STEM Panel
Educational Grants: Some Guidelines for Novices: Some Bibliographic
References
Mary Alice B. Wilson, Coordinator
Five College/Public School Partnership
Five College Center, 97 Spring Street, Amherst, MA 01002
mwilson@k12.oit.umass.edu
Proposal Writing
Grant Proposal Development: An Educators’ Guide, Terry Anne Vigil and
Karen O’Connor, Massachusetts Field Center for Teaching and Learning,
UMass Boston, 1989, $5. The Center also publishes a free newsletter,
Teaching Voices, which carries information on requests of proposals
(rfps).
Winning Proposals: A Sampler of Winning Federal, State, Foundation,
Corporate and Local District Proposals, Denise Blumenthal (ed), The
Network, 300 Brickstone Square, Suite 900, Andover, MA 01810, 800-877-
5400. Order number N-318-FF2, $20. I just found this book in the
Network catalogue and have ordered it. Reading good proposals is always
useful.
Jeff Sun, The Regional Laboratory for Educational Improvement of the
Northeast & Islands, 300 Brickstone Square, Suite 950, Andover, MA
01810, 508-475-9220 (jeffs@neirl.org) recently handed out the following
internet resources at a workshop he gave here at the University. I have
included a few:
Eisenhower National Clearing House for Math and Science Education
(resources)
http://www.enc.org or gopher.enc.org
NASA On Line (curriculum resources, hot topics, and how to use
Internet)
http://www.nasa.gov or quest.arc.nasa.gov
Educational Resources information Center (ERIC) documents and
journal articles
http://www.aspensys.com/eric2/welcome.html or ericir.syr.edu
U.S. Department of Education On-Line (funding, publications,
shareware)
http://www.ed.gov or gopher.ed.gov
Regional Lab itself (wide array of information, research synthesis,
publications)
http:/www.neirl.org or gopher.neirl.org
Education Reform Glossary
National Standards: Usually issued by discipline-based committees of
school and college faculty and learning-theory researchers. While the
History Standards have received more press, there are many excellent
documents that provide good background.
NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics), Curriculum and
Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics, 1989
NRC (National Research Council), National Science Education
Standards, final version due February 1996.
SCANS, What Work Requires of Schools; SCANS Report for American
2000, The Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills,
U.S. Department of Labor, June 1991. A literate and useful
document.
Benchmarks. Associated with the Standards are Benchmarks - compendia of
more complete descriptions of how to determine if the Standards are
being met. The best known is AAAS (American Association for the
Advancement of Science), Benchmarks for Science Literacy, Oxford
University Press, 1993.
State Curriculum Frameworks. Many states, including Massachusetts, have
developed Frameworks for making curricular decisions. The Mathematics
and the Science & Technology Frameworks are virtually complete in
Massachusetts. While these Frameworks are not mandatory, there will be
state assessment tests in grades 4, 8, and 10 based on these frameworks
which will be mandatory. The first trial tests are expected next year.
Constructivism. An approach to studying the learning process which
focuses on how the learner (any age) links new
information/knowledge/understanding to previous knowledge. The research
also explores how to help students construct a personal understanding
of new ideas, hence “constructivism.” Some of the best research is
being done on this campus - if you want more information contact the
Scientific Reasoning Research Institute, 545-0988. A good introductory
article is: Mestre, Jose, “Cognitive Aspects of Learning in Science,”
Teacher Enhancement for Elementary and Secondary Science and
Mathematics: Status, Issues, and Problems, S.J. Fitzsimmons and L.C.
Kerpelman (ed.), NSF Division for Education and Human Resources, 1994.
Assessment
The assumption behind all the newer work on assessment is that students
should learn from the assessment experience (not just “look at the
grade and toss”) and that the teacher can learn both about the student
and about the effectiveness of the teaching.
Alternative Assessment - alternative to multiple choice
standardized, norm-referenced tests.
Authentic Assessment - really the same meaning, but referring to the
fact that it might actually test what students know/be able to
do. The test is usually a complex, “real world” activity.
Portfolios - a collection of work samples over time. Each sample
MUST include a statement from the student about the piece and why
it was selected to be included.
Performance Assessment - observing a student (or students) while
they perform a complex task (in a lab, on an instrument, in a
group, etc.).
Rubric: a 4 of 5-point scale describing all stages from barely
understood the assignment (1) to “got it” (4) to understands
in depth (5). Younger students often help in developing the
rubric, which becomes more sophisticated as the year progresses.
Students participate, or at least know ahead of time, what the
rubric will be. While this is similar to any grading procedure,
it is different primarily in being public AND not being peer
referenced (graded on the curve).The best introduction is
probably Robert J. Marzano, Debra Pickering, Jay McTighe,
Assessing Student Outcomes: Performance Assessment Using the
Dimensions of Learning Model, Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development, 1993. ASCD also publishes Educational
Leadership, the best all-round monthly journal on educational
issues.
Evaluation
Angelo, Thomas A. and K. Patricia Cross, Classroom Assessment
Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers, Jossey-Bass, CA, 1993.
An interesting compendium of simple classroom assessment techniques
which can be used in college classrooms - as well as providing
background on the rationale for the relationship between assessment
and learning.
Madaus, George F., Walt Haney, Amelia Kreitzer, Testing and Evaluation:
Learning from the Projects We Fund, Council for Aid to Education,
NY, 1992. A good introduction to testing issues - not a handbook.
Stevens, Floraline, Frances Lawrenz, Laure Sharp, User-Friendly
Handbook for Project Evaluation: Science, Mathematics, Engineering
and Technology Education, 1993, NSF 93-152. If you are submitting a
proposal to NSF, read this book. It is really very good and should
be read anyway.
If you have questions or suggestions for resources which should be
added to this list, contact:
Mary Alice B. Wilson, Coordinator
Five College/Public School Partnership, Five College Center
97 Spring Street, Amherst, MA 01002
413-256-8316 x 3018 or mwilson@k12.oit.umass.edu