PEER Physics engages in comprehensive research and evaluation in the context of student science content understanding, engagement in science practices, and attitudes toward learning science. Additionally, research and evaluation involves collecting data around teacher professional learning attendance and district partner engagement in the partnership. Our research and evaluation approach combines large-scale implementation studies, classroom observation protocols, attendance and survey data, and participatory action research where teachers serve as co-investigators rather than subjects. This work encompasses quasi-experimental studies comparing student outcomes across diverse school contexts, ethnographic investigations of classroom discourse and equity patterns, professional learning impact studies using hierarchical linear modeling, and participant-observer accounts of district-level adoption processes. We employ mixed-methods approaches that integrate quantitative measures of student learning with qualitative analyses of student empowerment and teacher growth, while maintaining a focus on authentic classroom contexts where curriculum development, implementation research, and teacher professional learning occur simultaneously as interconnected components of a larger educational research ecosystem grounded in principles of democratic participation and scientific inquiry.
keywords
NGSS-aligned curriculum High School Physics Phenomenon-driven Inquiry-based science Research-validated pedagogy Conceptual & Algebra-based Physics Student-centered Collaborative Learning Science Practices Equitable and Inclusive Bilingual/Spanish Resources Engineering Design Challenges Professional Learning Communities Train-the-Trainer Model District partnerships
EDUC 1580 - Energy and Interactions
Primary Instructor
-
Spring 2020
Engages non-physics majors in hands-on, minds-on activities and labs to investigate the physical world, the nature of science, and how science knowledge is constructed. This introductory course is especially relevant for future elementary and middle school teachers although it will meet the needs of most non-physics and non-science majors. Physics content focuses on interactions and energy. Same as PHYS 1580.
GRTE 5030 - Graduate Natural Sciences for Teachers
Primary Instructor
-
Summer 2024
Addresses special topics in natural sciences with an emphasis on building conceptual understanding of content and enhancing teacher's practice in teaching this content.
PHYS 1580 - Energy and Interactions
Primary Instructor
-
Spring 2020
Engages non-physics majors in hands-on, minds-on activities and labs to investigate the physical world, the nature of science, and how science knowledge is constructed. This introductory course is especially relevant for future elementary and middle school teachers although it will meet the needs of most non-physics and non-science majors. Physical content focuses on interactions and energy. Same as EDUC 1580.
