council, 1996)

Science Literacy

Cultivating science skills within literacy development can be a powerful way to build reading students’ skills and learn science content at the same time.

(Carnegie Corp. of NY and Institute for Advanced Study Report, 2007)

Science Literacy

As children engage in scientific activities, they use and learn academic language that accomplishes a range of scientific purposes, e.g., description, formulating scientific hypothesis, proposing alternatives, classifying, inferring, interpreting, predicting and generalizing. In addition inquiry based science environments provide children with a meaningful and engaging context for learning language.

(T. Stoddart, A. Pinal, M. Latzke, D. Canaday, 2002)

Science Literacy

“Hands-on, investigation-based science is an effective context for the teaching and learning of expository writing. Writing fosters thinking about and internalization of concepts through language; science experience generates important, compelling content about which to write.”

-Finding, 2003 Inverness Research evaluation

Writing In Elementary Science Can Raise Science Achievement And

Help Shrink the Achievement Gap

Seattle Public Schools out-performed WA average in 5th grade State Science Assessment in 2003-4 and 2004-5

– District demographics predicted lower scores, but science scores were higher

Shrinking the achievement gap– Higher science scores in lowest-SES schools correlated

to teacher participation in Science-Writing Program

Two-year Evaluation by National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing, UCLA

EFFECTIVE INTEGRATION DOES NOT HAPPEN AUTOMATICALLY

A Need for Research on Design and

Implementation

Although there is strong support for the use of science and literacy strategies at the elementary level, little research has been conducted on the issues that teachers encounter as they incorporate these new practices into their instruction.  Pegg, Jerine (2010).  Integrating Literacy into Elementary Science:  Teacher Concerns and their Resolutions. Electronic Journal of Literacy Through Science, v. 9.  http://ejlts.ucdavis.edu/sites/ejlts.ucdavis.edu/files/articles/Pegg_EJLTS_final.pdf

An I3 Project

Integrating English Language Development and Science: A Professional Development Approach

The framing hypothesis for this project is that strategically designed professional development focused on integrated ELD and science will increase the percentage of highly effective teachers, as measured by both teacher performance and student achievement in English language development and in science

The Exploratorium and the Sonoma Valley Unified School District

Integration – A topic of study

The Electronic Journal of Literacy through Science (EJLTS) will be devoted to addressing science education by focusing on "Literacy through Science" in the areas of:

1. Language Development (Reading and Writing) and Science Education 2. Bilingualism and Science Education 3. Scientific Literacy for All

A Need for Infrastructure as well as “Projects”

• The National Writing Project • Reading is Fundamental • The National Science Project, Math Project,

Reading Project…?

THE FEDERAL ROLE IN EDUCATION IS TO HELP DEVELOP AND SUPPORT STABLE NATIONAL “IMPROVEMENT INFRASTRUCTURES” THAT CAN SUPPORT IMPROVEMENT AND DISSEMINATE INNOVATIONS ON AN ONGOING BASIS …

Dr. Mark St. John…

A need for materials, books, activities, kits,

tools…

Materials designed for a range of venues and audiences:• Schools• After school programs • Informal science settings (museums, camps,

nature centers…) • Families• Youth (autonomous)

Books: “The Boy Scientist”

• The need for the chance to assume and try on roles, identities and habits of mind… to try things and see what happens… to use the imagination

Supporting the enthusiasm of the next

generation