Research News Summer 2005

It all adds up: Learning about learning science and math

How do students learn math and science? What do teachers need to know to teach science and math effectively? The answers aren’t obvious, says Joan Ferrini-Mundy, who directs the Division of Science and Mathematics Education (DSME) where a large, interdisciplinary group of faculty are making headway on finding the answers.

Clarence Suelter, biochemistry professor emeritus, launched the effort in 1986 with a National Science Foundation grant for a program leading to a master’s degree for high school science teachers, a program later expanded to elementary school teachers. Entomology professor James Miller followed Suelter as director. Ferrini-Mundy recounts the history to underscore the interest of scientists in the process of educating students.

When Ferrini-Mundy became DSME director in 1999, a math focus and research emphasis were added, a connection was forged with the College of Education, and interdisciplinary collaborations became the norm. Now, Ferrini-Mundy says, DSME operates under the auspices of both the College of Natural Science and the College of Education.

 “The interdisciplinary approach is critical,” says Ferrini-Mundy, who is professor of both mathematics and teacher education. “No single area has all the expertise necessary.” Joint appointments and other collaborative arrangements are in place or anticipated with a range of departments—counseling, educational psychology, and special education; teacher education, mathematics, plant biology, physics and astronomy, geological sciences, and statistics—and other units—Lyman Briggs School, Kellogg Biological Station, Biological Sciences Program, Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Education, PROM/SE, and Center for Integrative Studies in General Science.

In addition to developing programs to improve math and science learning and teaching, faculty associated with DSME study those education processes and report what they learn in journals and at conferences. As a result, they’ve become effective in competing for external grants—projects associated with DSME have brought in more than $22 million in external funding over the past five years—and other scholars are noting and building on work done at MSU. National education committees recruit MSU mathematics and science faculty as members.

Research addresses issues like the subject matter preparation of teachers. What does an algebra teacher really need to know to teach algebra, Ferrini-Mundy asks. “We used to think a college mathematics major would prepare a high school teacher well,” she adds. “But maybe to be effective in the classroom, that teacher needs some other capabilities. We’re assessing and specifying what that knowledge might be.” She cites the example as a way the researchers link theory, design, and application.

Other research follows up on findings of projects like the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) that showed the value of coherent curricula that identify and emphasize the most important topics and present them in a way that encourages learning. A sampler of DSME-affiliated projects (see sidebar) shows how researchers are exploring these and other ways to improve conditions for learning science and math.

A DSME sampler

LON-CAPA: The Learning Online Network with Computer-Assisted Personalized Approach began as a way to administer online homework in an MSU physics course. Now it’s a networked system with a content library of more than 60,000 “learning objects” that include course content and homework exercises, primarily for the natural sciences and mathematics. With all the functions of a course management system, teachers can easily select materials for their classes. The system offers immediate feedback as students work on problems. At MSU, more than 12,000 students in over 400 course sections use LON-CAPA each semester. More than 25,000 students at 21 other colleges and universities, four community colleges, and 35 middle and high schools also use the system each semester. Summer research experiences for high school teachers help them learn to adapt college materials for their classes and generate new material for the network.

PROM/SE: Promoting Rigorous Outcomes in Mathematics and Science K-12 Education in five consortia of school districts in Michigan and Ohio is the goal of this new project. In addition to markedly improving educational opportunities and learning among the 300,000 students in these districts, researchers aim to generate data and other evidence for educators to use in revising content standards, aligning instruction with those standards, and monitoring learning. Teacher preparation and professional development programs will also benefit from the knowledge gained.

Problem-based learning: This professional development program links K-12 teachers with faculty from the MSU Colleges of Education, Human Medicine, and Natural Science; Lansing Community college, Ingham ISD, and area master level teachers. Using medical schools' problem-based learning models, the project aims to increase content knowledge and apply this model to improve teaching and learning. Teachers identify a teaching challenge, work in a team with faculty to develop solutions, and then implement and evaluate their efforts in science and mathematics teaching.