Buxton

A University of Georgia College of Education research team has received a $2.65 million grant from the National Science Foundation to test a new teaching model that improves science learning for middle school educating English language learners and perhaps for all students.

Led by UGA faculty member Cory Buxton, a professor in the department of educational theory and practice, the project will further explore and demonstrate the effectiveness of the teaching and learning model he and his COE colleagues have developed over the past three years.

Buxton is the principal investigator for the grant—and the project is focused specifically on increasing competitiveness among Latino populations as well as other English language learners.

Because of unprecedented growth in the Latino population in the U.S. over the past five decades, the international competitiveness of the nation will depend on the academic success of Latino students, Buxton said. Unfortunately, Latinos’ educational attainment has not kept pace. With Georgia among the top 10 states for fastest-growth in and largest share of Latinos, the need for educating English language learners is a critical priority.

The new study will focus on teaching as it influences the critical student transition from middle school to high school.

Buxton and his team worked with students, teachers and parents in three area middle schools to help students improve their science inquiry practices, use academic language in and beyond science class and understand that success in science can lead to broader academic success. The team also designed, tested and refined methods to determine the effectiveness of the teaching-learning model.

“English language learners are often pulled out of class to learn conversational English and miss their grade-level content classes, or they are left to sink or swim with unsupported immersion in all-English instruction,” Buxton said. “We use a co-teaching model, often used with special education students, which involves an English as a second language teacher collaborating with a content-area teacher.”

In the new four-year study, Buxton and his colleagues will focus on teaching as it influences the critical student transition from middle school to high school. The college’s team will work with select area teachers in grades 7-10 with a focus on life and physical sciences, and an emphasis on biotechnology as a critical science, technology, engineering and mathematics field.

“The middle school to high school transition is a period in which many students lose interest in science, and many English language learners drop out of school,” Buxton said. “Our research will help us understand the aspects of professional learning that can support teachers in helping (these students) learn to use science, engineering and academic language practices to gain college and career-ready skills in science.”

In their previous study, Buxton and his team worked with students, teachers and parents in three area middle schools to help students improve their science inquiry practices, use academic language in and beyond science classes and understand that success in science can lead to broader academic success. The team also designed, tested and refined methods to determine the effectiveness of the teaching-learning model.

In addition to Buxton, the project team includes Martha Allexsaht-Snider, an associate professor in the department of educational theory and practice; Zhenqui Lu, an assistant professor of educational psychology; and Allan Cohen, a professor of educational psychology and director of the college’s Georgia Center for Assessment.

The article titled, “Teacher beliefs and technology integration,” was published in the January 2013 issue.  Co-authors included Min Kyu Kim (PhD ’12), Chianjug Lee (PhD ’13), recent doctoral graduates in career and information studies; Karen Demeester, director of the Program Evaluation Group, all in the UGA College of Education; and  J. Michael Spector, a professor of learning technologies at the University of North Texas.

Top Five Highly Downloaded Articles

Article: Teacher beliefs and technology integration

Jeremy Dean, (C), chats with Alexis Winger, (L) and Cheryl Bement as they walk on treadmills during a senior workout session at the Ramsey Center. Photo by Richard Hamm/Athens Banner-Herald

Research co-directed by  COE faculty member Ellen Evans focusing on exercise and diet for senior citizens was featured in a front page article in the August 6 issue of the Athens Banner-Herald.  Evans, an associate professor in kinesiology, is leading the project with Mary Ann Johnson, a professor in Foods and Nutrition in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

This was the second story in a six-part series on obesity research conducted through the Obesity Initiative at the University of Georgia.

Shannon Dubois, a third-year doctoral student in science education from Somerset, Mass., discusses research with a colleague during the SAARMSTE Research School in Capetown, South Africa.

Three College of Education doctoral students recently participated in the 11th annual Southern Africa Association for Research in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology (SAARMSTE) Research School in Cape Town, South Africa.

The UGA participants, students of Julie A. Luft, the UGA Athletic Association Professor in Science Education, presented the following research:

Shannon Dubois, third-year doctoral student from Somerset, Mass., presented on “An International Comparative Study of Early Career Secondary Biology Teachers.”

Melissa A. Jurkiewicz, fourth-year doctoral student from Columbia, S.C., presented on “The Views of Beginning Secondary Science Teachers in South Africa and the United States.”

Ryan Nixon, a second-year doctoral student from Salt Lake City, Utah, presented on “Science Knowledge for Teaching: A Beginning Characterization of Science Teacher Content Knowledge.”

UGA doctoral student Ryan Nixon discusses project with Marissa Rollnick, a mentor at the SAARMSTE Research School in South Africa.

The Research School is a weeklong residential workshop that provides about 40-50 doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows and supervisors in mathematics, science and technology with the opportunity to explore the research process in a supportive environment. A team of experienced researchers from universities around the world are invited to run plenary sessions and workshops focusing on issues of research design and theory, data collection and analysis, and writing for publication. Student participants bring their own research data and writing with them; and in the workshop sessions they are able to share their work with others and get feedback from peers and experienced researchers.

Funding for the students’ participation was provided by National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

“We have promoted an international vision at NARST that includes bringing together doctoral researchers from around the world to learn from each other at early stages of their academic careers,” said Sibel Erduran, a professor of science education at the University of Bristol (England) and NARST International Coordinator.

For more information on the Research School, visit:
http://www.saarmste.org/research

UGA’s graduate programs in secondary education, which include science education, are perennially ranked among the Top 10 in the nation in U.S. News and World Report’s annual “Best Graduate Schools” survey.

University of Georgia College of Education faculty members were ranked among the most productive faculty in science education research published during the first decade of the 21^st century, according to a study in the March 2013 edition of the Journal of Education and Learning.

UGA science education faculty were ranked third in the nation in research productivity from 2000-2009 when data were adjusted for the acceptance rates of the four top science education journals studied and fourth when data were adjusted for raw number of publications.

UGA science education faculty published 55 articles in the top four international science education journals during the 2000s. Only science education faculty at the University of Michigan (84), Indiana University (66) and Purdue University (59) published more during that period.

UGA’s graduate programs in secondary education, which include science education, are perennially ranked among the Top 10 in the nation in U.S. News and World Report’s annual “Best Graduate Schools” survey.

Oliver

“Science education faculty members have been leaders in the field dating back to the 1970s,” said Steve Oliver, professor and science education program coordinator during much of the last decade. “Those of us who replaced those earlier individuals came of age in the 2000s and wanted to participate fully in our professional field. A number of individuals who are no longer at UGA—Tom Koballa, Lynn Bryan and Carolyn Wallace—were very important to the success we had in those years.”

Today, UGA’s faculty members in science education continue research to develop new and better methods for instruction to enhance each student’s education from elementary school through doctoral studies.

Shen

For instance, researcher Ji Shen is pursuing a synthesis of the achievements and challenges of modeling-based instruction (MBI) in K-12 science education over the last three decades to identify the most effective MBI practices for successful student learning, with an emphasis on technology-enhanced ones.

Shen is directing another study to design and implement technology-enhanced formative assessments to help college students integrate scientific knowledge and solve complex problems across disciplines. Specifically, researchers are targeting fundamental biological processes in physiological contexts that are closely related to physics. The assessments will be administered to college students enrolled in introductory physics, biology, physiology and science education courses.

Oliver is one of five UGA researchers leading a five-year, multi-discipline, partnership project among scientists and science educators at UGA, science teachers in high school and the national Biological Sciences Curriculum Study to create and evaluate curricular materials that use highly interactive 3-D models and animations of physiological processes that could set new standards in science education.

Crawford

Luft

Two new senior faculty members who joined the College of Education in 2012—Barbara Crawford and Julie Luft—both bring groundbreaking research projects to UGA.

Crawford’s research focuses on how to move the essence of inquiry into the science classroom, how to support teachers in engaging students in authentic science, and how to alter and shape views of science in students generally underrepresented in the sciences (including English language learners).

Luft, the inaugural Athletic Association Professor of Mathematics and Science Education, was named the 2012 Outstanding Mentor of the Year by the Association for Science Teacher Education last fall.

Her current research focuses on beginning secondary science teachers and the development of their knowledge and instructional practices during their first five years in the classroom. Her work reveals the importance of content knowledge during induction programs and suggests new roles for science educators in higher education. In 2012, research from this project received the Journal of Research in Science Teaching Award for the most significant publication of the year.

Research published in science education journals impacts a wide range of areas, ranging from teacher education to curriculum development to assessment to policy. This study identifies the places where science educators are producing new knowledge, which can inform faculty, current and future graduate students, teachers of science, and policymakers for United States K-12 science, according to authors Lloyd Barrow and Nai-en Tang, both of the University of Missouri.

See abstract, link to full text of the science education research productivity study:
www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jel/article/view/25011

Bishop and Conner are working on separate five-year studies funded by two NSF awards totaling $1.2 million.

What makes mathematics difficult for some students to learn? Two University of Georgia College of Education researchers believe the answer may lie in the way mathematical reasoning is communicated in classrooms.

Assistant professors Jessica Bishop and AnnaMarie Conner, both in the department of mathematics and science education, are working on separate five-year studies documenting student-teacher interactions and assessing other classroom factors that may influence mathematics learning. Two CAREER Awards from the National Science Foundation that total $1,207,853 fund the studies.

A former high school mathematics teacher, Bishop often wondered what aspects of her teaching made a real difference in student learning. Much of the time in math classrooms was spent talking, she noticed, but not all of the talk was “mathematically productive.”

Bishop

“What elements of mathematics conversations encourage students to generate, explain and defend mathematical ideas and to make connections between concepts?” asked Bishop. “We need to be able to identify what it is that teachers and students are doing in productive mathematics conversations so we can better support practicing and prospective teachers.”

Over the next five years, Bishop will use an NSF CAREER award of $672,846 to systematically document the small details of student-teacher exchanges in elementary and middle school math classes. She will analyze shifts in student-teacher interactions across different curricular topics, grade levels, school periods and teachers, and in schools with student populations from a wide variety of backgrounds.

“This project should help determine the common elements of successful communication and describe the teaching patterns that correspond to success,” said Bishop.

Conner will use NSF funding of $535,007 over five years to observe and document how college mathematics education majors and new teachers help students create and critique mathematical arguments, or proofs. Conner will study a learning process known as collective argumentation, whereby students—with teacher guidance—discover ways to answer particular mathematical questions.

Connor

“Prospective teachers often come to class believing that math involves memorizing rules and the teacher’s role is to communicate those rules,” said Conner. “If a teacher can foster student involvement in creating mathematical arguments and proofs, however, students learn something more valuable: reasoning skills.”

“Creating and critiquing mathematical arguments is an increasingly important part of mathematics classes,” said Conner. “This will lead to students having better mathematical preparation for college.”

Conner’s research team will follow college mathematics education majors through their coursework and into their first two years of teaching. The team will record how novice educators’ support for collective argumentation evolves over time, said Conner. In addition, the research team and educators will use the data they collect to develop more effective ways to support this learning method.

“These projects address critical areas in the teaching and learning of mathematics, particularly in the area of discourse,” said Denise Spangler, head of the department of mathematics and science education. “We are very excited to have two CAREER Awards in the same year.”

The NSF CAREER Award is among the most competitive grants available from the National Science Foundation. The acceptance rate for NSF CAREER proposals submitted over the last four years to the directorate for education and human resources, which oversees Bishop’s and Conner’s projects, averages 10 to 13 percent.

Kevin McCully, a professor of exercise science in the College of Education’s department of kinesiology, is leading the biomarker study.  UGA Photo by Andrew Tucker

A new optical method using light to measure muscle energy production in people trying to recover from debilitating injuries and diseases has been developed by University of Georgia kinesiology researchers, and it could save patients 100 times the cost of getting the same measurements through magnetic resonance imaging.

Kevin McCully, professor of exercise science in the College of Education’s department of kinesiology, said he and his team of researchers have a patent pending and recently published a paper on the method. They hope use of the method will expand the ability to test diseased and injured populations.

The work is part of a collaboration between UGA, Georgia Health Sciences University, and Biogen Idec, a Cambridge, Mass., pharmaceutical company looking to develop new drugs to treat Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.

McCully recently received a $263,000 contract from Biogen Idec to conduct a biomarker study of skeletal muscle energy metabolism on healthy volunteers and patients with ALS. He is exploring the feasibility of using magnetic resonance spectroscopy and the new optical near-infrared spectroscopy as biomarkers of skeletal muscle energy metabolism in clinical trials in healthy volunteers and patients with neuromuscular disorders, such as ALS.

A biomarker, or biological marker, is a measurement or test substance used as an indicator of a biological state. It is a characteristic that is objectively measured and evaluated as an indicator of normal biological processes, pathogenic processes or pharmacologic responses to a therapeutic intervention. It is used in many scientific fields.

“One of the main purposes of the Exercise Vascular Biology Laboratory is to develop noninvasive ‘biomarkers,’ so this is an exciting partnership for us,” said McCully. “When I came to UGA we didn’t have the resources available for me, as we didn’t have a magnet. With the establishment of the Bioimaging Research Center (BIRC) in the Coverdell building and the ability to perform multinuclear spectroscopy, my lab was able to establish our muscle mitochondrial measurements. What we really worked on was the ability to test people with injuries and diseases, such as spinal cord injury and now ALS.”

The results of this study evaluating the new optical method as well as the more traditional multinuclear spectroscopy approach will lead to the improvement of the quality of drug trials to treat patients with muscle and nerve diseases, according to McCully.

“One example is a drug that was created to treat patients by improving energy metabolism, and they only found out later that the drug actually didn’t improve energy metabolism,” he said. “Our testing will make sure that drugs that are supposed to improve energy production in nerves and muscles, actually do that.”

McCully said UGA researchers are hoping to expand this study, and anticipate that there will be more studies in the future. The project represents the start of collaboration between UGA researchers and drug companies around ‘biomarkers’ for testing drugs.  There are other related projects that researchers hope to start in the biomarker area.

“There are some potentially important treatments for nerve-related diseases that involve reduced energy production,” said McCully. “It’s hard to detect improvements in nerve energy production, but much easier to detect muscle energy production. So we can use muscle measurements to tell us whether the nerves would also benefit.”

Article: “Noninvasive evaluation of skeletal muscle mitochondrial capacity with near-infrared spectroscopy: correcting for blood volume changes” (Terence E. Ryan, Melissa L. Erickson, Jared T. Brizendine, Hui-Ju Young and Kevin K.McCully) Published in Journal of Applied Physiology, 113: 175-183, May 10, 2012
http://tinyurl.com/ugabiomarker

James

University of Georgia College of Education researcher Jennifer Hauver James is leading a two-year study in a local third grade classroom which she hopes will determine what it means to prepare students for civic participation in a 21st century world.

“The need to name 21st century skills, thoughtfully engage teaching toward their development and measure the impact of our work is real,” said James, an associate professor in the department of elementary and social studies education. “Our efforts to address this need will likely benefit not only the students in our focus classroom, but other students and teachers throughout the school and district, offering research-based recommendations for policy and practice.”

The study is funded by a $40,000 grant from the Spencer Foundation. There are two aims of the research project:

• to develop a theoretical framework and corresponding measures for capturing and understanding elementary students’ 21st century skills;
• to identify specific pedagogical methods that foster elementary students’ 21st century skill development.

The research team’s framework for 21^st century skill building focuses on three dimensions of students’ civic learning: cognitive (creative thinking, meta-cognition, reasoning and critical thinking), interpersonal (perspective taking, symbiotic relationship building, and collaboration) and intrapersonal (self-esteem, self -knowledge, and efficacy).

“We call our framework ‘Head, Heart and Hands’ – a name we adopted so that we can talk with children about our work,” said James. “The Head is cognitive. What do I know? How do I know it? What do/can I not know? What does it mean to know? The Heart is intrapersonal. Who am I? What do I care about? What are my strengths? What role do/can I play in my community? How can I express myself? The Hands are interpersonal. Who are the people in my community? How do I know them? What does it mean to be in community with others?”

In the process of conceptual refinement, the researchers plan to develop a variety of qualitative and quantitative measures for capturing students’ understanding across time and space, and to identify effective strategies for fostering children’s civic growth within the context of the school day.

James, the on-site instructor and principal researcher, will collaborate with Barrow Elementary teacher researchers Glennda Shealey and Rita Foretich. Shealey teaches 3^rd grade and Foretich teaches art education. Jessica Kobe and Chang Liu, UGA graduate students in the college’s department of elementary and social studies education, will serve as research assistants.

The project will involve a classroom of about 21 students at David C. Barrow Elementary School, one of several schools participating in the Clarke County Professional Development School District.

Several UGA professors are trying to tackle that exact question by looking at the psychological factors behind compensation during exercise programs. For example, people often overeat to reward themselves for working out.

“They don’t have a good sense of the calories being burned versus how much they can ingest,” says Michael Schmidt, a kinesiology professor and leader of the study said in an October 3 story in The Flagpole.  “It’s much easier to ingest calories than burn them.”

McCullick

Chepyator-Thomson, a professor in the sport management program, and McCullick, professor and program coordinator of physical education, will deliver papers as part of an invited symposium titled, “School Physical Education Curricula for Future Generations: Global Patterns? Global Lessons?”

Along with speakers from New Zealand, South Korea, Germany, Australia, England and Turkey, McCullick will discuss the place of physical education in today’s schools. His presentation, Re-Thinking the Place of PE in American Schooling, will propose a rationale for and a plan for PE to reposition itself in the school curriculum so that it can make contributions (perhaps even more that it currently does) and remove itself from the divided debate on what public schooling should be.

Chepyator-Thomson

Chepyator-Thomson’s presentation titled, Public Policy and Physical Education in Post-Colonial Africa, explores how teaching movement forms in physical education is lost to the politics of knowledge in the schools. This is revealed through the ranking of subjects, the lack of indistinguishable characteristics between physical education and school sport, the presence of negative school practices, and the general understanding of school sport as an agent of social engineering and economic development, as well as an organ for the promotion of a nation’s international image abroad as in the Olympic Games. She will conclude her presentation by describing “a way forward for physical education in Africa.”

Ferrara

Ferrara, the college’s associate dean for research, professor of exercise science and founder of UGA’s athletic training education program, will present at a symposium titled, Sport-Related Concussion Management: From the Field to the Laboratory, with Larry Leverenz from Purdue University and Jake Resch from the University of Texas at Arlington, a 2010 UGA doctoral graduate.

Ferrara will present on the current trends in concussion assessment and dual tasking. Dual tasking requires an individual to perform a combination of mental and physical tasks concurrently to replicate sport activity.  UGA researchers Phil Tomporowski and Ferrara have developed and tested dual-task methodology to assess executive function of the brain. The dual task testing can be used to determine the severity of a concussion and assist clinicians in making return to play decisions.

ICSEMIS 2012 is sponsored by the International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee, International Federation of Sports Medicine and International Council of Sports Science and Physical Education. The first ICSEMIS was held in Guangzhou, China in 2008 just before the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Opening Ceremony of the London Olympic Games will take place on July 27.

For more information on the conference, visit:
www.icsemis2012.com/