How can we better understand the mental steps learners take as they come to understand science topics?

Recent insights: Learning Progressions and Trajectories

Learning Progressions

Learning Trajectories

How do we develop a more sophisticated understanding over time?

What knowledge is needed to keep progressing?

Learning to Ride a Bike

Level 1

Level 2Level 3

Level 4

Example topic: Causes of Earth’s seasons

Learners’ understandings of scientific topics

http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=657

Another example topic

Image from NOAA: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/atmos/images/hydro.jpg

Sample learning progression for the water cycle

Water is only in isolated, visible

locations (puddles, oceans)

Water and substances in

water move along multiple paths

with visible and invisible

boundaries; detailed

connections between natural

and human-engineered

systems

Water moves through

connected environmental systems using multiple paths

(e.g. underground aquifers, water vapor, human-

engineered systems)

Water can move from one visible

location to another

(river lake; soil clouds)

Based on Gunckel, Covitt, Salinas, & Anderson (2012)

1

2

3

4

Teaching and learning progressions for sea level rise

NGSS-aligned teaching progression:http://www.climateedresearch.org/

publications/2013/SLRTeachingProgression.pdf

Draft hypothesized learning progression:http://www.climateedresearch.org/

publications/2012/SLR-LP.pdf

This presentation was designed by the MADE CLEAR Learning Sciences Research Team at the University of Maryland, College Park (www.ClimateEdResearch.org)

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1043262. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

This presentation was designed by the MADE CLEAR Learning Sciences Research Team at the University of Maryland, College Park (www.ClimateEdResearch.org)

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1043262. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.