Improving Science for Students
The 21st Century Center for Research and Development in Cognition and Science Instruction is a five-year national grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences to further the goal of fostering science literacy in young people so they are able to compete in a 21st Century global economy. The Center's work focuses on applying the lens of cognitive science to existing middle school science curricula in an effort to improve student learning of science.
The Center's team of cognitive scientists is applying theoretical principles to systematically modify two popular middle school science programs and to prepare related teacher professional development materials. These methods for improving student learning will be evaluated through rigorously designed scientific studies.