March 2005

LISE 5: The 5th annual Leadership Initiative in Science Education

'Discovery in our classrooms: Inquiry and the nature of science'

The 5th annual Leadership Initiative in Science Education conference (LISE 5) will showcase methods for improving students' understanding of science. Specifically, the conference will highlight inquiry-based techniques and techniques for teaching the nature of science. Speakers include both researchers in science education and practitioners.

The complementary concepts of inquiry and the nature of science are central to achieving science literacy in our classrooms. Inquiry-based techniques are student-centered pathways to understanding important science concepts, and an increasingly large body of evidence points to such techniques as the best approach to science learning. Combining inquiry with the study of the nature of science itself will enable students to learn the cultural context of science, how scientists conduct their work, the history of science, and the relationship between scientists and society.

LISE 5 will address the following questions:

  • Why is it important to study the nature of science?
  • How can the nature of science be taught?
  • What roles can history play in the exploring nature of science?
  • What are the characteristics of inquiry?
  • Is there evidence that inquiry-based learning enhances student understanding?
  • How can inquiry-based learning be assessed?
  • How can museums and science centers enhance inquiry-based learning?
  • What are the barriers to inquiry-based learning in science classrooms?
  • Can students with learning differences benefit from inquiry-based learning?
  • How are best practices in inquiry and the study of the nature of science supported and funded?

    Presenters include:

    Connie Blasie
    Program Director, Penn Science Teacher Institute, University of Pennsylvania

    Phyllis Buchanan
    Manager, Office of Education, DuPont Company

    M. Blouke Carus
    Chairman and CEO, Carus Corporation

    Norman Lederman
    Chair and Professor of Mathematics and Science Education, Illinois Institute of Technology

    Lawrence Lowery
    Professor Emeritus, University of California at Berkeley; Principal Investigator, Full Option Science System (FOSS), Lawrence Hall of Science

    William McComas
    Director, Project to Advance Science Education, Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California

    Rick Moog
    Principal Investigator, Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) Project; Professor of Chemistry, Franklin and Marshall College

    Lynn Rankin
    Director, Institute for Inquiry, Exploratorium, San Francisco

    Steve Rissing
    Director, Introductory Biology Program, and Professor of Biology, Ohio State University

    Joseph Schmuckler
    Professor of Science Education and Chemistry, Temple University