Professor studies instructional approaches and curricular designs in elementary classrooms

Mark Enfield, associate professor of education, is currently working with Jayne Woodruff, third-grade teacher at Altamahaw-Ossipee Elementary School, to teach a problem-based learning science unit on the human body systems.

This study seeks to understand the implementation of instructional approaches and curricular designs in elementary classrooms. The study will consider the ways that integrating science content into traditional elementary curriculum with multimedia authoring creates opportunities for students to develop understandings and abilities to engage in science practices. In addition, the study seeks to understand how these experiences impact children’s access to and affiliation with science. 

Specifically, the project will involve planning and teaching integrated elementary curriculum that will have science as a unifying theme and involve multimedia authoring. In the study, the researcher will develop and implement integrated curriculum. Thus, one dimension of the research involves the researcher’s experiences planning and teaching as well as the created materials.

In addition, students will use iPads and probeware to support their investigation as well as document their understandings. The goal will be for students to develop multimedia reports of their understandings from science focused integrated instructional units. This will create another set of data that includes students’ work as well as interviews and survey data. This research focuses on both teacher and students’ understandings of science and how science knowledge is communicated.