2005-2006

Thursday, December 7, 2006, 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
The Crane room at Paige Hall, Tufts University, Medford Campus
Carol L. Smith, Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts/Boston
"Thoughts on Designing Learning Progressions for the Particulate Theory of Matter"

Thursday, November 16, 2006, 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
The Crane room at Paige Hall, Tufts University, Medford Campus
Tina Grotzer Ed.D., Assistant Professor of Education, REsearch Associate, Harvard University
"How Children's Notion of Causality Interact with Deep Understanding in Science: Puzzles and Possibilities"

Thursday, November 2, 2006, 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
The Crane room at Paige Hall, Tufts University, Medford Campus
Dr. Cary Sneider, VP for Educator Programs at the MOS Boston, and
Claudine Kavanagh, Ph.D. student, Tufts MSTE Education Program
"The Gravity of the Situation: an in-progress report of a five-year effort to summarize the results of astronomy education research for use by teachers and curriculum developers"

Tuesday, October 3, 2006, 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Penrose room at TERC, 2067 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA
Dr. Joan Thormann, Professor, Technology in Education Division, School of Education, Lesley University
"Facilitating Online Discussion: Walking a Pedagogic Tightrope"

Tuesday, June 13, 2006, 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Anderson 208, Tufts University, Medford Campus
Arthur Camins, Elementary Math and Science Director, Hudson Public Schools
"Improving Mathematics and Science Learning for all Students"

Thursday, March 30, 2006, 5:30 p.m. - 7:15 p.m.
The Terrace room at Paige Hall, Tufts University, Medford Campus
Marianne Wiser, Associate Professor, Director of the Developmental Program, Department of Psychology, Clark University
"Science Teaching with and about Models: Conceptual and Metaconceptual issues."

Saturday, January 21, 2006, 12 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Anderson 208, Tufts University, Medford Campus
Prof. William Moomaw, PhD, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
Senior Director, Tufts Institute of the Environment; Co-Director, Global Development and Environment Institute
"Climate Science"

Wednesday December 14, 2005, 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Tamara Shapiro Ledley, PhD, Principal investigator and Senior Scientist at TERC
"Climate Change, Polar Ice Caps and Greenhouse Gases as a systems approach earth science education"

For more information on Tamara S. Ledley:
http://www.ecd.bnl.gov/pubs/BNL66903.pdf
http://www.igsoc.org/annals/14/
http://www.igsoc.org/annals/25/
http://www.agu.org/eos_elec/99148e.html

Wednesday April 13, 2005, 12:00 p.m.
TERC, 2067 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA
Prof. Gérard Vergnaud, Emeritus Director of Research, CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France)
"The Theory of Conceptual Fields in Mathematics and Science Education"
Presented with The Early Algebra Project

The theory of conceptual fields is a developmental theory that relies upon three strong assumptions:

• There is no sense in studying the development of isolated concepts, because concepts always form systems, even in the early phase of the conceptualizing process;
• Concepts are formed by children and adults by dealing with different classes of situations. I call schemes the forms of organization of activity that are developed to deal with those situations;
• The development of a specific conceptual field is a long term process.

Thursday, February 3, 2005, 12:00 p.m.
Penrose room at TERC, 2067 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA
Phil Sadler, Senior Lecturer in Astronomy and Director of the Science Education Department
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
"MOSART: Misconception Oriented Standards-based Assessment Resource for Teachers"

The MOSART is a set of comprehensive subject matter assessment tools that can function as diagnostic tools to identify teachers' strength and weaknesses across grade levels. The assessment items measure the extent to which teachers and students have mastery of the K-12 NRC Content Standards and the AAAS Benchmarks in Physical Science and Eartha nd Space Science. The application of psychometric models aligned with cognitive research findings are used to establish scales and substests that accurately guage scientific understanding needed for teaching pre-college science courses.

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