The National Academies Board on Science Education High School Labs Study Committee Second Fact Finding Meeting The Keck Center 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001 Room 204 June 3 - 4, 2004
DISCLAIMER: Please note that the presentations below may be subject to copyright restrictions of the individual presenters. Opinions and statements included in the presentations are solely those of the individual persons or participants at the conference, and are not necessarily adopted or endorsed or verified as accurate by The National Academies.
Thursday, June 3
CLOSED SESSION
8:00 a.m.	Committee discussions
OPEN SESSIONS
9:00 a.m.	Welcome Jean Moon, Director, Board on Science Education Susan Singer, Chair, Committee on High School Labs
9:15 a.m.	The nature of science and scientific research: Implications for high school science laboratories Jane Maienschein, Arizona State University Questions speaker will address: Briefly sketch the points of agreement and disagreement in current thinking about the nature of science (NOS) and how scientists work. How can these views of NOS and how scientists work inform the goals and design of science education? More specifically, how should/can this understanding inform the design of high school science lab experiences and their role in science education?				Bio	Draft Paper
9:30 a.m.	Discussion of presentation
10:00 a.m	Break
10:10 a.m	Definition of labs and their role in science education Robin Millar, University of York (UK) Questions speaker will address: Outline your definition of laboratory work and the analytic framework that drives this definition. Under this definition, what distinguishes laboratory work from other aspects of instruction in science? How does inquiry fit into your definition? Given your definition of laboratory work, what unique role does the laboratory play in supporting students’ learning in science? Or, put another way, what would be the consequences for students’ learning in science if laboratory experiences, as you have defined them, were eliminated? What factors must be considered in determining the effectiveness of laboratory experiences? To what extent is it possible to derive a common set of characteristics of lab experiences that can be considered “good” or “effective” across a range of different learning goals and content areas? What are the most effective or most useful assessments of student learning in laboratory contexts?				Bio	Presentation Draft Paper Final Paper
10:30 a.m.	Discussion of presentation
11:00 a.m	How financial and resource issues constrain or enable laboratory activities James Guthrie, Vanderbilt University Arthur Lidsky, AICP, President, Dober, Lidsky, Craig and Associates Questions speaker will address: How do finances and other resources (including the costs of teacher training, space, equipment, technician support for teachers) enable or constrain high school laboratory space, equipment, and activities? What is the range of lab experiences that schools with different levels of resources (including financial resources, lab space, lab equipment, and technology) provide? How should the physical and/or virtual laboratory be designed? What should it look like?				Bio	Presentation
11:30 a.m.	Panel discussion of finances and resources (each panelist will give 5 min opening comments) Daniel Gohl, Principal, McKinley Technical High School, DC Public Schools Shelley Lee, Science Education Consultant, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Lynda Beck, former Assistant Head of School, Phillips Exeter Academy Kim Lee, Science Curriculum Supervisor, Montgomery County Public Schools, VA				Bio Bio Bio Bio
12:00 p.m.	General discussion (questions from committee and audience)
12:30 p.m.	Lunch
1:30 p.m.	Organization and administration of schools to sustain instructional improvement Adam Gamoran, University of Wisconsin Questions speaker will address: What factors in the organization and administration of high schools and in education more generally enable sustained improvement in science instruction (including laboratory experiences)? What kinds of changes might be needed in the organization and administration of high schools to enhance the effectiveness of science labs?				Bio	Presentation
1:50 p.m.	Discussion of presentation
2:20 p.m.	Panel discussion of school leadership to support laboratory experiences (each panelist will give 5 min opening comments) Daniel Gohl, McKinley Technical High School, DC Public Schools Shelley Lee, Science Education Consultant, Wisconsin Department of Education Kim Lee, Science Curriculum Supervisor, Montgomery County Public Schools, VA Questions panelists will address: What sort of leadership is needed from the science department, from the school principal, and from the state to support sustained improvement in laboratory instruction? How can science teachers, state and local administrators, and outside organizations (e.g., scientists) develop relationships that enable and sustain quality laboratory instruction?				Bio Bio Bio
2:50 p.m.	Questions from committee and audience
3:15 p.m.	Break
CLOSED SESSION
3:30p.m.	Committee discussions
5:30 p.m.	Adjourn for the day
Friday, June 4
CLOSED SESSION
8:00 a.m.	Committee discussions
OPEN SESSIONS
9:00 a.m.	How students learn science in different forms of laboratory experience: Focus on technology Marcia Linn, University of California Berkeley (Confirmed) Questions speaker will address: What do we know about the role of technology (in all of its forms) in science learning? What are the unique contributions that technology can make to science learning? What does the evidence about students’ learning and technology imply for developing a vision for the role of high school laboratories in science education?				Bio	Presentation
9:20 a.m.	Discussion of presentation
10:00 a.m.	Break
10:15 a.m.	How teachers learn and work – specifically related to labs Kefyn Catley, Vanderbilt University Mark Windschitl, University of Washington (Commissioned paper) Questions speakers will address: What knowledge and skills are required to successfully design and carry out different forms of laboratory experiences? To what extent to teachers’ current preparation and professional development provide them with these knowledge and skills?				Bio Bio	Presentation Presentation
11:00 a.m.	Questions from committee and audience
11:30 a.m.	Lunch
12:30 p.m.	State science standards and laboratory assessment in New York: A case study Audrey Champagne, SUNY Buffalo Thomas Shiland, Saratoga Springs High School				Bio Bio	Presentation
1:00 p.m.	Science standards and assessment across the 50 states Arthur Halbrook, Council of Chief State School Officers				Bio	Presentation
1:30 p.m.	Discussion of presentations Questions speakers will address: What are the challenges in assessing students’ learning from laboratory experiences? What is the current state of state standards and assessment practices and how do they constrain or enable what can be done in labs?
2:15 p.m.	Break
CLOSED SESSIONS
2:30 p.m.	Committee Discussions
5:30 p.m.	Adjourn